. It’s not uncommon to see videos claiming that “running won’t get you the results you want” or that “Pilates could never.”
“Strength training is when we train our muscles to produce force against resistance,” explains certified personal trainer and functional strength coachcan have comparable benefits to gym-based exercises,” he says. “This is important because it helps eliminate the stigma that you have to be in a gym to perform strength training… Any resistance training will have cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental health benefits.
“Strength training is essential to longevity, independence, maintaining bone density, injury prevention, weight management, and health.” Chris Travis, CPT, CFSCFor starters, if you’re working out at all, you’re doing great—any activity is better than none at all, according to Travis. Even if you’re not doing dedicated strength work, you’re likely still getting all recommend adults engage in resistance training at least twice a week: It provides benefits that other workouts simply can’t match.
Schroeder EC, Franke WD, Sharp RL, Lee DC. Comparative effectiveness of aerobic, resistance, and combined training on cardiovascular disease risk factors: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2019 Jan 7;14:e0210292. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210292. PMID: 30615666; PMCID: PMC6322789. Vikmoen O, Rønnestad BR, Ellefsen S, Raastad T. Heavy strength training improves running and cycling performance following prolonged submaximal work in well-trained female athletes. Physiol Rep. 2017 Mar;5:e13149. doi: 10.14814/phy2.13149. PMID: 28292885; PMCID: PMC5350167.
Gordon BR, McDowell CP, Lyons M, Herring MP. The Effects of Resistance Exercise Training on Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Sports Med. 2017 Dec;47:2521-2532. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0769-0. PMID: 28819746.