Lifting Weights Can Protect Your Brain and Boost Memory

If you think resistance training is just for building muscle, think again. New research (Broadhouse KM, et.al., 2020) shows that lifting weights could be one of the best ways to protect your brain from cognitive decline and even fight off Alzheimer’s disease.

A recent study published in NeuroImage: Clinical looked at how resistance training impacts brain health in older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)—a condition that often leads to dementia. The results? Mind-blowing.

How Resistance Training Boosts Brain Power

In the Study of Mental Activity and Resistance Training (SMART) trial, researchers followed 100 participants with MCI for 18 months. These individuals were split into four groups:

1. Resistance training + brain training

2. Resistance training + placebo brain training

3. Brain training + placebo resistance training

4. Sham physical + sham cognitive training (control group)

After six months of high-intensity weight training, participants showed significant cognitive improvements—but here’s the kicker: the benefits lasted for a full year after the program ended!

The Science Behind It: Your Brain on Weights

The study found that resistance training protected critical brain areas that are usually hit hardest by Alzheimer’s disease, including:

• The hippocampus – Essential for memory and learning

• The subiculum – One of the first regions affected in Alzheimer’s

• The dentate gyrus – Key for neuroplasticity (your brain’s ability to adapt and grow)

Those who did resistance training completely stopped atrophy in the left subiculum and slowed shrinkage in other critical brain areas. That’s a BIG deal.

Why This Matters

Cognitive decline is a growing crisis, with dementia cases expected to triple by 2050. While there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, this study shows that lifting weights can actively protect your brain and delay its onset.

Want to Maximize Benefits Without Spending Hours Exercising?

If you’re looking for a way to improve your health with minimal time commitment, check out our Exercise for Maximum Benefits program. This program is designed to help you reap huge health benefits in just seconds a few times a day. Research has shown that prolonged sitting is dangerous, but you don’t need long workouts to counteract the effects. With this program, you’ll get the latest, science-backed strategies to optimize your fitness and longevity in the easiest way possible.

Learn More About Exercise for Maximum Benefits

By incorporating resistance training and smart movement strategies into your daily routine, you can protect your brain, enhance longevity, and boost overall well-being!

Reference

Broadhouse KM, Singh MF, Suo C, Gates N, Wen W, Brodaty H, Jain N, Wilson GC, Meiklejohn J, Singh N, Baune BT, Baker M, Foroughi N, Wang Y, Kochan N, Ashton K, Brown M, Li Z, Mavros Y, Sachdev PS, Valenzuela MJ. Hippocampal plasticity underpins long-term cognitive gains from resistance exercise in MCI. Neuroimage Clin. 2020;25:102182.