Muscle Mass & the Middle-aged Man

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James Careless

©2011 Jupiterimages Corp.

Okay, so I’m 51. But surely I’m fit enough! I’ve lost 25 pounds in the last three months, simply by reducing my calories via the Bariatric Medical Institute (BMI) program in Ottawa. I now have a 30-inch waist again, yet can eat ice cream and drink beer as long as I stay within my daily calorie limit and maintain a balanced diet. How sweet is that?

I’ve also been riding my bike a lot — just like I used to when I was decades younger. So surely that’s enough!? I mean, it’s cardio, man!

“Sadly, it is not enough,” says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, the BMI’s medical director. “You also need to add lean muscle mass all over your body. Lean muscle mass will add support to your joints, make you stronger and enhance your stamina, and even potentially improve your sex life. Getting the weight off and keeping it off is just the first step.”

Fortunately, it is considered appropriate in the medical community to seek a second opinion. So I contacted Dr. Greg Wells. He’s a Toronto-based sports scientist and physiologist. You might have seen him on CTV’s Vancouver 2010 Olympics coverage, explaining the workings of athletes’ bodies.

So, Dr. Wells, surely I am now considered fit enough? Must I lift weights to gain lean muscle mass? I mean, Arnold Schwarzenegger pushed lean muscle mass-building to the max, and even he’s not looking too hot in his old age.

“The point is not to worry only about adding a lot of muscle,” says Wells with a sigh. “The point is to simply increase your lean muscle mass to a sensible level, to help combat the effects of age. Even 80-year-olds who exercise — walking and bike riding, lifting weights and doing work at the gym — can reverse some of the ravages of age by adding lean muscle mass and improving overall fitness. So you need to start doing some cardio, basic weightlifting and stretching.”

In my case, I am fortunate: I have a trainer at the BMI who is guiding me through my exercises. I am simply working with five- and eight-pound hand weights — doing chest presses, squats, shoulder presses, bicep curls and iso-abs exercises. Of course, I have to actually pick up my weights and do these exercises, but just two or three times a week for 20 minutes each session. So far, I have picked up the weights once — twice, if you count picking them up at Canadian Tire and then carrying them to my bedroom floor.

Needless to say, my trainer isn’t impressed. I have had to promise to exercise at least four times by my next appointment — it’s in two weeks — or I am in serious trouble. (She may be small, but she’s very fit — and a bit scary.)

“You’ll be in trouble if you don’t add lean muscle mass,” Wells warns. (That’s what I get for seeking a second opinion.) “Lean muscle mass is your best protection against joint and even bone problems — did you know exercising to increase muscle mass pushes your bones to strengthen themselves? So keep riding your bike, but you need to lift those weights and do your exercises regularly. Only then will you really be fit — and ready to face age with confidence.”

Ironically, the reason weightlifting helps is because it actually causes microscopic damage to muscles and bone, which the body then repairs with stronger tissue and denser bone matter. This is why gradually increasing weight and repetitions builds strong bones as well as muscle. That’s why weightlifting matters to the middle-aged man.

I guess it’s time to go lift the weights again. For me, it will be a radical departure from my preferred form of exercise, which I read was created by the late, great and overweight comedian Jackie Gleason.

“Every day it’s the same routine when I wake up: Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down,” Gleason is reputed to have said. “Then I blink the other eyelid.

Tip from Dr. Greg Wells, a Toronto-based sports scientist (www.drgregwells.com):

"If you want to add muscle mass, I recommend three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. If you want to increase your muscle endurance, increase the reps to 20 or more. Look for a new set of exercises every six weeks."

Why increase your muscle mass? ©2011 Jupiterimages Corp. We’re not talking washboard abs or rippling pecs, delts and biceps. Even a small increase in lean muscle mass will do the following: Increase your metabolic rate, burn more calories and reduce your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. While fat is inert, muscle is metabolically active even when at rest. “More muscle mass also means that you will have a higher basal metabolic rate, meaning that you can burn more fat when you exercise,” says Toronto-based sports scientist Dr. Greg Wells. “That’s always a bonus when we are trying to get leaner!” Protect your joints by stabilizing them and relieving them of having to do all the load carrying. This will reduce your risk of osteoarthritis, falls and fractures as you age. And if you do fall, muscle provides a protective layer of covering for bones, potentially decreasing fractures. Make you look and feel better by reducing the drooping flesh and wasting appearance of aging. “Exercise is proven to prevent almost every chronic disease,” says Wells. “If you want to be healthy and fit over your whole life, a combination of strength, cardio and flexibility is the ticket.” Give you more stamina and potentially better sex. And you’ll be less likely to fall asleep from exhaustion afterwards...unless it’s much better sex!