We're all familiar with the statement what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Recognizing challenges as growth opportunities is an important life lesson. The same is true of Strength Training. Even though high-intensity Strength Training is safe, some people are afraid of it! In Failing Forward, I write about high-intensity Strength Training and the growing body of research supporting it.[1] In addition to being safe, intense workouts provide numerous health benefits across multiple organ systems (i.e., muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, neurological, etc.) [2]. Given that your health is at stake, here are three things you should know about Strength Training to be fearless in your next workout.
It's Safe. Some people mistakenly believe that muscle burn (i.e., the discomfort you experience as muscles fatigue) increases the risk of injury. In reality, this is incorrect. The more exhausted your muscles become, the less likely they will get hurt. When taking an evidence-based approach to Strength Training, the warm-up occurs over the first couple of repetitions. The first few repetitions stretch the target muscles, increase blood flow, and elevate muscle temperature. When your muscles are uncomfortable (towards the end of an exercise), the risk of injury is lower because of the warm-up repetitions. Of course, the best way to keep an exercise safe from start to end is to practice proper technique (i.e., form and speed) on every repetition. In other words, avoid what most people do when Strength Training!
It's Doable. Individuals with limited Strength Training experience often view intense Strength Training as too difficult instead of seeing it as an investment! The difficulty of a strength workout pales in comparison to the suffering and financial strain of living with sarcopenia. Nearly forty years ago, research at Tuft's University by Dr. William Evans led to groundbreaking insights about the age-reversing benefits of high-intensity Strength Training.[3] The key takeaway from Dr. Evans's research is that older adults should add high-intensity Strength Training to their lifestyle. According to renowned anti-aging physician Dr. Kenneth Cooper, it takes the worry out of aging! In a modern world filled with muscle weakness and chronic illness, intense Strength Training represents an evidence-based approach to increasing health span (i.e., the number of quality years you live).
You Need It. The older we get, the more we value living life on our terms. Unfortunately, with age comes dynapenia (strength loss). Your ability to live the way you want while avoiding life-ending events (i.e., hip fractures, strokes, heart attacks, falls, etc.) is related to how strong you are. A 2016 study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings reinforces the importance of getting stronger when Strength Training.[4] According to the study's authors, completing a prescribed number of repetitions may not improve your health if you are not getting stronger. However, training hard enough to stimulate improvements in strength appears to generate significant health benefits. In this study, participants that got a little stronger (the bottom quartile for strength) experienced no reduction in all-cause mortality. In contrast, those that got significantly stronger (the top quartile for strength) experienced a 72% risk reduction for all-cause mortality. There are both direct and indirect reasons why being stronger reduces mortality rates. Given that exercisers want results, this study reminds us there is no free lunch. When Strength Training, you must earn your benefits by challenging yourself to work as hard as possible.
A recent paper published in the Journal of Sport and Health Sciences offers practical advice for high-intensity Strength Training.[5] The authors recommend that all adults be encouraged to Strength Train to muscle failure or as high an effort as they feel comfortable. This opinion aligns with research from Fisher et al. and Schoenfeld et al. They have shown that training to failure improves strength, muscular endurance, and, more importantly, long-term health.[5]
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Stay Strong,
Richard J. Wolff, RDN
References
1. Wolff, R., 2022. Failing Forward. http://www.medfitnessprogram.com/blog/2021/11/10/upgrade-your-workout-article
2. James P. Fisher at al., Intensity of effort and momentary failure in resistance training. Are we asking a binary question for a continuous variable? Journal of Sport and Health Science (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2022.03.002
3. Evans, W., Rosenberg, H., 1991. BIOMARKERS. The Ten Keys to Prolonging Vitality. New York, NY. FIRESIDE.
4. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015; 91:166-74.
5. James P. Fisher at al., Intensity of effort and momentary failure in resistance training. Are we asking a binary question for a continuous variable? Journal of Sport and Health Science (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2022.03.002