Did you know that “strength training is associated with a 10% to 17% lower risk of premature death from all causes²“? But only ~30% of Americans perform the recommended amount of strength training? In fact, about 60% of Americans admit to no strength training at all.¹

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends incorporating “at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities per week³“.

For more information on exercise recommendations check out my post https://lrxwellness.com/how-to-exercise-effectively/

Benefits of Strength Training

• Increase metabolic rate
• Decrease body fat composition
• Bone health (increased bone density, decreased risk of fractures)
• Increase range of motion
• Decrease risk of injury
• Enhance ability to perform everyday tasks
• Improve quality of life
• Improve coordination and balance
• Decrease risk of many disease states (osteoarthritis, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, etc)
• Boost mood

How to Strength Train

When you hear strength training, do you think heavy weight lifting? Body building? Etc. But it’s more than that! Strength training does not have to be heavy or intense. In fact, light to moderate weight exercises are found to be just as beneficial. Below are a few examples of how you can incorporate strength training into your exercise routine.

• Free weights
• Weighted equipment
• Suspension equipment
• Resistance band
• Body weight
• Pilates

In Conclusion

Current guidelines recommend strength training at least 2 times per week. Most of us are not meeting those requirements. Just as living an active lifestyle is important to overall health, muscle strengthening is equally as important. It decreases the risk of numerous disease states, increases metabolism, boosts mood, improves overall quality of life, and more. But most of all, strength training has been found to decrease premature death from all causes. It doesn’t have to be heavy. You don’t need equipment. All you need is your body, accountability, and consistency.

As always, please reach out with questions, comments, or for further discussion.

Lindsey, PharmD, BCPS

References

¹Bennie JA, Lee DC, Khan A, Wiesner GH, Bauman AE, Stamatakis E, Biddle SJH. Muscle-Strengthening Exercise Among 397,423 U.S. Adults: Prevalence, Correlates, and Associations With Health Conditions. Am J Prev Med. 2018 Dec;55(6):864-874. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.07.022. Epub 2018 Oct 24. PMID: 30458949.

²Momma, H., Kawakami, R., Honda, T., & Sawada, S. S. (2022). Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of Cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 56(13), 755–763. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061

³Physical activity guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. (n.d.). https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf