 |
| Just because they call us "Iron Heads" doesn't mean that we're dumb - in fact, progressive strength training is one of the very best things to help keep your brain strong and sharp as you grow older! |
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Back in the day, people who lifted
weights were called "muscle-heads."
It wasn't because people thought they
were smart. It was because weightlifters
and bodybuilders were viewed as "all
brawn and no brain."
This view was so common that one
reporter actually had the audacity to
ask World weightlifting champion
Doug Hepburn the following
question during an interview:
"How does it feel to be all brawn
and no brains?"
To which Hepburn famously replied:
"I don't know -- how does it feel to
be neither?"
But not very long ago, there was a
report of a study that measured the
effect of weight training on the brain.
Our brains contain something called
"white matter," which connects the
different parts of the brain and lets
them communicate with one
another.
As we grow older, we often begin to
develop gaps or holes in the white
matter -- which in turn affects our
ability to process information.
Thus, we may start to have trouble
remembering things, concentrating,
or even thinking.
The holes in the white matter also
affect our balance, coordination
and mobility.
That all sounds pretty terrible -- but
hold on, because the new study gives
us plenty of hope.
The study compared three groups of
women between the ages of 65 and
75.
One group did light weight training
once a week.
Another group did light weight training
twice a week.
The third group did stretching and
special balance training twice a
week.
The researchers did brain scans on
the women before they began their
programs -- and repeated the scans
one year later.
The results were shocking -- or rather,
they were shocking to the researchers.
The women who trained with weights
once a week, and the women who did
balance training, had significant deter-
ioration of the white matter in their
brains after the year of training had
passed.
The women who did weight training
twice a week had much less deter-
ioration of their white matter. They
also walked and moved much better
than the other women.
The researchers concluded that the
twice-a-week weight training had
some sort of beneficial effect on
the brain.
In essence, regular weight training
builds the brain just as much as it
builds the body.
The researchers don't know the
exact mechanism by which weight
training strengthens the brain.
It may be that the same chemical
and hormonal changes that cause
muscle growth also cause the
growth of the white matter in
the brain.
Or it may be related to improved
blood flow to the brain as a result
of the training.
But whatever the mechanism, the
bottom line is this:
Weight training makes your brain
stronger, younger and healthier.
All brawn and no brain?
I don't think so.
In fact, we may be moving toward
a time when regular weight training
is recognized as one of the very best
things we can do to keep our brains
healthy and strong.
And yes, that's a very important
reason to start training when you're
young -- and to keep on training
for your entire life!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For maximum benefit, always
focus on the mind-muscle link when
you train. I cover this in detail in
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
The exercises in Dinosaur Dumbbell
Training are also great for brain and
body health -- particularly the
compound movements:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_dumbbelltraining.html
2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:
Hard-copy and PDF
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Kindle
http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day:
"Weights for your body, and weights
for your brain."
-- Brooks Kubik
BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .
We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle
bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:
 |
