Pete Wright:
There are days when you drive into the gym and you’re in a mood that you don’t want to inflict on anyone. And yet 45 minutes later, maybe you’re back in the car and you feel like a different person. Nothing in your life changed in that hour. You just maybe picked up some heavy things and then put them down again. So the question is, is that real, or is it just the relief of being done? That’s what we’re talking about on the show today. I’m Pete Wright, he’s Srdjan Injac, and we’re talking about lifting and mood.
All right, Srdjan, are you okay?
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, I’m just a little tired.
Pete Wright:
Okay, I’ll take tired.
Srdjan Injac:
But I’m okay.
Pete Wright:
Tell me where you would like to start on this one, because I know we’ve talked about the benefits, the neurochemical benefits, the physiological benefits of strength training. What do you see in the gym when you look at clients that makes you think about this? And are you just talking about me?
Srdjan Injac:
No, it’s just, when you walk into the gym, and I tell everyone, it’s not just training your muscles. It’s not all about the muscles and getting stronger. You’re challenging yourself mentally. It’s a learning discipline, building that confidence and developing a different relationship with your body. So every time you finish a challenging workout, complete that last repetition, you’re accomplishing something you couldn’t do a few months ago. So you’re proving to yourself that you’re capable of more than you thought.
One of the things that I find interesting is that resistance training gives people a measurable sense of progress. Life can be stressful, unpredictable. Sometimes it’s just completely outside of our control. But when you can come into the gym and you have something you can look towards, you can focus on your technique, improve your strength, or simply complete your workout. It doesn’t have to be a crazy workout. Those small accomplishments might not seem like much, I tell people. Might not seem like a huge accomplishment, but over time they can change how you see yourself. You start developing that confidence not just because your body looks different, but because you’re consistently doing something difficult and following through on a commitment to yourself.
I mean, I have the workouts where I’m just not motivated. I don’t want to do this. But after I’m done, I’m actually glad I did it. And actually those mean more than the ones when I’m motivated to do it. I feel like I’ve accomplished something. I feel better and I’m glad that I did it. So I see that with people all the time. They always think everything has to be perfect and it’s all about heavy lifting and all that stuff. I’m like, it doesn’t have to be. People come in the gym for different reasons.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
Different goals. Yeah.
Pete Wright:
You found a study, a 2018 study relevant to this. Tell me what the science says.
Srdjan Injac:
So yeah, I looked it up, and this 2018 study, this isn’t just something people say because they feel better after the workout. They actually have scientific research supporting it. They examined 33 randomized clinical trials involving about eighteen hundred people. They wanted to understand whether resistance training could reduce symptoms of depression. And what they found was actually pretty significant. People who participated in resistance training experienced a moderate reduction in depressive symptoms compared with the control groups. And remember, these weren’t all bodybuilders or experienced lifters. The research included people with different health conditions, fitness levels, and backgrounds.
So they looked at it, and researchers found that improvements in strength weren’t significantly associated with the antidepressant benefits. Neither was the total amount of resistance training prescribed. So you don’t necessarily have to lift heavy weights and spend two hours in the gym or become significantly stronger to experience psychological benefits. Someone who comes into the gym twice a week, works with moderate weights, and follows just a manageable program may still experience improvements in their mood, in how they feel. So the study doesn’t establish that every program works equally well, but it suggests that the benefits aren’t simply a result of how much muscle or strength you gain. And they saw a lot of benefits in reducing those symptoms of depression.
And I’ve experienced that firsthand, actually. I had a couple of my clients be able to get off some of the medications that they were on. So that was amazing. They were happy with that. They didn’t realize how much it was gonna help. They just started getting better and better, and then they actually enjoyed coming to the gym, lifting weights, and all of a sudden now their goals are different. Now they want to get stronger and this and that. So it totally, completely changed their life.
Pete Wright:
We should say out loud, because this is what we do, that we’re not saying that going to the gym is a replacement for your therapist.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, yeah, no, no.
Pete Wright:
Please, if you’re struggling, please seek help, get support, and also this might be very helpful. But I wanna leap onto that, because I found a study that was in parallel to yours that I thought was very exciting, and I think you’re gonna love this. This was a study from 2024, and they worked with 14,170 people with depression. And they had them walking and jogging, they had them strength training, and they had them doing yoga. Do you wanna guess which one had the greatest effect?
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah. Weight training.
Pete Wright:
It was not weight training.
Srdjan Injac:
I mean, no?
Pete Wright:
Unfortunately, it was walking and jogging, which, I know, is very upsetting.
Srdjan Injac:
Walking and jogging.
Pete Wright:
But I will say this.
Srdjan Injac:
I know, I’m a little upset.
