It is a common misconception that age is a limiting factor in building muscle mass. However, research has shown that individuals over the age of 70 can still build muscle and improve muscle tone through exercise and proper nutrition. That said, tailoring your workouts according to your physical limitations and health conditions is crucial to prevent injury or strain.
HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE AFTER 70
Following a safe and effective exercise regimen can maintain muscle mass, improve overall health, and improve quality of life.
Increasing Your Intake Of Protein
Various studies have highlighted that proteins, particularly essential amino acids, are crucial for maintaining muscle health in older adults.
As we age, our muscles tend to weaken, and it becomes more challenging to maintain muscle mass. Fortunately, a protein-rich diet can help to counteract this effect by providing the necessary building blocks to build and repair muscles.
This is especially important for men and women over the age of 70, who require more protein than younger adults to maintain muscle health.
Protein can be obtained from various food sources, including beans, legumes, and meat. However, older adults need to ensure that their diet includes sufficient protein to support their muscle health. This means consuming larger quantities of protein-rich foods than younger adults typically need.
The current recommended daily protein intake for adults is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. However, the recommended daily protein intake for the elderly is higher, ranging between 1.2 and 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight. This reflects the increased need and significance of protein in their diet.
You should also consider the quality and type of protein you consume. Essential amino acids, especially branched-chain leucine, strongly stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
Branched-chain amino acid leucine is found in higher concentrations in animal-based proteins than in plant-based forms such as soy milk, legumes, and beans, making them a great source of this vital nutrient.
Check this: Protein For Older Adults
There are many dietary sources for leucine and other BCAAs. Some healthy sources of amino acids include:
1. Salmon
Salmon is a good source of amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, but due to health concerns, it’s important to choose wild-caught salmon or limit your consumption of farmed salmon.
2. Chickpeas
Half a cup of these nutritional powerhouses provides 7g of protein, 6g of fiber, and a good dose of iron. Add them to soups, stews, curries, salads, or enjoy as hummus.
3. Brown Rice
Consider brown rice instead of white.
4. Eggs
Even the American Heart Association says that an egg a day is okay. You’ll get 6g of protein in that egg.
According to the American Heart Association, one egg provides 6g of protein and is recommended for daily consumption.
5. Soybeans
This versatile legume comes in various forms, such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, roasted soybeans, and texturized soy protein, which is now easily accessible in supermarkets and can be used as a meat substitute in many dishes.
6. Nuts
Almonds, Brazil nuts, and cashews are excellent sources of essential amino acids. Peanuts, although technically legumes, are also excellent sources of protein.
7. Beef
One of the best sources of amino acids is beef. To reduce your intake of fats and cholesterol, go for lean cuts or consider grass-fed beef.
Eating A Balanced Diet
When it comes to healthy eating, many people advocate for the Mediterranean diet and the rainbow diet. The rainbow diet emphasizes the importance of eating fruits and vegetables of different colors, as this ensures you get a variety of fiber and essential vitamins. On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet, in addition, also focuses on incorporating moderate amounts of healthy fats in your diet, which can be achieved by eating foods like nuts, seeds, olives, avocadoes, and healthy oils. By incorporating these diets into your lifestyle, you can reap the benefits of a healthy and balanced diet.
Certain micronutrients can be helpful supplements when it comes to building muscle. Two such nutrients are selenium and magnesium. Additionally, minerals like calcium and zinc play a vital role in maintaining the health of your musculoskeletal system. Calcium helps to keep the structural integrity of your bones and muscles, making them stronger and less susceptible to injury. On the other hand, zinc is a crucial component for several essential biochemical reactions in the body, which are necessary for building and repairing muscle tissue.
A study found that low selenium levels are associated with weaker hips, low knee strength, and decreased grip strength compared to participants with normal selenium levels. Serum selenium can serve as an indicator of muscle loss risk.
It is worth noting that vitamins C, D, and B6 are essential for maintaining healthy muscles. Severe vitamin B deficiency can cause neurological problems that negatively impact motor neurons, resulting in weakness. Therefore, getting a balanced variety of vitamins through your diet is crucial.
