Muscle mass in women: keys to its development and maintenance

There is still the shadow of yesteryear, where thin and fine women were the ideal of beauty, associated with delicacy, vulnerability or male dependence. It is certainly meaningless and luckily, this concept has changed: we are strong, hard-working women and increasingly more informed about what is good for our health.

• The importance of good muscle mass in women
• Risks of poor muscle mass in women
• What type of exercise should I do to increase muscle mass?
• Still burning after training? Yes, it's called COPD
• Food: eat well because it is the material to build muscle
• The importance of sleep in muscle gain

The importance of good muscle mass in women

Each body is different and, just as there are tall and short women, there are women with more noticeable muscle masses than others, we are not clones. This does not mean that we cannot strengthen and increase the volume of our muscles, within our potential and without comparing ourselves to anyone else because, without a doubt, it provides multiple benefits that will convince you:

More muscle, less fat!

Greater muscle mass means a more active metabolism. Muscle is an active tissue that requires energy to function, even at rest. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your daily caloric expenditure will be, logically. This means you burn more calories to maintain it.

Say goodbye to aches and pains

If you have strong muscles, you have a powerful support. Protecting your joints with good muscle mass reduces the risk of injuries and contractures, as well as pain. This toned muscle mass supports your joints and bones, helping them move safely, without overloading them. A great example: women tend to work more on the lower body, with the idea of ​​increasing buttocks, thighs, hips... but what about the back? The spine will appreciate good muscles.

More strength, more autonomy

Do you think you don't need strength in your daily life? Yes, and on more occasions than you imagine, but many times we get used to not doing certain things or asking other people for help:

• Take heavy suitcases on the train, plane or car without depending on anyone, open a tightly closed jar, move furniture or lift heavy objects, carry large shopping bags without exhausting yourself after a few meters, climb stairs without fatigue or pain in your knees or back, play sports or physical activities without feeling limited by lack of strength or walking uphill without it seeming like a titanic effort.

Can you do them yourself without any problem? If so, you can be proud.

A firm and defined body

The healthy and beautiful thing is not to see a number as low as possible on the scale, but to build a balanced, strong and functional body. Having good muscle mass not only provides health benefits, but also visibly improves body composition. Some women think that doing strength exercises will make them bodybuilders, but no, I wish it were that simple!

More muscle means less flab, more firmness and a more sculpted silhouette, without the need to lose extreme weight. For example, strong legs provide shape and stability, a worked core improves posture and a toned upper body prevents the drooping appearance of the arms and back, which give a helpless appearance.

Risks of poor muscle mass in women

And now let's get to the important thing: what risks do we have with deficient muscle mass?

• Loss of mobility and strength: makes it difficult to carry out daily activities and predisposes you to falls, as we mentioned before.
• Osteoporosis: it is very important for a woman to reduce the risk of loss of bone density and the lack of muscular stimulation (strength exercise) of the bones (your bone does not densify), increasing the risk of fractures.
• Muscle pain and contractures: muscle fragility can cause tension and postural imbalances by not having that powerful support that holds us.
• Slowing down of metabolism: less muscle means less caloric expenditure at rest, which will make it easier for you to increase body fat.
• Increased risk of chronic diseases: Active muscles help regulate blood sugar and reduce the risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, as well as high cholesterol, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.

Still burning after training? Yes, it's called COPD

Cardiovascular exercise, such as ellipticals, running or Zumba, burns a lot of calories while you do it, but strength training turns you into a calorie-burning machine 24 hours a day, thanks to the increase in muscle and the EPOC effect.

EPOC, also known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is the increase in metabolism after strength training. Which are the most powerful? I leave you some high EPOC exercises in the following table:

Note:
If you are a beginner, you can start doing them with machines, but try to include free weight exercises (with bars and dumbbells as in guided classes) to work more muscles and increase caloric expenditure after exercise.

What type of exercise should I do to increase muscle mass?

We are designed for movement, to carry weights, to move in challenging environments... but we live in a comfortable city and we work (generally) with the help of machines or in offices. Therefore, the modern lifestyle limits our activity and promotes the loss of muscle mass. We refuse! There are solutions to counteract it:

• Strength training: if we want our muscles to grow, we must make them work with weights: dumbbells, machines, resistance bands and exercises with our own body weight are ideal. A gym offers you many alternatives in a safe and effective way.
• Multi-joint exercises: such as squats, deadlifts, pull-ups (with rubber bands to help you) and bench press (not only men need a strong chest) imitate natural movements (that we did in the past) and stimulate muscle synthesis.
• Progressive loading: you don't want to lift 50kg in a squat on the first day. Seek to gradually increase the weight or intensity to continue challenging the muscle and without injuring yourself, for comfortable and satisfactory progress... you yourself will want more.

Food: eat well because it is the material to build muscle

A mythical phrase is: muscle is not only built in the gym but also in the kitchen, and that is a joy because eating is a pleasure. Having real hunger (physiological and not emotional hunger) is the sensation with which your body asks you for materials for its maintenance, energy and construction. Nutrition plays an essential role in muscle gain and maintenance:

• Protein: If you want to gain and maintain muscle, you need enough protein, not just a couple of slices of turkey. How does this translate into real food? I give you an example in the table below.
  
• Carbohydrates: If you want to start moving with more energy, please do not eliminate carbohydrates, choose them well. Combine them in main meals, as side dishes.
• Healthy fats: don't demonize them, fats can be good and bad. Avoid hydrogenated fats and excess saturated fats, and enhance beneficial fats because they are key to your health.

Eating little and eliminating food groups only leads to muscle loss, fatigue and rebound effect.

The importance of sleep in muscle gain

We have talked about health, training and diet... we forget a 4th pillar of muscle mass development: sleep. While we sleep, the body releases growth hormone, repairs damaged muscle fibers and synthesizes new ones.

So, if you don't get the sleep you need:
– You do not create muscle effectively and you do not repair possible injuries.
– Increases cortisol (stress hormone), which can slow muscle gain.
– Metabolism is altered, making fat loss and performance difficult, in addition to increasing your emotional appetite the next day.

You need to sleep 7 to 9 hours a day and try to maintain a regular sleep schedule.

Building and maintaining muscle mass is key to health, well-being and aesthetics in women. Fundamentally, we should implement strength training, ensure a balanced diet and avoid obsessive diets, fundamental steps to preserve muscle and improve quality of life over the years.

Extracted and translated from article "La masa muscular en la mujer: claves para su desarrollo y mantenimiento"  from Laura Casas in https://blogaml.com/.