Muscular strength allows us to neutralize or overcome resistance.
The Latin word fortia derived from strength , a concept that has several uses. It may be the ability to resist, lift a weight, or move something. Muscular, for its part, is that linked to muscles : organs formed essentially by fibers capable of contracting and lengthening.
It is possible to define muscle strength as the ability of a muscle to develop tension against a load in a single effort during contraction . Thanks to muscular strength, resistance can be counteracted or overcome through the tension of a muscle or a group of these organs.
Development and measurement of muscle strength
Muscle strength can be measured in grams , referring to the maximum tension that muscles can develop. In everyday life, muscular force is applied constantly when, through the action of the muscles, their state of movement or rest is modified to oppose and overcome resistance , which can be external or internal.
The contraction developed by muscles when exerting force can be isometric (in this case, since resistance is equal to force, the muscle does not move and its length does not vary) or isotonic (the muscle lengthens or shortens). Isotonic contractions, in turn, can be eccentric (the muscle extends because the resistance exceeds the force) or concentric (the muscle shortens because the force is greater than the resistance).
It is important to differentiate between muscular strength and muscular endurance . This last notion refers to the ability of muscles to exert muscular force to repeatedly overcome resistance.
Muscle strength can be developed through certain physical exercises.
The deterioration associated with the passage of time
Throughout life, we lose a large percentage of muscle strength naturally: it is estimated that by the time we reach seventy years of age, our muscle strength can be 25 percent lower than at thirty, while when we reach In the nineties this may have decreased by a further 25 percent.
These data may seem terrifying to a young person and even more so to someone who is already approaching old age. However, this deterioration, so to speak, is not impossible to avoid; On the contrary, it is a natural process of loss of muscle strength in individuals who do not do any physical exercise to tone their muscles.
How to improve and maintain muscle strength
On the Internet we can find endless exercises to maintain our muscle strength, and the same thing happens when talking to our friends and neighbors: each one has their routine and their tricks, but the difficult thing is finding what works for us. Working the body brings different obstacles, such as the need to organize so as not to lose frequency .
Some of the most used exercises to work on muscle strength are push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. One of their greatest advantages is that they do not require the use of weights or accessories, although they can always be included in a more intense routine . This gives the individual the possibility of doing gymnastics anywhere, whether in their own home or in a park or on the beach, for example.
One of the tips from experts to enhance muscle strength exercises is to delay contraction and distension as much as possible, that is, make each movement as slow as possible so that development is optimal.
It is important not to overdo the exercises to avoid any type of injury. First of all, we must set a number of repetitions appropriate for our physical condition , and increase it over time. Another point to take into account is the force we exert with each muscle: overexerting ourselves can cause damage of varying severity.