12 Reasons Why Everyone Needs to Strength Train (Yes, This Includes You)
Strength training isn’t just for bodybuilders or athletes. It’s one of the most effective ways to improve your overall health and quality of life, no matter your age, fitness level, or goals. Whether you’re a busy parent, a weekend warrior, or someone just trying to stay healthy, strength training has something to offer you. Let’s break down exactly why it’s a non-negotiable for everyone.
1. Build Stronger Bones
As we age, bone density naturally decreases, which increases the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. Strength training stimulates bone growth by putting stress on the bones, which encourages them to become stronger and denser. Studies show that resistance training significantly improves bone mineral density, especially in postmenopausal women ("The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research," 2017). This means that strength training can help you stay active and independent as you age.
Think of strength training as insurance for your skeletal system. You’ll thank yourself later when you avoid that broken hip or wrist.
2. Reduce Your Risk of Injuries
Strong muscles mean stable joints. By strengthening the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, you create a more resilient body that’s less prone to injuries, whether it’s from daily activities, sports, or accidents. For example, strengthening your glutes and core can help protect your lower back, while strong legs reduce your chances of knee injuries.
Strength training also improves your range of motion and flexibility, which reduces the likelihood of awkward movements that can lead to strains or sprains. Plus, better balance and coordination (more on that later) mean fewer falls. Who doesn’t want that?
3. Enhance Athletic Performance
You don’t have to be an athlete to want to move better. Strength training improves power, speed, and endurance, making it easier to crush that pickup basketball game, dominate your next hike, or just keep up with the kids. It’s not just about brute strength; it’s about moving more efficiently and effectively.
Even for endurance athletes, like runners or cyclists, resistance training has been shown to improve performance by increasing muscular efficiency and reducing fatigue ("Journal of Sports Science & Medicine," 2020). Strength training complements other forms of exercise and makes you better at whatever you love doing.
4. Lower Your Risk of Chronic Diseases
Heart Disease
Strength training helps reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and lower inflammation, all key factors for heart health. According to the American Heart Association, even two sessions of strength training per week can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 40%.
Stroke
Improved circulation and heart function from resistance training also lower your risk of stroke. The stronger your cardiovascular system, the better equipped you are to prevent life-threatening conditions.
Type II Diabetes
By building muscle, you increase insulin sensitivity and improve blood sugar regulation. Muscle tissue is metabolically active and helps to use glucose effectively, reducing the risk of developing type II diabetes. This is especially important given the rise in sedentary lifestyles, and excessive sugar consumption.
Cancer
Regular strength training has been linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers, including colon and breast cancer. Additionally, strength training supports recovery and quality of life for those undergoing cancer treatment by preserving muscle mass and boosting energy levels.
Lower All-Cause Mortality
In simple terms: strength training can help you live longer. Research shows that resistance training reduces the risk of dying from any cause by improving overall health markers ("Preventive Medicine," 2019). It’s not just about adding years to your life but adding life to your years.
5. Build Muscle
Muscle isn’t just for aesthetics; it’s essential for health and function. Starting in our 30s, we lose about 3-5% of our muscle mass per decade. Strength training slows and even reverses this process, preserving muscle that’s vital for movement, strength, and metabolism.
Building muscle also improves posture and reduces the risk of chronic pain, like that nagging neck or shoulder ache from sitting at a desk all day. Plus, who doesn’t love feeling strong and capable?
6. Improve Body Composition
Strength training helps you build lean muscle while burning fat. Unlike cardio, which can burn both muscle and fat, resistance training preserves muscle, leading to a leaner, more toned appearance. Plus, more muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate. You'll burn more calories even when you’re Netflix-ing on the couch.
The body composition benefits go beyond aesthetics. A healthier ratio of muscle to fat can improve your metabolic health and reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases.
7. Boost Mental Health
Strength training has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. When you lift, your body releases endorphins (your natural feel-good chemicals), reduces cortisol (stress hormone), and gives you a sense of accomplishment. It’s like therapy, but with dumbbells.
Even better, the confidence you gain from getting stronger can carry over into other areas of your life. Tackling a heavy lift can make you feel like you can tackle anything.
8. Improve Balance and Coordination
Strong muscles help stabilize your body, improving your balance and coordination. This is especially important as you age, as falls are a leading cause of injury in older adults. Strength training can keep you steady on your feet and confident in your movements.
Exercises that target one side of the body at a time, like lunges or single-arm presses, can also improve your proprioception (your body’s awareness of its position in space). This translates to smoother, more controlled movements in daily life.
9. Increase Your Metabolism
Building muscle doesn’t just burn calories during your workout, it keeps your metabolism elevated long after you leave the gym. Muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn all day long.
This means you get to eat more of the foods you love. In the current world we live in, where delicious food is readily available and everywhere, this can help you stay healthy and have a more enjoyable, less restrictive life.
10. Sharpen Your Mind
Lifting weights isn’t just for your body; it’s for your brain, too. Strength training improves cognitive function, memory, and focus. It increases blood flow to the brain and promotes the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps with learning and mental clarity.
In older adults, regular resistance training has been shown to slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia. A stronger body really does support a sharper mind.
11. Sleep Better
Struggling to fall or stay asleep? Strength training might help. Regular resistance training improves sleep quality and duration. It can help you fall asleep faster and stay in deeper stages of sleep, where your body does its best recovery work.
Better sleep doesn’t just make you feel more rested, it also supports recovery, muscle growth, and overall health. It’s a win-win.
12. Make Life Easier
Carrying groceries, picking up your kids, rearranging furniture, or climbing stairs, everyday tasks become so much easier when you’re stronger. Strength training prepares your body for the physical demands of life, so you can tackle your day without getting winded or struggling as much.
Strength training is the ultimate functional fitness tool. It ensures that you can keep doing the things you love, from gardening to traveling, with ease and confidence.
How to Get Started
Ready to start strength training but not sure where to begin? Don’t worry, you don’t need a fancy gym membership or complicated routines to get started. Begin with simple bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and planks. As you get more comfortable, you can add resistance using barbells, dumbbells, and resistance bands.
The key is consistency. Start with two to three sessions per week, focusing on major muscle groups. Remember, it’s better to start small and build gradually than to go all-in and burn out.
If you’re looking for guidance, check out my FREE PROGRAM HERE. It can be modified for beginners with clear instructions and a structured plan. Let’s make this the year you discover just how strong and capable you really are!
