Scientists from the University of Limerick in Ireland and the University of Iowa in the US found that strength training can relieve anxiety symptoms. results published In the journal Trends in Molecular Medicine (TMM).
Fourteen people aged 18 to 40 with anxiety or depressive disorders participated in the study. The scientists collected information about the volunteers’ health conditions and presented them with an eight-week strength training program that included exercising twice a week under the supervision of the organizers.
The program included barbell squats, bench presses, deadlifts, seated dumbbell raises, barbell rows, dumbbell lunges, dumbbell biceps curls and abdominal crunches. Load correction was performed twice a week.
Psychological testing results showed that the training was associated with a significant reduction in participants’ anxiety symptoms compared to baseline. Such activities, as part of comprehensive therapy, may help people with anxiety disorders improve their quality of life, the researchers noted. However, the mechanisms underlying this positive effect have not yet been investigated.
Scientists had previously named an unexpected advantage classes to run.