Exercise! Beneficial Effects of Resistance Training on Variables of General Health
A recent investigation by Croymans et.al. ( Croymans. 2010 ) confirms, what I keep preaching day by day. There is nothing like exercise when it comes to improving general health . In this study the effects of resistance training (RT) on 12 sedentary, overweight, young adult males (body mass index, BMI=32.2±3.1 kg/m2), randomized in a 3:1 fashion to a RT group (12 wks of training at 3/wk) or a control group (C, 12 wks of no training) was investigated. The positive results speak for themselves. Other than those who continued sitting on their asses, the members of the RT group experienced "a significant increase in lean body mass (LBM) (RT: 69.1±7.7 vs.71.7±8.5, C: 66.2±3.1 vs. 66.0±3.5 kg, p<0.03) and leg press 1-RM (RT: 298±32 vs. 365±32, C: 279±56 vs. 279±46 kg, p<0.03), chest press 1-RM (RT: 80±15 vs. 102±19, C: 77± 25 vs. 79±29 kg, p<0.01), and seated row 1-RM (RT: 88±13 vs. 106±12, C: 86±17 vs. 81±11 kg, p<0.03). There was a trend towards an improvement i...