Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60 [4,5]. This involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is a fundamental cause of and contributor to disability in older people.
Age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, is a natural part of aging. After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade.
The combination of strength training, plus a high-protein and low-fat diet, can help offset age-related muscle loss so you can avoid injuries and loss of physical function. It can make the difference between enjoying the later years of life versus making many trips to the hospital.
It's never too late to build muscle and strength. You can build muscle no matter your age. A proven strength training program for building muscle after 50 is to lift two or three days per week, doing 10 sets per muscle and week, with about 8–15 reps per set. Eat a healthy high-protein diet.
It's a common misconception that you can't build muscle after 60. The truth is, you can continue to build muscle at any age — it just might take a little longer than it did when you were in your 20s or 30s. It's never too late to get in shape — even if you're 60 or older.
Vitamin D may be protective for muscle loss; a more alkalinogenic diet and diets higher in the anti-oxidant nutrients vitamin C and vitamin E may also prevent muscle loss.
Numerous experts recommend resistance and weight training as the best ways to rebuild muscle. And in addition to building muscle mass, this type of exercise increases bone mass, which is another key to remaining mobile as you age.
While there is no way to fully “stop the clock,” it's possible for many older adults to increase muscle strength with exercise, which can help maintain mobility and independence into later life.
Although some sarcopenias are a natural consequence of Aging, others are preventable. Studies show sarcopenia can be reversed, and muscle loss decreased. A healthy diet and reasonable exercise can reverse sarcopenia, which increases lifespan and improve quality of life.
Walking has clear benefits on keeping our bodies functioning as we get older, improving cardiovascular health, helping lose fat mass and maintain muscle mass, and helping to maintain bone density as well. And these benefits are true for people of all ages.
“Incorporating weight-bearing activities, strength training and/or a resistance training program to improve muscle mass and strength is extremely beneficial,” says Maclin. The best exercises to build muscle include: Bodyweight exercises, like pushups, squats, planks and lunges. Strength training using weight machines.
Recent studies show that vitamin D deficiency may be responsible for muscle atrophy.
The most common cause of sarcopenia is the natural aging process. You gradually begin losing muscle mass and strength sometime in your 30s or 40s. This process picks up between the ages of 65 and 80. Rates vary, but you may lose as much as 8% of your muscle mass each decade.
Eating protein‑rich foods to help build muscle is the key. “To build muscle, you need 0.45 gram of protein per pound of body weight,” Calabrese says. For example, a person weighing 140 pounds should eat 63 grams of protein a day (140 x 0.45). Good sources are milk, cheese, eggs, poultry, fish, peanuts and beans.
In general, high protein, low fat, and low carbohydrate meals are recommended. Proteins are required for muscle repair and regeneration. Some of the preferred protein sources include lean meats such as chicken and fish, eggs, and vegetable proteins such as beans and soy.
Lean Beef. For decades, beef has remained at the top of the list of best muscle-building foods—and for good reason! Beef contains a muscle-building combination of protein like essential amino acids, B-vitamins, and creatine.
Repeated research has shown that, through weight training, men and women in their 60s and beyond can grow muscles as big and strong as an average 40-year-old.
While walking builds some muscle, it isn't the big, bulky muscle mass that comes from spending a lot of time in the gym. Rather, walking creates a leaner muscle tone throughout one's body, particularly in lower muscle groups. Muscles grow after being stressed enough to break down in the first place.
Recommendations for how much protein is enough for older people vary, but current studies suggest that most people over age 65 should take in about 1 g to 1.2 g of protein/kg of body weight per day to both gain and maintain muscle mass and function.