The muscles can significantly slow down aging and also influence the performance of our brain, as Dr. dr Michael Despeghel and Prof. Dr. Karsten Krüger in her book “Musculature Fountain of Youth: How to activate your super organ and stop the aging process” (Gräfe and Unzer). In an interview with spot on news, Michael Despeghel explains why weight training is also training for the memory.

Her new book is entitled “Musculature Fountain of Youth”. How are our muscles an anti-aging tool?

Michael Despeghel: We have around 650 muscles that are responsible for our performance and support the orthopedic system, among other things. Little is known, however, that the muscles can also influence the formation of nerve cells in the brain. During movement, the muscles release hormone-like messenger substances, the myokines. These arise in the muscle cells and reach many organs via the blood, such as the heart, the pancreas and also the brain. Certain myokines are able to send signals to the brain that enable new nerve cells to form. And that affects memory. In the hippocampus, the interface between short- and long-term memory, new nerve cells can develop throughout life. The myokines support the brain in allowing these nerve cells to grow better if the muscles are sufficiently trained. The brain benefits from the training of the muscular system and the memory improves. Numerous studies show that people who train their muscles even in old age are significantly less likely to be affected by dementia. From the age of 70, every third person is at risk of developing a brain disorder in the next ten years. The positive effect of myokines can put this into perspective.

So relying purely on endurance sports such as jogging to keep yourself physically and mentally fit is outdated?

Despeghel: If you want to have a top effect in order to lose weight, keep your performance high and protect yourself from diseases, you should focus on polarizing training – with strength and endurance training and a combination of intensive training units with less intensive ones. Endurance training over long periods is not effective. A range of around 20 minutes is good, but during this time it should be carried out with varying intensities and supplemented by strength training.

The myth that a positive effect is only achieved after 30 minutes of exercise has been around for a long time…

Despeghel: In the beginning, the body burns sugar in order to be able to move at all. If he continues to be challenged, he works via lactic acid and if the load is longer, it is the fats’ turn. In the end, it’s not about the metabolism working with fat. This also happens after five minutes and not after 30. The key is to burn as many calories as possible. Whether those are fat calories or carbohydrate calories plays a minor role. All that matters is that the calories are gone, and that works much better with trained muscles. This actively ensures combustion even after exercise and helps to increase the basal metabolic rate.

Is high-intensity training suitable for beginners?

Despeghel: Yes, the intensities can be adjusted to your fitness level. Untrained people can start immediately and should. But in short units, such as walking: A beginner could plan ten to 20 minutes of fast walking and increase the speed for ten seconds every minute, so that he or she gets out of breath. The steps get longer, bigger and faster. After those ten seconds, go back to the previous pace. Those ten seconds will expand over time. This also ensures that beginners become more efficient.

Keyword “No Pain, No Gain”: Should the untrained push their limits right away?

Despegel: Yes. These limits are quickly reached by the untrained. However, the time span plays an important role in “No Pain, No Gain”, it should be short at the beginning. In order to increase performance, however, even beginners have to push themselves to the limit and really challenge themselves. However, this only applies to healthy people; otherwise, consultation with the doctor is required.

Are women more reluctant to do weight training?

Despeghel: Women in the first half of their lives are now even far ahead, because the Instagram generation is all about looks and beauty. However, older people who do less for themselves often put strength training last because it is simply more strenuous. It is really important, the benefit is sometimes higher than that of endurance sports, because strength sports can slow down the aging process better through the myokines. Anyone who tackles a combination of strength and endurance sports with HIT elements twice a week has already done a lot to become and stay younger.

When it comes to strength training, is it enough to train at home with your own body weight and do push-ups and planks, for example?

Despeghel: In our book we present a six-week program. You can do this at home. This includes, for example, push-ups, planks and light lunges. You can also work with small water bottles. The muscle is very grateful for these minimal stimuli if they occur regularly. It should be exhausting, but you shouldn’t overstrain yourself too much. Five minutes is enough to have effects.

How can diet help build muscle?

Despeghel: Proteins are crucial for muscles to grow and function. Most people pay very little attention to regular protein intake. Anyone doing a strength training program should pay attention to this and eat dairy products such as quark for breakfast, for example. But vegan products such as peas, beans, lentils or other legumes are also high in protein.

This winter, it is likely to remain a few degrees colder in many houses and apartments than in previous years due to the energy crisis. Can that also be an advantage from a sporting point of view?

Despeghel: In general, overheated rooms are not physically advantageous. But most people got used to it. With two or three degrees less at home, it is actually more pleasant to start strength training. If you come home and do a few exercises before sitting on the couch, you will surely feel warmed up afterwards. The metabolism is also generally more active in cooler rooms than in overheated ones. The immune system is also happy because the temperature difference when you go outside is not so great. If you want to save energy, you should also use your bike every day and install HIT units. This also promotes the anti-aging effect.

This article was written by (hub/spot)

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The original of this article “”Fountain of youth musculature” author: “For top effect I recommend polarizing training”” comes from spot on news.