How Can Exercise Improve Your Muscular System?

Written by Miguel Cavazos

28 November, 2018

Your muscular system is made up of tissues, which contract to control your joint movements. Exercise improves your muscular system by enhancing the way your muscles work with other body systems, such as your cardiovascular and neurological systems. In working your muscular system through exercise, you can also improve your appearance by toning your muscles and altering your body composition. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen.

Blood and Oxygen

Your muscles need blood and oxygen to remove cellular waste and produce energy for physical activity. Exercising improves your muscular system with repetitive muscle contractions, such as flexing your legs while walking on the treadmill or flexing your arms while lifting weights. The blood and oxygen flowing into your muscles increases and decreases each time your muscles relax and contract, respectively, during exercise, Dr. Richard Klabunde explains on the Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts website. Exercise improves your muscular system by improving circulation, which enhances energy and waste removal capacity in your muscle tissues.

Your muscles need blood and oxygen to remove cellular waste and produce energy for physical activity.
Exercise improves your muscular system by improving circulation, which enhances energy and waste removal capacity in your muscle tissues.

Endurance

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Muscular endurance is required for flexing your muscles repeatedly, and for sustaining muscular contractions against resistance for extended periods of time. Exercise, particularly high-repetition weightlifting, can increase this muscular endurance. Greater muscular endurance can improve your quality of life. For example, core muscle endurance helps you maintain a healthy posture, which optimizes the flow of nutrients throughout your body. The National Federation of Personal Trainers recommends weightlifting sets of 20 to 25 repetitions to increase muscular endurance.

Muscular endurance is required for flexing your muscles repeatedly, and for sustaining muscular contractions against resistance for extended periods of time.

Strength

Exercise can improve your muscular system by increasing your muscle strength. Resistance exercise, such as weightlifting, is the ideal form of exercise for strength training. A stronger muscular system can generate more force against resistance, and allows you to move heavier weight over greater distances. The diameter of your muscles expands as they get stronger, which protects your bones and joints from problems, such as osteoporosis and arthritis. To stimulate muscular growth, the National Federation of Personal Trainers recommends heavy weightlifting sets of four to 12 repetitions each.

Exercise can improve your muscular system by increasing your muscle strength.
The diameter of your muscles expands as they get stronger, which protects your bones and joints from problems, such as osteoporosis and arthritis.

Coordination

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Maintaining your balance while performing complex joint movements requires muscular coordination. Athletic training involves exercises that improve coordination for sports-specific skills. Daily activities such as showering, unloading groceries and household chores all require muscular coordination. Exercise helps you maintain and improve coordination by forming neuromuscular pathways which allow your muscular system to communicate with your nervous and other bodily systems more effectively. Walking, balance-board training and weightlifting with free weights help your muscular system coordinate joint movements more effectively.

Maintaining your balance while performing complex joint movements requires muscular coordination.
Walking, balance-board training and weightlifting with free weights help your muscular system coordinate joint movements more effectively.