Resistance Training. Why?
I’m 43 now, so I grew up with the idea that lifting weights was for a certain person looking for a certain outcome. That person was some derivative of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the desired outcome was a physique that used to be described as “a condom full of walnuts”. I’ll let you fill in the graphics on that and spare you the ghastly stock image of a tooth whitened, spray tanned, over-bronzed, thin skinned bodybuilder.
Now, I realise that lifting weights (henceforth known as resistance training) is not a matter of vanity, but of health - and that it is not for a unique (and somewhat deranged) group like bodybuilders, but in fact for most people - young and old.
A matter of health
Before I go any further, let me define resistance training. When I use that term, I mean adding load to movement. That load can come from an object (like a machine in a gym) or from a change in the execution of a typical movement pattern (such as increasing the speed of a squatting or lunging movement).
Resistance training can have multiple health promoting effects. In this article, I’ll focus on those which are particularly relevant to adults. But I note that resistance training in a youth population has probably been viewed with unjustified prejudice - see here. This is changing, though.
Engaging in resistance training can;
Help you to maintain a healthy weight
Help you to be able to use your body in a confident and effective manner (Mums - think of having a little more “pep” in your arms and legs amid the sleep deprived brain fog of caring for toddlers. Dads - think of feeling confident in your back when doing the gardening or loading up the car for a road trip. Grandmas and Grandpas - think of less inertia and more mental momentum with tasks like getting up from a low couch or getting onto the ground with your grandchildren)
Help you to maintain a healthy metabolism and prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. See note 1.
Keep your bones strong.
Improve your movement skills. See note 2.
Enhance your athletic capability. See note 3.
NOTE 1: This is quite a big deal. Seeing a muscle tissue is one of the largest ‘sinks’ for glucose in the body (along with the liver), gaining and maintaining muscle tissue can help you to stave off some of the biggest health consequences of modern, sedentary life - with the associated inactivity and abundant energy dense, low nutrient foods
NOTE 2: I’ve found that adding load to fundamental human movement patterns (push, pull, squat, lunge etc) has helped me to move in a more effective manner. What do I mean by this? Here’s some examples. Learning to deadlift has taught me the skill involved in lifting a heavy object off the ground (where the load needs to go in relation to my body, where to position my feet, whether and how to use breath holding to increase spine stiffness). Learning to bench press and chin up has helped me to feel how different spine posture affect the force my arms produce and how changing my spine position affects the position of my limbs. This has helped me to be able to adjust my running posture to compensate for gait changes due to fatigue.
NOTE 3: In addition to helping with the skill component of sport, resistance training can improve your physiological capability - especially the force production capacity of your muscles - and this can translate into performance improvements in your sport or recreational pursuits. A strong soccer player can change direction more rapidly. A middle aged office worker who consistently lifts weights once per week can step up onto that high rock on his weekend Bibbulmun Track expedition, unlike his weaker self.
There you have it. That’s the “why”. The reasons I’ve provided are by no means exhaustive but I believe I’ve summarised some of the big ticket items pretty well.
A really important point to take note of is that regular resistance training can be very time effective. You don’t need a gym (although there are lots of great thing about gyms) or a truckload of time to incorporate resistance training into your life. In my next post, I’ll take you through the “how” of resistance training, with a particular focus on getting a good result with a relatively low time investment.