Ask anyone what they think of when they think of an aging or elderly man,
and eventually they’ll describe someone who’s frail, who’s weak, who’s lost muscle, strength, and agility.
But does it really have to be that way?
In this video, we’ll examine aphenomenon called “Sarcopenia”,
the age-related loss of muscle mass, and we’ll take a look at whether it’s inevitable…or not.
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As we age, we lose muscle. Everyone knows that, don’t they? It’s a given.
The older we get, the less muscle mass we still have, the weaker and more frail we become.
Happens to everyone, right?
But does it…really?
The answer is…no, not necessarily. That doesn’t have to be a picture of the future for anyone.
In this video, we’re going to be taking a look at strategies for not only retaining the muscle mass that you have,
but for building new muscle, at any age.
But before we get into that, let’s take a look at why we might want to work at retaining or building muscle.
And there’s a lot of reasons why. The first reason has to do with mobility.
Of all the indignities that can happen to us as we age, loss of mobility is definitely the worst.
It means that we can’t get around as well as we used to,
it means that we can’t engage in the types of activities that we used to,
it means that we can’t do as much for ourselves, it means a loss of independence and autonomy…
and eventually it will mean having to live in an assisted living environment.
But let’s flip that around and focus on the bright side.
Building muscle as we get older means being stronger, having more energy,
and being able to continue to live the type of life that we enjoy.
Increasing muscle mass raises the metabolism, making it easier to lose weight or keep that weight off.
It also translates into looking and feeling better, and having more confidence.
The age-related loss of lean muscle mass is called “Sarcopenia”…
not to be confused with “Cachexia”, which is the wasting away of the body due to chronic illness, like cancer.
Primary, or age-related, sarcopenia is the direct result of aging, when no other cause is evident beyond aging itself.
Secondary sarcopenia is when one or more other causes are present,
such as obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer or rheumatoid arthritis.
In this discussion, we’re only going to be talking about primary, or age-related sarcopenia.
After the age of 30, muscle loss occurs at a rate of as much as 3%-5% per decade.
Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass over the course of their lives.
And that lost muscle mass can have a devastating effect.
Lost muscle mass can lead directly to a loss in strength, a lower basal metabolic rate, reduced activity levels,
a loss of functional status and, it can cause significant disability.
Loss of muscle mass is also tied to loss of bone mass.
The lack of action that leads to sarcopenia also leads to osteoporosis.
They reinforce each other in a downward spiraling loop.
And older men with sarcopenia as twice as likely to break a bone in a fall,
regardless of whether they have osteoporosis or not.
So, let’s take a look at how this process of losing muscle mass comes about.
The biggest culprit is “inactivity.” As we age, it’s natural to want to slow down, to take it easy.
We’ve earned it, right?
Wrong.
We’re at an age when inactivity is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Muscles respond to stress. But they also respond to no stress.
And the rate at which they decline when we don’t stress them accelerates as we age.
Meaning that as we age, it takes less and less time to get out of shape when we stop stressing the muscles.
So exercising has never been more important.
Doing resistance training, whether it’s weight training or doing bodyweight exercises or whatever,
is the best thing that you can do to retain or even rebuild, your muscles.
The internet is full of images of men in their 60s, 70s and 80s that are fit and muscular,
proving that it’s never to late to improve muscle mass.
Here’s a picture of me taken about 2.5 years ago, and here’s a picture taken a few months ago.
I think it’s pretty obvious that I have not only gotten in better shape,
but that I’ve actually increased my lean muscle mass. And that’s at age 70.
It’s never too late, guys.
The next biggest cause is a decline in hormones.
Making sure that testosterone, human growth hormone and thyroid are at proper levels is critical to bulking up,
or even to maintaining muscle mass. The levels of these hormones go into decline as we age.
But they don’t need to. There are plenty of all-natural strategies that will restore hormone levels.
I’ve done a number of videos of this subject, and I’ll link to them in the description.
So retaining or rebuilding muscle mass is just one of many reasons why it’s a great idea to optimize hormone levels.
Another cause of sarcopenia has to do with diet.
It’s a fact that as we age, our consumption of protein goes down.
Most of us are simply not getting enough of it,
or we’re not getting enough of it in a form that is very bioavailable,
yet protein is critical to maintaining muscle mass.
We can lift weights all day long, but if we’re not fueling that workout with enough protein,
our muscles aren’t going to grow.
Even when not working out, if we don’t eat enough protein to sustain muscle maintenance, mass will be lost.
So it’s important that we not merely track how much protein we’re consuming,
but that we really understand how much of that protein we’re absorbing,
how much is going towards the repair and growth of new muscle,
and how much is going towards fueling our activities… which hopefully is not much.
We want to fuel our activities with complex carbs and high-quality fats,
and utilize the protein we eat for muscle synthesis.
So the point of all this is that all hope is not lost.
It is possible to maintain, or even rebuild, muscle mass and keep sarcopenia at bay.
And there’s every reason to do so.
The more muscle mass that can be maintained,
the more strength, agility and mobility we’ll have, and the more independent we’ll remain.
We’ll have stronger bones and be less susceptible to falls, and less likely to break a bone if we do fall.
More muscles will give us a higher metabolism and help us to keep the weight off.
It will also improve our circulation and provide high blood flow to the organs, keeping them healthy.
It stores more glycogen, helping us to fight against diabetes.
And it will ultimately make us look better, and have more energy and confidence.
I don’t care how old you may be, it’s never too late fight sarcopenia.
Stay active, stress out your muscles by lifting weights,
keep track of your hormones and do everything you can to optimize production,
and make sure that you eat, and absorb enough protein to fuel muscle synthesis.
Staving off sarcopenia is a huge part of extending our health span,
the length of time that a person is healthy, active and moble... not just alive.
Leave me a comment and tell me what you’re doing to stave off sarcopenia.
If you’re an older man and you’ve successfully boosted your muscle mass, let us know.
Tell us how many pounds you’ve added to your lean body mass.
We can all use the inspiration,
and I want people to understand that it is absolutely possible to increase muscle mass, even when older.
If you enjoyed this video and would like more, then seriously,
think about hitting that subscribe button and subscribing to this channel.
Hit the like button. And hit the bell to be notified when I post a new video.
Thank you so much for watching…I’ll see you next week.