Many studies have confirmed the muscle-brain link in cognitive health, supporting the benefits of strength training as previously mentioned. Take a look at the subject of weight lifting as reflected by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola.com, the options available to learn about strength exercises to reap maximum benefit.

 

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“Strength training is foundational for good health, especially as you get older. Importantly, lifting weights is not just about keeping your musculature strong; it has a number of other health benefits that at first glance may seem unrelated, including improved metabolism, cognition and mental health.

Strength training is also important for heart health, and recent research^1,2 shows less than an hour of strength training per week can reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke anywhere from 40 to 70 percent.

Weightlifting Protects Against Heart Attack and Stroke

The study³ in question, which had a mean follow-up of 5.4 and 10.5 years, analyzed data from nearly 13,000 adults taking part in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, looking at three health outcomes:

1. Nonfatal cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke
2. All cardiovascular events, including death
3. All-cause mortality

Strength training reduced the risk for all three. According to the authors:⁴

“Compared with no resistance exercise, weekly resistance exercise frequencies of one, two, three times or total amount of one to 59 minutes were associated with approximately 40 to 70 percent decreased risk of total cardiovascular disease events, independent of aerobic exercise.

However, there was no significant risk reduction for higher weekly resistance exercise of more than four times or ≥60 minutes.”

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The fact that the cardiovascular benefits of weightlifting were independent of aerobic exercises such as walking and running means strength training is sufficient in and of itself. It alone will lower your risk of heart attack and stroke, even if you don’t meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic activity.

(The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends⁵ at least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or a combination of both.)

Weight Training Is Cardiovascular Exercise

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It’s worth remembering that cardiovascular exercise involves any physical exertion during which your heart and respiratory rates accelerate. While most people equate cardiovascular exercise with aerobic exercises such as running or cycling, fitness experts note you cannot fully access your cardiovascular system unless you’re performing mechanical work with your muscles.

So, strength training is in fact a cardiovascular workout. Overall, in this particular study⁶ resistance exercise was found to influence cardiovascular event risks in two ways, as it:

1. Had a direct U-shape association with cardiovascular disease risk
2. Indirectly lowered cardiovascular disease risk by decreasing body mass index

It’s also noteworthy that even small amounts of strength training can have significant benefits. As noted by Duck-chul Lee, associate professor of kinesiology and one of the study’s authors:⁷

“People may think they need to spend a lot of time lifting weights, but just two sets of bench presses that take less than five minutes could be effective … The results are encouraging, but will people make weightlifting part of their lifestyle? Will they do it and stick with it? That's the million-dollar question.”

Interestingly, your grip strength has also been shown to be predictive of your heart attack and stroke risk. In one study,⁸ there was a 17 percent increased risk of cardiovascular death, a 7 percent increased risk of heart attack and a 9 percent increased risk of stroke for every 11-pound decrease in grip strength. In fact, grip strength was a stronger predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure.

Strength Training Also Lowers Risk for Metabolic Syndrome

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Lee’s team has also analyzed the relationship between weight training and metabolic syndrome⁹ (a risk factor that raises your risk for Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke) and high cholesterol.¹⁰

Again, less than one hour of resistance training per week lowered the risk of both — metabolic syndrome by 29 percent and high cholesterol by 32 percent — and again these reductions were independent of any other aerobic exercise. Lee commented on the results, saying:¹¹

“Muscle is the power plant to burn calories. Building muscle helps move your joints and bones, but also there are metabolic benefits. I don't think this is well appreciated. If you build muscle, even if you're not aerobically active, you burn more energy because you have more muscle. This also helps prevent obesity and provide long-term benefits on various health outcomes.”

 

Leg Strength Linked to Cognitive Health

Strength training also benefits your brain. In fact, there’s a strong link between muscle strength — especially leg strength — and cognitive health. This fascinating link was again demonstrated in a recent study^12,13 published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, which shows that neurological health is as dependent on signals from your large leg muscles as it is on signals from your brain to your muscles.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2018/11/30/strength-training.aspx

 

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