A large number of scientific studies have deepened the knowledge in recent years that muscle training can contribute significantly to the promotion of health, well-being, performance and quality of life, regardless of age and gender. We provide eight exciting arguments why muscle training is so beneficial to health.
8 Reasons Why Regular Muscle Training Is Necessary
We are forced to bring a certain minimum level of muscular activity back into our daily lives in order to counteract the negative effects of a mechanized life,” says Dr. Klaus Zimmermann, a lecturer in sports science at Chemnitz University of Technology. This is the only way to effectively prevent, for example, the increasing number of diseases caused by lack of exercise. To illustrate the need for systematic life-integrated muscle training, Zimmermann cites eight reasons:
1. preservation of muscle mass and muscular performance capacity.
Without muscle training, humans lose more than one-third of their muscle mass and strength over the course of their lives. As we age, our muscles atrophy. They become thinner, weaker and also tire more quickly. In addition, there is a considerable loss of muscle elasticity, which impairs mobility. Studies have shown that people who regularly train their muscles at the age of 70 have almost the same muscle mass and muscle performance as untrained people at the age of 30. Muscle training can therefore help you “stay 30 for 40 years” – at least as far as your muscles are concerned. The trainability of the musculature is thus maintained into senior age.
2. promotion of mobility of movement.
The preservation of muscle mass and muscular performance possible through training into old age simultaneously promotes everyday mobility and movement safety. For example, increasing the strength of the leg muscles in old age leads to an increase in walking or stair-climbing speed and an improvement in balance. It also significantly reduces the risk of falling and the associated risk of injury (including the risk of bone fractures). Muscle training also creates essential conditions for being able to pursue more physically demanding hobbies such as gardening, hiking, cycling, swimming, tennis, surfing, skiing or golf without restriction, even as one grows older.
3. stabilization of posture
Muscles are the stabilizer of posture. Their training has a posture-promoting effect. Through a balanced development of the overall body musculature can be effectively prevented postural weaknesses, defects and damage, which increasingly begin in childhood and adolescence. For example, their postural defect “hollow back” is mainly caused by a weakening of the abdominal, buttock and rear thigh muscles, as well as a shortening of the hip flexor and lower back muscles. Targeted muscle strengthening and stretching can prevent or eliminate these muscle imbalances, thereby maintaining or restoring correct posture.
4.Safeguarding the function of joints and spine.
The better the development and functional capacity of the musculature, the more effectively it can secure, relieve and protect joints and the spine. For example, when climbing down stairs or getting off a bus or train, the joints of the lower extremities and spine are loaded with several times the body weight. At the same time, it has been proven that strong joint and spinal muscles “buffer” these loads and thus reduce them by 50 percent. This effectively prevents wear and tear on joints and the spine. Even if joints or spine are already damaged, training the muscles can significantly reduce discomfort (e.g. knee or back pain) and improve mobility.
5.Protection against osteoporosis.
Numerous studies have found a correlation between muscle mass and strength on the one hand, and bone mass on the other, in various regions of the body. In other words, individuals with more muscle and strength also have higher bone mass. Muscle strength training can therefore not only build muscle mass and strength, but also bone mass. This is associated with increased bone strength and reduced risk of fracture.This can counteract the bone loss (osteoporosis) that often occurs in old age and the resulting increased risk of bone fractures (e.g. vertebral body collapses or femoral neck fractures).
6.Prevention of obesity and metabolic diseases.
Muscle is the largest and most important metabolic organ along with the liver. It is the furnace in which calories are burned. If there is a decrease in musculature and muscle activity during life, fewer calories are consumed each day, which contributes to obesity. Muscle strength training, on the other hand, can fire up the calorie-burning furnace. On the one hand, this happens through the build-up of muscle, which means that more calories are utilized even at rest (e.g. when sleeping). Secondly, during the workout itself, calorie consumption is increased to 3 to 5 times that of normal everyday activities. Muscle strength training can therefore build muscle and reduce fat. It effectively helps to counteract obesity and its associated secondary diseases such as type II diabetes, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and even heart attacks.
7. relief of heart and circulation
Muscle strength acquired through training and improved muscle circulation significantly contribute to the cardiovascular load during strength-intensive everyday activities such as climbing stairs or carrying shopping bags or suitcases. When coping with the same strength requirement, the “stronger” person has to exert himself less and heart rate and blood pressure increase less. The latter leads to a reduction in the oxygen demand of the heart muscle with a simultaneous improvement in oxygen supply, which is equivalent to counteracting a heart attack. In addition, the muscles, especially those of the lower extremities, act as a muscle pump. When the muscles contract, the blood vessels (veins) are compressed and thus the blood is transported to the heart. Here, too, fully functional muscles relieve the heart, which is actually responsible for transporting blood back to the body. Last but not least, this can also prevent venous diseases (e.g. varicose veins).
8.Promotion of nervous system and psyche.
The vast majority of the nervous system is responsible for controlling muscle activity. Only through regular muscle activity can these nerve regions be kept functional into old age, which is an essential prerequisite for unrestricted physical performance. Muscle training also has a positive influence on mental well-being and mood. After muscular activity, one usually feels more balanced, calmer, more relaxed and more content than before. In addition, the state of mind can also be improved in the longer term by decreasing depression and anxiety. An essential explanation for this mood-enhancing effect of training can be seen in the increased release of neuropeptides – popularly called “happiness hormones” – during muscular activity. In addition, muscle training strengthens self-esteem and self-confidence due to the associated increase in performance capacity as well as the positive physical changes, which in turn contributes to greater psychological stability. In addition to the above-mentioned reasons, the importance of muscle training is also indicated by the fact that the health effects of endurance training are also determined by it. Zimmermann explains: “On the one hand, those who have more muscle mass due to strength training burn more calories when walking, jogging, swimming, cycling or cross-country skiing and can thus optimize the health effect. On the other hand, the condition of the musculature determines the load capacity of joints and spine during endurance activities. When jogging, for example, the joints of the lower extremities and the spine are loaded with about twice the body weight with every step. Only muscles that are well developed through muscle training can “buffer” these loads and help prevent joint damage in the long run.” Strength training is therefore an indispensable preparatory as well as accompanying measure for health-oriented endurance training.
Conclusion
In summary, the lecturer estimates that the health- and performance-promoting effects of muscle training extend far beyond the muscles and more or less encompass the entire organism. “There is no drug or other measure that has a comparable range of effects. Regular moderate muscle training helps to increase vital energy, joie de vivre and vitality.It enables healthy and contented aging. The years can thus be given more life. “, says Zimmermann.
