Why You (yes, you) Need To Build Muscle
Written by: Emily Bach, MSN, CNP, CHWC
11/20/2024
Are you afraid to lift weights? Do you think you'll get "bulky"? Or, you won't burn enough calories to lose weight? Are you uncertain about the correct way to do it? Or, do you think it's less important than cardio? Well, you can drop those thoughts and excuses and start lifting heavy weights. Building muscle via strength training is vital for both men and women to achieve optimal health and an optimal body composition. Read on for more.
What is body composition?
Body composition is the distribution of your body's parts. It includes fat, muscle, bone, and other tissues. It's best to have more muscle and less fat for health and this article will explain why. Most people prefer a high muscle-to-fat ratio for aesthetics, as well. Muscle is denser than fat, so it takes up less space. One pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. So, you will appear leaner if you have more muscle than fat.
Why is building muscle so important?
With enough muscle, your body can do hard work instinctively. You won't have to think about it. By "hard work," I mean managing your blood sugar, protecting your bones, burning fat, and reducing chronic disease risk, to name a few. You can compare it to investing money. Once you have a sizable nest egg of money, the money itself does most of the work instead of you. Hellooo compound interest! The same goes for muscles. After you build and maintain muscle, it will work hard for you. So, you won't have to (as much).
Here are 8 benefits of building and keeping muscle:
More muscle mass = more calories burned at rest. In other words, muscle boosts your metabolism. More muscle mass means your body will burn more calories at the same weight.
Muscle increases insulin sensitivity; in other words, it helps to prevent or improve type 2 diabetes. More muscle uses glucose efficiently. It prevents fat storage.
A 2019 study found that strength training 1 to 4 hours per week reduces cardiovascular disease events by 40-70%.
Muscle protects your bones. More muscle means better shock absorption in a fall or impact.
Strong muscles lead to stronger bones. So, the risk of fractures and osteoporosis decreases. This becomes increasingly important as we age.
Muscle boosts confidence. Resistance training, especially for balance and power, can encourage you to stay active and try new activities you once hesitated to try. There again, adequate balance can reduce the risks of falls. It’s a win-win!
Muscle helps control weight. It burns more calories at rest than having less muscle does. Your body can tolerate a bit more food without gaining weight.
Body shape: A higher muscle-to-fat ratio gives your body a defined shape.
How do I build muscle?
Regular (2-3 times per week) strength training helps to build muscle in your body. The act of using heavy weights puts a (good) stress on your muscles so they expand and grow. Then, your recovery efforts will help. Sleep, eat protein, stretch, and hydrate. They will repair your muscles and make them stronger and bigger. Side note: that is why recovery is so important! If you don’t recover adequately, then you aren’t leveraging all the hard work you did in the gym.
It is important to strengthen all the major muscle groups in your body to ensure balanced function on both sides. If you’re wondering how much weight you should be lifting, here is a good rule of thumb:
You should be struggling (with good form) to finish your last few reps of your set. You should need rest after finishing a set of weights. If you aren’t struggling and you don’t need rest, lift heavier.
Invest now to reap the benefits as you age.
It gets harder and harder to build muscle the older we get. A lot of this has to do with hormones, whether you are male or female. As we age, our recovery takes more time. Remember how our recovery methods help rebuild muscles after we stress them with weights?)
Again, like investing money. If you wait to invest $100 until age 50 instead of 25, you won't have as much safety money at retirement. Similarly, if you wait to start strength training until you are 50, your body will lack a strong safety net as you age. So please, please start lifting weights now! If you aren't sure how, hire someone to teach you. It's a great investment in your future. There are also thousands of YouTube videos you can learn from!
The take-home message is this: Building and maintaining muscle and strength is vital for longevity. Don’t wait to start. Start now, even (and especially) if you’ve never lifted a weight in your life. Invest in learning now, and it will pay dividends in the future!
Talk soon,
Emily
