Sarcopenia, also known as age-related muscle wasting, is a leading health concern among the elderly. According to a study by the Alliance for Research on Aging, the prevalence of sarcopenia is highest among adults age 60 and older.1
- 11% of men and 9% of women living in the community
- 23% of men and 24% of women were hospitalized
- 51% of men and 31% of women are in nursing homes
Once your body begins to lose muscle mass, your quality of life will decrease significantly. For example, it affects your ability to perform simple tasks such as walking upstairs or standing up from a chair.2
If these events occur, how do you prevent muscle loss in old age? The most practical approach is resistance training. In fact, it is recommended as a “first-line treatment to prevent the serious consequences of sarcopenia in the elderly”.3
How resistance training builds big muscles
Resistance training is defined as a form of exercise in which you use weights to target your muscles, such as dumbbells and barbells. In addition, if there are no weights, other equipment can be used, such as resistance bands. But what if you don’t currently have access to any of these tools? Don’t worry, because you can even use your own body weight to build muscle.4
How does muscle building occur through resistance? When you use your muscles against weight, you are intentionally creating minimal tears in your muscles. After training, your body will repair the damaged muscles, making them stronger.5
If you’re just starting to lift weights, Yahoo! Here’s an easy to follow guide! Life – Choose a weight that you can comfortably lift eight to 12 times per set (also known as repetitions). Then repeat the same exercise twice, taking a break in between.6
According to personal trainer Lance Johnson, the reason to go at a comfortable weight is to prevent injuries. In addition, he recommends consulting with a professional trainer to help with proper weight training and strength.7
Resistance training provides multiple system benefits
Getting into the habit of lifting weights has many health benefits. For Yahoo! “Your body needs strong muscles because it creates stability in the skeletal system and maintains bone density,” explains Life, geriatric kinesiologist Mercedes Fernandez.8
“Our bones are connected by tendons, ligaments and muscles.” Fernandez explains. “When our muscles are weakened, there is a greater risk to the stability of the skeletal system. The muscle system that protects the joints and facilitates movement is reduced, so there is a greater chance of injury and movement.”
There are many studies that support Fernandez’s argument. For example, a study9 Sarcopenia has been shown to affect your balance, thereby increasing your risk of fractures. To combat muscle loss, the researchers recommend a resistance training program that includes upper and lower body muscle groups.
In another study10 In a meta-analysis of 14 other papers, researchers reported that resistance training improved indicators such as strength and muscle mass after resistance training.
Another important point that Fernandez raised earlier is the positive effect of resistance training on bone mineral density. An estimated 10 million Americans over the age of 50 currently have osteoporosis, a bone disease characterized by decreased bone strength, which increases the risk of fractures.11 So if you do strength training, not only are you strengthening your muscles, but your bones are getting the same benefits, according to a study published in Sports Medicine.12
The benefits of strength training go beyond muscle mass and bone mineral density. A study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living highlighted the following.
“Although cardiovascular exercise (low-intensity or interval training) has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance through regulation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), strong evidence suggests that resistance training also provides benefits in glycemic control.
Last but not least, strength training has anti-inflammatory actions due to its specific effects on the mechano-growth factor (MGF) and downregulation of the tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) pathway. This may be related to improved insulin action and blood glucose control.
Consider blood flow restriction training to increase muscle growth
If you want to take your weightlifting to a new level, try incorporating blood flow restriction (BFR) training into your workout routine. I believe this is the greatest innovation in exercise in the last century. It is also known as KAATSU in Japan, and was developed in 1966 by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato.
BFR training is a technique in which bands partially block blood flow during exercise, creating intermittent hypoxia. This process creates anti-inflammatory myokines, the muscle version of cytokines, which causes important hormonal processes.
KAATSU is a useful tool to increase muscle mass to combat sarcopenia. It increases blood supply to your satellite stem cells, providing the necessary metabolic support to increase muscle protein synthesis and grow your muscles.
