Benefits Of Building Muscle
Building muscle has several important health benefits other thanlooking good at the beach.
Muscular fitness can be defined as the strength, muscularendurance, and flexibility that are needed to carry out dailytasks and avoid injury.
How you attain a certain degree of muscular development isdependent upon a number of factors. One thing is clear, however:a program that incorporates weight lifting along withweight-bearing aerobic activity is essential.
Creatine and all the supplements in the world will make verylittle difference in terms of building muscle if resistancetraining is not included.
Even if you decide you dont need muscle building for injuryprevention, performance, or even bodybuilding, you should stillconsider a minimum program throughout your life. A minimumprogram of muscle maintenance will go a long way in theprevention of lower back and posture-related problems.
In addition, research shows that a muscle-building program canhelp avoid the progressive decrease in the density of bonescommonly known as osteoporosis.
Aging and muscle loss
Muscle loss can result from the combined effects of manyage-related changes. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is agrowth hormone responsible for cell growth, maintenance, andrepair in a variety of different tissues including muscle, GI(gastrointestinal) tract, and skin.
Reduced IGF-1 signaling is implicated in muscle atrophyresulting from reduced growth hormone and treatment with drugssuch as corticosteroids, dexamethasone, and cyclosporin.
Under-nutrition resulting in a lack of vitamin D and physicalinactivity are also factors in age-related muscle loss. Inaddition, elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines likeTNF-alpha and IL-6 can cause muscle wasting (cachexia), althoughthis is usually associated with disease. TNF-alpha may also act(at least in part) by inhibiting IGF-I signaling.
In aging males, muscle loss can also be the result of thedown-regulation of the hypothalamic-anteriorpituitary-testicular axis.
As aging progresses, there are relative increases in body fatand decreases in muscle mass. The increase in adipose tissue isconnected to an increase in the enzyme aromatize which convertstestosterone to estradiol and leads to diminished testosteronelevels and the deposition of visceral fat.
As the total body fat mass increases, hormone resistance forinsulin ultimately develops. For women, it is now wellestablished that the decline in testosterone and the adrenalpreandrogens also plays a significant role in affectingperimenopausal and menopausal
symptomatology and quality oflife. Loss of circulating levels of androgens affects libido,vasomotor symptoms, mood and well being, bone structure, andmuscle mass.
Losing fat while building muscle
Excess body fat accumulates via two distinct mechanisms. Peopleeither form more adipocytes (fat cells) and/or existingadipocytes absorb too much fat-glucose and become larger. Theeffect of too many adipocytes and/or bloated adipocytes is theunsightly and unhealthy amassing of body fat.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to decrease thevolume of adipocytes and thus reduce body fat. However, manyoverweight people have too many adipocytes. These people needmore than CLA to achieve effective weight control.
In weight-loss studies, CLA consistently shows an ability toreduce body fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. A study inthe August 2001 issue of the International Journal of Obesityand Related Metabolic Disorders concluded that conjugatedlinoleic acid (CLA) reduces abdominal fat among men classifiedas abdominally obese.
The study participants taking CLA lost an average of 1.4 cm inwaist circumference after only 4 weeks. This double blind,randomized, placebo-controlled trial observed 25 men withsignificant abdominal fat for 4 weeks.
Some participants (14) received 4.2 grams of CLA per day, whilethe others received placebo. At the conclusion of the study,there was a significant decrease of abdominal diameter among theCLA group. None of the study participants changed their eatingor exercise habits during the trial period.
Results of this study support data in the December 2000 issue ofthe Journal of Nutrition. That study concluded that CLA reducedbody fat and preserved muscle mass among the 60-person studygroup. Participants lost an average of 6 lbs while taking CLA.
The key to successful muscle building is to combine resistancetraining with proper nutrition and effective supplements so thatan optimal anabolic environment is created.
So, as it is shown, not only does building muscle make us lookbetter and also feel better, but also and most importantbuilding muscle can help and make us live healthier and longer.Everybody should use some form of weight training so they canenjoy some of the benefits of building muscle.
About the author:
Start building muscle and losing fat in less time. Fitnesstrainer and natural bodybuilder Shawn LeBruns “Simple Steps”training program is being used by over 15,000 people in 70countries!
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