Post by Tim Wescott on Feb 18, 2004 20:56:42 GMT -5
By Mike Brown
Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training not only makes you look and feel better, it improves your body in many ways. Training twice a week is enough. Do pulling exercises on the first workout of the week and pushing exercises on the second workout of the week. This gives your muscles a week to recover.
Research has shown that strength training can benefit anyone at any age. The key is to keep it up and don't quit. Some of the benefits have been recently discovered.
Research on strength training and back pain conducted at the University of Florida has shown that strong low-back muscles are less prone to injury. Risch (1993) found that low-back patients had significantly less back pain after 10 weeks of specific (full-range) strength exercise for the lumbar spine muscles.
According to the Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter of September 1994, strength training may ease the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Harris and Holly (1987) showed that regular strength training alone significantly reduces resting blood pressure. Westcott (1995) revealed that a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise improves blood pressure readings even more. After two months of combined exercise, program participants dropped their systolic blood pressure by five millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and their diastolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg.
Menkes (1993) reported significant increases in the bone mineral density of the upper femur after four months of strength exercise.
Hurley (1994) reported a 23 percent increase in glucose uptake after four months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with an increased risk of adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit.
Koffler (1992) showed a 56 percent decrease in gastrointestinal transit time after three months of strength training. This finding is significant because delayed gastrointestinal transit time is related to a higher risk of colon cancer.
Two studies on strength training's effect on blood lipid levels(Stone et al. 1982; Hurley et al. 1988) have revealed improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of strength exercise.
Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training not only makes you look and feel better, it improves your body in many ways. Training twice a week is enough. Do pulling exercises on the first workout of the week and pushing exercises on the second workout of the week. This gives your muscles a week to recover.
Research has shown that strength training can benefit anyone at any age. The key is to keep it up and don't quit. Some of the benefits have been recently discovered.
Research on strength training and back pain conducted at the University of Florida has shown that strong low-back muscles are less prone to injury. Risch (1993) found that low-back patients had significantly less back pain after 10 weeks of specific (full-range) strength exercise for the lumbar spine muscles.
According to the Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter of September 1994, strength training may ease the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Harris and Holly (1987) showed that regular strength training alone significantly reduces resting blood pressure. Westcott (1995) revealed that a combination of strength training and aerobic exercise improves blood pressure readings even more. After two months of combined exercise, program participants dropped their systolic blood pressure by five millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and their diastolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg.
Menkes (1993) reported significant increases in the bone mineral density of the upper femur after four months of strength exercise.
Hurley (1994) reported a 23 percent increase in glucose uptake after four months of strength training. Because poor glucose metabolism is associated with an increased risk of adult onset diabetes, improved glucose metabolism is an important benefit.
Koffler (1992) showed a 56 percent decrease in gastrointestinal transit time after three months of strength training. This finding is significant because delayed gastrointestinal transit time is related to a higher risk of colon cancer.
Two studies on strength training's effect on blood lipid levels(Stone et al. 1982; Hurley et al. 1988) have revealed improved blood lipid profiles after several weeks of strength exercise.