After age 40, increasing leg muscle strength becomes more important than ever as the body begins to experience age-related muscle loss. Each decade after age 40, muscle mass can decrease by approximately 3-8% if you are inactive, leading to a decline in strength and power generation.
Leg muscles are the largest muscle group in the body, playing a crucial role in walking, climbing stairs, maintaining balance, and protecting the knee and hip joints. Maintaining and strengthening leg muscles not only improves mobility but also contributes to better metabolism, reduces the risk of falls, and prevents many chronic diseases.
Exercises that apply the right amount of pressure to the leg muscles will stimulate adaptive muscle fibers, increase strength, improve force generation, and help maintain muscle mass over time. Therefore, many men over 40 wonder whether uphill walking or jogging is a more effective option for increasing leg muscle strength.
1. How does walking uphill help strengthen leg muscles?
Walking uphill is a more intense form of exercise than walking on flat ground because it requires you to fight against gravity.
As the incline increases, major muscle groups such as the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, calf muscles, and quadriceps must work harder to generate the force needed to propel the body forward. Simultaneously, the time under tension also increases, facilitating improvements in endurance and muscle strength.
Numerous studies have shown that walking on inclines significantly increases the electromyographic activity (EMG) of the gluteal and calf muscles compared to regular walking.
In addition, hiking uphill has the following advantages:
- Reduces the impact force on the joints compared to running.
- The intensity is easily controlled by adjusting the slope.
- Suitable for overweight individuals or those with a history of mild knee pain.
- It's possible to maintain longer training sessions.
However, uphill walking primarily improves muscle endurance and strength to a moderate degree. Its potential for increasing peak strength remains lower than specialized strength exercises like squats or leg presses.
Walking uphill helps strengthen leg muscles. (Illustrative image by Ai.)
2. Does running help strengthen leg muscles?
Running also engages most leg muscle groups, but in a different way. Each stride generates a reaction force from the ground that is many times greater than body weight. This helps the neuromuscular system work quickly, improving the ability to generate instantaneous force and increasing functional strength.
When running at high speed or sprinting, the thigh and gluteal muscles have to generate a lot of force in a short period of time. This is what helps improve muscle strength and power.
However, with consistent running at a moderate pace, the body primarily adapts to increasing cardiovascular endurance rather than increasing muscle strength.
Some limitations of running include:
- Pressure on the knee joint, ankle, and Achilles tendon is higher.
- The risk of injury increases if the distance covered is increased too quickly.
- People who are sedentary or overweight need to get used to it gradually.
Running correctly also helps increase leg muscle strength. (Illustrative image by AI)
3. What is an effective way to exercise?
If the primary goal is to increase leg strength, high-intensity running, especially uphill or interval running, can provide greater stimulation to the neuromuscular system.
However, for most men over 40, especially beginners or those at risk of joint pain, uphill walking is often a safer and more sustainable option. This form of exercise still significantly increases muscle strength while improving cardiovascular endurance and reducing the risk of injury.
It's important to note that neither uphill walking nor jogging can completely replace strength training exercises.
According to recommendations from sports medicine organizations, adults should combine:
- 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity.
- Do strength training at least two days a week for all major muscle groups.
This combination helps maintain muscle mass, improve strength, increase bone density, and reduce the risk of falls in old age.
For better results, men can apply the following:
- Walk uphill for 30-45 minutes, 2-3 times a week, with an incline of 5-10% if using a treadmill.
- Alternate between 1-2 jogging or interval training sessions if you don't have any joint problems.
- Supplement your training with 2-3 strength training sessions including exercises such as squats, step-ups, weightlifting, and lunges.
- Ensure adequate protein intake (approximately 1.2 - 1.6 g/kg body weight/day for those who exercise regularly) and sufficient sleep for muscle recovery.
In fact, walking uphill and running shouldn't be viewed as two opposing options. Walking uphill is suitable for building fitness and increasing muscle strength at a safe level, while running improves power generation and functional strength if done with proper technique. Combining both along with strength training remains the most effective strategy for maintaining healthy legs after age 40.
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