ABILITY TO LIFT WEIGHTS QUICKLY CAN MEAN A LONGER LIFE

ABILITY TO LIFT WEIGHTS QUICKLY CAN MEAN A LONGER LIFE

Lisbon, Portugal - 12 April 2019: Prolong your life by increasing your muscle power. That's the main message of a study presented today at EuroPrevent 2019, a congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

"Rising from a chair in old age and kicking a ball depend more on muscle power than muscle strength, yet most weight bearing exercise focuses on the latter," said study author Professor Claudio Gil Araújo, director of research and education, Exercise Medicine Clinic - CLINIMEX, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "Our study shows for the first time that people with more muscle power tend to live longer."

Power depends on the ability to generate force and velocity, and to coordinate movement.2 In other words, it is the measure of the work performed per unit time (force times distance); more power is produced when the same amount of work is completed in a shorter period or when more work is performed during the same period.3 Climbing stairs requires power - the faster you climb, the more power you need. Holding or pushing a heavy object (for example a car with a dead battery) needs strength.

Professor Araújo said: "Power training is carried out by finding the best combination of speed and weight being lifted or moved. For strength training at the gym most people just think about the amount of weight being lifted and the number of repetitions without paying attention to the speed of execution. But for optimal power training results, you should go beyond typical strength training and add speed to your weight lifts."

Muscle power gradually decreases after 40 years of age. "We now show that power is strongly related to all-cause mortality. But the good news is that you only need to be above the median for your sex to have the best survival, with no further benefit in becoming even more powerful," said Professor Araújo.

Studimi përfshiu 3,878 jo-atletë të moshës 41-85 vjeç, të cilët i’u nënshtruan një testi maksimal të fuqisë muskulore në mes të vitit 2001 dhe 2016. Mosha mesatare e pjesëmarrësve ishte 59 vjeç, 5% ishin mbi 80, dhe 68% ishin burra. Vlera më e lartë e arritur pas dy ose tre përpjekjeve me ngarkesa në rritje u konsiderua si fuqia maksimale e muskujve dhe shprehej në raport me peshën e trupit (p.sh. fuqia për kg të peshës trupore). Vlerat u ndanë në qerekë për analizën e mbijetesës dhe u analizuan veçmas sipas gjinisë.

Gjatë një ndjekjeje mesatare 6.5-vjeçare, 247 burra (10%) dhe 75 gra (6%) vdiqën. Vlerat e fuqisë mesatare ishin 2.5 vat/ kg për burrat dhe 1.4 vat/ kg për gratë. Pjesëmarrësit me një forcë maksimale të muskujve mbi mesataren për gjininë e tyre (dmth. Në qerekun tre dhe katër) kishin mbijetesën më të mirë. Ata në qerekun një dhe dy kishin, respektivisht, 4-5 dhe 10-13 herë rrezik më të lartë të vdekjes në krahasim me ata mbi mesatare në fuqinë maksimale të muskujve.

Professor Araújo noted that this is the first time the prognostic value of muscle power has been assessed. Previous research has focused on muscle strength, primarily using the handgrip exercise. The upright row exercise was chosen for the study because it is a common action in daily life for picking up groceries, grandchildren, and so on. The researchers are currently examining the link between muscle power and specific causes of death including cardiovascular disease and cancer. He added: "Doctors should consider measuring muscle power in their patients and advise more power training."