Learn here: Healthy Eating Rules
Pre-workout Warm-up and Stretches
As you age, your muscles and other connective tissues become more susceptible to injury. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate pre-workout warm-up exercises into your exercise routine to avoid sudden, excessive stress on your muscles. Pre-workout warm-up exercises such as light jogging, stretches, and other low-intensity exercises can help your body prepare for more intense physical activity. These exercises also help to reduce the risk of injuries such as sprains, muscle tears, and fractures by improving your body’s flexibility and range of motion. In addition, pre-workout warm-ups can also help to increase blood flow to the muscles, which can enhance your performance during your workout session.
Aim for pre-workout and warm-up periods of about 10 minutes each, and remember to focus on the muscles you plan to train that day.
Using Resistance Bands
Incorporating resistance training into your fitness routine can be highly beneficial, and resistance bands are a versatile tool that can help you achieve your strength training goals. If you’re an elderly person, start with lower body strength training exercises that don’t require any equipment. Resistance bands can then be added to your workout routine to provide an extra level of resistance, which can help you build muscle and improve your overall fitness. With regular use, you’ll likely notice improvements in your strength, balance, and mobility, which can help you stay active and independent as you age.
After working on exercises targeting the lower body muscles, you can move on to strengthen the core and upper body.
When you stretch a muscle until it begins to strain, the body naturally responds by promoting muscle growth. This is because the muscle must adapt to the strain, and in doing so, it increases in mass and develops additional muscle fibers. This ultimately leads to an increase in muscle size or mass.
Research studies have shown that using an elastic material like a resistance band can enhance muscle strength in older people, regardless of their health condition. Training with elastic resistance is particularly practical for individuals with mild functional limitations.
Body Weight Exercises Like Push-ups And Situps
If you don’t have weights or a resistance band, you can still perform resistance workouts like push-ups and squats using your body weight. These exercises are crucial to strength training, helping you build and maintain muscle mass.
You can do these exercises at home. Focus on doing sets of push-ups or squats, repeating them, and taking breaks in between.
Muscles are made up of different fibers, and as we age, these fibers may degenerate. Older adults may be more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle with less high-intensity exercise. Therefore, introducing regular exercises into your daily routine can help you maintain muscle form.
When it comes to maintaining good health, resistance exercise training has been shown to be incredibly beneficial for both the nervous and muscular systems. With a well-designed, progressive resistance exercise training program, individuals can experience positive effects that help manage sarcopenia (muscle loss) and improve overall physical fitness. In fact, resistance exercise training may be a top-tier treatment strategy due to its effectiveness and versatility in enhancing overall health and well-being.
Regarding resistance exercise training (RET), it’s essential to balance duration and frequency. Ideally, RET sessions should last 30 minutes to an hour and be performed twice to four times a week. During these sessions, you can engage in various exercises to build muscle strength, including wall push-ups, seated cable rows, biceps curls, triceps extensions, calf raises, and leg extensions. By incorporating these exercises into your fitness routine, you can target specific muscle groups and improve your overall physical performance.
Use of Exercise Machines
Resistance exercises can be divided into two categories: multi-joint and uni-joint exercises. Multi-joint exercises involve more than one joint, including the chest and leg press. On the other hand, uni-joint exercises involve only one joint and include exercises like bicep curls.
Multi-joint exercises are recommended for older adults, and using resistance exercise machines is more beneficial for them than using free weights for beginners unfamiliar with barbells and dumbbells.
Exercise machines are an excellent way for the elderly to stay active and healthy. Investing in an exercise machine that suits your needs can significantly enhance your physical well-being. Many different types of exercise machines are available, including elliptical machines, recumbent exercise bikes, lat pulldown machines, and rowing machines, each offering unique benefits and features. So, choosing the right one that meets your fitness goals and requirements is essential.
Ellipticals are stationary machines that allow you to do various cardio exercises. Recumbent exercise bikes are appropriate for seniors and improve your leg muscles. They are also very comfortable due to the padding provided on them. Rowing machines allow you to have a full-body workout. Similarly, lat pulldown machines enable you to train a particular group of muscles at a time.
