Why when you get older you should focus on gaining muscle more than losing weight

In a video that reached millions of people on social media, a woman who appears to be over 70 years old lifts a barbell in the gym. The next picture of her is of her doing the same thing, but with her grocery shopping.

The message of the video coincides with what the American doctor Gabrielle Lyon has been trying to convey to her patients for years: to age well and have quality of life in old age, it is necessary to develop and maintain muscle.

“Maybe we are not so worried about wearing a bikini, but we are worried about being autonomous, having the strength to support our grandchildren. Carrying our own groceries, living independently, that is the first reason to worry about maintaining good muscle mass,” he says. the geriatrician, author of the book “The muscular revolution”, published by the Intrinseca publishing house in March.

“But it goes much further. Maintaining muscle mass helps prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases… Conditions that become more common as people age.”

Although the appeal of gaining muscle is more popular among younger generations seeking to improve their body appearance or athletic performance, Lyon maintains that they are Those over 50 should be most concerned about their body composition..

“There really is this transition with age, where we worry less about our physique. When we’re young, we focus on appearance, and that’s okay, because that creates good habits.

“But there’s a difference: It’s not always just about aesthetics. And in fact, it’s never too late to get stronger and gain muscle.”

The natural process of progressive loss of muscle mass and strength begins to occur, although slowly, after the age of 30.

When we reach 50, a more significant loss of muscle mass begins, which can reach 2% annually.

But some factors, such as a sedentary lifestyle, a low-protein diet, chronic diseases and hospitalization, can cause this decline to begin earlier.

This significant loss of muscle, known as sarcopenia, can cause a decreased functional ability, increased risk of falls and disability.

“Often, lost muscle is replaced by body fat, which reduces muscle strength and mobility and disrupts metabolism,” describes Lyon.

The doctor points out that, in the last decade, much of the research, as well as awareness campaigns, focused a lot on obesity and the need to lose weight.

“This has damaged the way people think about the fitness. “When we get older, a lack of muscle can cause more damage than the amount of fat in the body,” he says.

And for those who manage to maintain a good supply of muscle mass, he explains, fat burning is also enhanced, since muscles expend more energy at rest than other tissues.

Good muscle mass helps avoid different health problems.

Examples of diseases that muscle mass can help prevent include:

This disease causes the body to not properly use insulin, a substance produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar, so it precisely causes sugar levels to rise.

A body with more muscles needs more energy to keep them working and therefore uses more sugar to transform it into energy.

Thus, muscle mass helps to regulate blood sugar more efficiently, helping both to prevent type 2 diabetes and to regulate the condition of those who suffer from the disease.

Strength exercises make the heart need to work harder to pump blood to the muscles.

The extra effort helps strengthen the organ, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

During exercises such as lifting weights, muscles contract and exert force on bones through tendons.

This movement stimulates bone remodeling, making bones denser, which helps prevent osteoporosis, a condition in which they become brittle and prone to fractures.

In Lyon’s opinion, the musculoskeletal system is the most underrated organ in the body, especially when it comes to older people.

“When you get older, if you eat and train like you did when you were younger, you may not be able to maintain your muscle health. You need to focus on this and plan a routine that works for you.”

Lyon maintains that training for Gaining muscle effectively doesn’t have to be complicated.

“There are no specific exercises or movements that are crucial. The idea is to continually stimulate muscle tissue. And there are many ways to do it.”

A large number of scientific studies suggest that, for hypertrophy (muscle gain), a very effective method is the so-called “muscle failure”; That is, reaching the maximum muscular capacity with maximum effort in conventional weight training exercises so that in a series of a given exercise a point is reached where it is impossible to do one more repetition.

This does not necessarily mean that the person has to lift very heavy loads or do a very high number of repetitions, but rather that they make an effort within their current physical condition.

For those who are taking their first step away from a sedentary lifestyle, they should gradually include exercise in their routine.

“Carry a backpack or heavier objects you have at home, think about activities that involve lifting something above your head…This helps you understand the importance of maintaining balance and muscle strength, and especially the importance of leg strength. “You don’t need to squat the maximum weight, but you do need to be able to get up off the ground,” explains Lyon.

Accompaniment with a physical education professional is recommended to be able to align a plan that is effective for the objective – and it is even more important in the case of older and sedentary people, to avoid injuries and falls during exercise.

Another essential measure to gain muscle mass is a balanced diet with a special focus on proteins.

According to the International Society of Nutrition and Sports, for muscle growth and the maintenance of lean mass, along with physical exercise, a daily intake of between 1.4 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilo of weight is necessary.

Therefore, a person weighing 70 kilos would need to consume between 98 and 140 grams of protein per day.

Lyon maintains that it is always a good time to start training.

“What I mean by this is that physical activity should be a way of life. I am a mother of two young children and we already exercise as a family, of course. In their case, in a child-friendly way. It is trained from an early age, this prepares the muscle to be healthier in the future“.

But even for someone who has been training constantly since childhood, the doctor admits that losing muscle mass is still quite easy.

“In a week of inactivity, we already see significant losses. This is very clear when we look at people who were admitted to the ICU, for example.”

On the other hand, more optimistic, Lyon explains that muscles have a type of memory.

“It’s much easier to get back into shape than to start from scratch. If you start young, even better.”

But he explains that this shouldn’t scare anyone who is going to start exercising when they are older: It is possible to achieve good results at any ageand a balanced diet and training focused on personal characteristics can only bring benefits.

“The body depends on activity. We were created to be active creatures, and when we reduce physical activity, we risk physical disabilities.”

The doctor maintains that as we age, we should become more active, not less.

“Inactivity is not an option for a healthy person. The more healthy muscle mass you have, the greater your ability to survive against all types of diseases., whether it be cancer, falls or anything else. And you will have a greater capacity to be autonomous and survive. “There is nothing more important for the elderly population than having muscles.”

And for those looking to get out of a sedentary lifestyle, Lyon has some advice:

“Do not expect motivation or depend on specific goals. The most important thing is to think that the years you have left can be changed if you make good decisions for yourself.”

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