“That’s just what happens when you get older”, I often hear from people. Maybe they’re talking about how they gained body fat, lost muscle mass, got weaker, or something else. But at the same time, they haven’t exercised in 5+ years. So is it really aging that made them deteriorate, or neglect?
Original source: here.
There’s no question that aging drags us all down. But the extent to which it decreases our capacities is largely a matter of lifestyle. There’s a huge difference between older adults who take care of themselves, and those who don’t, in every respect – strength, mobility, muscle mass, body fat, etc.
I realize that this particular article has the potential to make some people angry. But I recommend you choose a different way of looking at it – aging is out of your control. Neglect is most definitely within your control. If you’ve found yourself gaining body fat, losing strength and endurance due to neglect, you can turn that around at any age.
In this article, we’ll compare people of the same age who neglect themselves to those who are “healthy, fit agers” (yes, I just made up a word) – plus, what can happen when a previously sedentary person starts exercising.
Body Fat
Some people gain body fat as they age. They often think that everyone gains body fat, to make themselves feel better. But it’s far from everyone.
I wrote a very detailed article about how aging affects body fat, but here’s the short version: people who age without exercise and good nutrition gain body fat. People who age with exercise and good nutrition gain a lot less body fat. Surprising, I know. Some would even say groundbreaking.
In one study, researchers took 2 groups of postmenopausal women:
- Group 1 had an average age of 60.5 years, and exercised consistently for at least 2 years prior to the study
- Group 2 was of the same age, and didn’t exercise.
What did the researchers find? Exactly what you’d expect: the group that exercised had lower fat, lower waist circumference and higher muscle mass, compared to the group that didn’t exercise.
Empirically, we also know that age is not the primary (or even secondary) factor when it comes to changes in body composition.
After all, if age was the biggest factor in body composition changes, wouldn’t everyone gain body fat with age? What about the people who were unhealthy, and overweight in high school, and actually lost fat, as they adopted healthier habits? What about the few people who actually are now in their 60s and 70s, and are within 5 pounds of where they were when they were around 25-30?
Endurance
Lots of people complain that they get winded going up the stairs. Again, is that due to aging or neglect? Yes, endurance goes down with age, even for people who exercise. But exercising older adults still have enough endurance left over not to get winded going up the stairs.
Case in point, one study compared the endurance of younger adults who exercise (they had an average age of 27) to older adults who exercise (they had an average age of 64).
Endurance is measured with something called “VO2max.” If you really want to know, the V stands for “volume”, O2 is oxygen.
Anyways, younger adults in that study had a VO2max of 40 ml/kg/min. Older adults in that study had a VO2max of 32 ml/kg/min. And to clarify – these are not athletes. They just do cardio 2-5 days per week for 30-60 minutes.
That’s a comparison of young people who exercise to older adults who exercise. What about a comparison of older adults who do cardio and older adults who don’t do cardio? That research exists as well.
In one study, the researchers compared women between ages 72-75 who are lifelong exercisers (average years training: 48) to sedentary women of the same age.
The women who did cardio on a regular basis had a VO2max of 26 ml/kg/min. The women who didn’t do cardio had a VO2max of 18 ml/kg/min.
Here’s the encouraging thing: previously sedentary older adults can improve their VO2max by 20-30% within a year of training (and unfortunately plateau there. It doesn’t improve beyond 20-30%). So that 18 ml/kg/min can get as high as 21.6-23.4 ml/kg/min. Not quite as good as lifelong exercisers, but also, encouraging that by changing course, you can also dramatically improve your endurance.
Strength
One study compared the strength of young men (average age of 24) who strength train to older men (average age of 70) who strength train. The test they used for comparison was the single-leg knee extension. The young men could extend their leg with 75 kg, whereas the older men could do it with 41 kg. That’s a 45% lower level of strength in the older men compared to the younger men.
Another study compared the strength of 24-year-old men to 66-year-old men. Both groups did strength training for years before the study. In this study, the older men’s strength was only 19% lower than the younger men’s.
A third study compared the strength of young women (ages 20-27) who strength train to 3 groups of older women who strength train. Compared to young women who strength train:
- Women between 50-64 had a grip strength 19% lower than younger women.
- Women between 65-74 had a grip strength 24% lower than younger women.
