--- title: This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You description: This week brought health news about the benefits of weight training, new ways to fight anxiety and how much weight to gain during pregnancy. canonical: https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-08T15:41:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:58:46.719Z article:section: Health og:title: This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You og:description: Here's what caught our attention in health news this week. og:url: https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5cfaf83db4c312c/69887b4b8e06010b1a4645c2/pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You twitter:description: Here's what caught our attention in health news this week. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5cfaf83db4c312c/69887b4b8e06010b1a4645c2/pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 8, 2017 3:41 PM UTC  Peechaya Burroughs for TIME by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jun 8, 2017 3:41 PM UTC This week brought good news about strength training: you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to reap the many benefits of [weight lifting](http://time.com/4803697/bodybuilding-strength-training/), according to new research. Here’s what else caught our attention in health news this week. (Sign up for the [TIME Health newsletter](http://time.com/newsletter-health) for more.) ## [Why weight training is so good for you](http://time.com/4803697/bodybuilding-strength-training/)  Molly Cranna for TIME For lifelong strength and longevity, weight training may be the best kind of exercise out there. Luckily, you don’t have to lift a lot to gain a lot. ## [The new way to prevent anxiety in kids](http://time.com/4806209/anxiety-kids-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/) Kids at risk for anxiety—and their parents—may benefit from a new type of therapy. ## [The truth about weight gain and pregnancy](http://time.com/4806308/weight-gain-during-pregnancy/)  A woman in 9th months of pregnancy pats her belly gently at living room. Getty Images A new study looks at what happens when pregnant women gain too much weight and too little. The bottom line from one expert: you should “mostly chill out.” ## [Why friends may be more important than family](http://time.com/4809325/friends-friendship-health-family/) Friendships in older age are particularly important, perhaps because those relationships have stood the test of time, according to a new study. Often, people enjoy spending time with friends more than they do family. ## [You really shouldn’t hug chickens](http://time.com/4808992/cdc-chickens-salmonella/) Hugging, kissing or snuggling chickens and other birds could lead to salmonella infections, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ## [You Asked: What’s the best way to lose 5 pounds fast?](http://time.com/4805435/how-to-lose-weight-fast-diet/)  Getty Images For a weight loss diet with immediate results, ditch sodium and processed carbs. You’ll likely see results in just a couple weeks. ## [Why sleeping in may be dangerous](http://time.com/4810694/sleeping-in-jet-lag/) Beware the snooze button: sleeping in on the weekends may contribute to worse moods and even heart disease. ## [Why is yawning contagious?](http://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/)  8 week old Golden Retriever Getty Images The phenomenon of contagious yawning doesn’t mean you need more sleep. But it might signal that you’re attuned to the emotions of others. ## [This is when babies should start sleeping on their own](http://time.com/4805528/babies-sleeping-sids-risk/?iid=sr-link1) A new study questions current guidelines about when parents should let infants start sleeping on their own. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/"},"headline":"This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You","datePublished":"2017-06-08T15:41:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:58:46.719Z","description":"Here's what caught our attention in health news this week.","url":"https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/","keywords":["this week in health","Exercise","Anxiety","Friendship","weight gain"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5cfaf83db4c312c/69887b4b8e06010b1a4645c2/pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5cfaf83db4c312c/69887b4b8e06010b1a4645c2/pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"pink-weights-body-image-health-fitness-motto-stock","caption":"pink weights body image health fitness motto stock","creditText":"Peechaya Burroughs for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/this-week-in-health/","name":"this week in health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4810859/weight-training-body-building-weight-gain/","name":"This Week in Health: Why Weight Training Is So Good For You"}}]}] ```