Pete Wright:
I know, I know, but I think this is the part you’re gonna like. Of the people who did all these things, the people who were walking and jogging gave it up the most. The people who were doing strength training were the ones who were able to stick with it over longer periods of time.
Srdjan Injac:
I like that.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
You’re right.
Pete Wright:
And we should say, when we talk about having effects, the range of success is a very small difference between walking, jogging, strength training, and yoga. All of these things, moving your body, when done consistently appear to have, with some degree of uncertainty in the statistics…
Srdjan Injac:
Oh yeah.
Pete Wright:
…appear to have an impact, a positive impact on the symptoms of depression.
Srdjan Injac:
That’s amazing. I mean, those people, yeah, like you said, they were still seeing their therapists and talking to them and all that stuff, and they’re the ones that actually recommended it.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
To go start working out, pick up an activity that you enjoy, that you like. So they came to me and we started working on that.
Pete Wright:
Yeah. Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
So it wasn’t like their goal was to build huge muscles or lose a lot of weight or anything like that. Right.
Pete Wright:
So I have kind of a following question, though, because in that same study, and I need you to reflect on what you see in the gym, because in that same study these authors are saying that, in spite of the fact that there is wide uncertainty in the statistics, what they appear to observe is that rigorous exercise tends to be more important than easy exercise, better than easy exercise, to have the neurological impact that they were seeing. Do you see that in the gym? When somebody comes in dealing with the symptoms of depression, anxiety, a hard day, whatever, does the hard workout appear to have a stronger impact than the easy one?
Srdjan Injac:
Well, yeah, because this is the thing with the heavier weight. When you do your training, you’re training your nervous system as well, motor units and everything else. So there is a difference with that. For example, the neurological adaptations. Resistance training challenges the nervous system to coordinate movements, recruit muscles, and improve the motor control. So early strength improvements often involve neural adaptation before substantial muscle growth occurs. And I know scientists are also explaining how exercise affects brain plasticity and processes related to cognitive and emotional functions. So I’ve noticed that the people that lift heavier weights actually come out feeling more accomplished.
Pete Wright:
Mm-hmm.
Srdjan Injac:
I’ll say.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
Than the ones with the lighter weight that just kind of had a light workout.
Pete Wright:
Because I think I assume it’s the other way around. Like, you come in down and you’re working out hard because, I don’t know, you wanna work it off, or you’re angry, or you’re trying to exercise your demons or whatever. But the fact is, it’s like working out hard…
Srdjan Injac:
That’s it.
Pete Wright:
And I think I’ve seen this for me. When I come in and I’m feeling crappy and I work out harder, I am more calm when I’m finished.
Srdjan Injac:
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright:
I feel like it helps me redefine my chill. Yeah. It’s like there’s nothing left.
Srdjan Injac:
Just take it out on your weights, and there’s literally, yes, nothing left.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
So you feel better. You feel actually accomplished. Like you did something. It’s that mind-body connection.
So yeah, it’s all the nervous system that does it. The thing is, the endorphins, the so-called runner’s high, endorphins, right?
Pete Wright:
Does it…
Srdjan Injac:
And there are chemicals involved in pain regulation and the body’s response to stress. But they’re only one part of a much more complicated picture. Exercise also affects other biological processes that may influence mood. So it’s not just endorphins. We shouldn’t assume that every positive feeling after a workout comes from one chemical being released. It’s a combination of these biological, psychological, and behavioral factors working together. So there is more than just endorphins.
I mean, maybe that’s why in your study they said the runners…
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
Were number one. ‘Cause they got the endorphin runner’s high.
Pete Wright:
Yeah. God, those runners.
Srdjan Injac:
I know. I’m like, yeah, I don’t get those.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
I don’t know. Maybe I’m gonna try to see if I’m gonna get that runner’s high. I never have, because I hated running.
Pete Wright:
I’ve never been there. I hate running. I’ve tried. I try to get there. I get so bored. I get so bored.
Srdjan Injac:
I know, me too.
Pete Wright:
How do they do it?
Srdjan Injac:
I have to do something different. I can’t just run the same pace for miles. I get bored. Yeah. That’s why I love the StairMaster. I’ll get on the StairMaster, I’ll go a hundred and twenty floors, a hundred and fifty floors. But I don’t know.
Pete Wright:
Right. What is it about that? I go out, I’m in the arboretum, and I try to go for a run, and it’s beautiful and there are trees everywhere, and I just am so bored at the act of running.
Srdjan Injac:
It’s…
Pete Wright:
But a treadmill or an elliptical or a stationary bike, totally fine. I think it’s because I have control. I want to stop when I’m done. And if I stop in the woods when I’m done, I’m miles away from civilization.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, that’s how I’m thinking. It’s like, okay, when am I gonna turn around and go back?
