How to measure muscle strength

In July 2008, the British Medical Journal published a landmark study which established an association between muscle strength and mortality unrelated to fitness or exercise levels. You can see the study here: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/337/jul01_2/a439

As I was setting up a new practice a year later, I decided to replicate their protocols to measure muscle strength.

What they did to measure muscle strength was to measure muscle mass and then get people to do a one rep maximum lift with bench press and leg press. By adding the two lifts together and dividing my muscle mass, they could compare the maximum lift capacity of men of different sizes and weights.

So that is exactly what I did, using a Bioscan 916 from Maltron, I can measure muscle mass accurately, and then I measure a one rep maximum bench press.  I found, however that the leg press was difficult because so much depended on the angle of the knee at the start of the test, so I used a deadlift instead. I figure with those two tests, I am using most of the body's muscle mass.

Here is how it works:

Measuring muscle strength

The results have been fascinating

For men I get a range of between 1 and 6. To be competitive, athletes need to be above 5. Anyone below 3.3 is in the lowest quarter of my population and is usually well below par healthwise.

For women the lowest quarter is below 2.

I am pleased that every patient in the lowest quarter I have been able to lift out of the danger zone. The average increase in strength for those in the lowest quarter is 64%.

The average increase for those in the middle range is 17% and the average for the top range is 10%.  These increases are an average for everyone who I have re-tested, which is not a majority but neither are they selected.

Your comments and questions are welcome.

How Reflexology Really Works

Many people think reflexology is to do with energies or body maps. Whenever pressure or stretch is introduced, the body will react by changing muscle tone. This in itself is therapeutic.
In this patient, I choose a random point first (as a placebo intervention) and then I press the Heart alarm point. There is obviously a difference in the body's reaction to properly placed pressure and the abductors are now facilitated.

How Reflexology really works

Muscle Receptors

For an excellent summary of the structure and function of muscle spindles:

Chapter 11 - Muscle Receptors.

The Myotatic Reflex

The Myotatic Reflex (sometimes myotactic reflex) is probably our body's most unrecognised and unappreciated defence mechanism.

Forget about the immune system. When it comes to making it safely through the day, nothing comes close to the myotatic reflex.

Imagine that a muscle is able to constantly monitor it's own length and tension no matter what it's length, and is able to respond the instant it's length or tension changes. Continue reading »

The withdrawal reflex

In the last blog I showed how the myotatic reflex works to prevent our body being damaged by an outside force.

The withdrawal reflex (also known as the flexor withdrawal reflex) also exists to keep us safe. Continue reading »