Did you know that once you get into your mid-thirties, it becomes significantly harder to build muscle? It’s not impossible, by any means, but in your younger years, you could do hardly anything and still see an increase in muscle mass. The thing is, it’s arguably more important to build muscle as you get older than it is when you’re young.
Why? Because building muscle mass helps with a host of age-related concerns:
- It can stabilize and protect your joints
- It can improve your balance and prevent falls
- It makes you stronger, so you can do simple things like carry the shopping bags to the car
- It can also strengthen your bones to prevent osteoporosis
- It may even reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases
- It’ll help you lower your blood pressure and decrease body fat
Too many people think that building muscle is simply an aesthetic thing that young people do to look good. Sure, that’s part of it for a lot of people, but once you reach a certain age, you must understand that muscle growth is a key part of maintaining a healthy life. As mentioned, the problem is that it’s harder for you to build muscle as you age, so what can you do about the situation?
The guide below brings you plenty of research-backed tips and tricks that will assist you on your journey to build more muscle and see the benefits above.
Start Strength Training In The Gym
It’s fair to say that most people of a certain age don’t know where to start when it comes to building muscle. You might not have been to a gym for well over a decade or more – and when you did go, you spent most of the time on cardio machines. If you want to build muscle, then you need to start strength training with purpose.
This will involve lifting weights or using resistance machines to help you get stronger. It’s good to target all of the main muscle groups in your body, which you can do through compound movements like:
- Squats for your lower body (mainly quads and glutes)
- Chest & shoulder press for your chest & shoulder muscles
- Some type of rowing action for your back muscles and biceps
- Deadlifts for full-body activation
Start with these – please be sure to work with a gym instructor or personal trainer to learn the proper form – and then you can gradually add in more exercises alongside them. The key thing with strength training is progressive overload: you should try to challenge your muscles more every session.
For example, start by working up to 8-10 repetitions of an exercise for 3-4 sets. When you find the sweet spot, you should be able to complete the final set by just reaching your target reps. The next time you perform this exercise, either increase the weight slightly or try to get one or two more reps. You’ll keep doing this as your muscles get stronger – and it gives you a constant way to progress.
Progressive overload is, ultimately, how you build muscle through strength training, so it should be the key part of your workout program.
Prioritize A High-Protein Diet
Protein is the most important nutrient when it comes to muscle growth. Your body needs to use protein to repair muscles after a workout. You see, when you train your muscles, the fibers become damaged because they’ve been worked so hard. Your body then repairs these by using protein – and it adds more protein to the fibers so they become thicker and stronger. It’s like your body has gone “Oh, lifting that weight caused damage to your muscles, so let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
As a consequence, your diet needs to be high in protein to help fuel muscle recovery and, therefore, growth. There are many mixed opinions out there about how much protein you need to build muscle, but the general consensus is that anything between 1.5 and 2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight will be optimal.
Try to get most of your protein from natural sources whenever possible. If you struggle to hit your protein goals, then the tip below will help.
Utilize Peptides & Other Key Supplements
Protein powders are excellent supplements to help you reach daily protein goals. They come as powders for you to mix with water/milk, snacks, or pre-mixed shakes. Pick a high-quality protein supplement and use it as required on the days when you’re unable to hit your goals through your main meals alone.
Furthermore, it’s also worth considering certain peptides to help encourage muscle growth, especially as you get older. Aging means your body stops producing certain vital hormones that lay the foundations for muscle development – most notably, Human Growth Hormone. But, as detailed by Northern Peptides, you can use special muscle growth peptides that send signals throughout your body and trigger the production of HGH.
Is this like taking steroids? No, not even close. Peptides will not have as intense an effect on your body, and they also do not elicit any nasty side effects. They’re just a useful supplement to add to your daily routine if you’re struggling to build lean muscle in your older years.
Make Sure You Sleep & Recovery
Here’s some of the best health advice you will ever read: always make sure you get enough sleep every night. Sleep is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle – and it’s crucial to support muscle growth. Remember how we spoke about your muscle fibers rebuilding? Well, this happens when you sleep! If you’re not getting quality sleep after your workouts, then you’ll struggle to build muscle.
So, figure out a bedtime routine that enables you to get 6-8 hours of sleep a night. Avoid staying up late and sleeping for 3 hours every evening because you won’t give your body enough chance to recover. Looking at all of these tips, it is possible to build muscle mass as you get older, and it is something you should think about for your overall health. Building muscle means you’ll be stronger, your joints will have more stability, and you will be in a better place to avoid common health issues that usually come with age.
