Muscle building for the testosterone challenged

What image do you see when you hear the words “building muscle”.

I imagine some oversized jock, all brawn and very little brain, camped out at the local gym, grunting and groaning with the strain of lifting an enormous lead weight.

I think this is the picture most people have of muscle building.

Since picturing myself lifting anything that resembles big and heavy is repulsive, muscle building is not high on my list of things to do.

But it should be because…………

Muscle power is critical

You don’t need to be able to pick up a car with your pinky or have a wripped six pack, although these attributes are pretty cool, but you need strong muscles to be independent.

The quality of your muscles will determine whether you can get out of the chair or bath, whether you can climb that flight of stairs or open the pickle jar in your “golden” years.

Healthy muscles are also essential for good body chemistry. The more muscle you have, the lower your level of insulin resistance. The excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) which results from insulin resistance, is what underpins metabolic syndrome and a whole host of diseases.

Pumping iron is not the only way to build muscle

The gym fanatics believe bigger muscles come from lifting bigger weights, but research from Mc Master’s University indicates size doesn’t matter that much.

The key to building muscles is to work the muscle until it is tired, really tired.

Picking up a heavy weight exhausts the muscle more quickly, but you can create muscle fatigue lifting something more manageable.

The key is to lift it until the muscle is bushed.

Taking the weight off

Light weight lifting builds muscle.

Working the muscle enough to cause a little tension, is enough to get the body to send a maintenance crew to the muscle to do a little remodelling. Continuous remodelling builds bigger, stronger muscles over time.

So grunting and straining among testosterone loaded jocks, is not a requirement for body building.

Lifting the dustbin bag until you can’t anymore , will increase those biceps and triceps over time.

Don’t stop too soon

You don’t need an expensive gym membership to build muscle.

Lots of routine tasks evoke a little muscle fatigue, the trouble is most of the time we take a break before the muscle building benefits kick in.

The secret to building muscle – don’t stop too soon.

Do the garbage can lift

So next time you need to take the trash out – don’t drag the bag along the ground, grab it with a vice like grip, pick it up off the ground and march it over to the curb, resist the urge to put it down en route , so you build more muscle.

Low-Load High Volume Resistance Exercise Stimulates Muscle Protein Synthesis More Than High-Load Low Volume Resistance Exercise in Young Men. PLoS ONE (2010) 5 (8): e12033 Nicholas A. Burd, Daniel W. D. West, Aaron W. Staples, Philip J. Atherton, Jeff M. Baker, Daniel R. Moore, Andrew M. Holwerda, Gianni Parise, Michael J. Rennie, Steven K. Baker, Stuart M. Phillips

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