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Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

nytimes.com

71–80 of 334 posts

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#71
post #14

I always like to show this picture as an example. https://i.imgur.com/ZcDedfo.jpg I don't have an original source but it shows a MRI leg scan comparison between a 40yo triathlete, a sedentary 70yo and a 70yo triathlete. The picture tells the story...

Doesn't tell the whole story: Was told by a doc that with the amount of scar tissue in my R shoulder / bicep that he could easily trick new medical residents into thinking it was the MRI of a 70 or 80 year old. ... I train jiu jitsu 3x / week + cardio 3x / week.

JJ is notoriously hard on the body, especially the joints, and especially if you're rolling with less experienced folks.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#72
post #14

I always like to show this picture as an example. https://i.imgur.com/ZcDedfo.jpg I don't have an original source but it shows a MRI leg scan comparison between a 40yo triathlete, a sedentary 70yo and a 70yo triathlete. The picture tells the story...

Yeesh. That's a great visual. I'm a sedentary software engineer... gotta make some changes. It reminds me of the cancer slides in the "How Not to Die" talk https://youtu.be/7rNY7xKyGCQ?t=780 which is partly why I'm now vegan.

Dr Greger and its undisclosed vegan agenda using cherry picked or wrongly interpreted studies to push it.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#73
post #38
post #14

I always like to show this picture as an example. https://i.imgur.com/ZcDedfo.jpg I don't have an original source but it shows a MRI leg scan comparison between a 40yo triathlete, a sedentary 70yo and a 70yo triathlete. The picture tells the story...

Was the 70yo triathlete just a triathlete in their younger years, or did they keep up the exercise as they got older? If you can remember, of course.

Both. The subjects in the paper trained a lot before age 40 and continued to train a lot into old age.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#74
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t do paleo or low carb or any fancy diet besides eating plenty of protein and calories. The key for me is regular, heavy strength training. I exercise 3-6 days a week, all compound lifts, at high weight/moderate (3-7) reps. More than just managing my physique, I find it immensely helpful for my mental health and general well-being. I’m not the biggest or most shredded guy in the gym, but the focus on strength k…

At which age did you start to lift?

I’m 29 now. I started lifting at 26, but finally got proficient and rigorous about a year ago. The biggest key was learning to eat more because my body’s metabolism was low because I wasn’t eating enough. I went from a 2000 calorie maintenance to 3000 in about 6 months.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#75
post #27

Just do this 7 minutes a day without any tools you will be fine: https://7-min.com/ , at least it is a good start.

It might be a good start to get people moving, but I can't imagine this being enough. That amounts to not even an hour of exercise in the 168 hours in a week.

Do you have any source for "you will be fine"?

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t do paleo or low carb or any fancy diet besides eating plenty of protein and calories. The key for me is regular, heavy strength training. I exercise 3-6 days a week, all compound lifts, at high weight/moderate (3-7) reps. More than just managing my physique, I find it immensely helpful for my mental health and general well-being. I’m not the biggest or most shredded guy in the gym, but the focus on strength k…

I can't handle more than 3 days a week at the gym. I do my main lifts only once a week or I don't recover, but I am still getting stronger on my program. I have been lifting for more than a decade though. I do cardio and lift on the same day, I also can't run every day or I don't feel great. On off days, I just walk and do minor accessory stuff. Can't imagine lifting like this every day.

How much are you eating? I used to have similar troubles with recovery until I realized that I just wasn’t eating nearly enough to train at the volume I was. For me, adding two cups of Greek yogurt and a protein shake every day (so roughly 500 calories and 50 grams of protein over what I was eating before) made an enormous difference.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#77

I can't recommend StrongLifts enough. https://stronglifts.com I'm up to squatting 130kg now and feeling great!

The problem with this training is the need to go to a gym or to build one at home. Can't do the latter and loathe going the gym.

However, I do enjoy group classes. I tried cross-fit but I found that the competitiveness and exercising against a running clock is not for me (also considering that I'm usually the oldest - 48 though I don't look like it)

Then I heard about kettlebell training and that seems to be exactly what I need! I have a kettlebell group class nearby and purchased one kettlebell to use at home.

So as an alternative to those who may want an alternative that gives a lot of ROI consider kettlebell training.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Add "occasional heavy lifting" to that list. Baby boomers are deadset on this idea that cardio is the only kind of exercise that one should be doing.

I wonder who was running the PR for cardio and weightlifting in the 70-90's. For some reason weight lifting, and barbell training in particular, has a weird anti-intellectual connotation. Getting up to run for two hours at 4 am is the habit of a successful business executive, but spend a couple of hours a day in the gym and carry an excess of muscle mass and you're clearly dumb. It's very strange.

The Jim Fixx book "The Complete Book of Running" was a national best seller starting in 1977, then aerobics (studio exercise, a la Jane Fonda) hit, followed by Arthur Jones' Nautilus in 1986.

Free weights were considered "dangerous" for a long time. Frankly, most people who lifted back then were suspected of being homosexual.

If you take boomers as being born between 1946 and 1964, then the leading edge of the boomers were turning 30 about the time both Fixx's book and "Pumping Iron" hit the popular conscious. There is a lot more money in selling shoes to people than gym memberships, so saturation advertising is part of the 'why' as well.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#79
post #41
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. I see also way too many NYtimes articles on HN recently. What happened to the adage that "if its on the popular media, it should probably not be on HN". Is HN turning into the comment system of the NYT?

> "if its on the popular media, it should probably not be on HN" Why though? Can't say for all but a majority of articles on popular media would be mostly right...that's why they are popular. As things go more fringe, there is less verification.

It's not about that. It's called "Hacker News" for a reason. I don't mind having regular stories hitting HN sometimes, but there's nowadays a massive flux of NYT, and also NewYorker, TheAtlantic just to name a few, which were not there a few years back.

Re: Preventing Muscle Loss as We Age

#80

I can't recommend StrongLifts enough. https://stronglifts.com I'm up to squatting 130kg now and feeling great!

I've used StrongLifts for 2+ years and second the recommendation.

HOWEVER.

Because it's just an app with videos, it's really up to you to learn proper form and execute it each time. Additionally, the app doesn't know your limitations, so take your pain seriously.

I hurt my knees squatting a couple years ago, and recently hurt my lower back deadlifting. It sucks, and I'm crossing my fingers that there's no permanent damage.

If I were to go back in time, I'd force myself to book yearly or twice-yearly sessions with a physical trainer who can check you on your form, particularly when I first got started.

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