Pete Wright:
Yeah. Yeah. I’m always thinking about when to turn around.
I think that’s part of the runner’s high. You have to be able to let go of the need to turn around in order to achieve the runner’s high. I think that’s the rule. That’s gotta be part of their secret.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, I mean, they don’t think about that.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
They just run.
Pete Wright:
They’ll never tell us either.
Srdjan Injac:
But I’m like…
Pete Wright:
They’re all mysterious about it.
Srdjan Injac:
I know. I’m like, how do you not think about running back?
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
You gotta get back.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
I’m like, you ran for five miles, now you’re gonna run for another five miles to get back.
Pete Wright:
Right. I don’t understand these runners.
Srdjan Injac:
I mean…
Pete Wright:
I don’t get it.
Srdjan Injac:
I don’t know. I feel like I’m gonna call Uber on the way back.
Pete Wright:
We did do an entire set of episodes. We did an episode on cortisol, we did an episode on sleep, we did an episode on the brain changes.
Srdjan Injac:
But…
Pete Wright:
All of these things impact when you do these sorts of exercises, strength training and cardiovascular training. And I’ll put links to those episodes in the archive in the show notes. How much of this do you feel like is a social change? I mean, ELEV8 Fitness, your gym, it’s a small gym, and whenever I come in, I feel like I’m walking into a community, right?
Srdjan Injac:
[crosstalk]
Pete Wright:
How much of the mood effect is actually, do you think, and this is not, I mean, I don’t have any research to support this. But how much of the mood effect is just, I saw people that I know and like today and we did a thing together?
Srdjan Injac:
[crosstalk]
Pete Wright:
Do you get that?
Srdjan Injac:
All right.
Pete Wright:
Or do you just work out alone, like you’re just solitary?
Srdjan Injac:
I do. People come in and they’re like, oh my God, I needed this. Like, I had a crazy day. And they’ll tell me everything about their day and how stressful it was and…
Pete Wright:
Yeah, yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
With the kids and work and things like that. It was like, oh my God, I’m so glad I’m here. And they come in and they usually know the people that are…
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
They’re around that same time. So if they don’t see them, they’re like, oh, so where is so-and-so?
How come they’re not here? They’re looking forward to coming and chatting with them and working out with them together and all that stuff.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
And when they’re all together, I mean, sometimes literally they just wanna talk, and I have to send them to separate corners to be like, okay, well, let’s work out.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
But they love it, and then they’ll work out together and all that stuff, and a lot of people at the end will say, oh my God, I needed this.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
This is exactly what I needed.
I have a lot who just come in because they’re in that mood where they’re just not in the mood for anything, and they just need to change it because they have to go through the rest of the day now. You have all the meetings and things like that. So they’ll come around lunchtime and they’re like, okay, I need to recharge. And this helps them recharge. They leave feeling better. And they’re like, okay, I’m glad I came in. And some of them didn’t even want to come in. But they’re like, okay, now that I’m here, I actually enjoy it. And they’re all the same way.
So it is a lot about the people that are here. They’re with you, same time, to support you. And it’s your own time.
Pete Wright:
I keep coming back to what you were saying about that other study, that people, even people who don’t get stronger, get the same mood benefit as people who did. That it doesn’t matter. The strength part doesn’t actually matter. It’s the activity. And that’s confusing. That’s counterintuitive.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, no, great.
I know. I mean, most people think it’s all about the muscle getting stronger. I’m like, no, not everything. I mean, I had a few years ago a sixteen-year-old that walked in. I think we talked about her at one point.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
But her mom brought her in, and she went through a few different trainers, and they just couldn’t train with her. They couldn’t figure out what to do with her, and she was not in the mood. She would come in in her sweats and she had a hoodie on, and she didn’t make eye contact. It’s like somebody forced her to be there.
She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t talk at all. And trainers kinda were frustrated. I’m like, okay, I’ll talk to her. I’ll train her and see, stuff like that. So I remember the first time I met her, and we tried just to do a simple exercise. And she almost didn’t want to do it. She was all over the place. I’m like, I know she can do better, but she just wasn’t interested at all.
So I had to talk to her. I’m like, okay, let’s not do anything. Talk to me. Why are you here? Why do you want to be here? And all that stuff. And mom was there, but she was in a different room. So it was just me and her. So then she said she didn’t like the way she looked and how she feels and all that stuff, and she was being bullied at school and things like that.
So I’m like, okay. So we talked that whole day, that whole session. We didn’t even do anything. And I slowly started to build kind of a relationship with her, and she was more comfortable with me and opening up and things like that. And I remember we trained together for like five, six months. And around Christmastime I remember her mom came in to pay me for sessions for the next month, and she kinda overpaid me, like a lot of money. And I’m like, I think you gave me a little bit too much. And she was like, no, that’s kind of my gift, Christmas gift, to you from me. And I’m like, what do you mean? She was like, ever since my daughter started training with you, she’s been in a better mood.
