Muscles in middle-age

There’s a common misconception that if you’re over 40, you can no longer build muscle. Or even that once you cross 40 weight training can harm you. Nothing could be farthest from the truth. It is possible to gain muscle mass, shed fat and look lean and feel fit in your 40s. Only, it needs hard work and dedication. Of course, it’s tougher to build muscle and cut flab in your 40s than it would have been in your 20s or even the early 30s. For one, men in their 40s begin losing around 1 per cent of their muscle mass every year on account of two factors—lower levels of testosterone and growth hormone. Besides, most people experience a marked slowdown in their metabolism—thereby impairing the efficiency with which they can burn calories and, hence, fat.

Weight training, which is an anaerobic exercise to build muscle mass and strength, can actually counter the ageing process that weakens and atrophies muscle. In fact, therefore, weight training or muscle building is all the more important if you want to slow down the body’s natural tendency to lose muscle during middle-age.

Because building muscle is tougher in your 40s, you need to focus on the process more sharply. First, make weight training a regular habit instead of an occasional chore. Get yourself to the gym at least three or four times a week or more. Follow an exercise routine that doesn’t get boring. Change your exercises every three weeks to ensure that.

You can do cardio-vascular exercises to keep your body fat levels low but you must lift weight if you want to grow your muscles. Lifting in your 40s is a sure-fire way of warding off weakness and injuries in your twilight years. The bonus: you get to look and feel fit too. Keep track of how much you are lifting and keep increasing the weights. Remember, you may not be able to lift as much as a 20- or even 30-year-old, but if you keep increasing the weights, your muscles work harder to grow bigger and stronger.

But while that’s true, you have to take precautions to avoid injury to your joints. While glucosamine formulations can be used to strengthen cartilage and prevent weakening of your bones, stretching before and after strength training can also prevent injury to joints.

Also, consider using knee wraps and elbow wraps while weight training. The choice of exercises in your 40s is also important. Concentrate on building the bigger muscles—thighs and back—and your core abdominal muscles as well as your shoulders. These help in stability and making them strong will keep you in good stead in the years to come. Besides adopting an exercise regimen, ensure that your body gets enough nutrition. Eat well and sensibly, perhaps many small meals instead of a few big ones. That will help keep your metabolism in fine fettle. So go on, complement that salt-and-pepper look with a toned and lean body.

Write to musclesmani@intoday.com
Caveat: The physical exercises described in Treadmill are not recommendations.
Readers should exercise caution and consult a physician before attempting to follow any of these.