Aerobic exercise better for body development, study confirms

A new study reveals that aerobic exercises such as running, swimming or cycling may be better suited for the body than strength training.

In the report published in the Journal of Sports Sciences and Muscle and Nerve, researchers from the University of Kansas found that different types of exercises yield different brain and muscle communication results.

To confirm their findings, the researchers measured the muscle responses of three groups of participants who do strength training or weight lifting, those who jog or run and those who do not exercise at all. They found that the brain-muscle communication among those who run long distances were the most responsive of the three.

"The communication between the brains and their muscles was slightly different than the resistance trainers and sedentary individuals," said Trent Herda, professor of health, sport and exercise sciences, via a press release published in the University of Kansas website. "This information also suggested that resistance trainers and those who are sedentary were more likely to fatigue sooner, among other things."

According to a report by Medical Daily, Herda stated that the results of the study can help determine what type of exercise our bodies are naturally inclined to. However, more research and study needs to be done on a bigger scale and participants must be more varied in terms of athletic backgrounds before researchers can find out what type of training or exercise yields the faster muscle-brain connection.

Additionally, the researchers are unsure why the rates of muscle fibers are different with varied types of exercise. Science Codex reports that it may be due to different muscle performance, stiffness, and function to name a few.

All the participants who took part in the experiment were healthy. The endurance group or those who did aerobic exercises ran an average of 60 miles per week and never did weight lifting prior to the study. Those who were in the resistance training group lifted weights for 5 to 8 hours per week and never did any type of aerobics such as running, cycling or running. The participants who did not exercise have not done so for at least two years prior to the experiment.

The muscle responses of the participants were measured using mechanomyographic and electromyographic electrode sensors. The researchers placed the devices on their quadriceps muscle and asked them to extend their legs while seated to measure the submaximal contraction and total force of their extended leg.