The Benefits of Strength Training – What Does Gym Training Do for Your Health?

The health benefits of strength training reach considerably further than changes in appearance. Regular strength training develops muscle mass and strength, strengthens the skeleton, improves body composition and supports metabolic function as well as insulin sensitivity. In addition, it promotes physical function, helps prevent several lifestyle diseases and supports the maintenance of functional capacity as we age. This blog takes a science-based and comprehensive look at the health benefits of gym training.

What are the health benefits of gym training?

Training at the gym improves health and well-being in many ways and is an extremely important form of exercise for the functioning of the body and for health. The psychological benefits are also great.

Gym training, however, is often seen as appearance-focused exercise. Gym training does have a strong effect on appearance, but at the same time it also has very significant physiological effects that often get less attention. Measured by its health benefits, gym training could indeed be considered the most important form of exercise for a healthy life and well-being — the benefits are at least comparable to those of aerobic exercise and in some respects even possibly stronger (1).

Gym training can provide, among others, the following important health benefits.

Regular gym training supports health and functional capacity holistically. It improves, among other things, muscle and bone health, body composition, metabolism, cardiovascular function, mobility and balance, and it supports brain health and quality of life. In addition, it helps prevent and manage several lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, reduces the risk of falls and injuries, and is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Below is a list of all the benefits with links directly to the studies.

There are many physiological health benefits of gym training observed in studies, at least:

- Reduction of low-grade inflammation (2)

- Better insulin sensitivity (3)

- Reduction of visceral fat (4)

- Lowering of blood pressure (5)

- Cardiovascular performance in physical exertion (6)

- Improvement of blood lipid values (7)

- Brain-health benefits, e.g. cognitive function (8) (read more: the psychological benefits of gym training)
- Strengthening of the skeleton / increase in bone density (9),(10)

- Improvement of motor function (11)

- Better mitochondrial oxidative capacity (12)

- Improvement of metabolic function, acceleration of resting metabolism (13) - Prevention / treatment of lifestyle diseases (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes) (14),(15)

- Muscle mass growth & improvement of body composition (16),(17)

- Strengthening of tendons/other supporting tissues (18)

- Development of muscular endurance (19)

- Increase in physical performance, development of strength, a more functional daily life and life in general (20),(21)

- Better mobility (22)

- Benefit for joint pain (20)

- Development of balance (23)

- Prevention of falls (24)

- Reduction of sports-injury risk (25)

- Improvement of quality of life (26)

So, as gym training and body composition are optimized, the body functions in a holistically, physiologically more optimal way — the way it has adapted to function through evolution. Gym training is indeed associated with a considerable reduction in all-cause mortality risk (27).

Where do the benefits come from?

There are numerous actual cell-level mechanisms at work, but simply put: it appears that a large part of the benefits of gym training arises from improved body composition (28), which enhances the functioning of many bodily processes. Body composition refers to the ratio between the amount of muscle mass and other fat-free tissue in the body and the amount of fat mass.

Gym training is the easiest and most effective way to optimize body composition (in practice, to build muscle mass), but of course nutrition also plays an important role alongside it. Some of the benefits, however, also appear to arise from gym training itself — that is, not only through changes in body composition (29).

How often should you go to the gym?

For most people, 2–4 gym workouts per week is a good starting point for achieving health and fitness goals. Even training once a week produces benefits compared to not training, as long as the training is regular and consistent over the long term. The amount of training should, however, be adjusted according to goals, training background, life situation and recovery. More on this topic here:

Gym training and other exercise

It must also be noted that physical activity in general has plenty of positive effects. And inactivity, in turn, has plenty of harmful effects. These, too, are very strongly linked with changes in body composition. ‍ The effects listed above, however, are fundamentally effects specifically of gym training and of the improvement in body composition it produces — not, for example, of changes in nutrition or of aerobic exercise. There is of course overlap between these, but for example the molecular-level signals caused by gym training and the adaptations resulting from them are different compared to aerobic exercise (30). The best benefits indeed appear to come when you do both aerobic exercise and gym training (31).

Gym training does not, however, replace all other exercise.

Although gym training affects the body in many ways, it does not on its own replace all other physical activity and the body's needs. It's also important to move in other ways and to avoid excessive inactivity on a daily basis. Developing and maintaining endurance fitness requires aerobic exercise, and daily activity, such as walking, is an important part of overall activity.

What happens if you stop gym training?

Stopping training usually leads over time to a partial loss of the adaptations achieved through training. Muscle strength, muscle mass and physical performance gradually begin to decline, although the speed of the changes depends on, among other things, training background, age and other physical activity. This means that, from a health perspective, gym training should be part of life over the long term.

The benefits are easily available — by training sensibly.

