Can strength training lower cholesterol?

The answer is yes, it can indeed help improve cholesterol levels, but the effect has a clear scope of application. It cannot replace medication and dietary control, and not everyone will see changes in their indicators after practicing.

In the past two years, I took care of a 38-year-old friend who works in Internet technology. His body fat rate is 29%. The physical examination showed that the low-density lipoprotein (also known as "bad cholesterol") and triglycerides were nearly 1.5 times higher. I was afraid that taking statins too early would have side effects. In addition to controlling the intake of refined sugar and trans fats as required by the doctor, I squeezed out time to do strength training three times a week, for 45 minutes each time, that is, chest, For circuit training of large muscle groups such as back and legs, the weight was chosen at a moderate intensity that allowed each group to perform 12-15 times to failure, and no additional aerobic was added. During the three-month review, the bad cholesterol dropped by 18%, and the high-density lipoprotein ("good cholesterol") responsible for transporting and metabolizing blood lipids also increased by 0.2mmol/L. The improvement effect was more obvious than that of colleagues who only dieted and walked 10,000 steps a day during the same period.

Of course, I have also met many people who have been practicing strength training for more than half a year, and then checked their cholesterol and found no change at all. This is not a lie. At present, the academic circle does not have a completely unified conclusion on the fat-lowering effect of strength training: some studies believe that only medium-to-high-intensity resistance training that continuously stimulates large muscle groups can It can increase the basal metabolic level, improve body composition, and thereby regulate the efficiency of lipid metabolism. If every time you go to the gym, you squat for half an hour to practice arms and abdominal curls. The weight is so light that you don’t gasp for half an hour, and you reward yourself with a hamburger and milk tea after the exercise. Let alone lowering cholesterol, it will be good if it does not rise.； Some studies also believe that the intervention effect of strength training on cholesterol is far less than that of diet control and aerobic training. It can only be regarded as an auxiliary item that is the icing on the cake, and cannot be used as a main adjustment method.

It’s easy to understand. Elevated cholesterol is essentially an “imbalance of intake and output” in blood lipid metabolism. Dietary control is to reduce the intake of bad cholesterol from the entrance. Aerobics is to actively consume deposited blood lipids. Strength training is like daily maintenance of your metabolic system. It can make the “engine” of lipid metabolism run more efficiently and make lipid accumulation less likely to occur. However, if you pour “inferior oil” into it every day, no matter how much maintenance you do, you will not be able to prevent problems.

Oh, by the way, if your cholesterol is much higher than the normal value, don't just rely on training to adjust it. Take the medicine as directed by your doctor. Training is just a supplement, don't put the cart before the horse. Also, don’t use strength training as an excuse to eat junk food. Many people have an appetite to show off meat after training. If their cholesterol rises instead of falling, it’s really not the fault of useless training.