Why YOU Should Be Doing Strength Training!

Join us at 9AM on Wednesday, 1/22 for a FREE informational workshop on "The Why & How of Strength Training" with Chatham Works Personal Trainer John Gill.

Whether you're a diehard athlete in your teens, or a fitness novice in your 80's, there are numerous reasons why strength training should be central to your approach to health and wellness.

And research shows that it's never too late to start.

Not Just For Gym Bros

Fitness professionals have long appreciated the many benefits of strength training. But it wasn't long ago that lifting weights was viewed as being mostly for body builders, power lifters, and hardcore athletes.

More recently, the "gym bro" reputation has been eclipsed by an abundance of scientifically backed conclusions - and real-world success stories - that prove the many, profound, and nearly universal benefits of good old fashioned strength training.

In our experience, there are still some people who seem hesitant to give strength training a real try. The hangup usually seems to be related to either a lingering "musclehead" stigma, fear of getting "bulky", or a reluctance to start due to "gymtimidation". (PS: All three of those concerns are misplaced!)

Strength Training 101

Often referred to as resistance training, strength training includes any exercise that requires your muscles to work against a load.

Common forms of strength training include lifting weights, using resistance bands, and performing bodyweight exercises like push-ups or squats.

So called “isolation exercises” are designed to focus on growing or strengthening specific muscles or muscle groups.

“Compound exercises” engage multiple muscle groups at once, tend to burn calories at a higher rate than isolation exercises, and are excellent for building functional (i.e., real world) strength.

Hypertrophy (muscle growth) is stimulated by mechanical tension, contraction, metabolic stress, and muscle damage.  Exposing the muscle to tension under load causes microscopic tears in your tissue.  This triggers a repair response in the body.  Provided we have proper nutrition and adequate rest, this repair process leads to an increase in muscle size, and improvements in tissue quality and function.

Metabolic Magic

Perhaps the most amazing thing about resistance training is that it can significantly alter our metabolisms, enabling us to effectively remodel our bodies, and set off a cascade of beneficial follow-on effects.

1: Stoking the Furnace: ↑ Muscle Mass → ↑ Calorie Burn

Through hypertrophy (see above), strength training combined with proper nutrition and recovery can lead to an increase in lean muscle mass. When you increase your muscle mass, you also increase your Basal Metabolic Rate - the number of calories you burn a day at while at rest. (FYI, you can learn your BMR via an InBody scan.)

The specifics are hotly debated, but it's estimated that muscle burns ~3X more calories than fat at rest. And muscle tissue burns significantly more calories than fat tissue when you're active. So provided you're diligent about managing your caloric intake, gaining lean muscle mass via strength training is one of the most effective ways to control body fat and change your body composition.

2: Added EPOC

Intense exercise induces an "afterburn effect", known as EPOC - "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption". EPOC has been shown to lead to increased calorie burn for up to 36 hours post-exercise. Numerous studies have suggested that moderate to high intensity resistance training can introduce elevated levels of EPOC.

3: Improved Insulin Sensitivity, & Reduced Insulin Resistance

Increased muscle mass helps the body store and use blood sugar (glucose) far more efficiently. Numerous studies have shown that strength training can help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes. It has also been shown to be more effective than aerobic exercise at improving glycemic control and body composition in people with type 2 diabetes. One study that followed 35,754 healthy women found that those who engaged in strength training experienced a 30% reduced rate of type 2 diabetes.

4: Improved Blood Markers

Resistance training has been shown to be extremely effective at improving blood markers like cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, and reducing inflammation.

You Were Built For This

If you're not persuaded yet, consider that you were born not just to move, but to physically exert yourself. In fact, it would seem that our bodies are genetically programmed to reward exertion, and penalize inactivity.

The evolutionary argument in support of this theory is pretty simple.  Through natural selection our bodies have evolved to optimize for "survival of the fittest".  But until quite recently, life was a lot more dangerous and physically demanding than the relatively cream-puff existence many of us enjoy today.

It may seem silly that, even in these too modern times, we are still genetically hostage to the life circumstances of our distant - and undoubtedly rather pungent - ancestors.  But the evidence is pretty clear:  Our bodies and even our brains thrive when we exert and challenge ourselves.  And they deteriorate when we are sedentary.

Use it or Lose It!

For example, our muscles and our bones grow stronger when submit them to loads via resistance training, but degrade when we're not active.

We already noted that - through the process of hypertrophy - our muscle tissues will repair and even improve themselves when we (safely!) damage them via the stimulus of resistance training.

But the opposite is also true!

Muscles that receive limited exposure to these stimuli are required to contract less frequently and with less intensity.  Therefore they exhibit limited repair response.  Over time, lack of use can lead to muscle loss - atrophy - as the body reallocates resources away from unused muscles in favor of more pressing biological demands within the body.

Sarcopenia - Muscle Atrophy Over Time

Muscle mass also declines naturally with age, through a process called sarcopenia.

Starting as early as the age of 30, individuals can experience a gradual loss of about 3-8% of muscle mass and strength per decade. This decline often accelerates as we age, and leads to a decrease in strength, mobility, and overall functionality, and an increase in numerous other risk factors.

• Factors associated with an increased risk of sarcopenia include physical inactivity, malnutrition, smoking, extreme (short or long) sleep duration, and diabetes.
• Sarcopenia is associated with a high risk of a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including poor overall and disease-progression free survival rate, postoperative complications, and longer hospitalization in patients with different medical situations as well as falls and fracture, metabolic disorders, cognitive impairment, and mortality in general populations.
• People with sarcopenia had 2.3 times the risk of having a fracture from a fall.
• Menopause can be a catalyst for sarcopenia, as hormonal changes can lead to a decrease in muscle mass and strength.
• Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetimes.

Sarcopenia Diagnosis & Symptoms

Because it tends to progress slowly as we age, sarcopenia is rarely diagnosed via an "ah hah" moment of realization about a decline in one's physical strength or muscle mass.

However, Chatham Works happens to be one of the only facilities on Cape Cod with an InBody body composition analysis machine that can accurately measure and track your skeletal muscle mass, as well as a number of other helpful datapoints.

Sarcopenia Prevention & Treatment

The two most effective ways to mitigate and reverse sarcopenia are:

1. Engage in strength training at least 2 times per week. (We happen to know of an awesome gym in town that has a variety of classes that emphasize strength training, and amazing Trainers & Instructors!)
2. Increase your intake of quality protein. The US RDA is .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Many experts recommend significantly higher protein intake, and particularly for people who exercise regularly, seniors, and post-menopausal women. Consult your doctor to get their recommendations for you.

Osteoporosis - Bone Atrophy Over Time

Unfortunately, sarcopenia has an equally evil twin - osteoporosis - which is the progressive loss of bone mass, usually due to age and inactivity. Left unchecked, osteoporosis leads to weak and brittle bones that are highly susceptible to fracturing. Unfortunately, osteoporosis related fractures tend to heal slowly and sometimes poorly.

• White and Asian women, and especially post-menopausal women, are at highest risk.
• It's estimated that fully 50% of women in the U.S. age 50 or older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
• Additional risk factors for osteoporosis include:
  • Chronic inactivity.
  • Deficiencies of certain nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and protein.
  • Alcohol and tobacco use.
  • Steroids and other medications.
  • Various medical conditions including GI and renal disorders, and cancers.

Osteoporosis Diagnosis & Symptoms

Typically there are no obvious symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. Early diagnosis is possible by tracking bone mass changes via DEXA scans. However they can be costly and aren't always covered by insurance. Later stage osteoporosis is often identified by chronic back pain, loss of height, a stooped posture, or - unfortunately - easy or frequent bone fractures.

Osteoporosis Prevention & Treatment

There is no silver bullet "cure" for osteoporosis, although certain medications can slow its progress. But the good news is that we can strengthen our bones and support bone density through weight bearing exercise and resistance training, paired with proper nutrition and recovery. Even post-menopausal women with osteoporosis have been shown to be able to safely improve bone density through a program of high intensity resistance and impact training.

Prevention can make a major difference. Most of us reach peak bone mass by around age 30. After that, our bodies tend to lose bone mass faster than it can regenerate. So the more bone mass we have "in the bank" by age 30, the less likely we'll be to develop osteoporosis as we age. But research shows you're never too old to reap benefits from resistance training.

It's important to note that resistance training isn't a guaranteed miracle cure for osteoporosis. But it offers a number of additional major benefits that can tangibly improve health and quality of life in multiple other ways too.

The List Goes On ...

Here are just a few of the other compelling reasons why strength training is so important:

Longevity:

• A 2022 meta-analysis of 16 previous studies found that muscle-strengthening activities were associated with a 10-17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer.
• Another 2022 study of over 114,000 US adults aged 65 and over found that no matter how much cardio people perform, people who add strength training at least twice per week have a lower risk of dying regardless of cause compared to those who don’t lift weights.
• A 2021 longitudinal study of almost 100,000 US adults (mean age = 71.3) found that an exercise plan that combined 1 to 2 strength training sessions per week with the recommended moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise dosage resulted in 41 to 47% lower all cause mortality, vs. a 32% reduction among those who only met the aerobic exercise requirement.

Mental Health:

• A recent meta-analysis of 38 studies found that strength training has a "moderate and significant" antidepressant effect in people with depression or depressive symptoms. The study also found that longer intervention durations, higher weekly frequencies, and greater numbers of sets and repetitions were associated with stronger antidepressant outcomes.
• Two other meta-analyses found that resistance training alleviated depressive symptoms with a low to moderate effect size (0.39–0.66). They also found that it improved improved strength, quality of life, and quality of sleep.
• One recent study of seniors aged 85+ found that those who did strength and aerobic exercise performed significantly better on cognitive performance tests than both sedentary seniors and those who only did aerobic exercise.
• Multiple recent studies suggest that resistance exercise induces structural brain changes in older adults that could reduce the risk of alzheimer's or mitigate its progression.

What's Next?

If you're interested in learning more about strength training, or want to give it a try, you've come to the right place.

Our amazing team of expert Personal Trainers and Instructors have collectively helped thousands of clients of all ages learn how to safely make resistance training part of their approach to health and wellness.

And whether you want to work out on your own, take strength oriented fitness classes, or work with a Personal Trainer, we have an option that meets your needs.

Best of all, our approach here at Chatham Works is focused on you as an individual. Our objective is to meet each client where they are, and help them safely meet their goals. So the only person we'll push you to compete against is yourself.

There's no greater or more important investment you can make than committing to improving your health.

So if you think you're ready - or just have questions - please come on by or get in touch. (You'll be glad you did!)