Muscle strengthening training, to be clear what is done using weights, can reduce the risk of mortality from all causes by 10-20% and in particular that linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Provided it is done for 30-60 minutes every week. The preventive prescription comes from a study just published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Research
A group of researchers from the Department of Sports Medicine and Science of the University of Tohoku, Japan, analyzed 16 observational studies that examined 480,000 people between 18 and 97 years followed over 25 years and who were active aerobic or other physical activity, as well as muscle-strengthening activities. The analysis of the aggregated data showed that the latter are associated with a 10-17% lower risk of death from any cause, and in particular from heart disease and stroke, diabetes and cancer.
For diabetes, the risk reduction benefits have been shown to increase when physical activity reaches 60 minutes per week. Furthermore, the joint analysis of muscle strengthening and aerobic activities showed that the reduction in the risk of death from any cause, from cardiovascular disease and cancer is even greater when these two types of activities are combined together: the risk is respectively lower than the 40%, 46% and 28%.
Fitness. How, when and why to train online
by Laura Taccani
What is strength training
Physical activity guidelines recommend performing regular muscle-strengthening exercises for adults, especially because of its musculoskeletal benefits. But what are the activities that allow muscle strengthening? “These are those that are carried out with the use of weights, dumbbells, barbells and elastic bands”, he replies Massimo Sacchetti, head of the Department of Exercise, Human and Health Sciences of the University of Rome Foro Italico. “But bodyweight training with exercises such as pushups, abdominals and squats is also part of muscle conditioning because body weight is used.” In their analysis, the researchers also considered heavy gardening activities such as digging and shoveling.
Heart door
Shoveling snow too vigorously puts your heart at risk
at Federico Mereta
The benefits of strength training
This isn’t the first scientific research to reveal the impact that good strength training can have on health. “Muscle strengthening training – explains Sacchetti – has a myriad of benefits because it acts on all muscle groups by improving the ability to carry out activities of daily life such as, for example, carrying shopping bags or, in the case of the elderly, lift the grandchildren. Furthermore, it helps in the prevention of injuries because it favors a correct mechanics of movements, improves posture because it strengthens the muscles of the trunk thus preventing back pain and, finally, strengthens the tendons and ligaments “.
Less risk to the heart for those who cook and wash dishes
by Irma D’Aria
Less fat mass, more tone
It is also wrong to think that to lose weight you only need a lot of aerobic activity. “Muscle strengthening training – continues the expert – is important for increasing lean mass but also for reducing fat because by conserving muscle mass, the basic metabolic rate is maintained, which generally tends to slow down with age. the other, those who undergo a strict diet also lose lean mass while with this training they are able to counteract this effect while maintaining good muscle tone “.
How to build our health? We pay attention to what we eat and what we do: 12 rules to follow
by Luigi Fontana
The right ‘dose’ of training
From the analysis it emerges that the benefits on the risk of mortality from all causes do not increase if you train for longer and that, therefore, the optimal dose could be precisely that between 30 and 60 minutes a week. “The Guidelines – underlines Sacchetti – recommend between 150 and 300 minutes of aerobic activity per week and in addition at least a couple of days a week of strength exercises. In particular, for diabetes numerous researches have shown that to prevent and even cure this pathology is important for both aerobic and strength exercise, but the combination of the two types of training is the most effective for glycemic control because both make the muscle use glucose at its best “.