Muscle Mass - Get It

"Why add muscle at my age?" is a common gym question.

"For many reasons" should be the answer, but rarely is.

Nautilus inventor, Arthur Jones often criticized people who sought easy solutions to their problems. Why? He spent a lifetime seeking harder solutions to problems in the field of exercise, concluding, "There's only one way to the top, outright hard work." It appealed to few.

Jones took no short cuts - there were none - but his approach was the exception. Most clients enter the gym looking for the easiest 20 minutes - a little cardio, a few machines, light weights, Swiss balls, ab work. Few arrive with a valid plan - one that requires discipline, pushing the envelope higher, progress. They simply arrive; and that, for most, is enough. The slightest hint at physiology is countered with, "I know you have good intentions, dear instructor, but..."

The result of such a casual approach is a decline in the average result produced by exercise. As Arthur put it, "If you do 10 repetitions when you could have done 12 (if you had applied yourself or been pushed), you might as well stay in the parking lot. Don't come in the building. You'll get the same result - nothing." He didn't mince words.

Lack of effort is not the only problem, there's choice. Functional training is slowly replacing strength training. It sounds better (more "functional"); it's easier; it's popular (everyone's doing it; trainers, pushing it). The dumb leading the blind.

I have, of late, worked with an elderly population. They have concerns - mobility, balance, orthopedic conditions - that are generally accommodated by trainers, the approach bordering on rehab; the emphasis rarely on strength training. Where strength is incorporated, the choice is lousy - bodyweight exercises, skill training, balance work (general balance cannot be improved), core training - things that contribute little to the addition of muscle mass. It's not aesthetics or performance I'm talking about - it's health. Improved muscle mass has been linked to a decrease in the incidence of a plethora of common ailments associated with the aging process - diabetes, heart disease and (closing in on) cancer.

I've stated for decades, "Exercise is not a cure-all, but it's damn close." Research may one day prove me right (and not for my sake).

Work hard on a few basic exercises with a challenging resistance. Add muscle to your body. Build a base from which you can enjoy a healthy life, throughout life.