# Does weight lifting dumb you down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781 "2006-12-27T20:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![boomrollkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@boomrollkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boomrollkick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/41 "2017-03-24T16:32:30Z")
I was actually looking to confirm my theory about this when I found this post. While I can’t say definitively whether this is true or not, I can tell about my personal observation. When I got in to muscle building, I about put on 25lbs over the course of a year and a half. At the peak of that effort, I did feel noticeably dumber. Both brain and muscle requires fats and protein. Excessive muscle building, could result in your body directing more fats and proteins to your muscles while starving your brain of the same nutrients. It’s just a theory though. ---
**Author:** ![DudeManBro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@DudeManBro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudeManBro)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/42 "2017-03-24T17:22:16Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > I’m gonna say that considering the health benefits of lifting weights, it could be a sign of intelligence. Yes. A natural, high level lifter probably knows more about his/her own physiology and nutritional needs than just about anyone else but specialists. I guess that kinda knowledge ain’t smart knowledge though? ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/43 "2017-03-24T17:23:46Z")
> [@boomrollkick](#): > > I was actually looking to confirm my theory about this when I found this post. While I can’t say definitively whether this is true or not, I can tell about my personal observation. When I got in to muscle building, I about put on 25lbs over the course of a year and a half. At the peak of that effort, I did feel noticeably dumber. Both brain and muscle requires fats and protein. Excessive muscle building, could result in your body directing more fats and proteins to your muscles while starving your brain of the same nutrients. It’s just a theory though. You just need to eat properly to get enough nutrition. Maybe eat some brains. You’ve already taken the first step. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/44 "2017-03-24T19:38:28Z")
> [@boomrollkick](#): > > I was actually looking to confirm my theory about this when I found this post. While I can’t say definitively whether this is true or not, I can tell about my personal observation. When I got in to muscle building, I about put on 25lbs over the course of a year and a half. At the peak of that effort, I did feel noticeably dumber. Both brain and muscle requires fats and protein. Excessive muscle building, could result in your body directing more fats and proteins to your muscles while starving your brain of the same nutrients. It’s just a theory though. Personal anecdotes aren’t a very good way to answer this question. We would need factual input about what nutrients are required for brain function vs. muscle hypertrophy, information about how what circumstances would prevent the body from having adequate nutrition for both, and studies of how the body works to determine if the body would divert resources from the brain to prioritize muscle development. None of which has been addressed anywhere in this thread that is over 10 years old. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/45 "2017-03-24T21:42:44Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Well, look at it this way. Weight lifting doesn’t make you stupid… but _weight lifting all the damn time_ takes away from activities that could otherwise make you a more well-rounded individual. > … This is probably the issue. People who obsess about growing the diameters of their limbs through weightlifting obviously - more often than not -dedicate this time to the exclusion of other activities. It’s not usually a particularly mind-expanding pass-time. OTOH, being fit enough to stay healthy and participate in whatever sports strike your fancy can’t hurt - whether it’s hiking, racquetball, hockey, rugby… Some gym work will ensure that you are less likely to become exhausted or injure yourself. (except, maybe, rugby… 🙂 > [@gonzomax](#): > > Ask Arnold:Gov of California . Actually don’t. Sorry.Bad example. The exception that proves the rule. Apparently he’s a pretty smart cookie. Which shows why he is head and shoulder above the rest in terms of all-around success. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/46 "2017-03-24T23:44:23Z")
Dumb people may be attracted to weight lifting more than other, more cerebral activities but there is nothing inherently intelligence-sapping about lifting weights. How-fucking-silly. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/47 "2017-03-24T23:54:32Z")
I was reading an article the other day where scientists found a correlation between aerobic exercise and an increase in brain activity in mice. Lifting weights did not show a benefit, but didn’t make them dumber either. Big Dumb Muscle-Head Syndrome is generally more of a correlation between big dumb guys focusing their time on “getting huge” and athletics, rather than academics and more intellectual pursuits. But it’s correlation, not causation. Dolph Lundgren (Ivan Drago from Rocky IV) has a masters in chemical engineering and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to MIT. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/48 "2017-03-25T00:09:27Z")
> [@boomrollkick](#): > > I was actually looking to confirm my theory about this when I found this post. While I can’t say definitively whether this is true or not, I can tell about my personal observation. When I got in to muscle building, I about put on 25lbs over the course of a year and a half. At the peak of that effort, I did feel noticeably dumber. Both brain and muscle requires fats and protein. Excessive muscle building, could result in your body directing more fats and proteins to your muscles while starving your brain of the same nutrients. It’s just a theory though. Since it’s been 11 years since the OP, I’m able to provide **boomrollkick** with a progress report about my son. He graduated with a degree in microbiology, worked in cancer research at the University of Chicago, and is now a PhD candidate at Loyola. He still lifts weights competitively. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/49 "2017-03-25T03:04:12Z")
