mitochondria - Dr. Stephanie Estima

Feeling the Burn vs. Mechanical Failure—Know the Difference

TL; DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

“Feeling the burn” during exercise isn't necessarily a sign you've effectively challenged your muscles to stimulate strength or hypertrophy gains.

True muscle growth and strength improvement often require reaching mechanical failure, which differs notably from the burning sensation commonly experienced during exercises like Pilates.

And before you throw tomatoes at me, I do Pilates 2-3 times a week and I love it. I feel happy, calm, and centered after each session. But I am, in no way, under the hallucination that it builds muscle.

WHY THIS MATTERS

For women over 40, understanding the difference between muscle fatigue (the burn) and mechanical failure ensures effective workouts that build strength, preserve muscle mass, and support healthy aging.

Perimenopausal and menopausal women should have a primary goal of building good quality muscle mass in midlife—for mobility, for metabolic health, and to drive up production of testosterone and estrogens.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Feeling the Burn (Muscle Fatigue): This sensation, typically felt in high-repetition, low-resistance activities like Pilates, results from lactic acid accumulation and metabolic stress in the muscles.When muscles perform repeated contractions, oxygen supply can struggle to keep pace with energy demands, leading to anaerobic energy production. This process results in the creation of lactic acid, contributing to muscle acidity and that familiar burning sensation.Metabolic stress also occurs due to the buildup of various metabolic by-products, intensifying the sense of fatigue and encouraging muscular endurance adaptations rather than significant hypertrophy. It indicates endurance work rather than maximal strength building.
Mechanical Failure (Strength Training): Occurs when your muscles cannot complete another repetition due to reaching their maximal capability, typically with heavier resistance. At this point, the muscle fibers have undergone maximal mechanical stress, causing microscopic tears. In response, the body initiates a repair process involving protein synthesis and muscle cell growth, known as hypertrophy.This adaptive mechanism increases muscle strength, size, and overall functional capacity, enabling greater resilience and power in subsequent workouts.
Pilates vs. Strength Training: Pilates is excellent for core stability, pelvic floor health, flexibility, posture, and endurance, but typically doesn't challenge muscles to mechanical failure.Strength training with progressively heavier weights and fewer reps is crucial for muscle preservation, bone health, and strength gains in women over 40.

HOW PILATES & STRENGTH TRAINING WORK DIFFERENTLY

Pilates Mechanism: Pilates improves core strength and pelvic floor health primarily through sustained muscle engagement and controlled movements. These exercises activate deep stabilizing muscles, promoting endurance, neuromuscular control, and improved muscular coordination without typically causing significant hypertrophy.
Strength Training Mechanism: Strength training drives muscular hypertrophy (aka more muscle) by creating microscopic tears in muscle fibers through mechanical tension and progressive overload by lifting heavy weights. The body repairs and rebuilds these fibers during recovery, resulting in stronger, larger muscles. This anabolic process significantly enhances muscle mass, strength, and metabolic health.

HOW TO TRAIN EFFECTIVELY

Incorporate Strength Training: Regularly include resistance exercises with weights that challenge your muscles within 1-3 reps of failure.
Balance Your Routine: Combine Pilates or similar endurance-focused activities with traditional strength exercises for comprehensive fitness. I am currently doing Pilates 2-3 times a week (as my schedule permits!)

NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS

➡️ Assess Your Current Workouts: Are you mainly feeling the burn or genuinely approaching or even reaching mechanical failure? Muscle failure is hard. You start with a full range of motion, but at some point, you are reduced to a very limited range of motion, which you are unable to do at the same speed as before.

➡️ Adjust Your Approach: Gradually increase resistance, volume, or sets in your strength workouts by using the principles of progressive overload (See Mini Pause #44 and Mini Pause #10 for reference.)

➡️ Stay Balanced: Keep Pilates as a complement to your overall fitness regimen. I find Pilates has improved my core and pelvic floor health significantly, and it is another way I work on my posture.

What I Recommend

Mitochondrial Support: The Missing Link in Your Menopausal Wellness

Struggling with midlife fatigue and muscle weakness? Your mitochondria—cellular powerhouses that produce energy—may need support.

In my latest article, I explore how declining mitochondrial function affects women during menopause and how a breakthrough compound called Urolithin A can help revitalize these tiny energy factories. Plus, discover an exclusive discount from Timeline Nutrition for my readers! Read the full article to energize your menopausal journey here.

