ReZoom

Lifting weights isn't just to add bulk: Strength training can reverse the aging process and prevent other health problems, too. Our expert has the scoop ...

Lifting weights isn't just to add bulk: Strength training can reverse the aging process and prevent other health problems, too.

Q: What are the health benefits of strength training? I am a 55-year-old female, and I have been considering it. My doctor tells me that there are no benefits besides physique enhancement.

A: Interesting how myths persist in the medical community. There are multiple reasons why strength training should be a regular staple in the health regimen of ReZoomers.

1. Anti-Aging

Nearly 30 years ago, stress expert Hans Selye of McGill University said despite having performed countless autopsies, he never saw anybody die of old age. He stipulated that it was the wear and tear on a particular body part that was linked to an early departure from this planet. Researchers at Tufts University in Boston evaluated 12 biological markers that could predict longevity in individuals. To the amazement of the scientific community, the top two of these parameters turned out to be muscle mass and level of strength. Apparently, one of the leading causes of aging is a condition called "sarcopenia" which manifests through degradation of the muscular system and marble-like fatty deposits within the muscles accompanied by an increase in fat storage under the skin.

The good news is that sarcopenia is reversible by adhering to sound strength training programs. The results can be, in fact, quite dramatic. Subjects in their mid-80s can return to a muscular biological age of someone in their mid-50s with only three months of strength training. As little as 20 minutes of strength training done three times a week is sufficient to reverse the clock.

2. Prevention and reversal of osteoporosis

Recent research, particularly from Sweden and Finland, shows that strength training may in fact reverse osteoporosis. In response to loading of the bone, created by the muscular contractions against a resistance, the bone begins a process of bone modeling involving the manufacture of protein molecules that are deposited in the spaces between bone cells. This prompts the creation of a bone matrix that ultimately becomes mineralized as calcium phosphate crystals, resulting in the bone acquiring its rigid structure. This new bone formation appears mainly on the outer surface of the bone, or periosteum.

Two things to keep in mind:

• The adaptations occur specifically to the bone loaded. In the aging population, bone loss occurs mainly in the spine and the hip bones. So doing countless sets of bicep curls will certainly help out your upper arms, forearms and wrists, but will do nothing for your spine or your hips.

• Progressive overload is necessary in a way that the bone and associated connective tissue are not demanded to exceed the critical level that would place them at unnecessary risk. The design to promote bone growth should be structural in nature, including exercises such as squats and lunges, which direct the forces through the axial skeleton and allow greater loads to be utilized (Conroy & Earle, 1994).

3. Reduction of cardiovascular risk

The commonly accepted dogma that cardiovascular training is far superior to strength training for anti-aging benefits is now losing ground at a rapid rate. Strength training has now been shown to also bring about positive changes in cardiovascular risk factors such as blood fats and blood pressure. The caveat is that the intensity of the exercise must be at least 70 percent of one's maximum effort to produce results, and the repetitions go to muscular failure. Exercising in such a manner is associated in decreases in resting heart rate, a definite positive adaptation.

4. Better digestion

Even transit time for food digestion has been shown to be accelerated in elderly subjects who engage in strength training. Strength training can reduce bowel transit four-fold in elderly populations shown to have a decrease in nutrient absorption.

5. Improved body composition

Strength training is associated with gains in lean body mass, and losses in adipose tissue, resulting in a decreased percentage of body fat. Hormonal health directly influences the speed of those results. Working with the help of a physician trained in functional endocrinology can really propel your efforts in the gym. An improved body composition profile is associated with decreased cardiovascular risk, as well as a reduction in diabetes risk.

6. Improved glucose tolerance

Nearly 68 percent of Americans are pre-diabetic, and the odds of that number declining are as good as the odds of Paris Hilton winning the Nobel Prize for physics.

Being diabetic severely increases the complications of any disease whether it is cancer or blood pressure. Strength training is critical in the prevention of diabetes because when the muscle grows, it increases the number and the sensitivity of its insulin receptors, so that the extra glucose goes to the muscle not the fat cells.

Next month: A well-designed strength program for the novice over-40 crowd.

Want more from Charles Poliquin?

• Step-by-Step Fitness
  
• Breakfast of Champions