Strength training beneficial to bodies and brains, experts say

Whether you want to get in shape or boost your GPA, adding strength training to your workout can produce great results, some experts say.

Workout regimens that include strength training in addition to cardiovascular and flexibility training have more benefits than those workouts without weight training as well lead to better body development, according to a recent USA TODAY article.

"Any good fitness program should include a weight component, along with a flexibility component and a cardiovascular component," physician Joel Brenner, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness told USA TODAY.

While some people worry whether strength training at a young age will have adverse affects or not, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine and other experts encourage it, according to the article.

Ben Stroud, a Boston College senior who is also a certified personal trainer, views strength training as an important part of any exercise regimen and greatly beneficial to overall health.

“Speaking broadly, strength training serves to burn fat and generate lean muscle mass, which in turn increases the exerciser's resting metabolic rate," Stroud said. "Strength training increases bone density, reducing risk of broken bones and chronic conditions such as osteoporosis. Strength training offers a number of functional benefits and leads to increased well-being in general."

Taylor Costas, a senior at Boston College, participates in group sessions with Stroud’s training and finds the weight-training portion an important part of her health and she is making a routine.

“I think a lot of people see (exercising and weight training) as a pre-spring break burst of energy to be swimsuit ready, but for us in group training, it’s more about consistency,” Costas said.

However, dumbbell lovers and weight lifters, listen up: Stroud says the most effective weight training technique actually involves complex, not simple, movements.

“In general, complex movement offers greater benefits than more simple exercises. For instance, performing multiple limb movements with a kettle ball is more effective than performing simple dumbbell curls,” Stroud said.

With his clients, Stroud combines weights with cardiovascular components in high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, which involve quick circuits of complex movement alternated with short segments of intense cardio training.

“By coupling cardio and strength training, we are able to mobilize fat stores into the blood stream and immediately burn them off. The big idea is to perform rapid movements that confuse the neuromuscular system and apply force to muscles throughout the body,” Stroud said.

Stroud says the most time effective, broadly complex movements are kettleball exercises, burpees and plyometrics. Never heard of those moves? Before trying them out, Stroud encourages everyone to see to a medical or fitness professional to decrease the chance of injury.

For those considering finding a personal trainer, Costas highly recommends the experience as a way to keep her exercise routine safe and fresh.

“Going to a personal trainer hold you accountable for taking care of your own body and for showing up having slept, eaten right and ready to push yourself. It’s tough but being in a group helps -- and it makes you feel good,” Costas said.

Second, as Costas said, exercise has countless mental and “invisible” benefits. The Mayo Clinic reports that exercise improves mood, boosts energy and promotes better sleep. Plus, according to recent findings, exercise actually can help students perform better in the classroom.

The New York Times reported Saginaw Valley State University researchers found that students who participated in vigorous exercise had higher grade point averages. Saginaw researchers controlled variables such as whether participants in the study were college athletes, of a particular health related major, study hours and gender, and found that the conclusion still held true: students who exercised vigorously seven days a week had, on average, GPAs 0.4 points higher than those who did not exercise.

So schedule in a study break and lace up those gym shoes -- the benefits of your workout will carry from the track and weight rack to the classroom and beyond.

Kendall Bitonte is a Fall 2011 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. You can learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.