By Marjorie, Certified Personal trrainer at Wholistic Osteopathy and Wellness, Vancouver
What if we told you that, in fact, developing muscle mass helps you age better? Indeed, the benefits of strength training go far beyond appearance and athletic performance.
Exercising for the right reasons:
Hi, I’m Marjorie, a certified personal trainer specializing in kickboxing.
My journey with sports started at age 4 with judo. I trained out of passion and the joy of learning.
However, as a teenager, my motivation shifted. I wasn’t trying to change my body — I was chasing a shape that simply didn’t suit me.
As a result, boxing helped me positively reconnect with movement. I found strength, confidence, and mental clarity.
Today, I train to feel strong, empowered, and well—not to fit a mold.
That’s why I want to share this message with you: movement as a path to self-confidence, energy, joy, and a longer, healthier life. Together, let’s find your way to move.
You want to know more about Marjorie ? Follow the link https://is.gd/XWOQzE
What is muscle mass?
Muscle mass refers to all the muscles that make up the human body. It includes three types of muscles:
- Skeletal muscles: attached to bones and responsible for voluntary movements, like biceps, quadriceps, or abdominals.
- Smooth muscles: found in the walls of internal organs such as the lungs, bladder, or intestines.
- Cardiac muscle, which makes up the heart.
On average, muscle mass accounts for 35 to 40% of body weight in men and 28 to 35% in women. Muscle mass plays a key role in maintaining posture, facilitating movement, regulating basal metabolism (energy needs), and controlling blood sugar levels.
Did you know?
From the age of 30, we naturally lose between 3 and 8% of our muscle mass every 10 years, and this process accelerates after 60. Without appropriate physical activity, this loss can reach up to 50% by age 80. This condition is called sarcopenia.
Yet, muscle mass is much more than a simple fitness indicator. In fact, it plays a crucial role in strength, balance, and injury prevention, and contributes significantly to a good quality of life.
Better quality of life and autonomy
Being stronger is not just about lifting heavy weights at the gym. Rather, it helps you in everyday tasks: carrying grocery bags, lifting a child, moving laundry baskets, climbing stairs, or walking without difficulty.
In addition, regular training with weights—even light ones—builds your strength and muscular endurance, preparing you to handle everyday moderate efforts. The result: you maintain your autonomy, energy, and a better quality of life at any age.
Preventing injuries and certain diseases
Moreover, strengthening your muscles is essential to preserving the health of your joints, tendons, and bones. Strong muscles provide better support for your body, reducing the risk of pain or injury.
Muscle strengthening also improves balance and coordination—two key elements to prevent falls, especially as we age.
Finally, regular physical activity and strong muscles help reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.
Osteoporosis: Strength training is your best ally!
Strength training is highly recommended for osteoporosis (a disease that weakens and deteriorates bone tissue). By strengthening muscles, joint stability improves, and the risk of fractures decreases.
For example, resistance exercises (such as squats, lunges, or dumbbell workouts) create beneficial mechanical stress on the skeleton. This stress stimulates bone cells to produce more bone tissue, making bones stronger and denser.
Improve posture and relieve tension
Among skeletal muscles, some are called postural muscles. These muscles are essential for maintaining balanced posture and reducing pain or tension. They include abdominal muscles, back muscles, pelvic floor, shoulders, hips, and glutes. These muscles work together to stabilize the trunk and coordinate movements.
When one muscle group is weaker or injured, another compensates, causing tension.
Therefore, it is essential to work your muscles as a whole and not prioritize only one part of the body. The goal of strength training is to develop overall muscle mass. According to medical recommendations, you may be advised to strengthen your back, but that does not mean neglecting lower body training, such as the glutes.
Feeling good in your body and mind
Physical activity, such as strength training, has many mental health benefits: improving mood, reducing stress, and boosting self-confidence.
During exercise, the brain releases endorphins, also known as “happy hormones.” Endorphins are both neurotransmitters and hormones. They play a vital role in regulating emotions, pain perception, and feelings of pleasure, directly contributing to a better mood.
In addition, strength training and resistance activities also promote the production of serotonin and dopamine—two neurotransmitters that help manage stress and anxiety.
Beyond physical results, regular sports practice improves self-esteem. Seeing your progress, stepping out of your comfort zone, and pushing your limits all boost confidence — a real uplift for both body and mind.
How to develop muscle mass?
Good news: it’s possible at any age! Moving regularly, doing muscle-strengthening exercises, and adopting an appropriate diet are effective ways to preserve and build muscle mass, helping you live better and longer.
What is hypertrophy?
Hypertrophy is the process by which a muscle grows and becomes stronger. In other words, muscle cells increase in volume in response to intensive training or other stimuli.
There are two main types of hypertrophy:
- Myofibrillar hypertrophy: an increase in the number and size of myofibrils (protein filaments inside muscle cells responsible for contraction). This type mainly improves muscle strength and power.
- Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy: an increase in the volume of intracellular fluid (sarcoplasm) in muscle fibers. This causes the muscle to “pump up” without necessarily increasing strength. This is the “pump” effect often felt after a workout.
How to stimulate hypertrophy?
Hypertrophy occurs through strength training with weights that challenge the muscles, triggering adaptation. A key factor is metabolic stress: the accumulation of metabolic byproducts (like lactate, hydrogen ions) during intense effort forces the muscle to adapt by becoming stronger and bigger.
The pillars of muscle progress
To build muscle effectively and safely, it is essential to follow a structured training plan, maintain a suitable diet, and allow proper rest. Working with a personal trainer ensures you get a program tailored to your goals and level, while minimizing injury risks.
Ready to take action?
Book a session with Marjorie Le Borgne, Certified Personal Trainer, and start your personalized program today!
???? book a consultation: https://is.gd/jKcZh9
