27 Jun How To Combat Muscle Loss As We Age.

Many people believe that once you become older there is no point in exercising.  The unfortunate truth is that after 40 muscle mass can decrease 1% per year.  The loss tends to get even worse after 50.  Several things contribute to that including decreased hormone levels, decreased protein intake, and lack of exercise.

We as physicians have not emphasized the need to build and maintain muscle mass.  Proof – How many of you know what Osteoporosis is?  Probably most of you do, but how many are familiar with the term Sarcopenia?  Sarcopenia is defined as loss of muscle tissue as a natural part of the aging process.

The good news is that even though the naturally tendency is to lose muscle mass after 40, it is not a predetermined fate.  Most people can continue to add muscle mass through their 70’s.  By applying the principles in this article, you can continue to maintain that muscle in your 80’s.  If you are lucky enough to make it to your 90’s, no matter what you do, you will lose muscle. You can, however, slow the loss down.  The more muscle you build while you can, the better.

More muscle mass prevents falls, increases aerobic capacity, improves fat metabolism, and improves joint and bone health.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that older adults may need to consume more protein than the RDA currently recommends.  How much protein is debatable.  Between 0.5 gm-1gm per pound of body weight is advisable.  I consume more toward the higher end of the recommendations.  While younger adults usually consume too much protein, older adults often eat less than what is needed.

Be careful when starting an exercise program.  Do not to do too much too soon.  The emphasis should be on sustainability.

Older people need to work out more often than younger people to maintain muscle mass.  If a young person takes a couple of weeks off they will lose small amounts of muscle mass and will find it relatively easy to get back.  An older person that takes a couple of weeks off can lose dramatic amounts of muscle.  This is why placing an older patient in a hospital bed for a week can be debilitating and require intense physical therapy to get them back to their baseline.  The older you get the more you need to work to maintain your muscle mass.

Concentrate on lighter weights and make sure you warm up properly.  Heavy weights increase the risk of injuries and joint pains.  Injuries affect consistency.  Consistency is more important than intensity.  Concentrate on using a weight that fatigues your muscles in 15-20 repetitions.  A weight that you can not lift 15 times is too heavy.  Lighter is o-kay.  Even repetition ranges in the 30-40’s can build muscle if done consistently.

Warming up is more important to prevent injuries the older we get.  I recommend starting out with 10 minutes of an aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling, or using the elliptical machine to raise your core temperature and prepare your muscles for work.  I then recommend that you warm up the specific muscle group you are going to exercise.  Here is the format I use.

10 Repetitions at 50% of my working weight then,

10 Repetitions at 50% of my working weight then,

4 Repetitions at 70% of my working weight then,

2 Repetitions at 90% of my working weight.

No particular weight lifting frequency has been proven to be the best.  Consider resistance training (weight lifting) 3 days a week and aerobic training 3 days a week.

A couple of common mistakes can lead to poor muscle gains

1.  Not training hard enough.  A good rule of thumb while doing aerobic exercise is that if you can sing a show tune while exercising you are not pushing it hard enough.  If you can not hold a conversation then you are pushing it too hard.

2.  Training too hard.  Your motto should be, “Stimulate don’t annihilate.”

How do you know if you are training too hard?  If you push yourself to the limit every workout and find that your are having issues with insomnia, feeling more fatigued (even in the morning), or are more moody than usual, you may be pushing yourself too hard.  Reduce your intensity.  While we need to workout more frequently as we age to maintain muscle, you also require longer to recover.  Consider deloading every 4th – 5th week.  In a deload week do your same exercises just use 50% of your normal working weight.

Flexibility is controversial but maintaining flexibility becomes more important as we age.  The most common problem areas are the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles.  Concentrate on these especially if there is asymmetry.  I recommend holding each stretch for 60 seconds and repeat each stretch 3 times.  Stretching should be done on a daily basis.

Apply these principles consistently to avoid Sarcopenia and increase muscle mass.

Here’s to the Journey!

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