> the main physical benefit from weightlifting (strength training in particular) is that you can lift heavier things
This is false and shortsighted. Here are some benefits of strength training:
- Muscle mass and bone density maintenance and acquisition, which translates to better overall health. Many physical ailments in old age are related to the degradation of lean body tissues and strength training mitigates that. There is a massive change in trends where even general fitness, health-oriented programs for older trainees now incorporate a substantial resistance-training component.
- Strength acquisition causes performance gains in pretty much every sport with an anaerobic component. Even sports where strength training has been historically ignored like soccer (which I follow closely) are seeing a change of trend, as it has become obvious that stronger is better, and that significant strength gains do not have to come at the expense of other athletic attributes such as agility or speed.
- Strength training fixes posture and mobility issues. For untrained individuals, squatting under a light load (or even bodyweight) will likely reveal a host of problems issuing from the modern sedentary life, such as a lack of strength and mobility in key parts of the body, such as the abs or the hip flexors. Training for strength requires addressing these imbalances and helps greatly in the process too.
> Any outdoorsy activity is vastly superior to it due to exposure to fresh air and sunlight
This is in fact ignorant advice, and false, for the following reasons:
- Few "outdoorsy" activities are close to providing the benefits listed above
- You can train for strength outdoors: with your bodyweight, resistance bands, kettlebells or even a barbell setup. This is a false dichotomy that's being put forward.
It is absolutely fine if you want the bulk of your physical activity to be long walks in nature, but do know that the weight of scientific and practical evidence is overwhelming: you won't be optimizing for general health unless you incorporate some degree of resistance training into your physical activity routine.
This is false and shortsighted. Here are some benefits of strength training:
- Muscle mass and bone density maintenance and acquisition, which translates to better overall health. Many physical ailments in old age are related to the degradation of lean body tissues and strength training mitigates that. There is a massive change in trends where even general fitness, health-oriented programs for older trainees now incorporate a substantial resistance-training component.
- Strength acquisition causes performance gains in pretty much every sport with an anaerobic component. Even sports where strength training has been historically ignored like soccer (which I follow closely) are seeing a change of trend, as it has become obvious that stronger is better, and that significant strength gains do not have to come at the expense of other athletic attributes such as agility or speed.
- Strength training fixes posture and mobility issues. For untrained individuals, squatting under a light load (or even bodyweight) will likely reveal a host of problems issuing from the modern sedentary life, such as a lack of strength and mobility in key parts of the body, such as the abs or the hip flexors. Training for strength requires addressing these imbalances and helps greatly in the process too.
> Any outdoorsy activity is vastly superior to it due to exposure to fresh air and sunlight
This is in fact ignorant advice, and false, for the following reasons:
- Few "outdoorsy" activities are close to providing the benefits listed above
- You can train for strength outdoors: with your bodyweight, resistance bands, kettlebells or even a barbell setup. This is a false dichotomy that's being put forward.
It is absolutely fine if you want the bulk of your physical activity to be long walks in nature, but do know that the weight of scientific and practical evidence is overwhelming: you won't be optimizing for general health unless you incorporate some degree of resistance training into your physical activity routine.