Lifting Light to Moderate Weights
Individuals who are 70 years old or above can incorporate weight lifting into their fitness routine, provided that they take into account any pre-existing health conditions. Weight lifting can be a great way to boost muscle mass and overall physical strength in older adults. However, it is important to avoid lifting hefty weights, as this can put undue strain on the body. Furthermore, individuals in this age group must prioritize adapting to their weight lifts and exercises, considering previous injuries, limited range of motion, joint problems, and lack of flexibility.
Strength training is crucial for older adults who want to build muscle mass. Using light weights and performing slow movements during your workout is recommended. This will allow your muscles to work harder and prevent injuries. Remember never to exercise the same muscle group two days in a row to give your muscles enough time to recover.
During your exercise sets, take a few minutes of rest between sets and after you finish your routine. “This helps your body to return to its normal physiological boundaries.
Studies have shown that weightlifting can have a positive effect on the elderly. One study observed a group of individuals between the ages of 60 and 86 who trained five muscle groups with three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions, followed by 20 minutes of endurance training over six months. At the end of the study, three measurements were taken—dynamic, isometric strength, and endurance. The results indicated that free-weight training improved leg and triceps strength most effectively.
It is advisable to seek the guidance of a personal trainer while choosing exercises, as it can take time to determine which exercises are safe for you to perform. A training program tailored to your individual needs is crucial, especially if you have any underlying health conditions that may hinder your progress.
Learn here: Using Light Weight For Building Muscles
Slow and Steady Increase Of Exercise Intensity
To start with, doing ten repetitions of a suitable exercise is sufficient. This also applies to weight training. Keep using the same weight until you are able to complete 12 to 15 repetitions in a row. Gradually, you can increase the weight and aim for 10 to 12 repetitions in one go. This cycle continues as such, and with time, you will see an increase in your muscle mass and strength to lift weights.
The cycle continues as such, with eventual gains seen in muscle mass and your capacity to lift weights.
Learn here: How To Maintain Muscle After 60
Getting Sufficient Amount Of Rest And Sleep
During sleep, the body goes into a state of recovery and repair, which helps to alleviate any physical or mental stress accumulated throughout the day.
Thus, sufficient rest and sleep are necessary to promote overall well-being. Similarly, breaks between exercise sessions are crucial to prevent overexertion and muscle, tendon, or ligament injury.
For older people, experts recommend a rest period of one or two days between each exercise session to allow the body to recover and repair.
The quality of sleep one gets significantly impacts muscle protein metabolism. Inadequate or poor-quality sleep can lead to age-related muscle loss by promoting proteolysis, modifying body composition, and increasing the risk of insulin resistance.
Furthermore, age-related sleep disorders can disrupt the functioning of anabolic hormones and encourage catabolic pathways in skeletal muscle, which can worsen muscle loss. Hence, ensuring sufficient and good-quality sleep is essential to maintaining muscle health, particularly as one ages.
Various hormones are also released during sleep, influencing muscle growth and repair. Growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), testosterone, insulin, and cortisol all have distinct effects on muscles, which must be taken into account for optimal muscle health.
Learn here: How You Can Gain Muscle Over 85
The Bottom Line
It is possible to build muscle mass after 70 through low to moderate-intensity strength training along with a protein-rich diet. However, age-related factors such as muscle, nerve, joint, and bone degeneration may limit the intensity of exercises for different individuals. It is a myth that seniors cannot gain muscle mass, and with the right approach, it is possible to build strength and muscle even in one’s later years. It is recommended that all individuals over the age of 70 incorporate resistance training in their fitness routine while focusing on a balanced diet to maintain and increase muscle tone.
Useful Sources:
Best Resource on Old Age Fitness
About the Author: Renu Bakshi, AKA Fitness Buffhq, is an ISSA-certified Elite Trainer. He
passed the Personal Fitness Trainer Course, Nutrition Health Coach Course, and Specialist Exercise Therapy course from ISSA, USA, obtaining +97 % marks. He shares his experience and knowledge about nutrition and effective workouts to get you in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you may be. The author says, “Age is just a number!”
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is general and for information only because it doesn’t consider your health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalized health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should determine if the information is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.
