GET STRONGER & LIVE LONGER?
Time to start adding LBS to your total and years to your life.
Now, I have heard it many times from family members, friends, clients, and even random people at the gym, “I don’t really care about getting strong.” And I get it, some people couldn’t care less about being strong as long as they look good (and strong). Heck, I have even told people you can’t take your bench press to the beach so who cares what your max is if you do not even look like you lift. However, all jokes aside, strength and “being strong” is so much more than just being able to out lift your friend or looking jacked.
So, let’s take a second to highlight a few reasons why you should want to add some LBS to your lifts.
THE L OF LBS: LIFE EXPECTANCY
LIFE EXPECTANCY – Lets start right with the big one…..
Strength is associated with increased survival rate. In a meta-analysis of 38 studies, including almost 2 million participants, researchers observed that individuals with stronger grip strength had a 31% reduced risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with lower muscular strength (1). So as Coach Tom would tell you, do your farmer carries. Similarly, those with greater knee extensor strength had a 14% lower risk of death. And now what this is not saying is that having strong quads and grip directly equals a longer life. This does however suggest that if something as minimal as grip strength significantly relates to mortality, whole body and overall strength must be important (hence why muscular strength is a health-related component of physical fitness).
And just because I have heard more women than men say they do not care about strength, I figured I might as well highlight that this relationship between strength and mortality is even stronger (pun intended) in women!
SO, MORE SIMPLY PUT….. THROW SOME MORE WEIGHT ON THE BAR (ESPECIALLY YOU LADIES)!! 😊
THE B OF LBS: BRAIN HEALTH
BRAIN HEALTH – Now, not only do we want to live longer, we want to actually be aware and remember that we are living longer. And so, the ability to maintain higher levels of cognitive function is extremely important.
Researchers have shown the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease decreases by about 43% as strength increases (Figure 1), overall decline in cognitive function is lower in those who are stronger (Figure 2), and the risk of development cognitive impairment was 48% lower in those who are stronger (Figure 3) (2). Once again, these are just associations so there are a multitude of other factors involved. However, if getting upwards of 90th percentile in strength for your age suggests you have almost a 50% lower chance of experiencing cognitive impairment as you age, then that is worth being aware of.
SO, MORE SIMPLY PUT….. BIGGER BENCH = BETTER BRAIN (PROBABLY!).
THE S OF LBS: SELF SUFFICIENCY
SELF-SUFFICIENCY – Finally, not only do we want to live longer, not only do we want to be able to actually be aware that we are living longer, we want to be able to do it on our own terms.
Now, I understand that at some point most of us will require some form of assistance as we age. However, our goal should be to need that assistance as late in life as possible. So, in order to do that, we need to be able to do both instrumental activities of daily living (e.g,. grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.) as well as other activities (e.g., getting out of bed, getting into a car, going up and down stairs, etc.). And, as I am sure you have guessed it by now, strength is important for all of it! Researchers have reported that lower strength is associated with increased instrumental activities of daily living disability and lower probability of living independently (3,4). Moreover, it was suggested that the relationship between loss of function and living independently is largely due to low muscle mass and strength.
SO, MORE SIMPLY PUT….. KEEP ADDING MORE RESISTANCE TO AVOID NEEDING ASSISTANCE!
Overall, I hope it is clear that although strength alone is not the only way we can live longer, live healthier, and live more independently, it is still a very important factor involved.
Moreover, this does not mean you have to become a powerlifter, max out everyday week, or even use a barbell for that matter. It does however suggest that over the course of your programs you should be focusing on adding LBS to your lifts and getting stronger because in all reality……… your life could depend on it.
REFERENCES
García-Hermoso, A., Cavero-Redondo, I., Ramírez-Vélez, R., Ruiz, J. R., Ortega, F. B., Lee, D. C., & Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2018). Muscular strength as a predictor of all-cause mortality in an apparently healthy population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of data from approximately 2 million men and women. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 99(10), 2100-2113.
Boyle, P. A., Buchman, A. S., Wilson, R. S., Leurgans, S. E., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of neurology, 66(11), 1339-1344.
Parker, K., Rhee, Y., Tomkinson, G. R., Vincent, B. M., O'Connor, M. L., & McGrath, R. (2021). Handgrip weakness and asymmetry independently predict the development of new activity limitations: results from analyses of longitudinal data from the US health and retirement study. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(4), 821-826.
den Ouden, M. E., Schuurmans, M. J., Arts, I. E., & van der Schouw, Y. T. (2013). Association between physical performance characteristics and independence in activities of daily living in middle‐aged and elderly men. Geriatrics & gerontology international, 13(2), 274-280.
UNTIL NEXT TIME - COACH BRAD