Lifting weights will make you less athletic

Question

Some training experts swear by weights. Others believe in plain old practice.

Comments

The fallacy put forth that lifting weights affects athletic ability is blasphemous. First we would have to dive into what is considered athletic ability. I have lifted weights consistently while playing a club sport and from personal experience I feel like the combination of playing a sport and lifting weights helped my athletic ability and I was able to tell a difference. So the new york times article you listed must have some bias as it didn't include much information on the stance. This article from healthline states that there is no downside to lifting weights and playing sports and it actually helps you get bigger, faster, and stronger. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-strength-training. The article was reviewed by Jared Meacham who has his PhD and is a valid individual to support the article as he has dealt with athletes and has seen it first hand.

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This fact check needs more information. The source given is outdated and the information could be incorrect. This fact check is also misleading. If someone lifts weights that doesn’t automatically make them unathletic. Some sports require having lot of muscle, and muscle that you sometimes can’t get from just exercising. But if all someone does is lift weights, they become unbalanced in a way. So, if some does like to lift weights they also need to include other exercises, like cardio, so they aren’t just building muscle with nowhere to put it to use.

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I agree with your statement. I my self have been playing a sport for a while and mixed both weight lifting and practice. After not doing weight lifting as often I did notice a difference in my athletic ability. I like how you explain how there might be some bias in the source and how you also gave a source that goes into more detail on your claim. This was a good fact check.

Answer 1

The claim that lifting weights makes you less athletic is very two sided. It all depends on how you are lifting. If the only exercise you are doing is lifting then yes, you will become less athletic because your body will recognize that it just needs to get stronger. If you are doing other exercises as well, typically something involving cardio, then your body will build up muscle without hindering your athletic capabilities. The New York Times article talks about both sides of this argument. I think it can go either way, it just depends on how you're training and what you're end goal is.

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/health/nutrition/28BEST.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26838985/

https://breathestrongcf.org/strength-training-vs-training-for-athletics/

Answer 2

This claim is misleading. This article included in the claim included various athletes who have done strength training and in the article, some athletes believed that strength training was beneficial and some believed it wasn't. It showed a balanced view of strength training and never explicitly described and claimed that strength training will make you less athletic.  In various articles and studies, from Mayo Clinic and Harvard School of Public Health, they both state that strength training has many health benefits. In the NYT article, it is important to note that it emphasized and mentioned "proper" technique. If strength training is not done properly or correctly, it could potentially have more negative effects than positive, but the claim that lifting weights will make you less athletic is misleading and untrue. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670

Answer 3

According to the article I read about how sports can positively affect one’s mental well-being as well as personal experience, it is true. Throughout my research, I found there are many mental health benefits, which include improved well-being, reduced stress, and better “social functioning.” More specifically, team-based sports have a greater impact on positive mental health growth, due to the social aspect. Though, even self-based sports improve self-awareness, personal growth, and mental health gains. The article I read explained, “Sport participation is often in a social context. Because of this social nature, it is conjectured that sport participation may be associated with greater psychosocial health benefits than other forms of PA.” What this quote means is that sports that usually involve being around other people, like teammates, coaches and other people, can boost your mental and emotional health more than solo activities like running alone or working out in a gym. Although, solo physical activity “can still gain mental health benefits which can enhance the development of true-self awareness and personal growth.” All in all, any sport or activity that involves physical activity can boost someone’s mental health and help them in all facets, whether it’s physically or mentally. 

https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-10-135

 

Answer 4

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings. This claim is false and misleading. Lifting weights can actually help athletes perform better. It makes someone stronger, faster, and less likely to get injured. Experts say the only time it might hurt performance is if someone trains the wrong way or skips other exercise like cardio or flexibility work. 
2. Primary Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/strength-training/art-20046670 This medical resource confirms that strength training increases muscle mass, endurance, and overall athletic ability. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/health/nutrition/28BEST.html This article by NYT has quotes from athletes who report improved performance after weight training. Steve Spence, a bronze medal winning runner said, “I feel that every major breakthrough with my running has come after a period of strength training”. 
3. Secondary sources: https://www.dubosefitness.com/fitness-blog/5-reasons-athletes-need-strength-training This fitness source explains how weightlifting contributes to power, mechanics, and long term health. https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-strength-training This article reviewed by Dr. Jared Meaghan explains how strength training improves speed, power, and injury resistance. 
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have? Healthline and DuBose fitness might have interests in promoting fitness routines or equipment for money. The Mayo Clinic is very credible with minimal bias because it is focused on health outcomes and science. 
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking? If weightlifting is done incorrectly, it may reduce flexibility and coordination. Overtraining or focusing only on growing muscle rather than other types of working out can lead to injury. 
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking? Strength training improves power, speed, endurance, and injury prevention. Lots of different kinds of athletes use weightlifting to help performance. Studies show that targeted resistance training boosts sport specific skills like sprinting and jumping.