I am obsessed with building muscle, (naturally off course).
Building muscle isn’t just for men. We women need to focus on strength gains too. Long past are the days when muscle used to be enjoyed by body builders. Backed by science, we now know that muscle mass is an important asset to women. And I am hoping it will be the next beauty standard 😉
Vitality, anti-aging, and clarity are just a few of the benefits of strength training but the actual magic happens microscopically in our body. Losing fat and getting slim is one small result and like I always say, what we look like should not be our only incentive of working out.
Imagine a process of living that actually makes you super human. Imagine a lifestyle that makes you better, stronger, and smarter and keeps on improving your personality. It’s like you are improving at an exponential rate. Is that even freakin possible? Yes. Hell yes.
We have the power to unlock our good genetics and thrive instead of just survive. And this is exactly why I want every single women on this planet to start strength training. Need more to convince you? Well here is THE ONLY REASON why YOU need to start strength training TODAY.
But First, What is strength training?
Strength training is a type of physical exercise that uses resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. In short, lifting heavy objects for a set of repetitions. Think, dumbbells, kettle bells, ropes weights, barbells, etc.
The Reason : Mitochondria. Period.
It’s basic science, you may remember studying about it in high school biology. Mitochondria is the power house of our cells. Without the powerhouse, you would shut down. Functions of mitochondria include:
- The main function of mitochondria is to metabolize or break down carbohydrates and fatty acids in order to generate energy. Then eukaryotic cells use energy in the form of a chemical molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
- A secondary function of mitochondria is to synthesize proteins for their own use. They work independently, and execute the transcription of DNA to RNA, and translation of RNA to amino acids (the building blocks of protein).
ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism. ATP is the “molecular unit of currency”. A large amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) must be produced by the mitochondria every second of every day because ATP cannot be stored. This function is so important that mitochondria can take up as much as 25% of the cell volume. Cells contain from 1000 to 2500 mitochondria. (1) The average cell uses 10 billion ATP per day, which translates to the typical adult needing 3.0 × 1025 ATP (2)
To accomplish this prodigious feat, each ATP needs to be recycled from ADP 1000 times per day. Because the body cannot store ATP, the mitochondria must function consistently all the time. At any given time there are about 250 g of ATP in the cells. This represents about 4.25 watts, the equivalent of the energy in an AA battery. Every day, a healthy person produces a remarkable 1200 watts!(3) Because the brain uses 70% of ATP, this helps explain the strong correlation between mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration.
Healthy & Strong Mitochondria = Healthy & Strong You
Mitochondria are very susceptible to nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, and oxidative damage. Many nutrients are necessary for ATP production, but the most important are listed below:
Essential Nutrients for ATP Production (remember these) (4)
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Mitochondria are the most important parts of our body. It found in every single cell. We are made up of mitochondria.
If your mitochondria are sick, weak or disfunction then you’re in for a whole lot of trouble.
Here is a partial list of diseases caused or aggravated by mitochondrial dysfunction (5) :
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So that pretty much covers a wide range of diseases, which we think has no cure.
Truth is, the above listed disease / illness are more in our control than we think, and you know what we have to look after, right?
It’s evident that mitochondria function is essential for longevity, vitality and thriving instead of just surviving. Taking care of it is then our key to success in whatever we do. Imagine unlocking your inner beast. It could be as easy as training your body to empower your mitochondria.
Build muscle mass.
Even those with mitochondrial damage, such as that found in Parkinson’s disease, can increase ATP production through strength training. Working out heavy forces your body to create more mitochondria and replace those that are already damaged.
There are numerous amount of research showing tremendous changes in body, skelatal and muscle mass from high intensity resistance training. Novel, high-intensity exercise prescription improves muscle mass, mitochondrial function, and physical capacity in individuals with Parkinson’s disease, just to name one single research (6).
A study conducted by Menshikova et al. proved that individuals enjoyed a substantial increase in mitochondrial content, with a median increase of 53% with increased strength training.
The Bottom Line
The more muscle mass you own the more health and wellbeing you can achieve. If you feel like something is holding you back from your next level of success well it may be your weak and dtysfunctioning mitochondria. Knowledge is power and as always we have the power to change who we are.
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- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684129/#b1-8-15
- Mitochondria—Fundamental to Life and Health, Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Editor in Chief, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684129/table/t1-8-15/
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684129
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684129
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684129/table/t2-8-15/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4073951/
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1540458
Marina Farook 
No one is stopping if you are serious and no one can stop that muscles from growing or being healthy.
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