Pekelo, here's the latest Youtube video by Doug McGuff, the ER doc and co-author of the book:
He has a number of good videos on his YT channel.
He has a number of good videos on his YT channel.
50-year-old muscles can’t grow big like they used to – the biology of how muscles change with age
- Thread starter Frederick Foresight
- Start date
Yeah, I saw some. I have to agree with Baron, at this age the diet side is more important and harder to maintain than the working out part. Also avoiding injuries, so proper technic.
Are you middle age? Just give it more time to recover/build. Sounds to me quite simple.
As the weather is nice again, today I have just played 3 hours of tennis, so I will rest tomorrow. Maybe I should make a YT channel about it.
Baron
ET Founder
Yeah, good point. Avoiding injuries should be first on the priority list... even above fat loss. And unfortunately for most guys, that means throwing aside the ego and forgetting all the one-rep max nonsense or trying to create a personal record in a certain lift at 50 years old or more. Keeping your reps slightly on the higher side and avoiding exercises that you know are your Achille's heel goes a long way in accomplishing that. So as an example, I have two weak points... my knees and my lower back. So I never attempt to do a leg workout until I have done 3 or 4 sets of leg extensions solely for the purpose of warming up my knee joints. And my lower back has screamed at me time and time again over the years that stiff-legged deadlifts are just not my exercise, even with a weight belt on. If I go beyond a certain weight, I will throw my back out every fucking time, and that's a two to three-day recovery at a minimum. So for my lower back, I just do hyperextensions while holding a light dumbbell in my hands. I'd rather do 20 reps of that exercise than try to do a heavy set of stiff-legged deadlifts any day. So I guess what I'm saying is that nature almosts expects you know your body once you get a certain age and if you try to play the ignorant card, you're going to get punished and learn the hard way.
Just READING this post makes my back hurt. Owww!
I do a passive, plank-kind of exercise for sciatica, that made my lower back muscles noticeably stronger. I think they call it the Glute Bridge:
- Step 1: Lie on your back on the floor with knees bent. Feet should be about shoulder-width apart. Relax your arms at your sides.
- Step 2: Pushing through the heels, lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders.
- Step 3: Hold the position for a few seconds.
- Step 4: Slowly lower the hips to the floor. Then repeat.
I do it differently though. I hold the position for 20-30 seconds, sometimes straightening one leg for a few seconds, so the weight doubles on the other leg.
When one starts out with this exercise, even 10 seconds will be painful as with any planking. But over a few weeks, you will be able to hold it longer and longer. That is how you know your muscles are getting stronger.
Did I mention your ass will look fabulous?
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I don't know about more important. I think the two go hand in hand. If you don't work your muscles in your middle and later years, you will lose them. Age-related sarcopenia. Well, to put a finer point on it, you'll lose some of it anyway eventually, just more quickly without the exercise. And that exercise has to be meaningful enough to hang on to the fast twitch fibers as long as possible. Maintaining muscle mass makes it easier to remain lean. And so, as I said, the two go hand in hand.
Well, there is a saying about great abs made in the kitchen.
Anyhow, nobody said don't work your muscles, my point was against building them. Being overly muscular is not particularly good for a middle aged man. Most people have some muscle, so if you work away the unnecessary fat, there will be something to look at.
I tried to watch the video you posted, I have no idea what the dude was trying to say. I think there is one excellent general advice for longevity: Moderation. Use and do everything in moderation. Mormons have the best longevity as a group in the US, they simply moderate (aka ban) their alcohol and cigarette intake. It is not like gyms are more popular in Utah than in the rest of the US.
Also most people think there is only one way to a certain goal. Horsecrap. Most of the time there are multiple ways to achieve the same thing. Look at Betty White, she almost made it to 100 in general good health. I doubt she used strength training...
No, it is exactly about building as much muscle as you reasonably can. Naturally, of course. There are very few people who are naturally "over muscular," so let's not worry about them. The more lean tissue (muscle) you have, the higher is your BMR. The higher you BMR, the less likely you will add fat to your frame, all else being equal. When you refer to "overly muscular," I think you may have an unrealistic expectation of what is naturally possible for most people. Make no mistake, if you don't work to keep it (and then some), you will lose it. And that's when the fat starts accumulating if you continue with the same dietary regimen you followed before you started losing muscle.
Most people who maintain their weight as they get older are almost certainly losing some muscle while slowly adding fat. It's an insidious process that is not immediately evident.
Again, I suggest you read the book.
https://thedoctorweighsin.com/killer-abs-at-80-really/
An Octogenarian Shares His Secrets for a Long and Healthy Life
“What is your secret to a long and healthy life?”
The stories usually relate one or two things that the oldster supposedly pointed to as the key to living to such an advanced age. For instance, Emma Morano, an Italian woman who died at the advanced age of 117 was said to attribute her longevity to her genetics and a diet of three eggs a day, two of them raw. Jeanne Calment of France was verifiably the longest living human ever. Her story noted that she smoked cigarettes from age 21 to age 116. She also ate 2 pounds of chocolate a week. She died at age 122. American Sarah Knauss lived to be 116 years old. She credited not letting things upset her as being the “secret” to her longevity. The “secrets” shared by these supercentenarians make it seem like anyone could live to a ripe old age without really working at it. But, alas, if it were that easy to live to a ripe old age, many more of us would be doing it.
Pekelo says genetics + diet >> exercise
An Octogenarian Shares His Secrets for a Long and Healthy Life
“What is your secret to a long and healthy life?”
The stories usually relate one or two things that the oldster supposedly pointed to as the key to living to such an advanced age. For instance, Emma Morano, an Italian woman who died at the advanced age of 117 was said to attribute her longevity to her genetics and a diet of three eggs a day, two of them raw. Jeanne Calment of France was verifiably the longest living human ever. Her story noted that she smoked cigarettes from age 21 to age 116. She also ate 2 pounds of chocolate a week. She died at age 122. American Sarah Knauss lived to be 116 years old. She credited not letting things upset her as being the “secret” to her longevity. The “secrets” shared by these supercentenarians make it seem like anyone could live to a ripe old age without really working at it. But, alas, if it were that easy to live to a ripe old age, many more of us would be doing it.
Pekelo says genetics + diet >> exercise