There are around five hundred different muscles in our body – they are responsible for our mobility but they also have a key role in the essential living processes, such as breathing or digesting. When you exercise, you “train” your muscles to manage energy in the optimum way and you support them so they have the right length and flexibility. So, find the strength and start working out on a regular basis!
How does physical activity affect muscle work?
Every single muscle in our body is made of muscle fibres – myofibrils, which look like strands woven from protein cells (called myocytes) that are able to contract. Paradoxical as it may sound, the purpose of physical effort is actually... to damage the muscle fibres. Intensive muscle contraction results in microdamage to the protein cells which in turn is crucial for the release of energy. Damaging the fibres stimulates the process of cell regeneration which is essential for building muscle mass and strength.
It is worth knowing that our muscles are made of two types of fibres:
- slow-twitch fibres that are activated during an intense and long-lasting effort, such as jogging;
- fast-twitch fibres that are responsible for dynamic activity, such as weight lifting.
The proportions of the fibre types in muscles depend on your genetic predisposition which is why some people prefer strength sports and others are better in endurance training.
[Translate to English:]
Jak aktywność fizyczna wpływa na pracę mięśni?
Każdy mięsień w naszym ciele zbudowany jest z włókien mięśniowych – miofibryli, przypominających nitki utkane z komórek białkowych (nazywanych miocytami), które mają zdolność kurczenia. Może zabrzmi to paradoksalnie, ale celem wysiłku fizycznego jest w zasadzie… uszkodzenie włókien mięśniowych. Intensywne kurczenie się mięśni powoduje mikrouszkodzenia komórek białkowych, co z kolei jest kluczowe w procesie uwolnienia płynącej z nich energii. Uszkadzanie włókien stymuluje proces regeneracji komórek, niezbędny do budowania masy i siły mięśniowej.
Warto wiedzieć, że nasze mięśnie zbudowane są z dwóch rodzajów włókien:
- wolnokurczliwych, które aktywują się podczas intensywnego, ale długiego wysiłku np. biegu;
- szybkokurczliwych, które odpowiadają za dynamiczną aktywność np. podnoszenie ciężarów.
Proporcje typów włókien w mięśniach zależą od naszych predyspozycji genetycznych, dlatego jedni pewniej czują się w sportach siłowych, podczas gdy inni osiągają lepsze rezultaty w treningach wytrzymałościowych.
Take care of your muscles – not only for your muscle mass!
Regular exercise is not only about beautifully sculpted body or physical endurance. Staying active also has an influence on the activity of enzymes in muscles and increases the muscles’ sensitivity to stimuli sent from the nervous system. In addition, thanks to regular workouts your body will use energy more effectively, in line with its actual needs – as a consequence, you will tire less and you will build endurance with every workout.
Even if you feel pretty confident while working out at the gym, don't forget about the rules of safe training! Piotr Czyżewski, our expert and trainer, would like to remind everybody of the following:
If you exercise regularly, you should also make sure to stretch and take care of your joints and their proper mobility. Always remember to warm up in order to prepare your body for the next part of the workout in terms of proper stretch and mobility. You can also choose a class out of the numerous options offered by fitness clubs. You can take stretching, yoga or mobility class which are perfect to make your body flexible. This will help you avoid unnecessary injuries or bothersome pain.
Do you want to take care of your muscles? Define your goal and stay active with your MultiSport Card!
- If building muscle mass and sculpting specific muscles is important to you, focus on strength training with an experienced trainer in a selected gym. Keep in mind that incorrect workout technique can only hurt you so devise a workout plan with a specialist!
- Choose endurance training, such as swimming or biking, if you want to get more oxygen to your muscles and improve their everyday work or if you want to get rid of extra kilograms and improve your overall fitness.
May the force be with you! Good luck!