Benefits of Muscle in Health and Disease

Fat Loss!! Fat Loss!! Everyone wants fat loss. Let’s face it, most people come to me because they want to look good naked. No one ever says that mind you. Most clients say “I want to look good in my new suit, or for a special event”.

Hey to be clear, fat loss is important but carrying excess fat is not healthy. I like my males to be between 10% and 14% body fat and females 16% and 20%. Let’s observe the facts and importance human muscles play in the contribution to good health and disease prevention. Yes muscles.

This means, finding a gym and lifting some weights. Yes weights! This activity will put stress on the muscles to allow growth. Then doing everything in your power to preserve that hard-earned pound of muscle so you can reap from its benefits. Here are some important reasons why you should weight train:

Muscles play a central role in whole-body protein metabolism by serving as the principal reservoir for amino acids to maintain protein synthesis in vital tissues and organs

Muscles plays a role in response to stress

There is a strong association between the depletion of muscle mass and the survival of seriously ill patients

Depletion of muscle mass is the cause of death in human starvation

Loss of muscle mass is detrimental to the survival of cancer

Whereas muscle mass plays a key role in recovery from critical illness or severe trauma, muscle strength and function is critical to the recovery process

Due to low muscle mass and strength, 50% of women over the age of 65 who break their hip never walk again

Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and function that occurs with aging, is a widespread syndrome that has a devastating effect on quality of life and ultimately survival

Maintenance of large muscle mass and constant protein turn over can contribute to the prevention of obesity

Muscle mass aids insulin sensitivity

Osteoporosis – Mechanical force on the bone is essential for modeling and remodeling, a process that increases bone strength and mass. Whereas body weight and weight-bearing exercises provide a direct mechanical force on bones, the largest voluntary loads on bone are proposed to come from MUSCLE contractions.

Men with the least skeletal muscle mass have increased risks of falls due to impaired static balance, presumably because of a decrease in muscle strength

Weight training is important for the prevention of muscle loss

As you can see, I believe the importance of weight training is going beyond the “looking good” factor, but the feeling good and knowing that every time I lift weight: that is, do one more rep or pound out an extra set, I am doing something good for my health. How many people haven’t seen you for ten years and say, “man you haven’t aged a bit. What are you doing? Lifting babies?” I lift weight and I love it, and I will lift till the day I die and reap the health benefits on the way.

Reference: The underappreciated role of muscle in health and disease by Robert Wolfe