A Double Good…Building Muscle Builds Bone Density

We build and strengthen muscle first by a “breaking down process” through the introduction of a new stressor that our body is not familiar with.

Our body’s natural response to a new stressor is to compensate by strengthening that area — simply so it doesn’t get as stressed the next time it has to repeat the same action. If we repeat the same activity, we simply maintain that level of fitness. But if we increase the intensity, it forces the muscles to adapt to a new level of strength.

Atrophy: When we decrease these activities, our body senses less need for strength in that area and will atrophy (shrink) that strength. This is pretty much the same whether it’s mental or physical exercise. As we age, we tend to become more inactive due to fewer responsibilities, so as a natural response, our body sheds unnecessary muscle mass and bone density.

The first biomarker that indicates the early signs of aging is a decrease in protein (muscle) in the body — and the two largest contributing factors to this are inactivity and diet.

It’s pretty simple to take steps to avoid this if we keep up the level and variety of activities throughout life. A lot of times, after long periods of inactivity, we suddenly return to exercise — or a similar level of activity — and wind up getting injured, then blame it on aging.

It’s not so much that we’re older. It’s the inactivity that has caused us to lose strength in our muscles, tendons, and ligaments — which at the same time leads to loss in bone density.

The scale can give us a false sense of security if we become inactive and simply try to maintain the same weight. When we become inactive, we should actually drop in weight due to the loss of muscle tone and bone density, since these are large contributors to overall body mass.

As our body becomes fattier, and our muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones lose their strength, our weight begins to hang more heavily on the skeletal structure — causing rapid aging to our joints and bones.

This can also give us a false sense of aging (due to achy muscles, bones, and joints). However, inactivity is the true culprit — not aging.

The way we build muscle (yes, this includes seniors!) is to break down muscle fibers first by simply demanding more from them than they are used to. Your body will naturally rebuild them stronger in preparation for that stress returning.

So, if you want to strengthen muscles all over your body, you need more than just walking or jogging. You need exercises that involve the pushing and pulling muscles of the upper body — functional, everyday movements!

Example: Squatting and picking up an object (like a gallon jug), then lifting it above your head. Repeat this action for a few repetitions, and over time increase the resistance by adding speed or weight.

How building muscle builds bone density: The tugging action of active muscles pulling on the skeletal structure through a variety of movements signals the brain to increase bone mass in order to handle these new demands. So, when we do a variety of strength-building exercises, we’re not just building muscle — we’re also stimulating bone density throughout the body.

Since the first signs of aging begin with muscle loss, we can slow the aging process by stimulating muscle growth — no matter our age!

If we don’t use muscle, we lose it, so let’s use it, retain it, and gain it!