I got some great news for you: you’re never too old to build muscle.
In fact a 90 year old has nearly the same capacity to create new muscle fibre as a 30 year old.
With age does come a deterioration in muscle mass, however age isn’t the monumental influence you’d expect it to be. Studies show generally people lose only about 1 per cent of their muscle mass per year after age 40. There are exceptions to this of course with some diseases resulting in a more rapid muscle loss.
Adopting a more sedentary lifestyle as we tend to do with age, is by far the greatest influence on the speed at which muscle is lost. We find the adage ‘ if you don’t use it, you lose it’ is true, as much of the weakness in older age is preventable if muscles are kept active.
Now we have established you have the potential to not only maintain but to build muscle mass at any age, let’s look at the how.
Your ability to build muscle depends on whether the exercise you’re doing provides the right stimulus to require the muscle to grow. Aerobic based exercise like walking, or stretching based exercise like tai chi, wouldn’t create sufficient stress on the muscle to require them to get any stronger. The muscle will get more efficient, and better at doing the movement but not be required to get any stronger.
Strength training stimulates the muscles to get stronger as they need to be challenged. Lifting weights, powerful Yoga, strength based water work, are examples of exercise which generates stress on the muscle requiring them to grow.
Correct technique is important when doing strength training as injury can occur if you do an exercise poorly. Having a professional coach to teach you and maintain your technique, particularly if you are new to strength training, is money well spent.
So if you’re 20 or 80 there’s no excuse to not begin strength work today, or at least make the call today. This is important, this is YOU, get strong, energetic, beautiful, sexy – whatever it is that you want to feel you can get, and regular strength work will help you get it.
If you live in Adelaide come to one of our training sessions, or if you live else where, give me a call and we can set you up over the phone. I even have a Gabriel Method Fitness program out soon so you can work out with me at home.
The point is it can be done. If it’s important enough you’ll find the time. Forget those crazy ads with the ’cause you’re worth it’ crap so you buy their junk product, do something that makes you feel good on the inside, that’s what makes the change you’re after. Go lift!