Why Strength Training Belongs in Your Therapeutic Playbook
As a healthcare practitioner, I recommend strength training to just about everyone. When it comes to staying strong, independent, and feeling capable as the years go by, strength training is an unrivaled option. And no, it’s not just for bodybuilders, athletes, or the fitness obsessed. In the role of someone making recommendations for health recovery and health promotion, I feel an obligation to emphasize it rather than it just being an additional footnote in an after-visit summary. Strength training is about so much more than aesthetics or short-term fitness goals. It’s a polytherapeutic for a longer, stronger, and more resilient life.
One time to avoid strength training outside of injury is during a severe illness with systemic symptoms, such as fever, body aches, or significant fatigue, which could indicate an infection. Exercising under these conditions can strain the immune system, delay recovery, and potentially worsen the illness. That circumstance aside, strength training is one of the best investments patients can make in their long-term resilience. Now, let’s break it down.
The Science of Strength: Why It’s a Game Changer:
Functional Strength = Real-Life Superpowers
Think about this: carrying groceries, playing with kids, or getting up from the floor—these are feats of functional strength. Strength training builds the muscles and coordination to handle these tasks with ease, helping to remain independent and injury-free with aging. But it has to start (or continue) now. From a clinical perspective, it also improves balance, reduces the risk of falls, and keeps you moving confidently through life. [1] When functional strength begins to fail, systemic health declines as well.
Stronger Bones and Happier Joints
Osteoporosis and arthritis do not have to be givens as we age. Strength training puts healthy stress on axial as well as appendicular skeletal structures, prompting them to grow stronger and reducing the risk of fractures. [2] This is especially critical in perimenopausal and menopausal women who are particularly vulnerable to bone mass density loss. And for joints? Think of it as armor. Strength training improves the muscles around your joints, easing wear and tear while enhancing mobility. [3] Declining bone health in aging can amplify frailty, which affects multiple organ systems including cardiovascular and metabolic deterioration, hormone balance, and immune function.
Mental Resilience and Confidence
Beyond the physical perks, strength training rewires your brain for resilience. Progressing from one size dumbbell to the next size up feels amazing—and that confidence carries over to how you tackle life’s challenges. And let’s not forget the mood magic. Strength training floods your system with feel-good endorphins, helping to manage stress and anxiety in both women and men. [4,5]
Body Composition and Metabolism
Want your patients to burn more calories at rest? Build muscle. A randomized control trial observed strength training to have a greater effect than aerobic exercise alone, in blood sugar control in individuals of healthy weight with type 2 diabetes. [6] There’s a bonus! Body composition changes, reducing fat and adding muscle (what some people refer to as “recomposition” or “recomp”), were also observed as a secondary outcome over the 9-month period. [6] Strength training increases your resting metabolic rate, helping you stay lean and strong for life. Plus, focusing on what your body can do instead of just how it looks can foster a healthier self-image. While some patients need or want to lose weight for their health, healthcare practitioners are able to help prevent patients from developing unwanted metabolic problems.
Strength Training for Women
Building muscle brings game-changing benefits to the female physiology. One study that followed 35,754 healthy women from the Women's Health Study compared women who strength trained with those who did not and found a 30% reduced rate of Type 2 diabetes and 17% risk reduction in the development for cardiovascular disease. [7] But wait, there’s more. A systematic review revealed that resistance exercises can alleviate menopausal symptoms by improving muscle strength, enhancing bone density, and tackling metabolic and hormonal shifts. Translation: improved heart rate, blood pressure, and fewer hot flashes. [8]
A Future You Can Feel Good About
Healthcare practitioners would benefit their patients by giving strength training more than just lip service. Studies show that muscle strength is linked to improving the health span, including one systematic review and meta-analysis that strongly supports a reduction in the risk of chronic conditions. [9] Starting now is like gifting your future self a body that’s ready to weather life’s challenges. Research shows people can build muscle and strength at age 60 and above when training 3-4 times weekly. [10] Although twice weekly session may have a positive effect. Whether your patient is 25 or 85, now is the time to reap the rewards of strength training.
The Bottom Line: Aging Like a Boss
Aging is inevitable, but struggling with everyday tasks doesn’t have to be. Strength training slows the age-related decline in muscle and metabolism, so you can keep thriving, whether that’s hiking mountains or simply getting out of a chair with ease. It’s so much more than a workout—it’s an act of rebellion against aging and chronic disease.
When patients ask why I’m so passionate about recommending strength training, I tell them this: Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León once sought a mythical spring believed to grant eternal youth to those who drank from its waters. I could have saved him the effort by recommending lunges and presses.