5 Unexpected Health Benefits of Bodybuilding

Benefits of Bodybuilding
Health Benefits of Bodybuilding

The Many Unexpected Benefits of Body Building

There are many reasons to build a stronger body that most people wouldn’t think of when they picture bodybuilding. Bodybuilding can be a very healthy hobby for both your mind and your body.

Despite the misconceptions of the general public, bodybuilding is not necessarily all about eating whey protein, lifting heavy weights, and oiled-up posing in a thong on a stage. There are a ton of great health benefits as well.

These are just some of the many unexpected benefits of bodybuilding:

  1. Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

    Bodybuilding combines a number of different factors that combined significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
    For one, bodybuilding reduces the cholesterol level in the blood, lowers blood pressure and reduces fat in the body. Fat is one of the main places that bacteria and toxins like to hide. By reducing the amount of fat in your body, you reduce the amount of bacterial you’ll be exposed to. That in turn reduces the risk of disease.

  2. Reduced Risk of Arthritis

    Bodybuilding puts enormous strain on bones, joints and ligaments. This is actually a good thing.
    Bones that are never worked out are much more likely to become frail and brittle with time. On the other hand, bodybuilders who are constantly putting strain on their bones build stronger bones.

  3. Bodybuilding Increases Intelligence

    In his revolutionary book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain,” John Ratey revealed case study after case study showing one incredible conclusion: Exercise, especially anaerobic exercise combined with aerobic exercise, actually makes you smarter.

    When you exercise, your brain produces a number of neurochemicals that improve memory and mental functioning. In literally hundreds of studies researchers found undeniable evidence that consistent exercise can drastically alter brain chemistry.

  4. Helps Alleviate Stress

    There’s nothing quite like furiously pumping weights or strenuously exerting yourself on the bench press to relieve stress.

    Most people walk through life with no way of alleviating the stress in their lives. Bodybuilders are lucky in that they have a very healthy and physical way to do so.

    Research and repeatedly linked stress reduction to increased happiness, as well as increased health and longevity. In other words, bodybuilding helps you reduce stress and makes you healthier and live longer as a result.

  5. Increased Self-Confidence

    Bodybuilding can also dramatically increase self confidence. This works for a couple of reasons.

    For one thing, there’s a lot of self confidence that’s built just from choosing a goal and following it through to completion. Seeing the actual results in the mirror help reinforce the fact that you managed to make a difficult goal come true.

    Another reason bodybuilding builds self confidence is just by having a stronger, more powerful and more attractive body. A body that you worked hard for and can be proud of. It becomes both a source of pride and a source of inner strength.

These are just some of the many benefits of bodybuilding. As you can tell, it’s not just a matter of building muscles. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle that can have dramatic positive effects on your brain, your mind, your immune system, your heart, your bones and just about everything else in your body.

A few decades ago the benefits of bodybuilding were mostly anecdotal. Today, it’s a known scientific fact.

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14 Responses to “5 Unexpected Health Benefits of Bodybuilding”

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  3. Hi i’m interested to know where did yo get the reference(s) of this benefits because they are awesome and I would like to refered them. Thank you

  4. Your article was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it. However, I had one question. Looking at a lot of the bodybuilder types who go to my gym, it seems like they are really top heavy, even if they have good lower body strength as well. Would this make bodybuilders more susceptible to injuries, such as in the lower back?

  5. Another health benefit is the friendships you develop through body building. Body building is not a sport unique to particular countries, it is a world wide passtime/sport/lifestyle. Through body building I have developed freindships with people all over the world. With these friendships comes the sharing of ideas, thoughts, jokes and stories. These friendships are a great source of happiness in my life, which obviously leads to better health.

  6. Right now stress alleviation is the biggest benefit of bodybuilding for me. I have a stressful job and working out helps me to forget all of my problems. I also find that working out forces me to eat healthier so I get sick less often. I just can’t have sodas and fatty foods cause they make me sick.

  7. Hi

    I respect most passions that exist. I respect bodybuilding.
    But please, check your info. Bodybuilding is bad for your heart (I m talking about serious training)
    A friend of mine, bodybuilding champion had 2 heart attacks while under age of 40.
    Body building does not Reduce risk of arthritis. It is bad for (most parts) of your body.

    Go bodybuilding if you like it, enjoy it, but don’t lie about health. .

    • There can be negative side effects to bodybuilding, especially for those using performance enhancers. Otherwise, bodybuilding is pretty healthy for you. It’s no lie.

  8. I have heard of the stress reduction and improved cardiovascular health, but I have never actually heard about the intelligence boosting aspect of this.

    You mention the reduction of risk in arthritis in this article, but a friend of mine has lifted for 10 years and he has arthritis in his hips. Would that come from lifting incorrectly?

    Thanks for taking the time to post this informational article.

    • Your friend may have developed arthritis from improper technique, using certain supplements far too much, and genetics. You’d have to look at the rest of his lifestyle factors as well as family history to determine if his arthritis is a result of bodybuilding. Many older folks use resistance training to keep their joints lubricated and working properly.

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