Father Time comes for us all. Despite our best efforts, we will all get older and with that comes gray hair (potential hair loss), wrinkles, and slower recovery. Getting older also increases our risk for muscle loss, fat gain, osteoporosis, injury and various diseases, including the number one killer of men and women worldwide -- heart disease.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that there are ways to age gracefully, thereby helping you to reduce your risk of injury and chronic disease, stay fit, and enjoy an overall greater quality of life (even when you’re turning gray)!
The solution begins with…
Resistance Training
Muscle loss (sarcopenia) increases with aging due to multiple factors, including reduced physical activity and decreased protein synthesis. The best way to preserve lean muscle tissue (and get stronger) as you age is resistance training.
Now, your workouts will (and should) evolve as you age. It’s completely natural.
During early adulthood, your body can seem indestructible; however, as you get older the recovery process slows down, which means you may not be able to lift as much or train as frequently/intensely as you previously did.
In other words, when you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. you don’t need to constantly test your maxes on the Big 3 (squat, bench, and deadlift).
Don’t take this to mean you can’t train hard or test your limits?
Absolutely not!
It just means that your view of training may need to evolve.
So, how should your workout routine or training program change?
If you’re 40+, it’s time to embrace hypertrophy training (“bodybuilding”). Basically, your goal is to build and/or retain as much lean muscle as possible with your workouts and diet (which we’ll discuss in a moment). The reasons for this are many, but to keep things brief. The more muscle mass you have, the longer you’re likely to live, according to research.[1] Furthermore, muscle tissue is your body’s largest repository for glycogen (stored glucose). So, the more muscle you have, the better your body can tolerate carbohydrates (sugar). As you’re likely aware, the risk for type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and hyperglycemia increase with age…they’re also among the most prevalent chronic conditions that can be avoided with healthy lifestyle decisions.
Muscle also acts as a natural protector (shield) for your bones and internal organs, so if you were to ever be in a collision, such as a slip, trip or fall, you’re less likely to be seriously injured as muscle helps absorb the shock of impact.
Also, it’s not that strength isn’t important (it certainly is!). It’s just that pure, raw strength shouldn’t be the primary focus of your workouts. Maintaining and improving your relative strength (i.e. how much weight you can lift relative to your age and bodyweight) is important.
In fact, recent studies demonstrate that you can still get stronger well into your 70s with resistance training![2]
Taking all of these factors into consideration, you’re probably wondering, “how should I structure my workouts?”
For the purposes of hypertrophy, you want to train each muscle group at least twice per week with a total of 10-20 “hard” sets per week. FYI, a “hard” set is one in which you take the target muscle to within 1-3 reps of technical failure (the point at which you cannot perform another rep with good form).
In terms of rep ranges, research shows that you can build muscle and strength using anywhere between 5-30 reps per set (provided you’re taking those sets to a high degree of fatigue, as we just mentioned).
Yes, it’s true that some rep ranges may be more “optimal” or efficient for building pure strength or more muscle, but the main point to remember is that as long as you’re adding reps or weight each week, you’re building muscle and strength as you age!
Not sure where to start?
No sweat (at least not until you start hitting the gym…). We’ll help you…for FREE!
The 1UP Fitness App provides customized training programs based on YOUR goals, preferences, and equipment availability.
Now, let’s discuss the next important component of staying strong as you age.
Maintain Mobility
Mobility is the ability to take your body through a range of motion, before being restricted, with control. Not only is mobility key to getting the most from your resistance training workouts -- it significantly impacts your quality of life. Moreover, a lack of mobility increases your chances of injury or falls. It’s estimated that 59% of adults 60 years and older and 75% of adults 80 or older have mobility limitations with everyday tasks like walking or climbing stairs.[3]
Being mobile and avoiding injury also indirectly impacts weight loss. If you’re injured, you will be moving less during the day, which can impact both your exercise activity thermogenesis (EAT) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) -- these are two main factors of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Therefore, being less mobile can contribute to increased fat gain and decreased muscle strength as you get older.
The key takeaway from this is that mobility is essential to a higher quality of life as well as a longer life.
When it comes to maintaining or improving your mobility, you don’t have to do some elaborate, hour-long mobility session. Resistance training exercises when performed with good form and through a full range of motion naturally support mobility. You could think of it as a form weighted stretching in fact!
