Having an athlete's physique will not only attract the attention of the opposite sex, but also help to prolong life. The research team from Sweden found that muscular men live longer than their frail peers. The study found that these strong men were overweight afterwards, but the advantage of strong muscles still made them live better.

The research team selected more than 6,543,800 Swedish men for the experiment, and scholars followed them for 24 years. In the physical examination before joining the army, these men received muscle strength tests such as grip strength, calf flexion and extension, and push-ups. The researchers found that men with weak muscle strength are prone to premature death. In addition, physically weak men are also very fragile in mental function. Researchers believe that muscle strength reflects a person's overall health.

During the study period, 26 145 volunteers died. The main cause of their death is accidental injury, followed by suicide, cancer, heart disease and stroke. The statistical results show that in the muscle strength test, the record of premature death of teenagers due to any reason and some disease is 20%~35% lower than the average level, and so is the possibility of death due to cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the possibility of their early death due to suicide is also reduced by 20%~30%, and the risk of being diagnosed with any kind of mental illness is reduced by 65% year-on-year.

For those who score the lowest in muscle strength tests, the risk of premature death is greatly increased. After considering other factors that may lead to death, there is still a correlation between weakness and premature death. The study also found that emaciated and obese men will also suffer from the crisis of shortened life expectancy if they score lower in muscle tests. Men with strong muscles and simple clothes will have a higher survival rate even if they gain weight and are overweight in the later period. However, the researchers particularly stressed that this does not mean that the muscle growth brought by excessive strength training can make people live longer.

Vegetarian food can strengthen muscles.

Many people think that to get strong muscles, you should eat more meat. In fact, some vegetarians also have the function of strengthening muscles. 654381October 30th, the American "Green Planet Network" published an article, announcing four vegetarian diets that American nutritionists summarized can strengthen muscles.

1, nuts.

A wide variety of nuts are rich in protein, which is beneficial to muscle growth. For example, 1 cup of almonds (about 227 grams) contains 30 grams of protein and 7 1 gram of "good fat".

2. Douchi and tofu.

These two vegetarians are good for muscle growth and are excellent substitutes for meat food. Moreover, fermented douchi is easier to be digested and absorbed. 1 cup of lobster sauce (about 185g) contains 30.78g of protein.

3. Quinoa

The United Nations designated 20 13 as "the year of quinoa". Quinoa looks like rice, but it looks like other grains when cooked. 1 cup raw quinoa (about 185g) contains 24g of protein and 9 important amino acids that cannot be produced by human body. Quinoa also contains a lot of carbohydrates, which can ensure the energy supply for long-term high-intensity exercise.

4. Seed food.

Seed foods such as flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are rich in protein and "good fat". Flaxseed is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber and various antioxidants.

Five misunderstandings of fitness and bodybuilding

Myth 1: Eat more meat and grow muscles.

The growth of muscle requires adequate intake of raw materials, so many people have the wrong idea of "eating more meat and growing muscles".

Admittedly, protein is the raw material for muscle growth, and in order to satisfy muscle growth, the intake of protein needs to reach 1. 6-2 g/kg body weight/day, but if these protein are only obtained by eating meat, the "by-product" that follows may be excessive fat intake, and eventually the muscle does not grow, but grows fat.

So we must choose the right food to supplement protein. On the one hand, you should choose meat foods with low fat content in your daily diet, such as skinless chicken breast, lean beef, fish and other meats, and egg white is also a good choice; On the other hand, if the economy permits, you can take some professional protein nutrients, which can effectively help bodybuilders gain muscle without gaining weight.

Myth 2: only pay attention to training and not nutrition.

Many bodybuilders are keen on sweating in the gym. As soon as they enter the gym, they can't wait to lie down and bend over ... They think that the more they practice, the greater the intensity and the better the muscle gain effect, but they often ignore another key factor of muscle gain-nutrition.

There is a jargon in bodybuilding called "bodybuilding exercises muscles by half and eating by half", which is really a popular summary of experience. "Practice" refers to scientific practice, and "eating" refers to reasonable nutritional supplement.

Without enough raw materials, it is impossible to build tall buildings, and without reasonable nutrition, it is difficult to grow muscles. So how to eat is reasonable? Bodybuilders' daily diet can refer to this formula, that is, moderate protein food plus low-fat food, followed by high-carbohydrate food.

Myth 3: The more protein, the better.

Some bodybuilders mistakenly believe that "since protein is an important raw material for muscle training, the more you eat, the better for muscle training".

Facts have proved that this is really a beautiful mistake! The demand of muscle exercisers for protein is indeed higher than that of ordinary people. For ordinary muscle exercisers, the daily weight per kilogram is 1. 6-2 grams of protein can completely meet the needs, and the extra protein can't be used by human body.

On the contrary, too much protein is harmful from a medical point of view, which will increase the burden on liver and kidney, and a long-term high-protein diet will cause abnormal liver and kidney function; In addition, a large number of protein will produce a large number of toxic wastes in the process of metabolism, which will cause dehydration and acidification of body fluids, make fatigue happen ahead of time and weaken the training effect.

Myth 4: Ignore the supplement of vegetables and fruits.

Many people often pay attention to supplement enough energy and protein to gain muscle, but they don't pay so much attention to the supplement of vegetables and fruits. They think that these foods have no important effect on muscle gain, but they don't know that this is the reason why many bodybuilders have poor muscle gain effect.

Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. Muscle exercise consumes a lot of vitamins and minerals. If they are not effectively supplemented, it will easily lead to disorder and fatigue of energy and substance metabolism.

More importantly, some vitamins and minerals in vegetables and fruits, such as boron, zinc and Vc, can promote testosterone secretion, and testosterone is beneficial to muscle growth. Adequate fruit and vegetable supplements can often make muscle gain twice the result with half the effort. In addition, lycopene, Vc, Ve, etc. , rich in fruits and vegetables, has a good antioxidant effect, and can effectively remove excessive oxidants in the body caused by strength training, thus protecting muscle cells and promoting fatigue recovery.

Myth 5: Eating before going to bed helps to gain muscle.

Many junior muscle-building enthusiasts, especially those who are thin, like to add meals before going to bed in order to make their muscles grow up quickly.

But after a period of time, they will find that their muscle circumference has not changed, but the thickness of their stomachs is increasing day by day, which makes them very distressed and confused.

In fact, the reason is very simple. If you eat too much before going to bed, your metabolism will slow down when you sleep, and you can't consume calories, which will inevitably turn into fat accumulation.

So when is it helpful to add meals to gain muscle? First of all, eat some cakes, bananas and other foods at 1 hour 30 minutes before each exercise to ensure the energy supply during the exercise; Secondly, we should seize the "golden period" of nutritional supplement within 30 minutes after each exercise, which is the most vigorous period of muscle synthesis. Supplementing one or two eggs or a spoonful of protein will help to repair and rebuild injured muscles and tissues and relieve symptoms such as muscle soreness.