When you train at the gym — that is, move, load and grow your muscles while keeping the amount of fat tissue healthy — the body functions holistically better. This, in turn, shows up not only in measurable physiological health markers but also as feeling better, more stamina, functional capacity, stress tolerance and numerous other psychological benefits, changes in appearance and so on. In terms of health benefits, training is in practice the same thing as effective and sensible training done for appearance as well — that is, these benefits are directly linked to each other.

In practice, maximizing the benefits of gym training is simple: by following the principles of optimal and individual training — that is, what a good gym program takes into account — and by keeping training, preferably, part of life over the long term. For health, there are also other easy actions that enhance the body's functioning: for example, optimizing sleep, nutrition, the circadian rhythm and psychological thought patterns. You can read more about these, for example, in the article on why a steady circadian rhythm is so important for health, and listen to our psykalab podcast!

You can hear more about the benefits and individuality of gym training on the podcast with Muscle Doctor Juha Hulmi (link to the episode). ‍ — Julius Granlund, MSc (Sport Sciences)

To be realized, the benefits of gym training require regular and sensibly programmed training. The AITOFIT training app handles the programming for you.

Try AITOFIT free for 9 days and see how a science-based AI training program works in practice. Start your workouts and by all means drop us a message in the chat about how it's going!

The benefit list was also compiled with the help and support of the presentation: Juha Hulmi, Tampere Medical Days 2023: In Search of Eternal Youth. The significance of muscles and strength training.

Frequently asked questions about the benefits of gym training

Is gym training healthy?

Yes. Regular and sensibly performed gym training — i.e. strength training — is a significant part of a healthy and functional lifestyle. It develops muscle mass and strength, strengthens the skeleton and supporting tissues, and improves physical function. In addition, strength training can have a positive effect on, for example, body composition, insulin sensitivity and blood pressure. For health, the best benefits are usually obtained by combining strength training with aerobic exercise and an otherwise active daily life.

How many times a week should you go to the gym?

For most adults, a good starting point is to strength train at least twice a week so that all the most important muscle groups get trained. There can, however, be more or less training depending on the individual's goals, training background and recovery. Even training done once a week is probably more beneficial than not training at all, so the most important thing is to find an amount you can sustain over the long term.

Can gym training prevent diseases?

Gym training can support health and reduce the risk factors of several chronic diseases. Regular strength training can, for example, improve insulin sensitivity, support a healthy body composition and have a positive effect on blood pressure and metabolism. In addition, muscle-strength training has been associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. It's good to note, however, that a single form of exercise does not on its own prevent all diseases; health is also affected by, for example, nutrition, sleep, lifestyle and overall activity.

Is gym training good for the heart?

Yes. Strength training supports cardiovascular health. Regular strength training can have a positive effect on, for example, blood pressure, body composition and metabolic function. For holistic health, however, strength training should not be seen as a replacement for aerobic exercise; rather, their benefits complement each other.

Can going to the gym strengthen bones?

Yes. Strength training loads the skeleton and can stimulate structural adaptations in bone. In studies, resistance training has been observed to be able to support the maintenance of bone density and, in some cases, its improvement, including as we age. For the skeleton, the effects of training depend on, among other things, the training load, the duration of training and the individual's starting point. That's why gym training is one useful way to support bone health throughout life.

Does gym training help with weight loss?

Yes, but the effect is best understood as part of a whole. Gym training helps maintain and build muscle mass during weight loss, which can improve body composition — i.e. the ratio of fat to muscle mass. Strength training also increases energy expenditure and can support weight management, but nutrition and total energy intake play a central role in reducing the body's fat amount. In practice, an effective and important way to improve body composition is to combine progressive strength training, sufficient protein intake and nutrition suited to the goal.

Is gym training good for the brain?

Strength training can also benefit brain health and cognitive function. The effects of exercise and strength training have been studied from the perspective of, for example, executive function, memory and other cognitive functions. The effects, however, are not equally large or consistent across all studies, and for brain health overall physical activity is probably more important than a single form of exercise. Gym training can therefore be seen as one part of a lifestyle that supports both physical and psychological well-being.

Is it worth going to the gym if you're over 50?

Yes, and the importance of strength training may even increase with age. As we age, muscle mass and strength play a central role in maintaining functional capacity, an independent daily life and quality of life. Regular strength training helps maintain muscle mass and strength and supports bone health, balance and physical function. It can thus help prevent decline in functional capacity and falls. The WHO also recommends that older adults do muscle-strength training on at least two days a week and regularly do varied exercise that develops balance and functional capacity. Training should, however, always be adapted to one's own health status, functional capacity and training background. A high-quality training app that individualizes to your situation, such as AITOFIT, can help well with this.

Author: Julius Granlund, M.Sc Exercise Science (Exercise Physiology), University of Jyväskylä | Reviewed by: Tapio Tulenheimo, M.Sc Exercise Science (Exercise Physiology), University of Jyväskylä