As I hope you’ve taken away from this blog (and my books), doing ‘cardio’ isn’t keeping you young at all. It supports muscle atrophy, accelerates cell damage, and wastes time that could’ve been spent building a stronger, more well-functioning physique.
Our health doesn’t diminish with age because of bad cardio, it diminishes because of low muscle mass and poor functionality.
Muscle strength is the main culprit in the functional decline with age (in both men and women), and as various studies have shown (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), it’s directly associated with all-cause mortality.
We either fall and become immobile, or we’re too weak to fight off disease. Plus, our low muscle mass makes us prone to metabolic dysfunction; leading to additional fat gain and muscle loss, and a higher likelihood of developing a degenerative condition (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s) or early death.
“The accelerated loss of appendicular (limb) skeletal muscle mass is predictive of all-cause mortality in older men regardless of age, BMI, lifestyle, physical performance, health status, and body composition.” AJCN, 2010
“Muscular strength is inversely and independently associated with death from all causes and cancer in men, even after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness and other potential confounders.” BMJ, 2008
The good news is, it’s 100% preventable – as this loss of strength and muscle mass (sarcopenia) is the result of poor nutrition and chronic disuse. And despite conventional thinking, older individuals are just as capable of stimulating muscle growth (MPS) by “Making Animal Protein Mandatory” and “Working Out to Build (Not Burn).”
They’re also just as capable of getting stronger, improving their insulin sensitivity, and increasing their metabolic rate; which are all critical biomarkers for health and longevity.
So there should be no reason:
Sarcopenia affects greater than 25% of the population over 40, and is the leading cause of disability in the elderly.
And there should be no reason why you’re not actively trying to build strength and muscle.
…regardless of your age.
Stay Lean!
Coach Mike
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