"Low muscle mass is associated with a significantly higher risk of premature death," warns sports scientist and CEO of Visionbody Henri Schmidt. "From the age of 30, our muscles begin to decline," says Schmidt. If we do not train them adequately, they will break down rapidly. We lose about one percent of our muscles every year, which is dramatic. By the time we reach 80, we would have lost about 30 to 50 percent of our muscle mass," warns the expert.
Henri Schmidt explains that muscle training can help prevent this and ultimately protect us from becoming dependent on care in old age. Strength training also has a positive effect on blood pressure and metabolism, reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, dementia, and cancer, according to Henri Schmidt.
The expert refers to studies that have shown for years that low muscle mass is associated with a significantly higher risk of premature death. When asked if "not training leads to death," the expert responds with "definitely - in the past."
Optimizing Exercise for Health
According to Schmidt, it is optimal to train both endurance and muscle strength. Swimming, jogging, and cycling are typical endurance training exercises, according to the main insurance companies. Muscle strength can typically be trained with exercises that target specific muscles or with exercise equipment.
In medicine, the focus is often on weight loss and therefore on endurance sports, Henri Schmidt notes. However, some people gain weight when they start muscle training because muscles weigh more than fat. Nonetheless, Schmidt emphasizes that muscle training has health benefits, including reducing unhealthy visceral fat in the abdomen. "Muscle training is, therefore, the better and more sustainable strategy for promoting health in the long term."
For those who do not have the capacity for endurance sports and muscle training, Schmidt advises, "Choose strength training." He particularly recommends this for older people and women, as they have less muscle mass than men. Moreover, muscle mass is lost particularly quickly during menopause - it is essential to build it up before and continue training afterward. Cardio training is not the solution. Muscle training is it.
The Visionbody system is the fastest and most effective way to build muscles in a short time. With only 20 minutes per week, significant results can be achieved.