How to Mitigate Muscle Loss Through Your 40s and Beyond
Why is muscle so important?
Muscle mass is essentially the body’s armour. It prevents the skeletal structure (bones, cartilage, tendons) from collapsing into a pile.
Strength is what enables us as humans to lift things, move well, function throughout the day and move freely without risk.
The topics of fall prevention, cognitive health and chronic illness aren’t typically at the top of gym-goers priorities. However, the common physical decline factors such as, muscle atrophy, strength loss, fat gain and joint pain are all bound to occur without us taking action earlier in life with things such as, resistance and cardiovascular exercise.
Most people chalk these declines up as a normal part of the ageing process, assuming it’s only a matter of time, we all experience it and we do not have control over it. However, this isn’t true and we have much more control than you may think!
The average untrained person loses anywhere between 3-8% of their muscle mass each decade after the age of 30. Strength loss can be even higher, with the average person losing 35-60% of their strength between 30-80 years old.
Example: A 30 year old male with 70kg lean muscle may lose 12kg by the age of 50, followed by an additional 18kg between 50-70 years old. With of course substantial strength loses as a byproduct.
What does some of the research say?
A study in 2010 found that people over the age of 50, after 18 weeks of strength training, the average person increased upper and lower body strength by 49 and 62% respectively. (See study here) Another study has found similar results regarding older people who perform full-body strength exercise experiencing a significant increase in lean muscle. Even a 15% increase in people aged 90+.
Another study with over 140,000 individuals found that grip strength was an excellent predictor of all-cause mortality, finding that 5kg decrease in grip strength was a 16% higher risk of all-cause mortality; a 17% higher rate of dying from heart disease, and a 7% higher risk of suffering from a heart attack. A similar study also found that people with below average grip strength were 50% more likely to die earlier than their stronger peers. (See study here)
To summarise, muscle weakness plays a serious role in rate of decline in old age.
How do we mitigate this rapid decline?
Short answer: Resistance and strength exercise.
Many people associate weight training with bodybuilders and have a fear that by performing a handful of weight-based workouts each week they’ll look like Arnold Schwarzenegger within a matter of months… this isn’t the case at all.
In fact, the amount of weight training one must perform to maintain their strength and hold onto muscle mass is likely lower than you’d expect.
If you were to perform 2x full-body weight-based exercise sessions each week, performing around 3-5 effortful sets each major muscle group per workout, you’ll be doing what it takes to mitigate physical decline and cling onto that all-important muscle.
The Key Takeaways:
The average person loses anywhere between 3-8% of their muscle mass each decade after the age of 30. Strength loss can be even higher, with the average person losing 35-60% of their strength between 30-80 years old.
This age-related decline in muscle mass and strength is known as sarcopenia and is a very significant predictor of all-cause mortality, health span and quality of life.
Taking action to help prevent this decline will make a huge difference to your health, functionality and longevity as you get older. The big thing is, if you wish to be as healthy and fit as you can at 75, you cannot afford to delay action until you’re 60! The more muscle mass you have through your 20s, 30s and 40s the better position you’ll be in to maintain and prevent decline.
The consequences of not taking action are vast, aside from the decline in functionality, greater fragility and aches and pains. Holding onto muscle mass and strength play an important role in maintaining good joint stability, strong bones, faster metabolism, better management of glucose and hormones, stronger resistance to disease and even the ability to recover faster from illness or a fall.
Ultimately, enhancing your physiology for old age is hugely important. Whether it be to lift and play with your grandkids, to ski into retirement, to be more resilient to disease or simply to feel healthier for longer.
I hope you found this article useful! I’d love to hear any experiences you have or decisions you’ve made around your health and fitness relating to longevity! I’d love to hear from you! @olliethompsonhealth