Young and Beautiful

Just last May I was 27 years old. Last August I was 26. My passport, however, says I am 31 years old. This is not a rouse. This is the effect of weight training on my vitals within three months. Before starting our little experiment, my colleague and I have registered my initial results by means of Bio-Electrical Impedance Analysis. Bioimpedance is an integral part of a health and nutrition assessment. My most recent one, done in August 2019, demonstrated that I had increased my lean muscle mass and active cells, and turned one year younger as a result of an intensive 3-month weight training program. Numerous research projects show that muscularity should be a concern for anyone who plans on living a long and healthy life. Weight training is proved to be the only type of training that is aimed at muscle growth, and is known to impede and reverse ageing as well as increase health. In order to understand why weight training is the most effective way of staying young and beautiful, it is key to understand what role muscles play in organ function, how their loss affects your health and appearance, what weight training is, and in what way it may impact your health and appearance.

Muscle is a huge metabolic organ, because it is intrinsically linked to many systems in the human body. Crystal Kaczkowski points out that “Skeletal muscles take up about 40% of the body’s mass, or weight. They also consume large amounts of oxygen and nutrients from the blood supply,” (Kaczkowski par. 4). This means that muscle is a sort of absorbent of primary energy sources for the human body.  Elizabeth Sefton and Gabrielle Kardon explain that “Muscle function requires its integration with the other components of the musculoskeletal system: bones, tendons, and muscle connective tissue as well as nerves and vasculature,” (Sefton and Kardon par. 4). Thus, muscles are linked to a number of systems in a human organism. As reported in the article “Skeletal Muscle Regulates Metabolism…” by Joseph M. Argilés and other authors, “Skeletal muscle is recognized as vital to physical movement, posture, and breathing. In a less known but critically important role, muscle influences energy and protein metabolism throughout the body,” (Argilés et al. par. 1). The same article emphasizes that muscle is a primary site for glucose uptake and storage as well as a reservoir of amino acids stored as protein (Argilés et al. par. 1). In other words, muscle accumulates a great deal of vital resources in our body. Although most people perceive muscle as simply the body’s mover, it is actually a massive metabolic engine.

Now that the role of muscle in a human body is clear, it may not come as a surprise that muscle loss is considered to be a prime cause of aging and associated health issues. Argilés and other authors warn that “With loss of skeletal muscle, protein and energy availability is lowered throughout the body. Muscle loss is associated with delayed recovery from illness, slowed wound healing, reduced resting metabolic rate, physical disability, poorer quality of life, and higher health care costs,” (Argilés et al. par. 1). Obviously, being such a valuable source of energy, muscle and its quantity has a profound effect on human health. The article “Losing Muscle? 8 Ways It May Impact Your Health” states that “Advanced muscle loss, or sarcopenia, affects one in three adults ages 50 and older, according to Age and Ageing review,” (“Losing Muscle?..” par. 3). These figures should be perceived as alarming, considering that muscle loss is not a natural process. Suzette Pereira, Ph.D., a researcher specializing in muscle health at Abbott, said, “While aging is natural, losing too much muscle is not and can directly impact your mobility, strength and energy levels, immune system, and even organ function,” (“Losing Muscle?..” par. 4). Consequentially, old age comes with inescapable body malfunction. Wayne Westcott and Thomas Baechle conclude that there is an essential cause-and-effect relationship between muscle loss and fat gain. Statistically, adults lose about 5 pounds of lean muscle weight every 10 years, unless they are not engaged into regular muscle strengthening activities (Westcott and Baechle 1). The same authors explain, “Because muscle tissue is metabolically active 24 hours a day, the 5-pound-per-decade decrease in muscle mass typically results in a reduction in resting metabolic rate of 3 percent per decade. A lower resting metabolic rate mean that fewer calories are burned on a daily basis; therefore, more calories are stored as body fat,” (Westcott and Baechle 1). Apparently, muscle loss leads to fat gain, a generally unwanted result both in terms of human health and appearance. Westcott and Baechle iterate that “High levels of body fat also increase the risk of numerous health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, high blood sugar, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, low back pain, and many types of cancer,” (Westcott and Baechle 3). Clearly, muscle loss is no longer seen as just a side effect of disease, frailty and ageing – it is a prime cause. Unless you perform some type of muscle strengthening activity, you lose muscle weight every decade of your adult life while gaining more fat, which is inert.

