Resistance Training

Role

Resistance training is the health intervention most neglected by adults who understand exercise's importance and the one with the most consequence for long-term independence, metabolic health, and quality of life. Muscle mass is the primary organ of glucose disposal (responsible for 80% of post-meal glucose uptake), the primary determinant of resting metabolic rate, the structural support for joint health and injury prevention, and the physical reserve that determines whether a person in their 70s and 80s can rise from a chair, avoid falls, and maintain functional independence. The global sedentary population is losing muscle mass at 3–8% per decade after age 30 without resistance training — a progressive deterioration that most people do not notice until its functional consequences are severe — making resistance training not an aesthetic pursuit but a metabolic and functional survival strategy.