Benefits of resistance training

Resistance training is a type anaerobic training and it is an appropriate form of exercise for any population. Healthy populations of varied age, teenagers to older adults, athletic individuals of any sport, as well as special populations groups such as people with medical conditions, patients recovering from illness, injury, patients with mental health problems, pregnant women. Correct adjustment and individualization of the resistance training prescription is critical and decisive with regard to its positive benefits. 

• Resistance training is a type of anaerobic training (the energy systems that supply the activity work in absence of oxygen). It is characterized by high-intensity intermittent bouts of exercise. Other types of anaerobic exercise include plyometric training, speed and agility drills, interval training. The division between anaerobic alactic (known as phosphagen or creatine phosphate system) and lactic system (glycolytic) indicates metabolic demands of exercise.

A number of physical and physiological adaptations are reported following anaerobic training, and these changes enable individuals to improve athletic performance standards, as well as functionality and general health. These adaptations include changes to the nervous, muscular, connective tissue, endocrine, and cardiovascular systems. They range from changes that take place in the early phase of training (e.g., one to four weeks) to those that take place following many years of consistent training. 

BENEFITS OF STRENGTH TRAINING

1. Changes on neuromuscular level.
2. Increased muscle growth.
3. Improvements in motor performance and general functionality.
4. Increased flexibility.
5. Improved connective tissue health.
6. Positive influence on endocrine system function.
7. Improvements in cardiovascular health.
8. Improvements in aerobic capacity.
9. Improvements in body composition (decrease in body fat, increase in fat-free mass). 
10. Mental health benefits. 

• Neuromuscular changes 

Adaptations on neural level are foundational to enhance motor performance. Increased neural drive is crucial to maximizing the expression of muscular strength and power. The demand of higher amounts of strength and power causes motor cortex to increase its activity. After following anaerobic training’ methods the expression of strength and force increases. In has been observed that the ability to maximally recruit motor units (motor neuron and muscle fibers that it innervates) in untrained populations is limited. In fact, research has shown that only 71% of muscle tissue is activated during maximal efforts in untrained populations! 

• Muscle growth 

Following resistance training causes skeletal muscle to change both in structure and function. Collectively, these adaptations result in enhanced performance characteristics such as strength, power, and muscular endurance. 

Within muscle tissue, we can specify various types of muscle fibers, depending on their physiological profile. With a simplification, we divide the muscle fibers into Type I and Type II and its subtypes, from the most oxidative to the least oxidative type, respectively. During resistance training, the motor units are being recruited in an ascending order according order (size principle) and since most muscles contain a range of Type I and Type II muscle fibers, force production can range from very low to maximal levels. Thus, with heavy resistance training, all muscle fibers get larger (i.e., hypertrophy occurs)! Once a motor unit is recruited, less activation is needed in order for it to be re-recruited.  It demonstrates the significance of progressive overloading during resistance training and how it promotes the continual recruitment of an optimal amount of muscle tissue. Read more about muscle tissue growth here: https://worldwideathlete.fitness/2020/06/17/resistance-training-and-muscular-growth/

• Better motor performance 

The changes that happen in the body following resistance training, enable individuals to improve their athletic performance standards. Yet not only athletes can benefit from this type of training. For non-athletic populations, adaptations can be substantial. It is well documented that general motor performance and functionality improve. Increases in strength, power, speed, even coordination are observed, and potentially decreased chronic muscular pains, like lower back pain that impedes free movement.

For some, it would be visible in improved skills in daily life, such as lifting heavy shopping bags without problem, and for others it would mean quite significant changes to their independence. For instance, for people suffering from neurological conditions, like dementia, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, who observe reductions in functional limitations, these improvements are far more than only functional.

• Increased flexibility

Anaerobic training potentially can have a positive impact on flexibility, and a combination of resistance training and stretching appears to be the most effective method to improve flexibility with increasing muscle mass.

• Connective tissue health

Bones, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and cartilage are examples of connective tissue. Resistance training has a major influence on bone tissue health. Read more about it here: https://worldwideathlete.fitness/2020/06/23/athlete-3/

Progressive heavy resistance training induces long-term positive changes in tendons, ligaments and fascia, as simply these structures get stronger while exercising. However, it is important to perform exercises with high-intensity loads, as low to moderate intensities do not change the collagen content of connective tissue the same way the higher intensities do. It is crucial to exert the forces throughout the full range of motion of a joint. Having in mind your connective tissue health, multiple-joint exercises (i.e. squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, etc.) are the most significant to perform.

Furthermore, moderate-intensity resistance exercise seems to be adequate for increasing cartilage thickness. Strenuous exercise does NOT appear to cause any degenerative joint disease when progressive overload is prescribed appropriately.

• Influence on endocrine system

Hormones play a variety of regulatory roles during and after anaerobic exercise. These roles include development of the muscle, bone and connective tissue, through both anabolic (building) and catabolic (breakdown) processes. The acute anabolic hormone response to anaerobic training is critical to performance and subsequent adaptations. Chronic changes in acute (direct) hormonal response is believed to increase the ability to better tolerate and sustain prolonged higher exercise intensities. 

Moreover, following a resistance training routine is advised to individuals who suffer from a variety of hormonal conditions, such as PCOS or diabetes. Exercise helps to attenuate the negative changes that happen in the body, and somehow even reverse them. 

• Improvements in cardiovascular health.

Both acute and long-term anaerobic training have a significant influence on cardiovascular and respiratory function. The changes such as enhanced cardiac function and dimensions are observed both in athletic and sedentary populations. Light loads with more repetitions and less rest will benefit cardiovascular health the most, including oxygen extraction (blood oxygen that tissue takes from the blood flow to maintain function and morphological integrity) for working tissues.

Resistance training improves the ability of the heart, lungs and circulatory system to work under strenuous conditions. Long-term adaptations include lowered resting heart rate, which is especially important for individuals with high blood pressure. 

Furthermore, individuals suffering from cardiovascular conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, can gain substantial benefits. The blood lipid profile changes positively thanks to anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Exercise helps to lower the triglycerides and rise the HDL (the “good” cholesterol).

• Improvements in aerobic capacity.

Heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and blood pressure all increase significantly during resistance exercise. In untrained individuals, heavy resistance training can improve VO2 max values. Trained individuals seem to benefit more from circuit training and programs using high volume and short rest periods (30 seconds or less) in order to improve their VO2 max values.

Improvements in body composition.

Resistance training positively influences body composition. It increases fat-free mass and decreases body fat. Furthermore, increases daily metabolic rate and energy expenditure are observed. 

Mental health benefits.

High self-esteem is closely associated with positive physical and mental well-being. Resistance training has been shown to improve self-esteem in healthy younger and older adults as well as in cancer, cardiac rehabilitation and depression patient populations. 

Anaerobic training helps to clear up brain fog and improves cognitive function, boosts mood, and can help to ease depression and reduce anxiety.