In a previous article, I discussed the impact of aerobic exercise on brain health, and the scientific research supporting that work. The impacts that weight training can have on brain health are complementary to the aerobic training, but not overlapping.

Aerobic training enhances brain health by increasing the volume of oxygenated blood that passes through the brain, rejuvenating tissues and building a strong cardio vascular system.

The human body is extremely complex, and achieving optimal health requires diverse strategies. So it is with fitness programs to enhance brain health’.one approach does not meet all the needs.

Weight training has some positive impacts on the brain that are distinct from the effects produced by aerobic training. Four very important impacts are:

 

-Improving the drainage of toxins from the brain and spine

-Increasing the production of growth hormone and glycemic control

-Increasing selective attention and concentration

-Enhancing neuro muscular function and total brain volume

 

Improving the drainage of toxins and other refuse from the brain and spine

In crude terms, exercise creates a flushing mechanism to remove toxins and other byproducts of normal metabolism from the brain. This happens because of the stretching, flexing and contracting of muscles around the brain and spine. This “hydraulic’ action helps move lymph.

You get the most significant effects from movements that strongly activate the muscles supporting the skull and spine (eg. Traps and lats). Some great movements for this are the power clean, kettlebell swing, lat pull down, deadlift or any of the rowing movements.

Weight training produces other significant positive benefits because of the impact on normally occurring biological processes in the brain. Below I’ll summarize some of the recent findings reported by Dr.Michael Lara of the Institute for Brain Potential in his course Pumped: Building a Better Brain through Exercise and Movement.

 

Increases growth hormone, glycemic control

A normal consequence of resistance training is the stimulation of growth hormone. This hormone in turn will help create balance the other hormones. When your hormones are in proper balance, the body is not trying to compensate for a deficiency. Excess cortisol can be particularly damaging to the hippocampal area of the brain in older adults. This is the part of the brain where memory resides.

Glycemic control is a huge issue for keeping a strong and youthful body well into later life. The most common and extreme forms of imbalanced blood sugar are type-2 diabetes and at the opposite pole, hypoglycemia. Weight training can aid in keep these potentially horrific conditions out of your life.

Bottom line: exercise will help your body naturally produce all the good hormones, and tends to keep them balanced. Hormonal balance will help prevent (perhaps enhance) memory and other functions discussed below.

 

Increasing selective attention and concentration

Many of us are familiar with a popular image of the weightlifter as being an over muscled air head. Granted, there are some who are, but recent research has shown that this stereotype may not be accurate for the vast majority of people who pump iron.

One of the interesting aspects of recent research is that controlled studies done by medical scientists have begun to show that weight training can have significant impacts on cognitive functions. In other words, lifting weights helps your mind. In one recent study, weight training was shown to have a strong positive impact on the people’s ability to focus and concentrate.

The brain is a very complex organ, and it appears that the general consequence of exercise is a large number of small positive impacts. In this instance, researchers were able to establish a clear relationship between weight training and a critical mental function.

 

Enhancing neuro muscular function and total brain volume

A decade or more of research has established that human brains have the ability to learn new things at any age. They will also “unlearn’ patterns that are not often used. In simple terms this means that when it comes to keeping a strong and capable brain, you need to “use it or lose it’!

What this means to people who are aging is that they need to continue to do activities that are demanding if they want to maintain their physical viability in older age. A key example is doing complex coordinated movements. All complex movements are controlled in the brain. To an astonishing extent, continuing practice of these movements means that you don’t lose your ability as you age.

Performing complex body movements activates neural pathways in the brain. Thus, a healthy brain is one that is constantly required by its owner to do demanding coordinated physical movements. Then you get great benefit from performing complex movements, such as the power clean, full squat, standing barbell press, kettlebell snatch, and so forth as opposed to very simple movements, such as leg extension.

Clearly, most of the benefits of weight training come from training with free weights as opposed to machines. In general terms, the simpler the movement, the fewer brain pathways get involved. Machines don’t demand that a person control a weight in space, thus put little demand on developing complex coordination or balance.

 

At this point, some might be inclined to ask “are there any negative impacts of weight training?’

The short answer is “no’. The more detailed answer is that any good thing can be done to excess’.and this is not necessarily good. I’ll address the issue of excessive exercise in some future articles. For now, rest assured that weight training has a hugely positive impact on your brain and your long term mental viability.

Hit the weights’.but don’t quit reading.

Enjoy great health,

 

Richard