Why do you need to lift heavy if you are not competing in a sport?
There a lot of different reasons people lift weights from improving aesthetics, building muscle mass, or improving performance. No matter what your goal is, there should be some aspect of heavy lifting. Many fall under the stigma that they will become bulky, immobile, or even get hurt. However, lifting heavy weights can help you achieve many goals outside of strength gains such as improved mobility, enhanced hormone production, and overall longevity!
MOBILITY
Believe it or not, lifting heavy weights CAN improve mobility. In my experience as a strength coach over the past decade, a tight muscle is usually a weak muscle. Whenever I have a client come in with overly tight hamstrings, I have them do many different exercises to improve their glute and hamstring strength. Over the course of 3-6 weeks, they begin to see improvement in their hamstring flexibility. There was one research article I found during my master's degree that examined Strength Training vs Static Stretching in flexibility. They found no difference between the two methods in flexibility (1).
Does this mean you are going to be as flexible as a gymnast by lifting heavy weights? No, but if you already have trouble touching your toes, it's a good possibility it's the result of having weak glutes and hamstrings. By learning how to do heavy lifts such as deadlifts and squats through a full range of motion, your overall mobility should improve!
ENHANCING HORMONE PRODUCTION
Our bodies are extremely good at adapting to change in the environment through a mechanism called homeostasis. Our bodies adapt to changes that we encounter to make sure that we can survive and live on. Two easy common examples of this are extreme heat and cold. When you get hot, your body adapts to the heat by sweating so your body does not overheat. During extreme cold, the body will begin to shiver in attempt to heat up the body, so the temperature doesn't fall too low.
Lifting heavy weights isn't necessarily about hitting a number, it's about exposing your body to STRESS that feels extreme enough to trigger change. When you lift heavy weights, the body adapts by secreting different anabolic (Muscle Building) hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone in order to build more lean mass (2). This is your body's way of adapting to the extreme stress so when it has to do it again, you can do it with less effort. As you lift heavy for a prolonged period of time, your body becomes more efficient at adapting to stress in general.
Graphic from Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning NSCA 4th Edition (2)
OVERALL LONGEVITY
As we age, our muscle mass, connective tissue, and bone density decline. This process of degradation can start as early as the age of 30 (3). Lifting heavy as little as 2 times a week can help prevent a lot of this degradation. It doesn't have to be a certain poundage of weight; it just has to be heavy enough for you to struggle.
Many people don't realize this, but I train quite a few people over the age of 50 between firefighters and general population. I had one client that started coming to me at the age of 68 named Nadine. She came to me with Osteopenia, which means her bones were becoming weak and were susceptible to breaking if she fell or had an impact. In order to diagnose this, a doctor will order what's called a DEXA Scan to see what your bone density is. Nadine came in with a T-Score of -1.8 and after lifting consistently for 2 years 2 times a week, we raised her score to .98. Still not a normal range, but significantly better at the age of 70!
CONCLUSION
Many people enjoy lifting heavy as a sport and it is not for everyone. However, lifting heavy can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask. The important thing is that you have bouts of intense exercise with plenty of rest to allow your body to adapt to the stress. When this process is repeated for a prolonged period of time, a great amount of change occurs leading to a more physically fit and independent individual.
Citations
(1) Morton, Sam K; Whitehead, James R; Brinkert, Ronald H; Caine, Dennis J. Resistance Training vs. Static Stretching: Effects on Flexibility and Strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 25(12):p 3391-3398, December 2011. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31821624aa
(2) Baechle, T. (1989). Essentials of strength training and conditioning (4th ed.). Human Kinetics.
(3) How to Put on Muscle as you Age in Life | Piedmont Healthcare. (n.d.). https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/how-to-put-on-muscle-as-you-age
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