From DW Documentary.
What impact does good muscle tone have on our health? Studies show that muscle training can slow down the ageing process, prevent metabolic disorders and even inhibit cancer cells.
The muscular system is the largest system in our body, accounting for around 30 to 40 percent of our body weight. Healthy and well-trained muscles give us the strength we need for an active life.
But muscles can do much more than just set our bodies in motion: regular muscle training has a positive impact on our overall health. This is because muscles work in a similar way to an endocrine organ: when activated, muscles release messenger substances called myokines, which directly influence our central organs such as the brain, liver, heart and intestines. If we lose muscle mass, these organs can become diseased, or metabolic disorders like diabetes can develop. Fit muscles, on the other hand, can reduce the risk of brain diseases like dementia or Alzheimer’s, and decelerate the ageing process.
Wilhelm Bloch from the German Sport University Cologne sees the muscles as akin to the body’s own pharmacy. He’s spent decades researching myokines, which are released by active muscles. His current project shows that myokines influence the growth, division and movement of cancer cells.
Alice Kindich suffers from metastatic breast cancer. She took part in a companion study by Bloch and spent nine months lifting weights in the gym. Since then, her quality of life has significantly improved.
Ingo Froböse, also from the German Sport University Cologne, says it’s never too late to start strength training. On the contrary: muscle training is particularly important in old age to prevent sarcopenia, which is the degenerative age-related breakdown of skeletal muscle.
Although 33-year-old Leonie Poppe is still young, she wants to commit to her strength training journey.
The documentary tracks her progress over six weeks and shows the changes she undergoes both physically and mentally.
Professional long jumper Maryse Luzolo is aiming to qualify for the Olympic Games. She knows how hard it is to get back into strength training after a long break. An accident a few years ago sidelined her for an extended period. After that, she had to rebuild her muscles from scratch in order to participate in competitive sports.
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