Having a good amount of muscle mass promotes longevity and keeps you looking and feeling younger for longer. According to a study that examined muscle tissue changes that occur with age, we lose up to eight percent of our muscle mass every ten years after 30.

Why building strength as we age is important

A loss of muscle mass results in reduced mobility and strength, poor balance, a decreased metabolic rate and accelerated aging. This contributes to feeling ‘old’: you’re falling down more frequently, you’re struggling to stand up, you often feel dizzy and you’re rapidly gaining weight. The solution? Exercise.

To counter the effects of aging, the main focus should be building muscle mass and strength, which requires engaging in strength training at least a few times per week. Research has shown that strength is one of the key predictors of good health as you age.

A recent study found that in more than 140,000 adults, those with the highest levels of grip strength (a key measure of total body strength) had the greatest reduction of metabolic disease. Each 11 pound decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16 percent higher risk of all-cause mortality and a 17 percent increased risk of dying from heart disease.

Another study that was published in 2018 found that in nearly 36,000 women, those who regularly engaged in strength training had a 30 percent reduction in rates of type 2 diabetes and a 17 percent reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

How to build muscle

Want to build muscle but struggling? Sometimes it’s helpful to understand the mechanisms that underpin muscle building, so that you can ensure you’re covering all your bases, to build and retain muscle mass.

TRAINING

When a muscle is properly worked through a big enough exercise stimuli, micro-tears and muscle damage occurs. Muscle fibers recover by healing and overcompensating by getting bigger and stronger so they are less able to tear next time. This is the process of hypertrophy. Hypertrophy requires 3 things in terms of your training: mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage.

You can hit all these 3 mechanisms by lifting heavy, working in a variety of set ranges and altering the tempo of exercises.

DIET

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be eating in a 800 calorie surplus to gain muscle, you just need to be eating enough. If you are in a slight surplus, you optimize muscle building as there are circulating nutrients for maximal muscle protein synthesis.

You need to focus on eating enough protein - eat at least 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight. This is non-negotiable, whereas your carb and fat intake can be played around with, to see what works best for you - typically higher carb lower fat for muscle gain.

SLEEP

Muscles don’t grow in the gym, they grow when you’re asleep. If you’re not sleeping properly, you are unknowingly activating specific pathways that activate muscle degradation.

Insufficient sleep causes a spike in cortisol (a stress hormone) and a reduction of testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), two hormones integral to muscle and strength building. The reduction of these hormones puts us in a catabolic state, meaning our bodies break down muscle tissue.

Aim for 8 hours of high quality sleep a night.

Work with a health coach to build muscle for longevity

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