Strength Training: Benefits for Anti-Aging, Reduced Injury, and Reduced All-Cause Mortality

Strength training is one of the best investments an individual can make for their health. As individuals age it is extremely beneficial to start strength training for a myriad of benefits. There are big bodies of research to show that strength training will help with the obvious, physical health, but maybe not in the manner you may think. Yes, we improve strength, but did you know you would also reduce your risk of cancer [1]? There are also other benefits with physical health such as reduced risk of injury, improved coordination to help reduce falling with age, maintaining tendon integrity to avoid surgeries for catastrophic tears, and maintaining bone density to avoid breaks. All these aspects help individuals improve quality of life by reducing the risk of medical interruptions. In addition to all that, we all know how frustrating it is to get a medical appointment when something comes up. What is it worth to you to avoid them to have more time to do the things that you want?

Strength training has been shown to reduce injury risk at high levels of sport, such as this study showing an 88% reduction of ACL injury in female soccer players via a 15-minute-a-day exercise routine for the lower body [2]. Strength training has also been shown to reduce all-cause mortality, i.e. reduction of death by any cause, by 27% from just 60 minutes of strength training a week [3]. When one reads that, we may think: why would anyone want to strength train any more than that? At 3x a week of strength training you maximize the effects of muscle gain, strength gains, mood elevation, and improved coordination for most people [4].

At Rise Strength, we recommend starting strength training 1–2x a week to introduce a habit into your lifestyle in a sustainable manner, then increasing it to 3x a week for most people to maximize the benefits.

References

1. Sedentary behavior increases the risk of certain cancers
2. ACL injury prevention in female athletes: review of the literature and practical considerations in implementing an ACL prevention program
3. Resistance Training and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
4. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis