Seven Ways Gaining Muscle Can Benefit Your Health

Not everyone has the same reaction when they notice new muscles on their body. Some people love it: “Awesome, I got ripped off!” Some people get frustrated: “Oh no, I got bulky.” But everyone should know that building muscle has its benefits, both in terms of appearance. It still has nothing to do with appearance.

Here are seven ways your newfound muscle will benefit your health and fitness goals.

Strength and muscle size go hand in hand

The first big benefit is that growing muscles tell you that you are getting stronger. Being strong makes us more athletic and energetic in our daily lives, and may help prevent injuries, as I’ll talk about later. So if you notice some muscle growth, that means your strength is improving.

Yes, and size and strength yes Linked. We’ve all met people who are stronger than they look, which has led to the myth that there are different “kinds” of muscle or strength, as if a bodybuilder’s muscles are filled with water or fat rather than contractile tissue. (I’m not sure where exactly this myth comes from, but it’s definitely not true. Muscles are muscles.)

Think of it this way: The bigger the muscle, the harder it is to contract. but you what Do Having that muscle is a matter of skill. Gymnasts are all strong, but not every strong person can do a backflip. Boxers are all strong, but not every strong person can knock out their opponent.

If you train to increase muscle size, you will eventually increase your strength. If you train to build strength, you’ll likely end up increasing muscle size. This doesn’t mean you have to be strong if you don’t want to be strong; Your diet is most important This determines whether you look “bulky” or not. However, whenever you challenge your body to become stronger and healthier, it’s reasonable to expect at least a little muscle growth.

Muscles burn more calories

The effect of muscle mass on metabolism is one of the most commonly cited benefits of increasing muscle mass, and honestly, I think it’s one of the least important. But let’s dig a little deeper because I know you’re curious.

Yes, the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Muscle is a metabolically expensive tissue that uses a lot of food for fuel, which means you can eat more food. In addition to being able to enjoy more food, this can improve your nutrition! The more you burn, the better you eat. You have a sufficient calorie “budget” to consume plenty of vitamins, protein, fiber and other useful nutrients.

Every pound of muscle you gain will Burn about 10 extra calories a day–So if you gain 10 pounds of muscle over the course of several years of strength training, you’ll burn an additional 100 calories per day. This may not make a huge contribution to your daily calorie burn, but it does make a difference. What’s less appreciated is that the more muscle you have, the more likely you are to perform harder workouts and thus burn Even Calories.

Now, I burn about 500 more calories a day than I did a few years ago when I was sedentary, and I certainly haven’t gained 50 pounds of muscle. But the more muscle you have, the more work you can do, and it will snowball. remember, Exercise is good for your healthso the more load your body can handle, the healthier your heart and metabolism will become.

Muscle is good for your health even if you don’t lose weight

It is often said that losing weight is good for our health, especially for people with diabetes, other health conditions, and/or a high body mass index. However, losing weight can be difficult, and building muscle can help achieve the same health results whether you end up losing weight or not.

For example, this study Studies have found that having more muscle mass is associated with lower mortality, lower body fat and a lower likelihood of diabetes. In this study, people with a higher BMI and more muscle mass were healthier than people with a higher BMI and lower muscle mass.

So even if you gain muscle No As body fat decreases, it can still help you become healthier. Researchers also speculate that some of the health outcomes we associate with high body fat may actually have more to do with low muscle mass.

Muscle keeps us in better shape as we age

It is dangerous for the body to become frail as we age. Extreme loss of muscle mass is called sarcopenia, and it’s a known factor in a variety of things you want to avoid. The less muscle mass you have, the greater your risk of falls, fractures, inability to live independently, and poorer overall health. Older people with less muscle They are more likely to die when they have conditions like kidney disease and heart failure, and they may have a harder time withstanding treatments like chemotherapy.

This is not just a problem for gray-haired people: Starting around age 30, we lose 3-8% of our muscle mass every decade, if We don’t train to keep it. The rate of muscle loss typically increases after age 60, but again, people who strength train tend to hold on to their muscles. If you start strength training when you’re older, you may even gain strength more Muscles than when you were younger.

Even if you’re not 30 yet, bank your muscles for later use. People who are strong at age 25 are building muscle (and maintaining an exercise habit!) that will keep them from becoming weak at age 75.

Strength training improves bone density

In addition to sarcopenia, osteoporosis (decreased bone mineral density) also contributes to the risk of destructive fractures and loss of independence, especially as we age. Muscle loss and bone density loss are known as “Musculoskeletal Aging,” This phenomenon can be prevented, at least in part, through strength training.

Bones get stronger when you apply stress, which is why “weight-bearing” activities are often recommended for people at risk for osteoporosis. This does not refer specifically to weight training, but to activities that support your own body weight. Walking, running, and jumping are all weight-bearing activities. (Swimming is not weight bearing).

But weight training Do It can also improve bone density. Unless you’re good at walking or even jumping on your hands (which I must point out requires a lot of strength and muscle), a good way to create healthy stress on the bones of your upper body is Do lots of resistance training. This may include training with barbells, dumbbells, resistance machines, or other tools.

Strong muscles prevent injuries

Injury prevention is a large and vague topic, so it’s difficult to point to specific evidence for strength training Generally speaking Reduce damage Generally speaking. But ask any good coach or any good physical therapist and they will tell you that they encourage players and patients to build strength to prevent injury and recover from it when they do.

strength training Make your muscles, bones and connective tissues (such as tendons) stronger. In sports, stronger athletes appear to be more resistant to injury. Even in everyday life (assuming one might slip and fall) being strong and agile can make it easier to avoid unexpected obstacles. It may also be easier for you to catch yourself when you start to fall.

There is also evidence that exercise, including strength training, is a useful tool Managing back pain, arthritisand other conditions.

Muscles make you better at running, yoga, and other activities

Maybe you’re interested in exercise but still skeptical about the benefits of strength training. You just want to run, take a barre class, and maybe do some yoga. Well, muscles help with those things, too.

For example, if you are a runner, Strength training helps prevent injuries (Including those nagging “overuse” injuries like shin splints and knee pain). More leg muscles also means you’ll be better able to run up the hills on these trails and dodge rocks and roots on the way down. Stronger runners tend to be better runners.

Or let’s say you prefer yoga. More strength and muscle will help you be able to do more advanced poses, do moderately difficult poses with more confidence, and do simple poses with real ease. Or to put it another way: No one in a yoga class ever thinks, “I wish I had less core strength.”

You get it. Rock climbing is more fun when you have more upper body muscles. Cycling is more fun when you have strong legs. Even outside the formal world of sport, muscles can help you carry mulch in the garden, load suitcases overhead without endangering other plane passengers, and help friends move without having to spend the next two days Lee took painkillers on the couch. So when you find yourself adding a little muscle to your body, just think about all the opportunities it opens up for you, not just how it looks.