What does building muscle after 60 mean to you?

When I was a young lad, muscle meant action movie stars like Arnie and Sly Stallone, maybe even Johnny Weissmuller when he was Tarzan.

In my 20s, muscle building meant time in the gym, working hard to out train my poor diet and love of kebabs!

Building muscle after 60 means more a whole lot more than action heroes and heavy dumbbells.

We All Need Muscle

Muscle helps us perform all manner of functions – standing up from the couch, getting out of the car, and carrying the shopping from the supermarket all require muscle.

Muscular engagement is a basic function that improves our everyday lives.

Muscle means independence.

Especially after 60!

We need our muscles working well to secure our physical independence.

Our muscle mass starts weening early. We begin to see muscle loss when we get into our 30s.

That’s right. We’re already well behind the eight ball if we haven’t already started to address this (note to those of you under 60 reading this – many issues over 60 start in our 30s. A condition doesn’t say, oh I’m not afflicting you, you’re not old enough!)

If we don’t arrest this wastage, we’re likely to experience Sarcopenia.

Wait, what?

Sarcopenia is the formal term for the loss of muscle mass.

The primary drivers of this condition are our lack of movement and the ageing process.

The good thing is it’s not an inevitability of getting older.

It’s a preventable process.

How do we prevent Sarcopenia?

Moving more and using our muscles.

It’s that simple.

Yet it’s difficult to achieve because the typical gym environment is not renowned for being friendly to those over 60.

Thankfully the fitness landscape is changing to meet the needs of the older client.

Our 50+ Legends programme has been running for the last 5 years and has seen us help 50+ clients build their physical fitness and confidence so they can secure their physical independence long into the future.

4 tips for beating Sarcopenia

1 – Get more active – increase your daily activity level with what you deem comfortable – going for a walk, doing some gardening, and playing with the grandchildren are all great ways to increase your daily activity level.

2 – Balance drills (prevent falls) – practice standing on one foot. Start with a few seconds and then increase the time challenge as you feel more confident. Make sure to have a steady surface for support when following this tip.

3 – Strength training exercises – putting your muscles to work doesn’t have to be as scary as you think. Standing and sitting on a chair, and picking up a weighted bag are all great ways of gently starting to increase your muscle usage

4 – Get a coach – Working with a professional is the most effective way to incorporate all of the above into a training routine. 

Cheers

Paul

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Legends+

Following the success of our 50+ Legends Programme, our new 60+ variant starts at the end of this month.

Specifically designed to meet the needs of the 60+ client, our Legends+ programme will help you use your muscles, offset the effects of conditions like Sarcopenia and ensure you maintain your physical independence, bone support and strength for the rest of your life.

Our programme starts on Tuesday 30th August and runs twice weekly, Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30-11:30.

The programme is designed and coached by our expert legends coach, Paul. 

Paul has specialised in the coaching of 50+ clients over the last 5 years and also mentors coaches in how to serve 50+ clients. You can find out more about that course here 

Find out more about how our Legends+ programme uses strength training and increasing daily activity levels to combat the muscle loss of sarcopenia. 

Schedule a time with Paul to see how he can help you, or someone you know, secure long-term physical independence by clicking this link