What does resistance reduce? Exploring the health benefits of strength training

September 29, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the World Health Organization, insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide.

However, a consistent routine of challenging your muscles is a proven way to improve health outcomes, revealing a host of benefits from understanding exactly what does resistance reduce.

Quick Summary

Resistance training can significantly decrease the risk of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease, by reducing body fat, improving blood pressure, and increasing insulin sensitivity. It also lowers the risk of falls by strengthening bones and muscles, while simultaneously boosting metabolism and improving mental well-being.

Key Points

Reduces Chronic Disease Risk: Regular resistance training significantly lowers the risk of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis by improving metabolic and cardiovascular health.
Decreases Body Fat and Boosts Metabolism: By building and preserving lean muscle mass, resistance training increases your resting metabolic rate and promotes an 'afterburn' effect, leading to more efficient calorie and fat burning.
Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Cholesterol: Strength training contributes to a healthier cardiovascular system by lowering resting blood pressure and creating a more favorable lipid profile.
Mitigates Age-Related Decline: It combats sarcopenia (muscle loss) and increases bone density, improving balance and reducing the risk of falls and fractures as you get older.
Improves Mental and Emotional Health: The exercise-induced release of endorphins and reduction of stress hormones helps decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, improves sleep quality, and boosts self-esteem.

Understanding the Concept of Resistance Training

Resistance training, often called strength training, is a form of exercise where your muscles contract against an external resistance. This external force can come from free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or even your own body weight. By consistently challenging your muscles, you initiate a cascade of physiological adaptations that lead to profound health benefits, many of which involve reducing negative health markers and risks.

Reducing the Risk of Chronic Disease

One of the most significant long-term effects of resistance training is its ability to lower the risk factors associated with numerous chronic diseases. The benefits are multifaceted and impact several key areas of health.

Type 2 Diabetes

Resistance training plays a crucial role in preventing and managing type 2 diabetes. By increasing muscle mass, you create more sites for glucose storage. This improves your body's ability to use insulin effectively, a state known as increased insulin sensitivity. As a result, resistance training helps to:

Lower blood sugar levels by clearing glucose from the bloodstream.
Decrease visceral fat, the dangerous fat stored around abdominal organs that is strongly linked to insulin resistance.
Increase the density of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), a protein responsible for moving glucose into muscle cells.

Cardiovascular Disease

While aerobic exercise is often emphasized for heart health, resistance training offers unique and powerful cardiovascular benefits. Regular strength training keeps your heart muscle and blood vessels healthy, reducing the overall workload on your cardiovascular system. It directly helps to:

Lower resting blood pressure by improving endothelial function and vascular conductance.
Improve cholesterol profiles by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.
Reduce chronic inflammation, a known driver of heart disease, by decreasing pro-inflammatory fat cells.

Osteoporosis

Bone density naturally declines with age, but resistance training can help combat this process. The stress placed on bones during strength exercises stimulates bone tissue and increases bone mineral density. This is a critical factor in reducing the risk of osteoporosis and preventing fractures, especially for post-menopausal women.

Decreasing Body Fat and Boosting Metabolism

Contrary to common belief, resistance training is a highly effective tool for weight management and fat loss, offering sustained metabolic benefits.

Increased Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

Muscle tissue is more metabolically active than fat tissue, meaning it burns more calories at rest. When you increase your lean muscle mass through resistance training, you naturally elevate your RMR, causing your body to burn more energy throughout the day, even while sleeping.

The Afterburn Effect (EPOC)

Following an intense resistance workout, your body experiences excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or the “afterburn effect.” This means your body continues to burn extra calories for hours after you have finished exercising as it recovers and repairs muscle tissue.

Mitigating the Effects of Aging and Injury

For many, the physical decline associated with aging is a major concern. Resistance training helps to slow, and in some cases reverse, these effects.

Preventing Sarcopenia and Falls

As people age, they experience a natural loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia. This leads to a loss of strength and functional independence. Consistent resistance training combats sarcopenia and significantly improves balance, coordination, and overall functional strength, reducing the risk of falls.

Alleviating Joint Pain

Resistance training strengthens the muscles and tendons that support your joints, which can help to reduce pain associated with conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. By improving muscular strength, it also helps protect joints from injury during daily activities.

A Comparison of Training Benefits


Feature	Resistance Training	Aerobic Training	Combined Training
Impact on Muscle Mass	Primary builder	Minimal to none	Strong builder
Impact on RMR	Significantly increases	Modestly increases	Additive, highest increase
Fat Loss	Indirect (via RMR/EPOC), preserves muscle	Direct (via calorie burn), less effect on RMR	Strongest effect on overall fat loss
Blood Pressure	Significant reduction	Significant reduction	Synergistic reduction
Insulin Sensitivity	Significant improvement	Significant improvement	Additive, most effective
Bone Density	Stimulates bone growth	Limited effect	Adds weight-bearing component
Effect on Chronic Inflammation	Reduces via fat loss	Reduces via overall health improvement	Most comprehensive reduction

Improving Mental and Emotional Well-being

Resistance training's benefits extend beyond the physical, with a strong link to improved mental health. Exercise, particularly strength training, releases endorphins and reduces stress hormones. This can lead to reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, improved sleep quality, and a boosted sense of self-esteem. The feeling of growing physically stronger can translate to greater mental resilience and a more positive body image.

The Final Word: Resistance as a Health Investment

In conclusion, understanding what resistance reduces provides a powerful motivation to incorporate it into your routine. By consistently applying resistance, you proactively reduce the risk of chronic diseases, trim excess body fat, elevate your metabolism, and combat age-related decline. The benefits are comprehensive, spanning physical, metabolic, and mental health.

Whether you use your body weight, bands, or traditional free weights, starting a resistance training program is one of the most effective ways to invest in your long-term health and functional independence. For more information on physical activity guidelines, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is an excellent resource.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, resistance training is effective at reducing body fat, including visceral fat around the abdomen. By increasing your metabolism and building muscle, you burn more calories overall, which helps in reducing total body fat stores.

For general health benefits, including reducing chronic disease risk, physical activity guidelines recommend doing muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week. Focusing on all major muscle groups is key.

Yes, regular resistance training has been shown to reduce resting blood pressure. It keeps your heart and blood vessels healthy, easing the strain on your cardiovascular system.

Both forms of exercise are beneficial, but they work differently. Resistance training boosts metabolism long-term by building muscle, while cardio primarily burns calories during the workout. Combining both is often the most effective strategy for overall fat loss and improved body composition.

Yes. Lifting weights and other forms of resistance training build stronger muscles and improve balance and coordination. This is particularly important for older adults, as it reduces the risk of dangerous falls and helps maintain independence.

You can use a variety of resistance types, including your own body weight (e.g., squats, push-ups), resistance bands, free weights, or weight machines. The key is to find a method that is accessible and enjoyable for you.

Yes, resistance training can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins and boosting self-esteem. The physical challenge and achievement can have significant positive effects on mental well-being.