It's Never Too Late To Build Muscle Mass

People lose muscle mass as they age, but U.S. researchers say adults can fight the battle of strength and muscle loss that normally comes with aging by placing resistance on various muscle groups. Mark Peterson, a research fellow in the University of Michigan’s Physical Activity Exercise Intervention Research Laboratory says adults age 50 and older who are sedentary can expect muscle loss of as much as a half pound each year. “That loss only worsens as people age," Peterson says. "But even earlier in adulthood – the 30s, 40s and 50s – you can begin to see declines if you do not engage in any strengthening activities.” Peterson states: “No matter what age an individual is, they can experience significant strength improvement with progressive resistance exercise even into the eighth and ninth decade of life.” Progressive resistance training means the amount of resistance used and the frequency and duration of the training sessions altered over time to accommodate an individual’s progress, Peterson says. The study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, finds that after an average of 18-20 weeks of progressive resistance training, an adult can add 2.42 pounds of lean muscle and increase overall strength by 25 percent to 30 percent. Editor's Note: I have been doing resistance exercises for about five years. As I near my 80^th birthday I am thrilled to report that ever since I began these resistance exercises, even though I have been growing older, I have been building muscle mass, and am continuing to build more muscle mass as I add more years to my life. The tool I have used to build this muscle mass is called “Fit-10”. The Fit-10 consists of a rope you place over any door, along with a bungee cord you place over a door handle, and it comes in a cloth bag you can place in your suitcase when traveling. The daily workout takes a total of just 10 minutes. Watch Rev. Malkmus work out on a “Fit-10” here... and get a glimpse of his muscles, too!