Strength or muscle strength? How they differ and which one should be formed

April 22, 2019

Although they can often be confused, strength and muscle power are not the same.

It is common to think that because we are able to lift weights of several kilos, our muscles perform better, but this is not the case: doing it once can be a show of strength, but the to repeat with consistency and at several intervals defines our muscular power.

In other words, muscular power involves a combined activity of effort, speed and coordination. For many coaches, exercises with moderate weight but multiple repetitions are more effective for leading a healthy lifestyle. Basically, they involve lifting weights that are not too heavy but not very light. Simply that efforts are needed to lift and that allow the exercise to be repeated between 8 and 10 times without feeling extreme exhaustion.

Professor Claudio Gil Araújo, director of Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, has studied nearly 4,000 men and women for several years and concluded that people with more muscle strength tend to live longer. That's what the EuroPrevent 2019 congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Lisbon said. A practical example could be the result of hitting a ball: what makes it roll more or less quickly is not the strength of the muscle, but its power.

How to improve your muscular power

– Choose weights that are not so light that they make the exercise too simple or too cumbersome to make it impossible.
– Make between 1 and 3 sets of investigations between 6 and 8 repetitions.
– Lift quickly and slowly return it to its original position.
– Rest between each series.
– Exercise the upper and lower body and alternate these exercises.
– If exercise is very difficult, do not be afraid to lose weight to avoid injury. An exaggerated pain is not good and should serve as an alarm signal for our efforts.
– Consult the doctors and professional coaches before starting any routine.