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Other/Mixed Seriously, what does lifting weights do for our health???

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
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Kozushi

Kozushi

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The reason I'm lifting weights is on the blind faith that it will give me a long, healthy, happy life. I don't actually need the kind of herculean strength I'm developing through S&S and the other Strongfirst programmes and exercises I'm doing. (I'm never planning to stop though as besides being convinced that lifting weights does indeed grant long life and prosperity, it's fun and I most certainly do indeed like being strong!)

Can anyone confirm what the health benefits really are for us besides mere "strength" and "strength endurance"???

Am I really making myself strong against disease and degeneration, or am I just making myself "strong".
 
I spent a couple of years working as a geratrics doctor. Sarcopenia (low muscle mass) is a huge mortality indicator. Falling on the floor and not having the strength to stand up is a major killer for the elderly, and I'd rather be that weak at 100, than at 65(some people are in rough shape by such a young age). Finally from a frialty point of view osteopenia and osteoporosis (weak bone) can be prevented and reversed by weight bearinh exercise.
That's why I lift
 
And yes cascular disease of all types is reduced with a good exercise regimen. Cancer is a big term and some will certainly be reduced with it, a lot of it is pure bad luck though.
There are no guarentees, we are just improving what little we can.

Hell I could get hit by a bus tomorrow!
 
I wonder if it boosts the immune system too. The immune system is supposed to be important in preventing cancers (which is why old people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to it) - so says a medical encyclopedia I read.
 
Again cancer is a very big subject without any single cause. Boosting one's immune system doesn't really mean a huge amount in real terms as the immune system is a very complex set of pathways some of which can be switched on and off by many different things. I am one of the rare people who has had a genuine "boosted" immune system when I had GCSF injections so I could donate bone marrow (I had a massive spleen at the time as well... very exciting for a young med student and his friends). Old people get cancer for many different reasons - a long exposure to life being the main one, as well as a lifetime of occupational and environmental exposures, shortened telomeres (elephants don't get much cancer - there's a good internet hole to fall down).
On a happier note I once met an 88 year old judoka who had broken his hip falling off his roof. Dude was amazing, looked about 60. His bone density was higher than a 25 year olds! Whenever I think of how I want to age I remember this guy. Lift weights, meditate, enjoy music, live outside as much as possible were his peices of advice (he'd also been a bodybuilder in the 70's and had stayed away from steroids).
 
Hello,

I do not want to by Eddie Hall (even if I am always impressed by his performances...). Nevertheless, I do believe that physical exercise, either with bodyweight or with weights, and an healthy food and way of life are significant factors for staying strong the sustainable way. May be it does not prevent diseases but it will certainly be a limiting factor.

Lifting, when doing properly is a fabulous way to maintain or increase muscular mass, possibly burn fat and secrete lots of hormones.

Besides it can be necessary to have strength (lifting something heavy at home...) and endurance (hiking with heavy back pack...). Briefly, to be rustic.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Kozushi said:
I wonder if it boosts the immune system too. The immune system is supposed to be important in preventing cancers (which is why old people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to it) - so says a medical encyclopedia I read.
Click to expand...
If you simplify it, any form of cancer is just mutation of cells as they regenerate. Mutations happen all the time in our body and can be so little that nothing really comes out of them, can form benign tumors/growth or malignant tumors.
I can't say that the immune system has nothing to do with it, but the reason that older people are more susceptible to cancer is simply because they are older: The longer you live -> more time/chances for mutations -> higher chance that those mutatiations form a malignant tumor.
Like @DavThew said in the end it's just a matter of pure bad luck, because you could live for 100 years and go through millions of cell mutations without ever developing cancer or you could have bad luck and your 2000th mutation leads to cancer while you're still a little child.
 
From the discussion at the end of the article: "These data show that the respiratory capacity and perhaps more importantly, the ATP-producing capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria significantly increased after RET. These results are in good agreement with those of Salvadego et al.,[28] who showed that coupled skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration was significantly greater in a cross-section of resistance-trained athletes when compared with that in untrained individuals. Furthermore, the current data are similar to those showing that aerobic training increases skeletal muscle mitochondrial function."

Mitochondrial function in other studies is shown to be directly related to mortality. Access to full Medscape articles is free after an easy registration process.
 
I think all but one of the points I would bring up has already been addressed, so I'll just hit the one. From what we know, the amount of exercise needed for health is actually very low. Walking, some range of motion work (OS resets, super joints, naked getups and goblet squats, whatever), and a little bit of lower body strength/power work is all you probably need. By that I mean, if you don't do those three things, you will probably have health issues at some point because of it. I think everything after that is all about quality of life. My "mission statement of fitness" is that physical training should have a positive impact on quality of life by increasing or maintaining physical capacity. Personally, I love that I can do outdoor activities reasonably well without having to train for them. I love that I can be useful when someone needs help with a physical task, and that I don't have to impose on others when I have a physical task that needs to be done. I love the process of setting and achieving goals, and fitness is an area where progress can usually be measured with a number. Lastly, I love moving heavy things and impressing my wife. My point is, so long as your physical capacity isn't preventing you from being healthy and you have a plan for keeping it that way, then training should (directly or indirectly) make you happy :)

Oh, and being happy has a whole host of health benefits unto itself.
 
Improved/retained posture, increased bone density, lowered stress, improved metabolic function.

I also train to retain some excess strength as I age. A not insignificant effect is I can keep up with my kids.

Personally, it keeps my aches and pains to a minimum and prevents me from losing my mind.
 
I've read that strength training is good for insulin sensitivity and helps in diabetes prevention. It's also good for the brain.
 
natewhite39 said:
Some things never change ....
Click to expand...

He said this in 1908!

What would such a man say today of our effeminate culture?

This is my favorite bit:
"The frequent employment of one’s will power matters all organs of movement and trains them to perform feats which otherwise would have been difficult, painful, and even impossible. The man becomes independent and self-reliant; he will never be a coward, and, when real danger threatens, he is the one looked up to by others. The knowledge of one’s strength entails a real mastery over oneself; it breeds energy and courage, helps one over the most difficult tasks of life, and procures contentment and true enjoyment of living."

Powerful words!
 
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