In addition to your resistance training exercises, you can also perform 10-15 minutes each day or every other day of mobility exercises and foam rolling to further improve your mobility. This will help you be more resilient and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Let’s now address the last component of staying strong as you age.
Consume a Higher-Protein Diet
Muscle loss, as we already mentioned, occurs with aging. Resistance exercise is part of the solution to maintain lean muscle mass and getting stronger. The other key component is adequate protein intake.
This may come as a surprise, but your protein needs actually increase as you age. This is due to a phenomenon known as anabolic resistance. Essentially, our bodies ability to utilize protein and maintain robust muscle protein synthesis dwindles the older we get.[4] To combat this, we need to increase our daily protein intake with each passing decade.
A 2018 in the journal Aging and Disease concluded that “the use of dietary protein supplementation can further augment protein anabolism but can also contribute to a more active lifestyle, thereby supporting well-being and active aging in the older population.”[5]
As we discussed before, the best protein sources for building muscle and strength are “complete” proteins -- ones that supply all nine essential amino acids (EAAs) that our bodies require to stimulate and fuel protein synthesis. Examples of complete proteins include:
- Lean red meat (beef, bison, venison, elk, etc.)
- Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, etc.)
- Pork
- Eggs and egg whites
- Greek Yogurt
- Cheese
- Cottage Cheese
- Milk
Older adults also tend to be less hungry, which can make it difficult to consume adequate protein across the decades. This is where protein powder can be a real help!
We offer a range of high-quality, delicious tasting protein powders, including:
Age-Proof Training Plan
Now, let’s pull it all-together.
Is there one “age-proof” training plan that’s optimal for everyone?
Not really.
We’re all different. We have different commitments, time availability, training preferences, equipment options, injury histories, etc.
With that in mind, we’d recommend 3 full-body workouts each week with additional cardio/mobility work sprinkled throughout the week as your schedule allows.
These full-body workouts don’t need to be overly complex. Stick to the basics -- compound movements that provide a tremendous bang for your buck in terms of calorie burning and strength/muscle building.
For each workout, focus on the major movement patterns:
- Upper-body pull (pull up/chin up, row, etc.)
- Upper-body push (bench press, overhead press, push up, dip, squat, etc.)
- Squat (back squat, front squat, bulgarian split squat, etc.)
- Hinge (deadlift, Romanian deadlift, kettlebell swing, etc.)
- Carry (e.g. farmer’s walk, waiter’s carry, etc.)
In terms of sets and reps, aim for 2-3 “hard” sets of 8-12 reps. FYI, a “hard” set is one where you end your set 1-2 reps shy of technical failure (the point at which you can no longer lift or lower the weight under control).
If you have extra time, you can add 1 or 2 isolation exercises (e.g. biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, lateral raises, side delt raises, etc.).
And, remember, if you have any questions, we’re always here to help! The 1UP Fitness App is a phenomenal resource to get started, and if you’re looking for additional support. Join our transformation challenge where you’ll get access to our private Facebook Group and can interact with coaches, trainers, and other like-minded fitness enthusiasts that can help you get stronger, lose fat and achieve your goals!
References
- Srikanthan, P., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2014). Muscle Mass Index As a Predictor of Longevity in Older Adults. The American Journal of Medicine, 127(6), 547–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007
- Kittilsen, H. T., Goleva-Fjellet, S., Freberg, B. I., Nicolaisen, I., Støa, E. M., Bratland-Sanda, S., Helgerud, J., Wang, E., Sæbø, M., & Støren, Ø. (2021). Responses to Maximal Strength Training in Different Age and Gender Groups. Frontiers in Physiology, 12 (February), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.636972
- Brahms, Clemens Markus1; Hortobágyi, Tibor2; Kressig, Reto Werner3,4; Granacher, Urs1. The Interaction between Mobility Status and Exercise Specificity in Older Adults. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 49(1):p 15-22, January 2021. | DOI: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000237
- Baum JI, Kim IY, Wolfe RR. Protein Consumption and the Elderly: What Is the Optimal Level of Intake? Nutrients. 2016 Jun 8;8(6):359. doi: 10.3390/nu8060359. PMID: 27338461; PMCID: PMC4924200.
- Strasser B, Volaklis K, Fuchs D, Burtscher M. Role of Dietary Protein and Muscular Fitness on Longevity and Aging. Aging Dis. 2018 Feb 1;9(1):119-132. doi: 10.14336/AD.2017.0202. PMID: 29392087; PMCID: PMC5772850.
