Strengthen Your Legs to Strengthen Your Brain: Here’s How

More than Muscle: Strength training’s most-recognized benefit is that it builds muscle. But that’s far from all you get out of a weightlifting habit. Building strength, particularly in the legs, is linked to markedly improved brain function and protection against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. 

The Benefits: Specifically, training at near-maximal intensities or focusing on power (such as through jumping exercises), appears to protect the brain partly through lactate production. Lactate is an important molecule that helps the brain function in numerous ways. Even in twins — where genetics and early-life environment can be controlled for — leg power is associated with cognitive aging.

How to Do It: Ready to strengthen your kickers? Start small. Practice basic bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Once you’ve nailed the technique, start adding weight. Aim to increase your total volume for each exercise (weight multiplied by reps) by 5-10% per week. After building a solid strength base, you can begin incorporating power-based exercises, like jump squats and burpees. Aim to do two to three muscle-strengthening sessions per week and work up to four to six over time.