Strength Training Exercise for ADHD

What is strength training? Strength training refers to exercises that build your endurance and strength. It includes lifting weights, but you’re not limited to using weights. You can use your own bodyweight to perform strength training exercised. This includes sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, etc.

Is strength training good for people with ADHD? YES!

Strength training can also help reduce the symptoms of several mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and ADHD. How? Exercise-triggered endorphins — the “happy” hormones — get a lot of credit, but strength training does more. It also provides you with an opportunity to overcome obstacles (like reaching new rep goals or smashing your push-up record) in a controlled manner. Overcoming controlled obstacles has a direct (and positive) impact on your mental resiliency, according to research from Harvard Medical School.

You don’t need to become a bodybuilder though. For the greatest effects on mental well-being, a 2014 review published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology highlights that using low to moderate weights (i.e. lighter than 70 percent of what you can lift for one rep) has the greatest effects on your mental health.

So, the score:

• Cardio: 1

• Strength training: 1

It’s a TIE! Pam Valdes explains, “The bottom line is that there is no definitive answer. The majority of research tends to lean towards cardio being more beneficial to brain function, but then again, cardio is the mode that has been studied in most of the research, so the results may be skewed.”

Also please check this link out regarding exercise as part of a holistic treatment for ADHD; https://digcoaching.com/impact-of-exercise-on-adhd-dr-john-ratey/