The advantages of weight training go beyond just gaining muscle, gaining strength, and looking how you want. Weight training affects us down to a hormonal, cellular, and emotional level. Understanding these benefits can not only keep you moving forward in your fitness journey but will also help you understand what is going on with your body.
Strength Training’s Impact on Brain & Mental Health
As humans, we were meant to be active creatures. Throughout the ages, we see the different aspects of this, from hunter-gatherers to the original Olympics to the fights in the Roman Colosseum. In more recent years, human body studies have found serious cognitive benefits.
Boosts brain function
Strength training increases blood flow throughout the entire body, which includes the brain. This increase aids with cognitive function and memory through the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein. BDNF promotes cell growth and helps protect against cognitive decline. In some recent studies, strength training has been shown to delay or even prevent neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
Reduces Stress & Anxiety
When we weight-train, a host of different hormones are released. This, in turn, helps our bodies when it comes to baseline regulation. This regulation can help with controlling stress, happy hormones, and blood sugar.
Cortisol
Cortisol is our stress hormone. While weight training, our cortisol levels naturally rise because our body is under physical stress. Over time, our bodies become more efficient at managing stress, leading to lower baseline cortisol levels and a faster recovery time.
Endorphins, Dopamine, & Serotonin
Endorphins, Dopamine, and Serotonin are our body's natural happy hormones. They assist with mood regulation and aid in reducing anxiety and depression. These three hormones also counteract the negative effects of cortisol. When we train or are generally active, these hormones are released more and can have a great benefit to our daily lives.
Insulin & Blood Sugar Regulation
Insulin is our body's way of balancing the amount of sugar in our blood. Think of insulin as a bus and sugar as the passengers. As insulin is released, sugar attaches itself to it and is transported to where it needs to go. As we weight-train, sugar is used as an energy source, If we have excess sugar in our bloodstream, we will have an insulin response while we train, delivering more sugar to the muscles that need it. This helps decrease stress on the body and decreases cortisol levels.
The Right Now
Strength training also allows us to focus on the present moment and be mindful of the exercise we’re about to perform. By being in the present moment, we can put aside other stresses in our lives.
Improved Sleep Quality
Weight training is a phenomenal way to help with our natural sleep patterns, making us more tired towards the end of the day. With the help, we can sleep deeper and regulate our cortisol levels. More regular sleep patterns also allow us to sleep deeper, which causes our brain to release more growth hormone, allowing our bodies to recover faster.
Enhances confidence & self-esteem
Weight training improves 3 things when it comes to our confidence and self-esteem:
1. Sense of Accomplishment
When we start strength training, we all have a goal. Goals differ from person to person, but one byproduct of it is getting stronger, even if that isn’t the primary goal. With getting stronger comes gaining muscle. This development of strength and muscle gives us a strong sense of accomplishment because we look better.
2. Improved posture
One of the best parts about weight training is strengthening muscles we don’t work in our daily lives. One such group is our mid-back muscles. These muscles are responsible for keeping our shoulder blades in a neutral position and keeping our spine straight. This improvement gives us a naturally proud-looking chest and improves posture. Making us feel better because due to an increase in our self-image.
3. Discipline and Resilience
Discipline and resilience are a natural outcome of the motivation that got you to start working out in the first place. As motivation fades, discipline will take over and get you through your workout even when you don’t feel like training. The resilience developed gets you through your toughest workouts. Both of these transfer into your daily life, giving you more confidence to get through the hardest tasks.
How Lifting Weights Improves Longevity
Alongside cognitive function increases, weight training improves overall longevity. This improved longevity includes heart health, decreased inflammation, and bone strength.
Heart Health
The heart is a muscle; due to its uniqueness, it has its own muscle classification. Weight training trains not only your muscles but also your heart.
Improvement of Cardiovascular health
As we consistently weight-train, we have a natural rise in heart rate. This rise in heart rate forces our bodies to use more oxygen, leading to heavier breathing. Over time, our bodies adapt to this increase, which allows us to use the air we breathe better. This consistency and time can result in a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure.
Improved Cholesterol
As we weight-train, our bodies burn through excess energy that we’ve consumed. This extra energy can increase our cholesterol levels, both good and bad. As we weight-train and burn through the energy, our cholesterol levels stabilize, decreasing the bad cholesterol and increasing the good.
Increased Insulin Sensitivity
One of the primary energy sources our muscles use is sugar. When we weight-train, we burn through the sugar storages our muscles have. For those who are type-2 or pre-diabetic, weight training has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels and increase our bodies' insulin sensitivity so that we can better use the sugar in our bodies. This combatance of type 2 diabetes then decreases the risk of developing heart disease.
