Why Is Muscle Conditioning Important? Healthy muscles reduce your risk of injury and of disease. Muscles engaged in a consistent exercise program are more effective at utilizing and storing the nutrients from the food you eat. Well-conditioned muscles pull on your bones, increasing their strength. Incorporate a variety of exercises to fully develop the endurance, strength and flexibility of your muscles. Glucose Uptake The carbohydrates you eat are eventually all broken down into glucose, the simplest form of sugar. Glucose is absorbed into your blood, then into your muscle cells. Insulin is the primary hormone that shuttles glucose from your blood to your cells. Muscle conditioning, whether you engage in resistance training, aerobic exercise, or an increased level of housecleaning and yard work, has an insulin-like effect on glucose. The more you move your body against a challenging level of physical activity, the less insulin your pancreas has to make to process the glucose in your blood. Regular physical activity helps you control your blood sugar and the production of insulin, reducing your risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes Force Generation Exercising against a more difficult resistance, such as bench pressing or squatting a heavier weight, activates a greater number of muscle cells compared to lifting the same weight every time you work out. Or, if you increase the speed at which you perform bench presses and squats, you also use more muscle cells than if you lifted at the same tempo. By conditioning your muscles to lift more weight or to push and pull weights faster, you engage more muscle cells which enable you to generate greater force. The stronger you are, the easier your everyday activities can be performed, leaving you with more energy and fewer muscle strains. Muscular Endurance Muscular endurance is the ability of your muscles to contract repeatedly over a long period of time. If you have a high level of muscular endurance, you will climb staircases with ease instead of becoming winded. Traveling around the world or tending to your garden will be less difficult and more enjoyable when your muscles do not ache due to inactivity. And, when you have those busy days at work or are running around shuttling kids, you have energy at the end of the day for yourself or to cook dinner if your muscles are well-conditioned. Injury Prevention A progressive resistance training program increases your bone density. Regular stretching improves your muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. Dumbbell, barbell, cable pulley and bodyweight exercises strongly engage the small muscles, which stabilize your joints. A complete muscle conditioning program enhances your ability to maintain your balance and correct your body posture, preventing falls. Conditioned muscles react better to slippery floors and a missed step than unconditioned muscles, reducing your risk of falling, fractures from a fall, muscle strains and ligament sprains.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:28:38 +0000
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