Why I strength train (and why you should too!)
It may sound a bit over the top but I consider strength training to be the miracle exercise for women experiencing the transition towards menopause and beyond.
The proven benefits of strength training are numerous and the great news is that for a relatively small investment in time, you get a lot of bang for your buck.
If you’re inactive over adulthood, you can experience a loss of up to 8% of muscle mass per decade. This is accompanied by a reduction in resting metabolic rate and an increased rate of body fat accumulation.
However, by performing resistance, or strength, training, you can reverse muscle mass loss, improve resting metabolic rate and improve bone mineral density.
While this is beneficial for us aesthetically, the effects on other body systems are profound. For example, strength training has been shown to assist in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes by reducing visceral (belly) fat and improving insulin sensitivity.
Strength training has also been purported to improve cardiovascular health by reducing resting blood pressure, and improving blood lipid profiles – that is, reducing levels of triglycerides and low density lipoproteins(LDLs) and improving levels of high density lipoproteins (HDLs).
If these benefits aren’t already enough, regular strength training is also associated with improved mental health, including cognitive ability and self esteem. Plus strength training can effect reductions in low back pain, arthritic pain and pain from fibromyalgia.
OK, you’ve sold me the benefits, but how does it actually work?
Many of us, especially throughout menopause, are keen to improve our resting metabolisms as it has a knock on effect to improving weight control.
Studies have shown that strength training improves resting metabolism in two ways. Firstly, continuous resistance training improves muscle mass. It has been shown that a one kilogram increase in muscle tissue mass may increase resting metabolic rate by 20kcal per day. While this may not seem terribly significant, it does add up over the long term.
There is mounting evidence that relatively short sessions (12-20 sets) performed twice to three times per week can reverse muscle loss. A study testing the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines found an average gain of 1.4kg lean muscle after three months of training per participant – there were 1600 participants in total, ranging from 21-84, and age did not affect muscle gain. Even more encouraging is that 77% of the participants were women.
Secondly, when a strength training session is performed, muscle tissue microtrauma occurs which requires large volumes of energy to facilitate recovery. These effects can persist for up to 72 hours after the session, depending on intensity. When you add the energy cost of recovery to the mix, metabolic rate can jump by 100kcal/day.
Another direct benefit that resistance training perform is a reduction in body fat, particularly intra abdominal fat. This has been shown to be a statistically significant phenomenon in older women. This may help ameliorate some of the cardiovascular risk that occurs in post menopausal women who are not taking MHT. It is important to understand that this is not an absolute though.
Literature reviews performed in 2011 concluded that “resistance training is at least as effective as aerobic endurance training in reducing cardiovascular disease factors.”
While the jury is out whether strength training improves all cardiovascular health markers, several studies have demonstrated a reduction in both resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure after engaging in twice a week strength training.
Some studies have also found favourable improvement in blood lipid profiles, especially if resistance training is combined with aerobic exercise. While the evidence is not currently conclusive, it’s been suggested that genetics plays a role in whether someone’s blood lipid profile will change as a result of training.
Historically, resistance training has been promoted to improve bone density. Inactive adults have been shown to lose 1-3% of their bone mass annually. However, performing strength training has been shown to reverse this loss – and a recent literature review revealed that resistance training improved bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and femoral neck by 1-3% in older women.
That feeling of super hero invincibility
If you’ve ever wondered why strength training in particular makes you feel invincible, a literature review has demonstrated a relationship between strength training and improved self esteem and reduction in depression symptoms in adults. In fact, a study examining the effects of resistance training on depression in elderly individuals found that 80% of the depressed participants who performed three weekly strength training sessions were no longer clinically depressed after ten weeks of exercise. Strength training also improves physical function in older adults to perform daily living activities which may also be a factor in reducing incidence of depression.
To sum up
To sum up, strength training is beneficial, regardless of age. However, strength training really shines for older adults, particularly women undergoing the transition through menopause.
What’s next?
Look out for my next article which suggests ways to get started.
References:
Westcott, Wayne. “Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health”. Curr Sports Med Rep. July-Aug 2012,11 (4): 209-216.