Reduction of Inflammation
Another advantage to strength training is the reduction of inflammation. Although strength training does cause some muscular inflammation, our muscles naturally produce a protein called myokins that aid in reducing inflammation. The best part is that these myokins don’t just help decrease muscular inflammation; they’re used throughout the entire body. Decreasing inflammation from proteins that can cause heart disease and other illnesses and regulating our immune system.
Increase in Bone and Connective Tissue Strength
Muscles aren’t the only thing that get stronger as we weight-train; bones and connective tissue get stronger as well. The advantage of stronger bones is an increased bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. The connective tissues, connecting muscles to bones or bones to bones, also become stronger ass we get stronger. This, in turn, reduces the risk of joint injury. The overall increase in bodily strength can also improve balance and prevent falling.
Strength Training for Joint Health & Injury Prevention
The last point covered that we touched on was how weight training does more than just strengthen muscles. Taking a deeper look at this, we can deepen our understanding of how weight training protects the joints being protected by muscles.
Supporting Joint Stability
As mentioned, weight training increases the strength of muscles and connective tissue. We have two types of connective tissues: tendons, which connect muscle to bone, and ligaments, which connect bone to bone. Through increased strength, our joints become more stable, reducing strain on the joints.
Small Muscle Strength
This strength isn’t just for the larger muscles we see. Take, for instance, our shoulder muscle, the deltoid. As we get stronger deltoids, the muscles that are under it become stronger, giving you better posture.
Preventing Joint Deterioration
Through the strengthening of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, our joints become stronger and more resilient. This is especially important to those who are at a higher risk of arthritis. Improving the longevity of our joints and ability to move.
Reduced Risk of Injury
Having stronger muscles, tendons, and ligaments reduces the risk of injury. This is because weight training helps decrease muscle imbalances, our tissue becomes more resilient and the tissues are more prepared for sudden movement.
Decreased Muscle Imbalances
A muscle imbalance is when a muscle on one side of the body is not as strong as the same muscle on the other side. This imbalance could cause the weaker muscle to work harder to keep up with the other muscle, resulting in a possible injury. Regular weight training can prevent this. The best solution for muscle imbalances is to include unilateral movements, movements that are done by one muscle group at a time.
Fixing Muscle Imbalances
For example, a shoulder press, instead of using a barbell or a machine that works both at the same time, use a machine, dumbbells, or kettlebells that allows you to work each deltoid evenly, stopping when the weaker side hits failure.
Tissue Resilience & Sudden Movements
With our tissues becoming stronger, they become used to the stress weight training puts on them. This stress, in turn, makes it easier to recover, not only from your workouts but from strains and injury. Getting you back into daily life and working out faster. Injuries can happen for all sorts of reasons: falls, slips, or impacts. Because your muscles and connective tissues are stronger, your body is more prepared for this instances, giving you a 6th sense to catch yourself.
Strength Training & Better Sleep Quality
Strength training not only builds muscle and boosts performance, it also unexpectedly improves sleep quality. Lifting weights can be a natural sleep aid, promoting deeper sleep cycles and easing restlessness, which are essential for recovery, mental clarity, and overall health.
Promotes Deeper Sleep Cycles
Strength training can lead to improved sleep quality and duration. The physical exertion involved in strength training helps to regulate energy levels, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Additionally, it promotes the release of hormones such as growth hormone and melatonin, which are essential for sleep regulation. Consistent strength training can result in better overall sleep patterns and enhanced recovery.
Reduces Restlessness & Insomnia
Lifting weights has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and calm the nervous system, making it easier to fall and stay asleep. It helps the body shift out of high-alert stress mode and into a more relaxed state. Strength training also improves sleep efficiency, meaning you spend more of your time in bed sleeping. For those who struggle with insomnia, it can be a powerful, drug-free strategy to restore better sleep patterns.
Strength Training for Hormonal Balance
Strength training optimizes hormone levels, promoting well-being and muscle development. Unlike chronic stress or excessive cardio, which may cause hormonal imbalances, resistance training fosters hormonal balance and overall bodily function.
Regulates Testosterone & Growth Hormone
Strength training boosts hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, which aid muscle growth, fat loss, and tissue repair. These hormones also benefit bone density, libido, and energy levels. Compound exercises with moderate-to-heavy loads are particularly effective for maintaining hormonal balance, especially as you age.
Balances Cortisol & Adrenaline
While cortisol and adrenaline are important for short bursts of energy and alertness, chronically elevated levels can lead to fatigue, anxiety, and even weight gain. Strength training helps regulate these stress hormones by teaching your body to recover efficiently after physical exertion. It also triggers the release of feel-good chemicals like endorphins, which help reduce overall stress levels. The result is a more resilient stress response and a better balance between energy and calm.
Lifting weights isn’t just about getting stronger or looking fit; it helps your whole body and mind. It can make your heart healthier, help you sleep better, boost your mood, and keep you feeling good as you get older. No matter who you are, strength training is a smart way to stay healthy and feel your best every day.
