Under-Muscled
Traveling back and forth across the US presents a harsh view on the health of our nation. I often come home with a sense of desperation.
Stand in line for a flight and watch how many individuals, of all ages, need assistance on to the airplane. It’s astonishing. Moreover, look at the number of people who struggle to lift their suitcase into the overhead compartment. Observe the lack of energy, vigor and general weak bodies that constitute the norm in a public venue.
We’ve accepted that this is the way it is. Too many adults embrace aging with the mentality that frailty, loss of mobility, mental decline are “normal.” We’ve got to change this acceptance; a sort of “I give up” effort towards aging.
Anytime one faces a problem breaking it down into small size pieces is an effective tool for repair. That first step requires boldly stating the problem. An overwhelming number of adults are UNDER-Muscled and OVER-Fueled. Gross generalization with a hefty dose of accuracy. I’m tackling ONLY the muscle piece here for simplicity’s sake. Yes, vibrant health demands the integration of diverse lifestyle components, this is just one.
On Muscle
Exercise Physiologist Luc van Loon from The Netherlands says, “You can build muscle at any age.” I feel this needs to be shouted from the rooftops. See Luc’s interview withDr. Peter Attia here and with Dr. Rhonda Patrick here, both highly recommended.Dr. Gabrielle Lyon has talked endlessly on the topic of our under-muscled society, she often states “muscle is the organ of longevity.”
There are numerous reasons why individuals invest so little in trying to maintain adequate (not excessive) muscle strength and mobility.
- Fear of getting hurt
- Don’t know where to begin
- Feel strapped by time and or finances
- Mentally “accept” being old and frail
Let’s tackle getting hurt first. Maybe you suffered an injury on your own and or with an inexperienced trainer. Or you had a setback due to a car accident, fall and or dealing with a chronic back injury. Letting the fear overwhelm is when inertia sets in.
This might be the time to engage with a coach and or fitness partner to help you get back on track. Look into other training modalities that offer a fresh start in movement. Find ways to modify what you’re doing. An athlete does not entirely stop moving when dealing with an injury, they try to simplify, modify and enhance the non-injured areas.
One simple idea is start with a consistent walking routine to build up your confidence. The strength you gain from a walking program can encourage expanding your fitness routines. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Don’t know where to begin. Start by gaining more knowledge on resistance training, see post here and here. Explore videos and podcasts with high quality individuals. Dr. Ben Bocchichio, Dr. Doug McGuff, Dr. Phil Maffetone, Steve Maxwell are long-time experienced educators and trainers. As Dr. McGuff said in an interview I did with him, “Just Get Started.” He talked about how especially in the beginning is where you see noticeable gains this helps light the momentum fire.
Look into a local facility that offers one on one training. I’m a huge proponent of engaging with a trainer. Having an individual look at your body mechanics, provide accountability and encourage you to grow is crucial in my book. Be smart work with someone experienced and certified that has worked with your age group, physical needs and can make modifications if needed.
Breaking the “I don’t have time” barrier. The longer one waits “to act” the harder it gets. This is the time to create shorter routines, ten-to-fifteen-minute ones. Have an assortment of either body weight, free weights or bands that you can quickly use at home is a work around. We enjoy the X3 System at home, caveat build it up slowly with lighter bands. Find a video or virtual class that allows for easy access, especially in travel time.
You might be someone who needs to put strength training to the weekend if still working full-time. This allows you more schedule flexibility. Remember you do not have to spend hours in the gym. Dr. Ben says 2 x 15-minutes a week. Dr. McGuff says even 1 HIIT session a week can be sufficient.
At the end of the day, it’s a choice. Do you put effort into maintaining your strength now or accept the popular notion of age = frailty?
What do you do?
- FYI: I’m 68 years old, work fulltime 40-50+ hours a week
- Do 2 to 3 strength training a week. 1 x week with personal trainer Josh Espinoza, 2 x week on own with modest home gym . Each session NO more than 45-minutes some only 30 minutes
- Recently added a Rogue Echo Bike to our home space, a super challenging piece which I’m slowly building up doing a Tabata style interval training of 15-20 minutes max for non-strength training days, in some circles called safe “sprinting”
- Alternate days include moderate intensity exercise and just “stuff” I like doing walking, hiking, Classical Pilates and in summer swimming
- Have a short joint mobility routine (10-15 minutes) for busy days and or even at the end of a long workday to just move easily and keep joints activated
- Some days if work is really crazy I’ll do what I call “exercise snacks” just various movements throughout the day like farmer’s walks, counter-top pushups, handstands and wall squats
- When I’m traveling for work (which I do a lot) have a ten-minute routine with mini-exercise bands I can do in my hotel room
Final Note
This post focused solely on the strength building component, there’s much more to the story, see Longevity Bits & Pieces. In addition, if you’ve read my posts, you know adequate protein intake is crucial to helping preserve muscle mass. More on that see Two Levers to Pull and Get Strong.
Strength cannot be acquired by wishful thinking or a magic pill. It is an undisputed component of living well with independence, a goal I’m pursuing and hope you are too.
What’s the best exercise to do? The one you will do.
~~Krisna Hanks