Walk This Way: Easily Up Your Fitness with a Walking Pad & Minimalist Shoes

WALKINGPAD: If you can’t always go outside for your daily walks, a walking treadmill is a great way to get in your steps. I walk on my WalkingPad during team meetings, when I'm prepping for a podcast, when I'm planning out my week, after lunch, and to recover from intense training.

Bonus features? It's quiet, it folds away when I'm not using it, and I can control it from my phone.

Visit https://www.walkingpad.com/DRSTEPHANIE and use code DRSTEPHANIE to get 30% off selected collections (WalkingPad Under Desk Treadmill & WalkingPad Great Running Treadmill) with a minimum purchase of USD300 required.

PELUVA: I’ve become a fan of Peluva because these low-profile shoes are designed to let feet be feet. Your toes get the space they actually need to help you ambulate properly. The design also allows for proprioception and retraining of the toe and ankle mortise. Peluva delivers comfort, function, and style so you can relax, realign, and strengthen your feet to build health with every step.

Visit https://peluva.com/DRSTEPHANIE and use code DRSTEPHANIE to get 10% off any style.

More Midlife Walking Benefits:

🌟 Love these recommendations? Find more resources to support your health in midlife in my Health Toolkit!

The Powerhouses That Power Your Midlife

As we navigate the perimenopausal and menopausal journey, our bodies undergo significant changes that can affect our energy, muscle strength, and overall vitality. While hormonal shifts often take center stage in conversations about this transition, there's another crucial factor that deserves our attention: mitochondrial health.

What Are Mitochondria and Why Should You Care?

Mitochondria—often called the “powerhouses of the cell”—generate the energy that fuels everything from our muscle movements to our cognitive function. Think of them as your body's microscopic power plants, converting nutrients into ATP, the energy currency your cells need to perform their functions.

For women in midlife, maintaining robust mitochondrial function becomes increasingly important. Research shows that mitochondrial efficiency naturally declines with age, contributing to the fatigue, muscle weakness, and decreased recovery capacity that many women experience during and after menopause.

The Mitochondria-Menopause Connection

During menopause, declining estrogen levels directly impact mitochondrial performance. Estrogen helps regulate mitochondrial function and provides protection against oxidative stress—when this protection diminishes, our cellular powerhouses become less efficient.

The good news? Emerging research suggests we can actively support mitochondrial health during this transition through specific lifestyle practices and targeted nutrition.

Mitophagy: Your Cellular Renewal System

Our bodies have a natural process called mitophagy that removes damaged mitochondria, making way for healthier, more efficient ones. Think of it as your body's built-in quality control system for energy production.

However, this renewal process slows as we age, allowing damaged mitochondria to accumulate. This accumulation contributes to many hallmarks of aging, including muscle loss (sarcopenia) and decreased energy—challenges that disproportionately affect women in menopause.

Urolithin A: A Breakthrough for Mitochondrial Health

Recent scientific discoveries have identified a compound called Urolithin A that can significantly boost mitophagy. This postbiotic compound helps clear out damaged mitochondria and stimulates the production of new, more efficient ones.

Clinical research shows impressive results: In one study, adults taking Urolithin A experienced up to a 12% increase in muscle strength without changing their exercise routines. Another study demonstrated improved endurance and muscle function after just four months of supplementation.

The Gut-Mitochondria Connection

Interestingly, Urolithin A isn't found directly in foods. Rather, it's produced in our gut when we consume certain foods rich in polyphenols, like pomegranates and berries.

The catch? This conversion depends on our gut microbiome composition, and research indicates most people lack the specific gut bacteria needed to produce therapeutic levels of Urolithin A, regardless of how healthy their diet is.

Supporting Your Mitochondria with Timeline

Timeline Nutrition has developed Mitopure®, a clinically tested, highly pure form of Urolithin A that delivers a precise dose directly to your cells. Unlike relying on dietary sources alone, Mitopure ensures you receive the optimal amount for mitochondrial renewal.

Their product line includes convenient capsules, versatile powders, and their newest offering—delicious gummies that make mitochondrial support feel like a treat rather than a chore. Additionally, Timeline offers complementary supplements and skincare formulated to support cellular health from the inside and out.

Ready to energize your midlife journey? Timeline is offering my Bettys a 10% discount on all products when you visit https://shop.timeline.com/DRSTEPHANIE and use code DRSTEPHANIE.

Experience how mitochondrial support can transform how you feel during this powerful life transition.

Tag: mitochondria

Mini Pause #70: Pilates vs. Strength Training