Shrinking muscles!! What to do about it!!

In my previous post I mentioned some of the various exercises we can use to achieve and maintain minimum fitness. At the conclusion of that post I very lightly touched on the aspect of using some form of weights in your fitness program. Since that post I have done some research on this and have found that as the body ages so do the muscles, in appearance but mostly in strength. My source says that muscles actually shrink with age, partly because the aging process which slows the rate of protein synthesis. This factor is also increased due to disuse, which is something that can be remedied. Muscle size starts to dwindle in the 30's and between 50 and 80 there has been a 40% shrinkage from their peak size. Such loss has some serious consequences, some being: loss of balance, contending with the daily life activities such as carrying groceries, getting out of a chair, walking any distance, or climbing stairs.

Resistance exercise--lifting weights--keeps people strong, and benefits can be attained even when people reach their 90s. Since I have been on some form of fitness program all of my teenage and adult life I do not notice the appearance factor of diminishing muscle mass as much as I feel the reduced strength. Probably other people see it more than I would or maybe I am too vain to admit it, but I do know the appearance of muscle is still there. Even to the point of being invited to participate in a masters body building competition. But, I know that my strength is not the same and I do feel the weakness brought on by age.

Remedies and/or guidelines: The amount of weight to lift is the amount a person can handle in performing 10 consecutive lifts. Even if that weight is only one pound, that is enough for a start(remember about Rome, it wasn't built or re-built in a day). Lift that weight for one set of 10 repititions. Take a one to two-minute break and perform a second set of 10 lifts. If your are up to it, after another break, do a third set of 10 lifts. Every two weeks, add a little more weight to the dumbbell or barbell. One other point is that if you don't have dumbells or barbells, then go to the pantry and get out some canned goods. They usually weight around 1-3 lbs. and they can be used instead of the mentioned weights. Just so you have the resistance and stay around this weight and repitition you will get some good out of it. This is a basic program, but it is great start towards giving those muscles a work out and regaining some strength.

Please note the above mentioned fitness programs that are advertised on this site. They have some good ideas and also give you some references to various programs.

Let's get to lifting!!!

Mike Greer