Strength training has established itself as a smart training option for many people. However, in older age, many people believe that they are harming their body if they force building muscles instead of light endurance training.
In fact, the targeted training sessions accommodate natural body changes in older age groups. We'll explain to you why building muscle as you get older can be more difficult, but extremely useful.
Do you want targeted training to build muscle as you age?
Our body is a complex system that is based on efficiency and minimalism: If it does not use muscle areas regularly, the muscles slowly break down in order to save energy for other areas of the body.
The older a person is, the faster muscle breakdown can occur . Unless you work against it with regular exercise and training. The exact reasons for the accelerated breakdown of muscles are still unknown.
However, knowledge about how to prevent this loss through appropriate training is certain: between the ages of 25 and 30, people have the maximum mass and quality of their muscles without targeted training.
Afterwards, the gradual loss of muscle mass that is not regularly used through exercise and sporting activity begins. Afterwards, appropriate targeted development work must be carried out to maintain and promote new muscle growth .
Muscle training prevents a variety of diseases of the muscles and the musculoskeletal system, promotes a healthy organism and sustainably reduces the risk of injury.
Building muscle at 50+: Why makes sense for seniors?
Many people tend to take it easy on their movements and stress “ according to their age ”.
If climbing stairs is difficult, most people use escalators and elevators. When carrying your purchases, you are just as happy to accept help from others as you would be to pull a shopping cart.
This protection may be comfortable, but it has the disadvantage that it can accelerate the natural, age-related muscle loss .
Even carrying out simple activities regularly can counteract muscle loss. If you can already see a noticeable loss of strength, you should immediately reconsider your everyday activities. Use the stairs consciously and carry small purchases yourself.
Don't shy away from short-term exertion on your body, but accept the challenge for the sake of your health. Take regular walks at a moderate pace, later at a faster pace, and get advice on sporting options for building up your muscles .
Regular training sessions with strength training exercises help to strengthen existing muscles and build new ones. Regular strength training not only improves your muscles, but also strengthens your coordination. Building muscles as you get older is therefore more than recommended.
This allows you to increase the ability to balance and indirectly even increase bone density. Regular stress through training gives the body a signal that it can achieve greater resilience.
Accordingly, the body begins to store more minerals in the bones. The bones can thus receive more stability and resilience. They can also reduce the development of demineralization disorders and substance loss (e.g. in osteoporosis).
A healthy body can score points with good balance and better responsiveness. In this way, you can better support your body in the event of a fall and possibly prevent problematic injuries before they occur.
In addition, a trained body with a good muscle structure is more resilient , the joints are usually more flexible and therefore more resistant to injuries.
If you do injure yourself, a trained body can use its regenerative capacity better , which means healing usually occurs faster than an untrained person.
The organism also benefits from regular training sessions , as they promote metabolism in many ways. In the long term, this even mitigates the effects of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
How can you accelerate muscle building as you age?
The body is a real miracle that allows muscles to be built up even in advanced years. Although it is more difficult to build muscle as you get older , it is no less efficient for your quality of life and well-being.
This is accompanied by increased attractiveness, which you also radiate through your well-being. Being fit and feeling fit is no longer a question of age.
Through regular muscle-building training , a senior can have just as fresh agility as a 30 or 40-year-old who doesn't do any sports.
You should choose the type of training less “ age-appropriate ” than based on your individual constitution. In principle , muscle training for seniors can be structured in the same way as for younger athletes.
Building muscle over 50: What should you pay attention to?
At the beginning you should use a load capacity of 40 to 50% when training in order to achieve good training performance without being overwhelmed. Heavy weights are considered beneficial because they are the only way to achieve the necessary load to improve the bone structure .
The white muscle fibers, which break down more quickly, can also benefit from the high, but short-term, stress.
Structure of muscle tissue
The background for this approach is related to the structure of the muscle tissue. The white muscle fibers are fast-twitching and are needed for the acute effort of a movement. While the red, slowly twitching muscles take on endurance activities .
The heavy strain on the muscles caused by intensive activities can particularly benefit the white muscle fibers.
Muscle building exercises with your own body weight are considered extremely efficient. These combine improving strength with increasing endurance.
However, working with your own body weight alone can be insufficient, especially for beginners in strength training .
Accordingly, you should rely on the competent support of experienced trainers in a modern fitness studio in order to learn how to use supporting weights (e.g. dumbbells and fitness equipment) correctly.
You should also ensure sufficient regeneration between training periods. Although there is no age limit for strength training, the additional years are definitely noticeable due to the increased need for regeneration time compared to younger athletes.
Under expert guidance, for example from a personal trainer in the gym , you can then adapt the number of weekly training sessions to your constitution and resilience.
How to get off to a healthy start by building muscles as a senior
If you want to start strength training as a senior, your first step should be to see a doctor . Have your overall physical situation checked and physical limitations determined specifically.
However, this is not to say that building muscle is not possible if you have health problems.
On the contrary, even with osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and other typical diseases of old age, the physical situation can be optimally supported and other suffering reduced with the right training.
Therefore, discuss your sporting plans with your doctor and get support from an expert personal trainer if you are a beginner or have previous illnesses.
Those in the know know that building muscle is more difficult as you get older and will give you the best possible support. The right training methods and targeted strength training sessions should be tailored specifically for you.
Up to what age can you build muscle ? Building muscle is possible at any age. Building muscle is still possible at the age of 50, 60 and even 90.
This means that even with more years under your belt, you can still build muscle and sustainably promote your constitution. You should also examine your personal lifestyle to promote health and adapt it if necessary.
In addition to training, this includes:
- a good and balanced supply of nutrients,
- a good fluid balance,
- an examination of the additional nutrients required for training (e.g. proteins),
- a balanced and stress-free everyday life as well
- sufficient regeneration phases and good sleep.
Amino acids and muscle building
In order to build muscle mass, the body not only needs the stimulus of training, but also a good supply of nutrients and fluids .
Make sure you drink enough water and unsweetened drinks like tea. You should also pay attention to a good, varied diet with lots of vitamins and minerals.
In general, it is advisable to think about your diet in order to provide your body with enough amino acids, proteins and to maintain your hormonal balance.
Amino acids are micronutrients that form chains of proteins. They are needed in the organism for a variety of functions such as hormone production.
The body can produce some amino acids itself through a good protein intake, while others should be obtained through food, for example. As you get older, your body may reduce the production of hormones needed for muscle growth.
However, with a targeted supply of nutrients, you can optimally stimulate your metabolism. In addition, the body can increase production again to break down fat tissue and promote muscle tissue.
Do you have the impression that you are not getting enough proteins and amino acids through a balanced diet?
Then you can benefit from supporting supplies with high-quality nutritional supplements. You can adapt these optimally to your diet and promote muscle building as you age .
The relevance of relaxation, regeneration and sleep is often underestimated by young and older athletes.
Stress can trigger the release of hormones that counteract muscle growth. While relaxation and regeneration can promote the production of muscle building.
Make sure you get enough rest and a good sleep-wake rhythm. The actual growth of muscles occurs during sleep, when the body recovers and regenerates from daily exertion. Amino acids can also have a positive effect on sleep disorders .