Double Whammy - Muscle Loss With Aging

Photo: Corbis

It's a fact that as we age, our bodies don't make muscle as fast as they used to. However, a team of researchers from the University of Nottingham now believes that people over 65 may experience a "double whammy" effect that can lead to even greater muscle loss.

In young adults, insulin -- a hormone released while eating -- slows muscle breakdown between meals and while resting. According to the study, as we age, not only are our bodies less capable of building enough muscle using protein from the food we eat, but insulin fails to shut down muscle breakdown that occurs between meals and while we sleep. Researchers suspect that a weaker blood flow in older people may blunt the delivery of the hormone and nutrients.

But it's not all bad news. In a follow-up study, researchers found that muscle breakdown can be reversed through strength training. Over the course of 20 weeks, three weekly 20-minute sessions of weight training helped increase and even rejuvenate blood flow in seniors. The result was so profound that the blood flow in the study participants became identical to that of younger people.

"Mature adults can gain strength and muscle tissue -- not as rapidly as younger adults -- but they just need to properly stimulate motor units and muscle fibers," says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.

People often don't incorporate a weight-training workout into their normal exercise routine because they're afraid of bulking up. But if you're an older adult, weights may simply help you keep the lean muscle mass you already have. Cardio combined with strength-training is also a surefire way to shed pounds. Check out this example of a beginner to immediate strength routine to start out with:

Bird-dog
Glute bridge
Hip hinge
Dumbbell front squat
Push-up
Seated row
Standing barbell shoulder press

You should aim for one set of 12-15 reps for each exercise twice a week. When that begins to get too easy, progress to two and then three sets of 10-12 reps, three times a week.

Read on for more weight training do's.