Can strength training improve immunity?

To be clear, reasonable strength training can indeed improve immunity, but if the training method is wrong and the load exceeds the standard, it will drag down the immune function. This is not just my opinion. It is a conclusion drawn from many pitfalls. It is also in line with the current mainstream consensus of sports medicine.

When I first became addicted to weightlifting a few years ago, I always felt that the harder I practiced, the better the effect. I went to the gym six days a week, and every time I had to train the target muscle group until I couldn't even lift it before I would walk. If I rested for more than a minute between sets, I felt like I was paddling. As a result, I was the company's cold expert for the first half of the year. If someone in the next department sneezed, I would definitely catch the cold the next day, and I would always get oral ulcers. At first, I thought it was because I didn't take enough vitamins. It wasn't until I went to have a meal with a friend who was a team doctor for the provincial team that I realized that the problem was all in training.

To put it bluntly, when we do strength training, minor tears and injuries will occur in the muscles, and the body's immune system will be activated immediately, mobilizing "immune guards" such as white blood cells and NK cells to repair. Doesn't this mean regular exercises for the immune system? A 2023 survey by the American College of Sports Medicine found that people who insist on moderate-intensity strength training 2-3 times a week for a long time have a resting immune cell activity that is about 27% higher than that of sedentary people, and the probability of upper respiratory tract infection can be reduced by 30%. This data has been verified by a large sample and has little moisture.

However, you must have come across two completely opposite views. On one side, there are fitness bloggers patting their chests and saying, "Lifting iron bags can cure all diseases." On the other side, medical bloggers say, "Strength training will reduce immunity." The two sides are arguing. In fact, the core difference is the issue of "degree."

If you push to the limit every time you train, add weight faster than turning over, and practice for two hours at a time without taking a break, then your body will secrete a large amount of cortisol in order to withstand this pressure. When this stress hormone rises, it will directly suppress the work efficiency of immune cells. This is what our fitness circle often calls the "immune window period." It can be six or seven hours at a short time, or more than a day at a long time. During this period, if you fail to keep warm or touch the handrails of the mall without washing your hands, the virus can get in in minutes. I met a bodybuilding guy who was preparing for a competition last year. He practiced twice a day for a month before the competition, and the oil and salt stuck were very serious. As a result, he got herpes zoster directly a week before the competition.

In fact, ordinary fitness enthusiasts really don’t need to add any training capacity, nor do they need to compare weight with others. Your own body feels the most accurate. If your muscles are just a little sore the next day after training, and you should go to work and walk, and your eating and sleeping will not be affected, then this amount is just right. ； If after practicing, your legs feel weak even when you climb three floors, and you lose energy for the next two or three days, and you still suffer from insomnia and hair loss, then you must have exceeded your limit, and if you continue to practice, you are just looking for trouble for yourself.

Oh, by the way, don’t think that everything will be fine once you practice strength. I used to have a partner who did strength training three times a week to a standard, but ended up staying up until two or three o'clock every day to watch short videos, and eating fried chicken with iced Coke after every workout. He was still the first to get infected when the flu season came. Do you think this can be blamed on the useless training? Immunity is the comprehensive result of sleep, diet, and exercise. It cannot function without any one of them.

In fact, there is really no need to worry about any standard answers, and there is no need to dare to touch the barbell or practice to death because of the arguments between the two sides. Do it two or three times a week, for 40 to 50 minutes each time. Choose a weight that you can bear and practice slowly. Sleep for 7 hours and eat two more eggs and milk. The resistance will rise quietly. After all, our fitness is for comfort. We can't go against our bodies for some empty "training volume", right?