Moreover, seniors are not afraid of lifting heavy weights – in KAATSU, you can lift very light weights, or not at all, and still get the same benefits. In fact, you can even use it as you go about your day. As stated in My interview with Steven MunathonsA KAATSU practitioner who mentored under Sato:
“The KAATSU circuit is basically a very smart biohack, which allows the muscles to work and the vascular tissue to stretch. You don’t feel the pain of heavy lifting, but your vascular tissue and muscle fibers are being worked just like that. It’s effective, and you can do it for a long time.
By putting the KAATSU bands on your legs and going to the beach, walking your dog or just walking around the neighborhood, standing, cleaning the windows of your house, folding your clothes, typing emails, all these things can be done with KAATSU bands on your arms or legs. You are reaping the benefits of exercise.
Beta endorphins are produced; Hormones and metabolites are being produced when you do simple things – and this is how older people in Japan, in the United States, around the world realize that you can stop sarcopenia, but you have to exercise. You don’t have to run 10k and you don’t have to go down to Gold’s Gym. Wear KAATSU Bands and live your life.
Sweet spot for strength training
in My interview with cardiologist James O’KeefeIn his research, he noticed that vigorous exercise backfired, especially when high-intensity exercise was performed. In fact, I changed my exercise program after he presented the data. In particular, people who have been doing intense training for a total of four to seven hours begin to lose the health benefits of exercise. According to O’Keefe, more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to lifting weights:
“I’ve always been a proponent of strength training… but again, the devil is in the details about the dosage. When you look at people who do strength training, on top of that, it adds up to another 19% reduction in mortality. A 45% reduction from an hour of moderate exercise a day.”
When I train, I go to the gym and I spend 20 to 40 minutes, and … I try to use a weight that I can do 10 repetitions … after that, you feel spent and like that. … It takes two days to recover. If you do those two, at most three, times a week, that seems like a sweet spot for longevity.
The graphs above, from O’Keefe’s meta-analysis,13 Demonstrate a J-shaped dose-response for strength training activation and all-cause mortality. As you can see, the benefits are greatest around 40 to 60 minutes per week. You are not getting anything else.
When you’re doing 130 to 140 minutes of strength training per week, the long-term benefits of exercise drop to the point where you’re doing no exercise at all. In short, if you train three to four hours a week, your long-term survival is worse than that of people who do no strength training.
Again, when you’re doing a lot of vigorous exercise, you’re still better than sedentary people. But for some (as yet undetermined) reason, too much strength training can hurt you more than sitting.
The lesson here is to stick to strength training twice a week on non-consecutive days for 20 minutes or once a week for 40 minutes. Also, your exercise regimen is just a supplement—don’t build your entire workout around it. Moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, provides many benefits.
Protein intake goes hand in hand with resistance training
While resistance training can certainly help improve muscle mass, don’t forget the other part of the equation—dietary protein, especially animal-based protein. This macronutrient is essential for muscle repair and building large muscles during training.
Mass building isn’t just about helping make your daily routine easier. The more muscle you have, the higher your chances of getting rid of diseases, including cancer. As stated in the 2020 study,14 Cachexia – loss of muscle mass – accounts for 20% of all cancer deaths. One reason for this is that your muscles act as a storehouse for amino acids, which are critical during times of pain.
It also helps regulate your muscle metabolism15 And as stated in the study, it is important to remove glucose16 It was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Glucose disposal is an important component in regulating insulin sensitivity.
According to a study17 Elevated estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) plays a protective role in heart failure (HF), published in the European Heart Journal. Here’s what they found after analyzing data from 1,685 patients with type 2 diabetes:
“Patients with high eGDR levels are less likely to develop HF, suggesting that insulin resistance may play an important role in the pathogenesis of HF in people with type 2 diabetes.”
An ideal amount of protein for most adults is 15% of daily calories. To help you calculate your specific amount, follow this guide – most adults need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight, this is your target weight, not your current weight.
For example, if your goal weight is 135 pounds (61.23 kg), multiply 61.23 by 0.8. This brings your daily protein requirement to about 49 grams.
For most normal-weight adults, 30 grams per meal is the minimum you need to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Children usually need 5 to 10 grams of protein per meal. One-third of your total protein (about 16 grams in this example) should be collagen to ensure you’re getting a healthy amino acid ratio.
