What effect does strengthening muscles have on the body and mind?

Everyday tasks such as walking up and down, climbing stairs, or carrying heavy shopping bags and baskets full of dirty laundry.

“Most of us participate in muscle-strengthening activities throughout the day without even thinking about it,” notes Eric Shiroma, program director of the National Heart-Lung-Blood Institute’s Division of Cardiovascular Sciences.

However, muscle conditioning occurs during repetitions of a weighted movement. “As muscles adapt to the resistance, they become stronger and more elastic,” says Amanda Paluch, a kinesiologist at the Life Sciences Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In this context, she says, it’s not just about building muscle, “it’s also about building a strong body that’s able to function and perform well in our daily lives.”

Research shows that adding just thirty minutes of resistance work a week to your training can add years to your life, as it will significantly improve heart health.

“Strength exercises are great for your heart because they help improve blood pressure and cholesterol,” says Amanda Paluch.

“Furthermore, we found that practicing resistance muscle work for even just one hour per week is associated with a nearly 40 to 70% reduction in risk of disease-related cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack or stroke,” says Dak-Chul Lee, a professor of physical activity epidemiology at Iowa State University’s School of Human Sciences and co-author of a study leading in this direction.

It has been proven that resistance muscular work is useful for many other systems of the human body. Additionally, it promotes better balance and greater flexibility, despite the impression of some.

“Resistance training, especially at high loads, has long been thought to increase stiffness and decrease flexibility,” explains DJ McDonough. But the mass of evidence actually suggests the opposite; Resistance work is just as effective, if not more effective, than traditional static stretching when it comes to improving joint range of motion. »

A greater range of motion is also proven to improve balance and reduce the likelihood of fall-related injury. According to Michael Frederickson, resistance muscle work can also reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries or external damage to internal organs, because more muscle mass creates a protective barrier (or cushion) between external forces and the body’s bones and organs.

Science further shows that resistance training strengthens joints and bones affected by conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis. This is especially true for older adults, as aging is associated with biological changes that result in decreased strength and skeletal muscle mass. Research shows that this type of deterioration reduces physical resilience while increasing vulnerability to injury and illness. Resistive muscular work prevents this deterioration by stimulating the cells responsible for bone growth.

These strength exercises also help protect against the effects of sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle that occurs especially in sedentary individuals in their thirties or forties. Resistance muscle work combats sarcopenia by creating micro-tears in the muscle, which leads to the fusion of muscle fibers and the resulting increase in mass, explains Monica Ciolino, a doctor of physical therapy at University Washington Physicians.

Strength exercise also helps reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and can help manage the disease better.

“Muscles are our biggest outlet for blood glucose (sugar), so it’s important to keep them active and maintain their size,” says Stuart Phillips, professor of kinesiology at McMaster University. Amanda Paluch adds that this form of physical activity “can also help your body better use and absorb insulin, which is crucial for preventing or controlling diabetes.” »

Resistive muscle work also helps by allowing us to reverse muscle damage that results from sedentary behavior due to illness, injury, or hospitalization. “Lower muscle function is associated with an increased risk of both disease and premature death,” warns Jeremy Lonecke, assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Mississippi.

Resistance training can also be helpful for weight management goals because strength training improves metabolism and because muscle tissue burns more than twice as many calories as adipose tissue, even at rest. “While the fight against obesity is all about diet-based approaches, resistance work is just as beneficial or almost as beneficial as aerobic training,” says Stuart Phillips.

Strength exercise can contribute favorably to mental health in several ways, including improving sleep quality. According to Monica Ciolino, a link has also been established between these exercises and protection against degeneration of certain parts of the hippocampus, an area of ​​the brain that is crucial for learning and memory.

The effect of resistance muscular work on hormonal regulation also helps prevent fatigue and boosts mood. “There is growing evidence that strength training and resistance training may be associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety,” says Eric Shiroma.

Despite its benefits, some people overlook resistance training because they believe they need to be a gym enthusiast or that it requires access to specialized training or equipment.

“The sheer number of different machines, weights and exercises may make it intimidating and difficult for some,” admits Eric Shiroma. But muscle-strengthening activities are perhaps more accessible than some aerobic activities, as they can be practiced almost anywhere with body weight or resistance elastic bands. »

To get started, according to DJ McDonough, it’s best to choose the muscle work you find most engaging (dumbbells, bodyweight, elastic), then learn a few simple techniques.

For example, you can do weight training at a gym near you or buy a couple of dumbbells or kettlebells to train at home. Once you get started, you may want to consider branching out and adding a simple exercise bench and barbell. When using weights, “a good rule of thumb for building strength is that your muscles should be fatigued at the end of the set,” though emphasizes the importance of learning techniques. Says Monica Ciolino, emphasizing proper techniques and not lifting heavy weights too soon. “Start with light loads and increase the weight and repetitions over time,” she advises.

As for bodybuilding elastics, you can get them online or in any sports store and the techniques are easy to learn. “Even low resistance is sufficient to achieve most of the benefits associated with this type of exercise,” says Jeremy Lonecke.

When it comes to bodyweight exercises, public health agencies have created numerous videos and resources for learning the proper techniques for performing a variety of exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, planks, lunges, and squats. Personal advice from a coach or physiotherapist can also be useful. According to Michael Frederickson, 30 to 60 minutes of strength exercise twice a week is recommended. In addition, he wants to emphasize: it is better to devote even a little time to physical activity than to devote it.

Monica Ciolino agrees, “It’s more beneficial to start with something you think you can sustain than to focus on one perfect program.” No matter what routine you choose to follow, “Resistance work is the antidote that will get you off the path that leads to fragility.”