Muscles - More than power and pumping iron | DW Documentary

Muscles are the body's engine, enabling movement like standing, running, and jumping, as well as essential involuntary actions such as breathing and blinking. Beyond strength, muscles are considered the largest organ system, profoundly influencing health and mood. They are crucial for internal organ function and even benefit the brain, emphasizing that all 654 muscles need to be actively used to prevent atrophy.

The body contains three types of muscles: smooth (involuntary, found in organs like intestines), cardiac (involuntary, strong, and enduring), and skeletal (voluntary, over 600 of them, enabling bone movement). For effective training, muscles need 48 hours to recover. It's crucial not to overtrain and to allow for proper rest, avoiding the 'weekend warrior' approach.

Initial assessments involve measuring body fat percentage and fat-free muscle mass using tools like calipers. Functional movement tests, such as toe touches, squats, and lunges, are used to evaluate skeletal system health, which is prioritized over the muscular system. Early training sessions focus on simple exercises like split squat pulses to build a routine without causing severe muscle soreness, gradually increasing intensity.

Long jumpers require immense muscular strength and eccentric muscle activity in the feet, calves, thighs, hips, and glutes to convert speed into force. The motor cortex plans movements, with commands transmitted via the nervous system. The speed and number of electrical impulses directly correlate with the force required, while slower movements involve slower impulses. A common issue for long jumpers is maintaining speed in the final steps before takeoff.

Muscle soreness results from water storage, swelling, increased blood flow, and heat in the tissue, which resolves after two days as muscles repair. There are two main types of muscle fibers: slower, less energy-intensive fibers (common in long-distance runners) and faster, high-energy demanding fibers (predominant in sprinters and long jumpers), activated only when high force is needed.

The body is composed of water, connective tissue, fat, and muscle mass. While water and connective tissue are less influenced, muscle and fat can be. Insufficient muscle mass can make fat appear more dominant, disrupting bodily harmony. Women, in particular, often struggle with societal beauty ideals that prioritize a slim figure, leading to fear of muscle mass despite its health benefits. Social media's focus on appearance can detract from the joy of sport and lead to unhealthy comparisons.

Working out can bring significant balance to life, help manage stress, improve posture, self-confidence, sleep, and concentration, thereby enhancing overall quality of life. Training can also visibly improve mood and energy levels. As posture changes with stronger muscles, so does one's overall aura, leading to a more efficient and less fatigued daily experience.

Muscles, comprising 40-50% of body tissue, are the largest organ system. Active muscles produce 'myokines,' messenger substances similar to hormones, that communicate with other body parts like fatty tissue, liver, pancreas, bones, and the brain. These myokines influence cell processes and have varied impacts on health. Studies show that exercise-released myokines can reduce the vitality, division, and migration properties of tumor cells, highlighting the role of active muscle mass in disease prevention.

After age 30, individuals lose up to 1% of muscle mass annually unless they train to counteract it, potentially losing a third of muscle mass by the end of life. Injuries also cause significant muscle loss. Building muscle is an adaptive response where fatigued and damaged muscle is repaired, storing proteins and increasing muscle volume (hypertrophy). This process is crucial for overall performance, pain reduction, and an independent, longer life.

Chemotherapy treatments can cause side effects like balance issues and loss of faith in one's body. Studies, like one at the sports university, show that a 9-month training program for cancer patients significantly improves quality of life, mental health (reducing anxiety and depression), and physical capability. Strength training not only builds physical strength but also emotional resilience, improving posture and stability.

Significant muscle growth and strength increases can be observed in a short period, even within eight weeks of consistent training. These 'newbie gains' are due to technical improvement and muscles working synergistically. Such progress often motivates individuals to continue training. Despite initial physical challenges or external pressures, the long-term benefits in health, self-confidence, and overall well-being make muscle training a rewarding and essential activity.

In a case study, eight weeks of training resulted in a nearly 3% drop in body fat and a gain of 2.3 kg of muscle mass, even if overall weight remained similar. This highlights that body composition changes are more important than just weight. Muscle training is essential for health and quality of life, with just two hours a week of structured, regenerative strength training proving highly effective. It's never too late to start, promoting a healthy muscular system and enabling better aging.