According to American Heart Association, adults should find the time to do weight training and resistance exercise at least twice a week. This recommendation is taken up by the World Health Organization also.
Incredibly, however, to research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports that 58% of Americans do not engage in any muscle building exercise. What’s more, only 30% of Americans have a habit of participating in at least two resistance exercise sessions a week. Nor was it a small research project: more than 397,000 Americans were surveyed.
Naturally, a number of factors, such as advanced age, poor aerobic health, and obesity, were associated with lower odds of meeting strength training recommendations. In response, the researchers took these lifestyle elements into account when compiling their final results. Ultimately, those who did resistance exercise regularly were still considered less likely to develop a litany of issues such as diabetes, cancer, obesity, and poor overall health.
“Three in five American adults do not do any muscle building exercise, despite an association between muscle building exercise and better health conditions,” the research concludes.
If you are part of that 58% statistic, you might be wondering why all this noise has happened. After all, besides building bigger muscles, what can strength training do for you anyway? Read on for a few more reasons why everyone should find the time to do resistance exercise. And then check out the exercises you should never skip as you get older.
If you are looking for a slimmer look, strength training should definitely be a part of your routine. You already know that resistance training builds muscles. How will it help you lose weight? Good, muscle burns up to three times more calories than fat!
That’s right, the bigger your muscles, the more calories you’ll burn doing literally anything. In fact, weight lifting even promotes the additional burning of calories while resting. Technically called excessive oxygen uptake after exercise (EPOC), strength training will cause your body to burn more calories while repairing and rebuilding muscles for 24 to 48 hours after you finish your workout.
What’s more, a lot of research indicates that strength training is a great way to lose belly fat and prevent weight gain. This specific to study finds that older men who lifted weights for 20 minutes a day had a smaller increase in belly fat than men who did cardio during the same time.
Related: This Workout Plan Will Keep You Slim While On Vacation
Making sure your muscles are active can also benefit your brain. This study Posted in Acta Psychologica reports that just 20 minutes of resistance leg exercise was enough to dramatically improve episodic (long-term) memory in participants. Incredibly, these observed memory improvements have been documented two days after the end of workouts, suggesting that the memory benefits of strength training are long lasting.
“Our study indicates that people don’t have to spend a lot of time boosting their brains,” says Lisa Weinberg, study leader.
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Another unexpected benefit of resistance training is the improvement in the quality of sleep. Who couldn’t benefit from a little extra sleep?
This great research project Posted in Preventive medicine reports literally finds that any amount of weight lifting is linked to better sleep. More than 20,000 people participated in the study, and each time a subject engaged in resistance exercise, they reported fewer nights of rolling and rolling that week. It should be mentioned that this effect held even after just one weightlifting session. A single weekly trip to the weight room is enough.
Related: Secret effects of lifting weights just once a week, according to science
A regular weight training routine can help you feel good inside and out. This study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research analyzed over 750 adults and ultimately concluded that resistance exercise is associated with positive body image and less social anxiety.
Another report out in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that resistance training helped improve self-esteem in a group of teens far more than cardio workouts. The subjects said that just feeling stronger was enough to increase their self-confidence.
For a great strength training workout, check out this 20 Minute Toning and Slimming Workout.
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