Ten great reasons to lift weights

Strength training is an important part of any overall fitness program. Here are ten great reasons why you should be lifting weights - and how to get started.

Build stronger muscles

If you want to prevent falls and fractures, and retain your independence in later life, pick up some dumbbells.

From the age of 40, if we don’t act, we lose 1-2 per cent of our muscle mass every year. This age-related decline, called sarcopenia, can lead to frailty and falls in later life, and increases the risk of metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that the right strength training programme can almost halt that age-related muscle loss.

Boost your bone health

Better bone health is one of the biggest benefits of strength training.

From midlife, bone density declines by about 1 per cent a year. This accelerates at menopause due to falling oestrogen levels, when women can lose 10 to 20 per cent of their bone mass, increasing the risk of osteoporosis - which is why women have a higher risk of falls in later life than men.

It used to be thought that by around 60 years old, the body couldn’t make new bone cells, but research shows we can maintain and even increase bone density in later life through strength training and high-impact exercise, such as running and jumping.

Protect your heart

Strength training helps to lower blood pressure by improving the elasticity of your arteries and promoting better blood-vessel function, reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke. It also increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol), reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol), and improves glucose metabolism, lowering blood-sugar levels and helping prevent damage to blood vessels and plaque build-up (which can lead to heart disease).

Just 30 to 60 minutes of strength training a week can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by 10-20 per cent.

Burn more fat

If you’re spending hours on the treadmill but not losing weight, try adding some squats and lunges to your sessions.

Strength training is great for fat loss because muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it burns more calories, even at rest. The more muscle you build, the higher your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the rate at which your body burns calories to sustain daily activities and basic functions.

One study, from the International Journal of Exercise Science (IJES) which focused on resistance training, revealed that overall BMR remains elevated for up to 48 hours post-exercise.

Prevent Type 2 diabetes

Resistance exercise increases the amount of glucose your muscles need, so they become more effective at taking up glucose from the bloodstream, which lowers blood-sugar levels and reduces your risk of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

Research published in the British Journal of Sport Medicine (BJSM) shows up to an hour of muscle-strengthening exercise a week can lead to a 20 per cent lower risk of death from conditions such as diabetes.

Even if you already have Type 2 diabetes, resistance exercise can help to control the condition. Done regularly, in conjunction with a reduction in calorie intake and weight loss, resistance training may even help put Type 2 diabetes into remission.

Ease joint pain

There’s a common misconception that lifting weights will lead to ruined joints, but research shows the opposite is true.

Resistance exercise helps prevent arthritis and reduce the pain associated with the condition by strengthening tendons, ligaments, and the connective tissue within your joints, reducing wear and tear from repetitive movements such as walking, climbing stairs and other everyday tasks. Studies even show those who live with arthritis and lift weights experience less pain than those who do not.

Performing resistance exercises through a wide range of motion (ROM) also helps muscles and joints to remain more flexible, reducing the likelihood that you’ll experience joint pain later in life.

Stave off Alzheimer’s

Strength training can sharpen memory, increase thinking speed and brain plasticity (needed for learning) and protect grey matter from age-related decline. The stronger you are, the better cognition you’ll have.

It’s thought that strength training improves blood flow to the brain, reduces inflammation that can accelerate cognitive decline, and stimulates the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps produce new brain cells.

Research even suggests that regular strength training slows down degeneration in the hippocampus, responsible for learning and memory and vulnerable to Alzheimer’s.

Strengthen immunity

Strong muscles are vital for good immune function, helping us to fight off infections such as winter colds and flu.

Just a single session of resistance exercise has been shown to stimulate changes in immune-cell function, while several weeks of training leads to better long-term immunity and reduced inflammation.

Weak skeletal muscle is also a risk factor for metabolic stress during severe infection and there is evidence to suggest that lower muscle strength was associated with a greater risk of severe Covid infections because skeletal muscle is essential in proper respiratory system function.

Improve your mental health

Strength training can boost your mood as well as your muscles.

Just like cardiovascular exercise, strength training triggers the release of endorphins and endocannabinoids through your body, which help to reduce anxiety and depression and improve self-esteem and mood.

While it’s not a substitute for professional mental health care, research published in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Psychiatry journal, found that people with mild to moderate depression who did two sessions of resistance training a week significantly reduced their symptoms.

Improve your cardio performance

It is no accident that competitive runners, cyclists, and swimmers spend time lifting weights because stronger muscles mean better performance.

Strength training accomplishes three goals: it prevents injuries by strengthening muscles and connective tissues; it improves core strength, providing better balance; and it helps you to run, cycle or swim faster by boosting neuromuscular coordination and power.

As your muscles become stronger and more efficient, they also require less oxygen and energy to perform everyday tasks, allowing your heart and lungs to work more effectively during cardio exercise.

How do I get started?

If you’re new to strength training, begin with bodyweight exercises such as press ups or squats and then progress to dumbbells or the weights machines at your local gym. Aim for two sessions a week of around 45 minutes.

Include exercises to target all your main muscle groups - legs, hips, back, abdominals, chest, shoulders, and arms. To avoid muscle soreness and injury, focus on good technique and avoid progressing too quickly.

Start with light weights and build up to three sets of 12 repetitions (or reps) with a two-minute rest in between each set. The key is to work your muscles hard enough that, by the final rep, you can’t lift that weight again more than once or twice more. Once you can lift a weight comfortably 10-12 times, move on to a heavier one.

As you get stronger, you can add more reps or more sets, reduce your rest period between sets, speed up or slow down the speed of your reps, increase your range of motion (for example, by squatting more deeply), and even increase the number of sessions you do each week to three or more. Over time, this progressive overload is what helps build muscle strength and endurance.