Coordination
Everyone from chess and violin players to dancers and
professional athletes can benefit from training to become
stronger. Lifting weights to develop large strong muscles can
improve coordination, make you faster and more flexible as well
as stronger. It will not interfere with the coordination that you
need for such fine muscle movements as playing the piano or
shooting a basketball.
Muscles are made up of two different types of fibers.
The red, slow-twitch fibers are used for endurance and the white,
fast-twitch fibers are used for strength and speed. When you
strengthen a muscle, you train the same fibers that also make
you faster, so strength training helps you to move faster.
Coordination is controlled by the ability of your brain to direct the
more than 500 muscles in your body. Strengthening a muscle
does not hinder brain control of muscles. Stronger muscles use
fewer fibers for the same task and therefore are easier to control.
Full length, range-of-motion strength training can also
improve flexibility. To make a muscle more flexible, you need to
stretch it. When you lift a heavy weight, your muscles stretch
before the weight starts to move. In addition to making you a
better athlete, strength training will also help you in everyday
activities, such as opening stuck doors, jars and faucets, and
doing your household chores.
Checked 9/29/08