Three Exercises to Increase Muscle Mass and Strength

Muscle loss and consequently a decrease in strength can begin as early as your 30s.  Left unabated this process accelerates each year causing you to lose more muscle and strength until the activities of everyday life becomes difficult to do.  However, the good news is you can do something to slow down and even reverse this scenario.

Strength training (weight lifting), and proper daily protein intake are two of the most effective ways of maintaining your muscle mass and strength as you age.  In this post I will show you three exercises you can do to help you maintain and increase their muscle mass and strength.  You should perform these exercises in combination 2 to 3 times each week for best results.

Exercise 1.  Lat Pulldown

 

The lat pulldown is a great exercise for strengthening and developing the upper back muscles that are critical for good posture.  People whose shoulders are slumped forward most likely have underdeveloped upper back muscles.

First, sit down and adjust the thigh pad to a position that firmly fits over your thighs.  Then select a resistance with which the last three repetitions are difficult to complete.  If this is your first time doing this exercise, it may take experimenting at several weights before you find the right resistance.  Next, grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width, sit down on the seat and place your knees firmly under the pad.  Start with your arms fully extended and your chest held high.  This is your start position. Now, pull the bar slowly down to the base of your neck while squeezing your shoulder blades back and together.   Slowly return the bar to the starting position.  (It should take about three seconds to pull the bar down and about two seconds to return the bar to its starting position). Proper breathing is very important, so remember to exhale as you pull the bar down and inhale as you return the bar to the starting position. 

Exercise # 2 - The Dumbbell Chest Press

 

The dumbbell chest press is one of the best exercises for developing and strengthening your chest, and the front of your shoulders.  Again, you will have to experiment to select the proper weight to use.  Pick-up a dumbbell in each hand, and sit on the end of a bench.  Place the dumbbells end-up on your knees, then lay back on the bench and position the dumbbells chest height at your sides.  This is your start position.  Press the dumbbells up over your chest until your arms are fully extended, being careful not to lock your elbows.  Slowly return the dumbbells to the start position.  Your breathing pattern is to exhale as you press up and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Exercise # 3 - Leg Press

The leg press is one of the best exercises for overall strength and development of your legs.  First, sit in the seat, positioning your feet about shoulder width apart and chest high on the platform.   Adjust the seat height by pulling the handle and sliding forward until your thighs are parallel to the platform.  This is your start position (make sure that your lower back is pressed firmly against the back of the seat).  With your feet flat, slowly press upward until your legs are fully extended but short of locking.  Slowly return to the position where the weight almost touch the weight stack.  The breathing pattern for this exercise is to exhale as you press up and inhale as you return to the start.  Again, you will have to experiment to find a weight with which the last three repetitions are difficult to perform.

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Strength Training and Protein, the Keys to Maintaining Muscle

I'm often asked how I maintain my strength and muscle mass being that I am in my fifties?  My reply is that strength training is the foundation of my fitness program, and I always get the proper amount of protein in my diet to maximize muscle growth and repair.  Scientific research is now proving that strength training and proper protein intake are two of the best ways to build and preserve your muscle mass as you age.

Severe muscle loss called sarcopenia affects nearly 4 million people in the United States resulting in weakness, fatigue, frailty, falls, fractures, disability, and even death.  While most people associate muscle loss with old age, sarcopenia can begin as early as your 30s.  Left unabated this condition accelerates with time as your body starts tearing down old muscle faster than it can build new muscle tissue.  The good news is you can slow and in some cases reverse muscle loss as you age via regular strength training (also known as weight lifting), and getting the right amount of protein in your diet.

Scientific research is showing that weight lifting is one of the most effective ways of building and maintaining muscle mass as you age and here's why.  Strength training is a method of overloading your body with a resistance that you are not accustomed to lifting.  In response your body adapts to this overloading process by building stronger muscles to accommodate the new load.  Research says that by the time you reach middle age you should start lifting weights at least 2 times per week to retain your muscle.  I lift weights 4 times each week to maximize my  muscle mass and strength.  I recommend you get with a properly trained fitness professional and let them design a safe and effective weight lifting program for you.

The second key to building and maintaining your muscle mass as you age is getting the proper amount of protein in your diet.  There has been much debate on how much protein you need daily.  While 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.36 grams per pound) has been the normal recommendation for daily protein intake, new studies show that 1 to 1.5 grams of protein of per kilogram of body weight (0.45 to 0.68 grams per pound) may be more beneficial in building, maintaining, and reducing muscle loss as specially as you age.

Not only is getting the proper amount of protein in your diet important to supporting muscle growth and repair, but also the timing of protein consumption.  The goal of protein consumption and lean muscle mass is to optimize muscle protein synthesis (the biological process by which muscle cells are regenerated).  Research shows consuming 25 to 30 grams of high quality protein at each meal is necessary to stimulate protein synthesis.  So, if don't get the proper amount of protein at each meal optimal muscle growth and repair does not happen.  I always make sure I get 25 to 30 grams of protein with each of my meals.

Try incorporating regular strength training and consuming the right amount of protein in your fitness plan and I assure you that you will see a gain in muscle mass and strength.  Then people will ask you how do you stay so muscular and strong as you age.