A little strength training goes a long way

SALT LAKE CITY – As you welcome 2024, you may be thinking about one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions: exercising more. How about giving strength training a go?

In the latest Let’s Get Moving with Maria podcast episode, Maria Shilaos spoke with Luke Carlson, CEO of Discover Strength, to learn what strength training is and how to successfully maintain an effective routine.

 

The purpose of this exercise has changed a bit over time. For decades it was only considered a type of weight training or resistance exercise. It was all about building muscle strength. Now it’s a bit different because it’s more than just about strength. There are actually so many protective health benefits, and most of them have nothing to do with strength.

“We know that strength training actually is a wonderful way to ward off chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer risk,” Carlson said.

This is important for all ages. It’s not just for young adults or middle-aged people. According to Carlson, the reason is simple: the stronger you are, the less likely you are to die.

“There is an inverse relationship between muscle strength and death from all causes … If we want to age well, we have to maintain our lean muscle tissue, our muscle strength,” he said.

In addition to building muscle strength and helping us age better, it also develops our brain and thought processes.

“Over the last 30 years, the biggest discovery is that strength training is not about our muscles just being stronger … Now we have research that says strength training for 6-year-olds up to 18-year-olds improves academic performance,” he said.

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