Heart surgeon with 25 years experience shares why you should try resistance training as you age

Find out why you need to lift weights even as you are 60. Heart surgeon reveals you may be experiencing anabolic resistance.

Older adults are usually thought to stick to light, low-impact exercises like yoga or walking. After all, it's one way of clocking in movement, which is one of the essentials to staying fit. But what many don't realise is that muscle loss is common with ageing and that gradual decline affects strength, vitality and mobility in general, adversely.

Resistance training helps build muscle. (Picture credit: Shutterstock)

Dr Jeremy London, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon with over 25 years of clinical experience, shared in a November 5 post on why resistance training is one of the most efficient ways to reduce muscle mass loss with age and keep strength intact as one grows older.

Muscle loss increases with age

Dr London explained a process called anabolic resistance. “As we get older, our muscles stop responding to exercise and protein the way they used to. This is called anabolic resistance," he said, revealing that anabolic resistance happens because of ageing.

Further, he revealed that the same amount of exercise or protein that once worked to maintain muscles no longer has the same effect. Dr London added, "Gradual decline in the body's ability to build and repair muscle tissue. It means that the same workout or meal that once maintained your strength now does less without intervention.”

This gap leads to age-related muscle loss, which, according to the cardiothoracic surgeon, starts subtly in the 30s and begins to pick up pace more rapidly after 60. “We lose 3 to 8 per cent of muscle mass per decade after the age of thirty, accelerating after 60,” he said. "

Moreover, the effects of muscle loss have extensive health consequences. Dr London highlighted it by calling the muscle a ‘metabolic organ.’ “It protects bone health, regulates blood sugar, supports balance, and determines how we recover from things like illness and surgery," he noted.

With the decrease in muscle mass, the entire physiological system, from mobility to metabolism, is significantly affected. This further sheds light on the importance of resistance training for older adults to stay healthy and independent.

Resistance training

To alleviate the dangers of muscle loss, progressive resistance training is recommended by Dr London. He called it the antidote, or the solution to the problem of muscle loss.

“Lifting weights or any form, like bands or body weight, sends a clear signal to your muscles to grow and adapt,” he advised. This kind of vigorous activity counteracts the natural muscle decline that comes with ageing.

Similarly, one also needs to keep up with their protein intake. He explained, “Combine with sufficient protein intake, roughly 1.2 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of your body weight daily.” Protein is one of the fundamental pillars for muscle repair and growth.

Pairing active protein intake and resistance training is a proactive measure to slow the muscle loss so that older adults stay stronger for longer.

As Dr London reminded, ageing is inevitable, but how one ages is a choice. You can choose to stay independent with the help of the right lifestyle habits adopted early on.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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