Tips To Maintain Muscle Mass as You Age

June 30 2014

Tips To Maintain Muscle Mass as You Age

The human body goes through a number of different biological chemicals as it ages, some of which increase the difficulty of maintaining/building muscle mass.Once a person hits the 40 mark, he or she may struggle to keep their current build. With the right approach, however, you can successfully maintain and even build your muscle mass well into your golden years.

How Age Affects Muscle Mass

Scientists believe there are several reasons why older people have more difficulty maintaining muscle mass, one of which lower metabolism levels. After the age of 20, a person’s metabolism levels will drop roughly 1-2% per decade, slowing the protein synthesis necessary for muscle growth and development.

“In order for the body to make proteins that build muscle, certain genes need to be turned on,” said Donato Rivas, a scientist at Tufts University in the US. “We noticed that older people had fewer genes turned on compared to the younger people, showing us their muscles were not responding as well to the exercise,” added Rivas.

Increase Your Protein Intake

One incredibly simple, and equally effective, way to maintain mass as you age is to consume more protein. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, protein is the single most important nutrient for muscle development. It speeds up the recovery process while promoting more muscle mass.

Note: check out our previous blog post for some easy ways to increase your daily protein intake.

More Strength Training and Less Cardio

Going back to the basics of muscle-building 101, you should focus your workout sessions around high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Some people naturally resort to cardio as they age, spending their time on the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical, but unfortunately this doesn’t yield the same muscle-building benefits as lifting weights.

It’s important to focus your workout regimen around HIIT exercises like barbell bench presses, dumbbell bicep curls, weighted squats, lunges, shoulder presses, deadlifts, etc. Does this mean you should avoid cardio? Absolutely not, but the bulk of your workout routine should be centered around HIIT exercises.

Stay Active

Staying active is critical to maintaining muscle mass as you age. Far too many people resort to a non-active lifestyle, which in turn slows down their metabolism, and subsequently, their muscle growth.

To recap, the three main components to maintaining muscle mass as you age is to lift weights, consume protein (and lots of it), and stay active.