Walking has become, along with swimming, one of the activities that many doctors recommend by default, especially in older people or in those who do not enjoy good physical condition, either due to years of sedentary lifestyle or metabolic diseases.
However, we have evidence that to be healthy and enjoy long-term health, activities of such low impact and intensity are not enough at all. More vigorous and intense exercise is necessary.
If we dig a little deeper, the literature tells us that muscle mass in advanced ages is a predictor of health and autonomy, so gaining it during adolescence or during adulthood is key. That’s why in this article We explain if walking or swimming is enough to maintain or gain muscle mass.
How does the process that makes us gain muscle mass work?
There is a lot written about hypertrophy or muscle mass gain, but if we are clear about something, it is that to achieve it, three things are needed: mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage, in that order.
Mechanical tension is nothing more than the tension that our muscles endure when they contract, either shortening or lengthening to overcome external resistance. In fact, if our muscles throughout our lives are not subjected to such tension, they atrophy. This tension disturbs the integrity of our muscles and this initiates a cascade of events at the molecular level that leads to an adaptive response, that is, they hypertrophy.
On the other hand, metabolic stress is the result of glycolytic metabolism that takes place when we make efforts that involve strong contractions more or less intermittently, like when we do weights. This metabolism requires the use of glucose or glycogen for energy but generates various “waste” byproducts (lactate, hydrogen ions, inorganic phosphate, creatine, and others) that promote a stressful metabolic environment. This environment, as was the case with mechanical stress, favors adaptations by other means, but which They end up leading to hypertrophy or muscle mass gain.
Finally, the muscle damage that occurs causes the accumulation of cells of the immune system that contribute to reinforce the integrity of the muscle in the damaged area. This can also contribute to hypertrophy.
Is walking enough to gain muscle mass or maintain it?
If we look at the points discussed above, there is no factor that can be caused by the mere act of walking. It is necessary to move weight either in the gym, which we recommend, or using a TRX or body weight. You can work as you want and with the implements you want, but you will need to impose a strong resistance on your muscles.
Swimming may be enough at an early age along with a good diet to maintain muscle mass, but walking is not even an option for it. What to say that if these types of activities could hardly maintain muscle mass, gain it much less.
In addition, as we get older, the difficulty in maintaining or gaining muscle is increasing. That is why it is important to build a good muscle base throughout our lives and in old age to continue working to reduce its loss as much as possible.
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