- Women between 75-86 had a grip strength 34% lower than younger women.
Aging sucks, yes. But aging without exercise sucks a lot more. Case in point, one study compared the strength levels of older men (average age of 68) who don’t strength train to older men who do strength train.
What they found is that the 68-year-olds who strength train had the same strength levels as 28-year-olds who don’t strength train. Furthermore, their lower body was 44% stronger than other 68-year-olds who don’t strength train. You can bet that these 68-year-olds aren’t complaining of difficulties getting off the floor, climbing stairs, or getting up from their chairs or couches. Additionally, their upper body was 32% stronger than other 68-year-olds who don’t strength train. They’re not complaining about difficulties with gardening, yard work, opening jars or moving furniture.
But what if you’ve been sedentary for years or decades? Is all hope lost? Nope. That’s actually a lot of our clients – successful in other areas of their life, but neglected the personal health side of things.
In my own experience, adults over 60 who’ve never done strength training get 30-40% stronger in about 6-12 months if they do strength training 2-3 times per week.
Muscle Mass
Surprised to see strength and muscle mass as 2 separate sections? Don’t be. They’re related, but not the same thing. Strength is how much force a muscle can generate. Muscle mass is the size of the muscle. Generally speaking, a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, but it’s not the only factor that determines muscle strength.
Unlike strength, which declines regardless of whether someone exercises or not (there are larger declines in people who don’t exercise), muscle mass doesn’t have to. In one study, researchers compared the muscle mass of 40-year-olds who strength train to 81-year-olds who strength train.
While the strength of the 81-year-olds was lower, their muscle mass wasn’t. In this study, they were habitually strength training 4-5 days per week for decades.
Skeptical? Me too. When I get a surprising result from a study, I look for additional research to either confirm, negate or explain. In a different study, researchers compared the muscle mass of 20-39-year-old competitive weightlifters to those of 70-89-year-old competitive weightlifters. The 70–89-year-olds had a lot less strength, but only 10-15% less muscle mass.
In a third study, researchers compared the muscle mass of 21-31-year-olds who strength train to 62-81-year-olds who strength train. The older group’s muscle mass was 12% lower.
How do we make sense of all this confusing research? In the first study, the population used was non-athletes, but serious exercisers. Their goal wasn’t to push the boundaries of the human body. The second study used actual athletes. In the third study, they used what they called “moderately active” older adults. That means that on the one hand, they’re not completely sedentary, but also not diligently strength training 4-5 times per week, either. So it looks like in recreational exercisers, there’s very little to no decline in muscle mass, on condition that exercise and nutrition is adapted to their age.
Side note: as people get older, they actually need more sets per muscle group and a higher protein intake to maintain their muscle mass.
Based on this research, my estimate is that the amount of muscle loss with age (yes, just age – not age AND inactivity) is between 0-10%.
But what happens when you combine aging and inactivity? Bad things. One study compared 80-year-olds who were lifelong exercisers with sedentary 80-year-olds. Those who were lifelong exercisers had 14% more muscle mass compared to sedentary folks.
The lesson: don’t be sedentary.
While you can’t travel back in time, and start exercising when you’re 15, you can change your future. In one study of previously sedentary older adults between ages 75-90, when they started combining proper strength training with an adequate protein intake, their muscle mass increased by 3-4% in a matter of 3-4 months.
In a different study, when 80+ year olds only did strength training (without changing their protein intake, which means that almost certainly, they were having insufficient protein), their muscle mass increased by 2% in 12 weeks.
Final Message
You can read this article in one of three ways:
- If you’re a lifelong exerciser, pat yourself on the back.
- If you either haven’t exercised at all before, or haven’t exercised properly, you can feel sad, defeated, and that it’s too late to start.
- If you either haven’t exercised at all before, or haven’t exercised properly, you can feel encouraged that even if you start now, you can make pretty substantial and fast progress. In fact, you’ll make faster progress than someone who’s been exercising for 5+ years.
If you’re ready to take the first step to see how you can get in better shape as an older adult, we have a special program called “Fitness Over 50.” Want to see if you qualify for that program? Simply fill out the application form on our home page, and we’ll set up a quick, 10–15-minute chat. This chat is no pressure, no obligation, and not a sales pitch. It’s a simple, casual conversation to understand what your current situation is, and whether we can help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