Good for your son. Is he an Olympic lifter, or a powerlifter? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/50 "2017-03-25T03:49:20Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > You just need to eat properly to get enough nutrition. > > Maybe eat some brains. > > You’ve already taken the first step. Wins the SDMB for the day. As for personal anecdotes, I have one: one of the smartest and best-educated people I ever knew was a self-confessed gym rat, with a beautifully muscled physique (at least what I could see of it). He told me that lifting weights was the only time he could “turn off” his monkey mind and just focus on something physical. So lifting can appeal to a variety of people for different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/51 "2017-03-25T06:51:33Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I had a friend who was into body building. once, I met him for lunch with another guy-the conversation was booorrriiinng!=all they talked about was the newest extension exercises, protein supplements, how much time they spent working out, etc., etc. > Nothing for me there! :eek: Most hobbies and activities can be like that, for any third person in the room who isn’t into them. If you put me in a room with two people discussing BMX, I feel exactly the same way. Not that there’s anything wrong with BMX, of course; it’s just that for me it’s like listening to a stream of meaningless jargon. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/52 "2017-03-25T12:25:23Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Wins the SDMB for the day. > > As for personal anecdotes, I have one: one of the smartest and best-educated people I ever knew was a self-confessed gym rat, with a beautifully muscled physique (at least what I could see of it). He told me that lifting weights was the only time he could “turn off” his monkey mind and just focus on something physical. So lifting can appeal to a variety of people for different reasons. Actually, this is the difference - something people do this among other things in life vs. their central life obsession; distinguishes the type of mind drawn to the activity. I believe this applies to any life activity. Everything in moderation. The difference is, if your waking obsession is pro sports or weightlifting, the opportunities for financial success are much more limited than if, say, your obsession was more intellectual pursuits like computers or medicine. (Money may not be everyone’s goal, but it’s a good way to keep score). ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/53 "2017-03-25T13:12:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I was reading an article the other day where scientists found a correlation between aerobic exercise and an increase in brain activity in mice. Lifting weights did not show a benefit, but didn’t make them dumber either. How do you get mice to lift weights? Did they make tiny dumbbells? I would pay money to see a mouse do a bench press. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/54 "2017-03-27T02:52:34Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Good for your son. Is he an Olympic lifter, or a powerlifter? > > Regards, > Shodan Olympic, although he’ll never be good enough for the actual Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/55 "2017-03-27T03:44:28Z")
I think it all just comes down to individual interests and whether the person is gifted enough genetically to be able to gain a lot of muscle. Just anecdotally the orthopedic surgeon that did my shoulder surgery looked like an amateur bodybuilder and had massive biceps and forearms, some people just luck out and get brains and brawn. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781/56 "2017-03-28T00:42:29Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > How do you get mice to lift weights? Did they make tiny dumbbells? I would pay money to see a mouse do a bench press. Possibly [this](https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/which-type-of-exercise-is-best-for-the-brain/?_r=0) was the article **msmith537** had read. I am sure that you knew that they did not have rodents bench pressing but the question of what is used for the resistance arm and how that is experienced by a rodent is a good one. The aerobic arm was giving the rodents (rats actually) free access to a running wheel. Rats love running and would happily run at a moderate pace for miles a day. It’s what a rat chooses to do lots of when a rat can choose what to do. The resistance training rats had weights tied to their tails and had to climb up a ladder. No rat would choose to do that in the wild. Probably not as fun for a rat as running. It does however stimulate a large amount of muscle mass and rats doing it do get stronger. The HIIT arm was being put on a treadmill and forced to do fast running. Basically something rats do when threatened … or forced. To me the variable in this rat model is more the difference between the varying “high stress” and the “free to play” arms … not the form of exercise. What we know in humans is that a certain but not constant and not overwhelming level of stress best stimulates cognition and is correlated with being a [“superager”](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/opinion/sunday/how-to-become-a-superager.html). Exercise minimally helps prevent cognitive decline in at-risk aging humans. Aerobic training does. Resistance training does. And possibly doing [both](https://www.dovepress.com/effects-of-combined-training-vs-aerobic-training-on-cognitive-function-peer-reviewed-article-COPD) does [most](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4811348/) of all. Hard to know in younger humans … so much of form of exercise or exercise at all is socioculturally/personality determined and with social impacts which swamps other variables and controlled trials are lacking. Oh another smart weight-lifter to add to the anecdotes: [Oliver Sacks](https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-bodybuilder-oliver-sacks-days-on-muscle-beach/)’ squat reached 600 pounds. He later felt he had overdone it as he ruptured his quads more than once. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-weight-lifting-dumb-you-down/385781.md?page=2)