- by Jason Giles
- 4 minute read
Why Building Strength & Muscle Might Be the Most Important Thing You Ever Do for Your Health
One of the questions we hear most often at Iron Monkey Strength is simple but powerful:
“Why is strength training so important?”
Most people assume strength training is just about looking better or lifting heavier weights. But the real value of getting stronger goes far deeper. Strength and muscle aren’t simply fitness goals — they’re foundations for fat loss, metabolism, energy, longevity, and living with purpose.
Let’s break it down in a way anyone can understand.
Strength Isn’t Just About Muscle Size — It’s About Capacity
Strength is “the capacity to do work.” That work comes from two main places:
1. Increasing Muscle Mass (Hypertrophy)
More muscle means more physical resources — more tissue to contract, stabilize, protect joints, and generate force.
2. Improving Neurological Efficiency
Your nervous system (your “software”) learns to recruit the muscle fibers (your “hardware”) more effectively. Better muscle recruitment = more usable strength.
And no, this does not mean getting bulky. In reality, most people need significantly more muscle mass than they currently have.
Why Most People Need More Muscle — Not Less
When people talk about wanting to lose weight, they usually mean they want:
- Less fat
- More energy
- A better metabolism
- Healthier blood sugar
- A body that ages well
Muscle is the key to all of this.
Lean muscle mass is strongly linked to lower disease risk and lower mortality. Research shows that low muscle mass independently predicts higher all-cause mortality.
👉 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28991040/
Muscle is metabolically expensive — it requires a lot of energy to maintain. That means more muscle = higher metabolism. Without strength training, the body sheds muscle to conserve energy, which slows metabolism further.
This is why some people eat very little, feel exhausted, and still store fat:
their muscle mass is too low to support metabolic health.
Muscle Stores Energy
Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in your muscles — ready-to-use energy for work.
If you don’t have enough muscle?
The carbs you eat can’t be stored as fuel in the muscle…
So your body stores them as fat instead.
Muscle is not just “for show.” It’s a metabolic organ.
Where Real Energy Comes From: The Mitochondria
Energy drinks don’t give you energy. Your body creates energy in the form of ATP, produced inside the mitochondria.
Strength training increases both the size and number of mitochondria inside your muscle cells. Research shows that resistance training enhances mitochondrial function, increasing the body’s ability to make and use ATP efficiently.
👉 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28966596/
More mitochondria =
- More energy
- More endurance
- More fat burning
- More physical capability
If you feel low-energy all the time, you don’t need another coffee (although I certainly enjoy a cup or …. 10).
You need stronger, more metabolically active muscle tissue.
Why Dieting Alone Doesn’t Work
You can be in a calorie deficit and STILL gain fat if your muscle mass is too low.
Without strength training:
- Metabolism slows
- Hormones destabilize
- Energy output drops
- Fat storage increases
Walking is excellent for health — but walking alone cannot rebuild lost muscle.
You must make the body work against resistance.
Strength Training and Longevity
People are living longer than ever, but many are not living well. Sarcopenia (muscle loss) is linked to higher rates of disease, frailty, falls, metabolic dysfunction, and early mortality.
A systematic review confirms that higher muscle strength is associated with a significantly lower risk of death from all causes.
👉https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29425700/
Strength is independence.
Strength is quality of life.
Strength is longevity.
You Don’t Need to Train Every Day — But You DO Need to Start
Even one well-designed strength session per week can improve strength, muscle mass, metabolism, and long-term health outcomes.
Do push-ups.
Do squats.
Pick up a kettlebell.
Join a program.
Just begin.
Strength is built slowly, consistently, and deliberately.
Protein: Your Most Important Building Block
Most people drastically under-eat protein. A foundational guideline:
1.2–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day
Protein supports muscle repair, recovery, hormones, and metabolism. When combined with resistance training, it accelerates fat loss and muscle development far more effectively than dieting alone.
Practice temperance — enjoy life, enjoy treats — but build a foundation of nutrition that supports strength.
Your Only Competition Is Yesterday’s You
Whether you could bench 225 in high school doesn’t matter.
What matters is:
Are you getting stronger today?
You don’t need to be a bodybuilder.
You don’t need to chase a number.
You just need to challenge your body enough to force adaptation — even just a little — and repeat that consistently.
Strength will change your body, your energy, your metabolism, and your entire future.
Come to Iron Monkey Strength or reach out to us! Find out about our in person Semi-private training and remote training options, because you’re worth it.