In this post we discuss how change in the body is an internal process and some of the incredible benefits that using your muscles provides.
Do you remember when you first started training and began to notice your body was changing as a result?
Perhaps your clothes fitted slightly differently, or parts of your body that were soft to touch became firmer.
You may have even noticed bumps where there was previously flat terrain. Or little twitches under the skin as you performed everyday tasks.
These are, and probably still remain, the only visible manifestations of your training. Everything else that’s taken place is invisible.
Of course we can feel differences. Walking up stairs becomes light work, rather than the heavy slog it once was.
We can also see the numbers going up on the weights we’re using. Or the times coming down on the runs we’re taking.
Still the physical processes that are enabling these improvements remain largely under wraps.
Why is this important?
Firstly, from a practical perspective, you have to imagine what’s going on when you’re training.
When I watch somebody performing an exercise, I have to overlay the muscles involved to picture what’s likely happening.
Through clothing this is at best an informed guess. For a more rounded picture I’m relying on feedback from the client involved, which comes with a host of issues.
What you feel, the language you have available to describe it, and what that means to me provides plenty of room for error.
Just last week I had a discussion with a client who wasn’t aware there was a difference between sensations more likely related to nerve impingement, and those coming from fatiguing muscles.
If you’ve never thought about it, how would you know?
External solutions for internal problems
Perhaps the biggest potential for error comes when we’re trying to influence an internal issue using only external methods. Particularly when the issue may exist more in the treating practitioner’s mind, than in the body of the patient or client.
Here I’m talking about passive treatments, where the solution is applied to you, rather than one where you’re an active participant.
It is of course an attractive proposition. All you have to do is turn up and lay there whilst the therapist ‘fixes you.’
It’s also inherently flawed. How can you affect internal processes from the outside? And what’s your objective measure of success?
Muscle contraction is essential for change
It’s important to recognise the incredible benefits that contracting muscles provide. Not just locally but throughout your entire system. Here are a few.
- Increased Blood Circulation: Muscle contractions enhance blood flow, as contracting muscles compress veins and push blood back to the heart, improving circulation.
- Energy Metabolism: Muscle contraction stimulates the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids to produce ATP, the energy currency of cells.
- Protein Synthesis: Repeated muscle contractions during resistance training stimulate protein synthesis, leading to muscle growth.
- Calcium Ion Cycling: Contraction triggers the release and reuptake of calcium ions in muscle cells, which not only fuels contraction, but also influences signalling pathways that regulate muscle health and function.
- Hormone Release: Muscle contractions stimulate the release of key hormones such as growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and testosterone, all of which contribute to muscle repair, growth, and overall metabolism.
- Bone Strengthening: The stress of muscle contractions on bones stimulates bone remodelling, increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.
- Heat Production: Muscle contractions generate heat as a byproduct of energy metabolism, helping to regulate body temperature.
- Neural Adaptation: Repeated muscle contractions enhance neural efficiency, improving communication between the brain and muscles.
- Fat Oxidation: Muscle contractions during sustained activities stimulate the breakdown of fat stores, contributing to fat loss and improved metabolic health.
- Regulation of Inflammation: Myokines like IL-6 (interleukin-6) are released during muscle contractions. They help control chronic inflammation which is beneficial for overall health.
- Brain Function and Mood: Myokines like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are also released when your muscle contract. BDNF plays a role in enhancing cognitive function, neuroplasticity, and mood regulation.
- Pain relief: It is well known that exercise induces analgesia. Myokines may also play a role in this.
I could go on but hopefully you get the picture.
Summary
Whilst the physical manifestations of training may take a while to appear, rest assured, some incredible transformations are occurring under your skin.
All these require muscles to contract however. Without this the magic doesn’t happen.