Strength Training Reduces "Office" Injuries

Despite living in a society that is increasingly sedentary (I have already typed that sentence too many times for my liking) we are plagued with chronic back and neck pain. Which is weird, because most of us associate any musculoskeletal pain with some sort of strenuous physical activity. Or we say we "slept on it wrong", because apparently that's a thing that you can do. So how can someone hurt themselves when they never pick up anything heavier than their purse?

"It's a satchel!" -  Men with purses.

The answer: You're not lifting enough heavy things. Granted, I use that advice to solve problems ranging from back pain to vegetarian lifestyle modifications, but in this case I have SCIENCE to back me up.

According to a study conducted at the University of Copenhagen and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, women who participated in strength training on a regular basis for 16 weeks significantly decreased their self-reported pain index from the baseline of the study, compared with a control group who presumably ate tacos and watched Netflix for  four months. 

That is pretty impressive by itself, but some of the specifics of the study were surprising even to me. For example, the study not only looked at the effects of strength training, but also the effects of general physical activities like biking to work and parking farther from the store. The second group still significantly decreased their pain over the course of the study, but the group who went to the gym and lifted weights -which puts significantly more stress on the muscles and joints than taking the stairs every once in a while- still reported a greater decrease in pain. Even better, within the strength training group, those who had the greatest training volume (measured by load x total reps over the course of the study) reported a greater decrease in pain than the participants who had the lowest. 

So why does a frequently agonizing trip to the weight room actually help chronic sufferers of back and neck pain? The theory (not my theory, but the theory of those smart enough to have theories) is that strength training may help break down and subsequently reconstruct painful and abnormal muscle tissue, as well as decrease the relative workload of everyday activities by making the muscles stronger. Being hunched over in a chair all day often means that your back and neck muscles are turned off and neglected, and this leads to them withering away and failing to keep the structures they support in line. Strength training not only builds sexy lumps we can show off at the beach, but also teaches us to activate muscles that may not see much action the rest of the day. 

Many, many bad things can still happen in the gym. I myself have been hurt...we'll say three times. However, all three times were the result of me doing something stupid. Strength training, even with heavy weights, is completely safe as long someone follows proper form and has a decent program, perhaps one designed by an extremely handsome and knowledgeable trainer at one of finest facilities in Lexington. I promise the pain you think you feel under a heavy barbell is worth the pain you won't feel in the long run.

Go forth and lift heavy things!

Reference: Pederson, Mogens, Lars Anderson, Marie Jorgensen, Karen Sogaard, and Gisela Sjogaard. "Effect of Specific Resistance Training on Musculoskeletal Pain Symptoms: Dose Response Relationships."Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27.1 (2013): 229-235. Print.

Justin currently only experiences emotional pain and also writes the blog for LIFT Fitness and Wellness