With the average American sitting about 10 hours a day, University of Houston researcher Marc Hamilton may have discovered a way to elevate muscle metabolism without much effort. Through his research, Hamilton found that when activated properly, the soleus muscle in the calf—which makes up 1 percent of your body weight—could effectively elevate muscle metabolism for hours, even while sitting.
Hamilton’s work focused on the “soleus pushup” (SPU)—a movement that aims to “shorten the calf muscle while the soleus is naturally activated by its motor neurons.” While the movement seems simple, Hamilton advises that it’s actually a very specific movement that currently requires wearable technology and experience to be done correctly for maximum effect.
Published in the journal iScience, Hamilton’s research suggests the soleus pushup’s ability to sustain an elevated oxidative metabolism to improve the regulation of blood glucose is more effective than any popular methods touted as a solution including exercise, weight loss, and intermittent fasting.
“These results indicate that the human soleus muscle is capable of raising, and sustaining for hours, the local rate of oxidative metabolism to high levels,” the research stated.
With many Americans living with muscle metabolism that’s too low because of inactivity, Hamilton said the discovery could be a solution to a variety of health problems caused by the inactivity.
To read the full study, visit https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104869.
