Just one session of weight training boosts brain power, study finds

"In the study, they tracked 121 adults aged between 18 and 50 and split them into two groups. All underwent cardiovascular fitness tests and were quizzed about their lifestyle. Two days later, all participants then gave blood samples and had an electroencephalographic (EEG) scan to record the electrical activity of the brain. The first group then did sets of weight exercises of moderate difficulty, while the other was asked to watch a video of adults performing resistance exercises. The resistance exercises lasted for 42 minutes."

"They began with a 2-minute warm-up followed by two sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise: chest press, pull downs, bicep curls, leg press, cable triceps extensions, and leg extensions. Once completed, volunteers gave blood again and underwent a second EEG. The scientists found that response times for working memory moderately improved in the group that completed resistance exercises compared to the group that watched videos."

"'Results demonstrate that acute resistance training positively impacts executive functions, enhancing processing speed and working memory and improving neuroelectric function,' the scientists from Purdue University in Indiana, added. Writing in the journal Psychophysiology, the scientists said they could not prove exactly why weight training improved working memory. But they hypothesised that increased blood lactate - a marker of fatigue within muscles - and blood pressure after working out improved the speed of 'executive function'. This, in turn, may enhance cognitive performance."

One hundred twenty-one adults aged 18–50 were tracked and split into two groups after baseline cardiovascular fitness tests and lifestyle questionnaires. Participants provided blood samples and underwent EEG scans before and after the intervention. One group completed a 42-minute session of moderate resistance exercises (2-minute warm-up, two sets of 10 reps for chest press, pull downs, bicep curls, leg press, cable triceps extensions, and leg extensions); the control group watched videos of resistance exercises. Post-session blood and EEG measures accompanied cognitive testing. Resistance exercise produced moderate improvements in working-memory response times and faster processing speed, with hypothesized links to increased blood lactate and blood pressure.

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