On the bright side, muscle loss is reversible at all ages with the help of strength training, the only type of training specifically aimed at hypertrophy, i.e. an increase and growth of muscle cells. Mark Rippetoe, in his article “Strength Training, CrossFit, and “Functional Training,” defines weight training, or strength training as “the process of getting stronger through the use of specific exercises that cause the body to adapt to gradually increasing amounts of force production,” (Rippetoe par. 6). Thus, weight training is based on giving stimuli to the body’s adaptation to workloads to which it is not accustomed in a civilized daily routine. Rippetoe further explains that “…it’s important to understand that training is the process of forcing this adaptation to occur, that if strength is to increase, the loads must increase, that the process takes time, and that any interruption slows the process,”  (Rippetoe par. 6). This statement only means that training sessions, deemed effective, must come with a degree of hardship upon the performer. The same article states that weight training optimizes each of ten fitness domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, accuracy, and, most importantly, strength by giving stimuli to muscle growth (Rippetoe par. 6). Therefore, strength is responsible for the development of all other domains. As long as strength is developed, the majority of other physical qualities are developed to a great extant. In addition, Westcott and Baechle provide ample figures in favor of weight training, underlining the short duration of properly set plans: “…research programs have resulted in 3 to 4 pounds more muscle after just 3 to 4 months of strength training,” (Westcott and Baechle 2). Apparently, even not a prolonged period of regular resistance training reduces muscle loss. Westcott and Baechle name 13 medically oriented and research-based reasons for engaging in regular resistance exercise which include resisting diabetes, increasing bone density, and even combatting cancer, (Westcott and Baechle 9). It looks like weight training is capable of revitalizing the human body and fighting against the most recent scourges of the XX-XXI centuries, such as cancer. Terese Odle and Amy Blackwell claim that “Structured weight training and physical conditioning programs can help reduce pain and prevent the normal physiologic decline associated with aging,” (Odle and Blackwell par. 4). This means that guided strength training and conditioning programs can substitute painkillers. If you are feeling overborn by your age, then it may be time to buy a gym membership, because weight training seems to be the ultimate anti-aging “pill” that can reverse muscle loss and accompanying problems with health.

While strength training targets major signs of aging and related health issues, it is also beneficial for all genders and ages when it comes to physical beauty. Westcott and Baechle give an illustrative comparison by saying that “Muscles are like the chassis of an automobile because they largely define your appearance. Although excess fat can definitely detract from your appearance, your muscles actually provide your fundamental physique or figure. Consequently, strong muscles make you look better,” (Westcott and Baechle 8). Unequivocally, muscles shape your figure more than any other organic tissue of your body. Deborah Myers explains that “Women should not worry about becoming muscle-bound. Since the female body has far less testosterone than the male body, it is much more difficult for women to build mass, even with many repetitions (reps). However, if you’re lifting to tone, either gender should keep the weight slightly challenging with a realistic number of reps,” (Myers par. 7). This common fear that women have of bulking up, if they do weight training, is overthrown by the very principle of weight training and the endocrine content of a female organism. Teresa Odle and Amy Blackwell inform their readers that strength training can help people of all ages (Odle and Blackwell par. 4). They explain that “While some parents may worry that strength training is dangerous for their children, a well-designed program may help improve a child’s health and fitness without causing increased muscle bulk,’ (Odle and Blackwell par. 4). Consequentially, weight training is safe and beneficial for the very young, the mature, and the elderly in terms of their looks as well as health.

To summarize, by targeting multiple systems of our body in order to stimulate muscle growth, weight training improves our appearance, rejuvenises our organism, and prolongs our life. As Westcott and Baechle put it, “There is no medicine that provides as many physical and mental benefits as regular resistance exercise does,” (Westcott and Beachle 9). Do you know what this means? It means that, by performing regular weight training exercises, any person can increase his/her lean muscle mass. It means that achieving muscularity is the path to impede and reverse ageing and significantly improve health and appearance. It means that every single one of us can turn back time.

Works Cited

Argilés, Joseph M., et al. “Skeletal Muscle Regulates Metabolism via Interorgan Crosstalk: Roles in Health and Disease.” JAMDA, vol. 17, no. 9, 1 September 2016, pp. 789-796. NCBI, doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2016.04.019. Accessed 3 November 2019.

Kaczkowski, Crystal Heather. “Muscular System.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 4th ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2018, pp. 2383-2388. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3662600754/HWRC?u=txshracd2560&sid=HWRC&xid=1319cf73. Accessed 12 November 2019.

 “Losing Muscle? 8 Ways It May Impact Your Health.” nutritionnews.abbott, 8 https://www.nutritionnews.abbott/healthy-living/aging-well/losing-muscle-8-ways-it-may-impact-your-health/. Accessed 3 November 2019.

Myers, Deborah. “The benefit of weight training.” Vibrant Life, Jan.-Feb. 2002, p. 34. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A82605194/HWRC?u=txshracd2560&sid=HWRC&xid=944992bd. Accessed 13 November 2019.

Odle, Teresa C., and Amy Hackney Blackwell. “Strength Training.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 4th ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2018, pp. 3396-3398. Gale Health and Wellness, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3662601096/HWRC?u=txshracd2560&sid=HWRC&xid=17f8189a. Accessed 13 November 2019.

Rippetoe, Mark. “Strength Training, CrossFit, and ‘Functional Training’.” StartingStrength, 14 April 2017, https://startingstrength.com/article/strength-training-crossfit-and-functional-training. Accessed 3 November 2019.

Sefton, Elizabeth M, and Gabrielle Kardon. “Connecting muscle development, birth defects, and evolution: An essential role for muscle connective tissue.” Current topics in developmental biology vol. 132, 2019, pp. 137-176. NCBI doi: 10.1016/bs.ctdb. Accessed 12 November 2019.

Westcott L., Wayne, Thomas R. Baechle. Strength Training Past 50. Human Kinetics, 2015.