She actually gets in the car now and she talks to me. She actually sits at the dinner table and she talks to everyone. She takes the hoodie off. She tells us all about her day and how the training went with you. And it’s like a different person. Before, she was depressed, didn’t want to talk to anyone. A lot of anxiety about going different places, all that stuff. So she was struggling. She didn’t know what to do.
She was seeing a therapist as well. But she was like, ever since she started working out with you, she’s excited. She wants me to bring her another day. She wants to come train with you three times a week instead of twice a week. All that stuff. And she was completely different. And we weren’t really working on her strength or losing weight or anything like that. But over time, she started actually caring about how she lifts. And she was listening to me about her form. And everything changed.
She was a completely different person. She was more open. She wouldn’t come with her hoodie on. She didn’t care about the people that were there anymore, who was watching her, who was looking at her. She felt more confident. She had more confidence in herself. And it was amazing just to see her, and she would come up running to tell me how her day went and all that stuff. And she couldn’t wait for the workout and things like that.
So it was amazing. Of course, over time she got stronger a little bit, and she loved that, and we would joke around.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, all those secondary benefits, right?
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, but that’s not the reason why her mom brought her.
Pete Wright:
That happens too. Yeah. Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
And she got so much more out of it. And yeah, she was with me for like a year and a half or something.
Pete Wright:
That’s fantastic, yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, I mean, I think there’s this loaded word around self-care, right? How we choose to take care of our mind and bodies.
Srdjan Injac:
Yes.
Pete Wright:
And it’s not just bubble baths and candles. Sure, it could be a massage. Massages are awesome. That’s fantastic. But also…
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah.
Pete Wright:
A heavy set of squats is also self-care. I think the case is made in the research that lifting heavy things is self-care, that running, God forbid, is self-care.
And we’ve done a couple of episodes where we’ve kind of tried to challenge the assumption that rest means slowing down or stopping. When rest really is defined by changing the way you…
Srdjan Injac:
Mm-hmm.
Pete Wright:
Changing the way you recharge, not necessarily by pace. And this is just another example of that. That routine and consistency in the gym amplify your sort of confidence and mitigate those symptoms of depression and anxiety, and are not a substitute for therapy and for regular mental health support, should you need it. But man, they help me.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah.
Pete Wright:
Holy cow.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, I mean, you’re right.
Pete Wright:
It’s incredible.
Srdjan Injac:
I mean, sometimes taking care of yourself means doing something challenging because you know it’s good for you.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
You’re making time for yourself, investing in your health, and building habits that can benefit you for years and…
Pete Wright:
Yeah. A hundred percent.
Srdjan Injac:
It might not always feel relaxing while you’re doing it, but it’s one of the most overlooked psychological benefits of training, having that consistent routine. When everything becomes stressful, it’s easy to lose structure. So your sleep schedule changes, maybe your eating habits become inconsistent, and you stop making time for yourself. But having a regular training schedule can provide some stability. Maybe you train every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or perhaps only maybe twice a week. But there’s always something powerful about keeping a promise to yourself. Think about how often we set goals and then abandon them when life gets hard.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
But every time you follow through on a realistic commitment, you’re reinforcing the idea that you can depend on yourself. But I also think that we have to be careful about turning exercise into another source of guilt or pressure.
Pete Wright:
Mm-hmm.
Srdjan Injac:
Just missing a workout doesn’t mean you failed or that you lack discipline. Sometimes taking a rest day, adjusting your schedule, or prioritizing sleep is exactly what your body needs. Real consistency isn’t about being perfect. It’s about building a routine you can return to even when life gets hard.
Pete Wright:
If you are really struggling, the crisis line in the US is 988. Dial it if you are feeling like you need immediate support. Otherwise, come on to the gym. It’s really nice. It’s very chill.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah.
Pete Wright:
You will find your chill. You will lift heavy things. We sure appreciate your time and attention, and thank you so much for joining us today. If you’ve got questions about training or recovery or how to make strength work in your life, we want to hear them. In fact, we’ve got some questions that have been stacking up.
So I don’t think next week, but the week after, we’re doing a listener questions episode.
Srdjan Injac:
Okay.
Pete Wright:
So you’ve got a little while. Get those questions in, and we will answer them together in a coming show. Thank you so much for hanging out with us.
Srdjan Injac:
Yes.
Pete Wright:
Don’t forget to subscribe and share. This is how we grow stronger together. Thanks for listening to Build for Health. We’ll catch you next week in the gym.
