Bodybuilding ? Very little for you. Even if you don’t want to strengthen your muscles, maybe you should consider lifting weights for the good … of your brain. A study by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and published in the journal Journal of the American Geriatrics Society praises the merits of weights to “muscle” the brain, and specifically to preserve cognitive abilities for longer.
Just as muscle mass is reduced with aging and becomes less efficient, so too can the brain see its cerebral capacities diminish with age. In the long term, damage to the white matter (tissue of the central nervous system) can appear on the brain, without the person noticing it. Then memory and learning problems can develop, a sign of a decline in cognitive abilities.
While several studies have praised the virtues of physical exercise, in particular of the walk or running, to slow down the cognitive decline, Vancouver researchers are the first to focus specifically on weightlifting, and more broadly, muscle resistance.
They studied 54 women aged 65 to 75, all with white matter lesions, who were divided into three groups. The first followed one training per week of resistance exercises (lifting weights, squats, etc.). The second, two workouts per week of the same type and the third group practiced a workout combining stretching and balance movements.
Dumbbells to prevent injury
Verdict: Women in the twice-weekly weight training group showed less white matter reduction than the other groups.
For the researchers, it can be assumed “reasonably that resistance training [comme le soulevé de poids] may prevent the development and progression of “white matter” lesions in the long term.
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