How to Build Muscle Mass After 50

You can build strength if you are over 50.

As you age, you lose muscle mass. It just happens. The loss can be anywhere from 5 to 7 lbs. every 10 years after about age 25. Living longer and being more sedentary makes matters worse. Strength training is the solution, and older adults can do it too. Age does not prohibit building muscles, but you must do it safely and reasonably. When you do train properly, you increase muscle mass, improve bone density, and prevent falls.

Instructions

Older Adult Strength Training

1. Assess strength. Take a written or physical assessment. You need a realistic fitness starting point to set appropriate goals. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers an assessment of your activities of daily living and mobility. You can also go to a certified personal trainer for a modified strength assessment. If you can lift the weight at least 15 times for an exercise, this is a good starting weight.

2. Do strength-training exercises two to three times per week. You should give yourself at least a day of rest in between to allow for muscle repair and building. As you age, the more rest between strength workouts, the better. For older adults, a total-body workout several times a week is more effective than weight training every day for a different muscle group.

3. Monitor intensity. Warm up the muscles first with walking. When doing an exercise set, you should feel fatigued by the last few repetitions. If you do not, then increase the weight. If you cannot perform the last few repetitions with proper form, then lower the weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that you ask yourself specific questions after each exercise, such as: "Would I be able to do several more repetitions in correct form?"

4. Use lighter weights. To avoid injury, do more repetitions with lighter weights. However, if you can lift the weight 30 times, this weight is really too light for building muscle. Instead of trying to lift 15 lbs. six times, lift a 3-lb. weight or soup can 10 to 15 times.

5. Exercise your shoulders, arms, chest, back, stomach muscles, hips, knees, and feet. The Active Living Coalition for Older Adults recommends that you pay special attention to these muscle groups. Bone density in the hip area is particularly important for preventing hip fractures. A sample routine would include front and side arm raises, arm circles, wall pushups, reverse flies, seated knee lifts and leg lifts, toe raises, and heel taps.

Tips & Warnings

• Every 2 to 3 weeks, change something. You may need to increase weight or the number of sets you perform. Your muscles adapt to weight training and must be challenged. If you cannot increase weight or sets, then try to do a few more repetitions of each exercise.

• Older adults still build strength, even if muscle size does not increase dramatically.

References

• MSNBC.com: Tips to Build Your Muscle Mass at Any Age
• The Active Living Coalition for Older Adults: The Power of Strength Training for Older Adults
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Growing Stronger: Strength Training for Older Adults
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Intensity
• ShapeFit.com: Fitness Over 50 -- Weight Training Exercises to Build Muscle

Resources

• Read this Article in UK English
• Over Forty Fitness Guide