Strength Training Accessibility: Moderate Effort Yields Significant Gains

Key Quotes

"there are a lot of myths about strength training. But one thing is true: resistance training has massive benefits for your physical and mental health."

The author, Will Stone, introduces the topic by stating that despite common misconceptions, resistance training offers significant advantages for both physical and mental well-being. This sets the stage for debunking these myths to encourage engagement with strength training.

"the story has changed with more well controlled studies and in these studies researchers would compare people who were using lighter weights and doing more reps with people who were lifting heavier and fewer reps and heavy here is relative for each person right it's basically what you can lift a few times you know without taking a break and you know an example of this one of these studies was done by brad schoenfeld at lehman college in the bronx new york they had a group doing about 10 reps with heavier weights and then another group doing about 30 reps with lighter weights and at the end of the study it turned out both had similar increases in muscle"

Will Stone explains that recent research challenges the notion that heavy weights are necessary for muscle growth. He highlights a study comparing lighter weights with more repetitions to heavier weights with fewer repetitions, finding similar muscle increases in both groups. This indicates that the intensity of weightlifting is relative to the individual and that multiple approaches can yield comparable results.

"another myth is that you need to spend hours in the gym every week to make progress and get stronger not true not true there's a lot of interest in this question right now basically what is the least you can get away with and still see meaningful benefits and the reason is that most adults still don't do any kind of strength muscle building activity regularly and part because there's been a lot of emphasis on aerobic exercise over the years you know we all know about step counts that type of thing research shows resistance training has these massive benefits for your cardiovascular health your metabolic health mental health your brain i could go on and on"

Will Stone addresses the myth that extensive time commitment is required for strength training. He notes that research suggests even minimal, regular strength training can yield significant benefits, contrasting this with the historical emphasis on aerobic exercise. Stone emphasizes that resistance training positively impacts numerous health aspects, including cardiovascular, metabolic, mental, and brain health.

"he said imagine you have a wet towel you dip the cloth and you twist it and a ton of water comes out in the first twist that's the first set and then the second twist less comes out and then you know obviously you can keep twisting the cloth and you do get some water and that's what the hardcore practitioners the people who are in the gym four five and six and even seven days a week that's what they're doing they're trying to get the very last drop but most of us we don't need to stress about getting every little drop out of there it's really diminishing returns at a certain point"

Will Stone uses an analogy from Stuart Phillips to explain the concept of diminishing returns in strength training. Phillips compares workout sets to wringing water from a towel, where the first set yields the most, and subsequent sets produce progressively less. Stone clarifies that while dedicated athletes may aim for every last drop of benefit, most individuals can achieve substantial results without pushing to such extremes.

"you do want to make sure you keep moving around like cardio yoga foam rolling those are my go tos there are a few things that peak emphasized you want to avoid and one is taking anti inflammatory medication like ibuprofen this can be counterproductive because this inflammatory response in your muscles is actually involved in muscle growth so you don't want to tamp that down too much"

Will Stone discusses recovery strategies, noting that while various methods like stretching and foam rolling can be helpful for subjective feelings of soreness, Jonathan Peak advises against certain practices. Peak specifically cautions against anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen, explaining that the inflammatory response is a natural part of muscle growth and should not be suppressed.

"by the end i think people will feel empowered to make this work for them and if they want to find a class do this in a gym you know find a workout buddy there are a lot of options out there well thank you for doing this thank you to sign up for life kit's guide to building strength go to npr org stronger you'll also find a link in the show notes of this episode"

Will Stone concludes by expressing his hope that listeners will feel empowered to incorporate strength training into their lives, highlighting the availability of various options such as classes, gym workouts, or workout partners. He directs listeners to npr.org/stronger for a comprehensive guide to building strength, which is also linked in the episode's show notes.