A British study finds that weight training strengthens the nervous system even before building muscle. This happens during the first weeks of training. Thus, when resuming training, the watchword is none other than patience. It's about not getting frustrated if you don't see immediate visible results.
Due to the resumption of the coronavirus epidemic in France, gyms have closed their doors again . However, there will be a return to these establishments in the near future and at that time, we will have to be patient. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience on July 22, 2020, the first few weeks of training in fact strengthen the nervous system failing to develop muscles.
According to researchers at the Institute of Neurology at the University of Newcastle (UK), this is a first step in conditioning the nervous system . However, this step would be very important in sports training in order to gain strength, and therefore musculature. If for years, science has known that lifting weights develops muscles, the study in question has made a real discovery.
As part of their study, the researchers trained two monkeys to lift a weight with one hand. For twelve weeks, the researchers gradually increased the mass of the weight to reach 6 kg. In passing, let us mention the fact that this weight is substantially the same as that of these animals. Every day, the study directors stimulated the motor cortex monkeys by measuring the electrical activity of their arm muscles.
At the end of the experiment, the researchers then concluded that the first weeks of training were synonymous with strengthening the nervous system. Indeed, the electrical response was greater in the weight-trained arm. According to the researchers, this is due to motor tracts , specifically the reticulospinal tracts.
“Strength is not just about muscle mass. When you start lifting weights, you get stronger because the neural input to your muscles increases. It's only a few weeks later that the muscles themselves begin to grow" explained Isabel Glover, co-author of the study.
Bodybuilding is sometimes the subject of scientific research. Another Newcastle University study published in 2018 found that endurance exercise has anti-aging effects. On the other hand, this would not be the case with resistance exercises.
