Maintaining Muscle Mass

[windsurf]

I have an interest in anecdotal approaches to maintaining muscle mass in the age group beginning around 60 and up. I believe that muscle mass is an important biomarker for seniors and indicative of many other parameters trending positive such as blood glucose levels, lipid profile, and adequate levels and balance of hormones. I am finding weight training and minimizing processed grains to be fairly effective presently. At 58 years of age, I am 6' 185 lbs., waist 36", chest 43", biceps 15+", calf 15+". However, I want to make a push to take the waist down to 34 and add 1/2" to the arms. I anticipate that the waist reduction could be accomplished in a couple of months with some diet and beer modifications but I see adding that much to the arms as a major challenge. There would be no health gain from it other than the fact that I had found a way to muster enough growth hormone and testosterone response based on something I am probably not doing now (eliminating alcohol, more sleep, loss of the belly fat drag on hormanal drive). Besides trying to miniimize white food carbs, I try to maximize fruits and veggies with good protein intake. I rely on several supplements (not GNC type powders and gainer dirinks but rather compounds like DHEA, coQ10, Alpha lipoic Acid, Acetyl L-carnitine and fish oil). Who else out there is trying to forge an approach to optimimize functional capaicities based on reasonable protocols?

[Zipper]

I'm 63, 5' 9'' 155. Same as I was 40 years ago.

I take CoQ, Mixed E, C, Lipoic Acid, Selenium, Chromium, Gingko, Garlic, Cal/Mag, 1/2 an aspirin, Fish Oil, and a Multi.

DHEA is banned in Canada. I think there is a reason for that.

I do weight training on machines 3 or 4 times a week and aerobics (run/walk) 3 or 4 times a week.

I walk for a couple of minutes and sprint all out for a minute. Walk, sprint, walk sprint, for a total of 30 minutes.

I have treated transfats as poison and avoided them as much as possible all my adult life.

Never smoked.

Was never overweight.

Drink about 12 Canadian beers a week.

Muscle Mass seems to be holding up so far.

[azanon]

Originally Posted by Zipper

I have treated transfats as poison and avoided them as much as possible all my adult life.

That would be a neat trick considering the FDA just started tracking transfat about 5 years ago (estimate). Prior to that, it was just saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

I had a college level nutrition course in 1992 (an elective) and "transfat" wasn't even on the radar then.

Drink about 12 Canadian beers a week.

And you had such a strong argument going there for a healthy lifestyle! Ya should have lied and left this out.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Azanon

That would be a neat trick considering the FDA just started tracking transfat about 5 years ago (estimate). Prior to that, it was just saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

And you had such a strong argument going there for a healthy lifestyle! Ya should have lied and left this out.

Always a ray of sunshine . . . . .

[azanon]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Always a ray of sunshine . . . . .

Yeah that was much worse than his false boasting. ..... not.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Azanon

Yeah that was much worse than his false boasting. ..... not.

Oh, was it boasting? I just thought he was answering the OP's question:

Who else out there is trying to forge an approach to optimimize functional capaicities based on reasonable protocols?

[Zipper]

Where have you been AZ?

The word on hydrogenated vegetable oil has been out for decades.

[windsurf]

The word on trans fats has been out there a long time. Just b/c Harvard didn't jump on the bandwagon until 1994 doesn't mean that there were not strong rumblings back in the 1980's. Zipper, your 30 minute sprint/ walk cycle is consistent with studies showing a pulse of growth hormone release after that type of anaerobic exertion. Optimizing growth hormone release is largely what it is all about. I do something similar on a bike due to hip issues. I am using up cartillage on the tennis court and don't feel that my joints will take pounding the pavement anymore. Cal/mag is intelligent. Too much of the calcium supplement hype ignores the necessity of magnesium for calcium utilization.

[haha]

Originally Posted by Azanon

That would be a neat trick considering the FDA just started tracking transfat about 5 years ago (estimate). Prior to that, it was just saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

Having taken (and understood) elementary organic chemistry, you will not need the government to tell you how to avoid trans fats. Remember stereoisomers, cis, trans...?

Ha

[audreyh1]

Yes - it's easy to avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oils (= trans-fats) in them. It does mean you have to avoid most fast food.

Audrey

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

Yes - it's easy to avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oils (= trans-fats) in them. It does mean you have to avoid most fast food.

Audrey

I heard the other day that Taco Bell was going to eliminate trans fats by March of next year. They claim that the taste of the food won't be affected.

[Mr._johngalt]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I heard the other day that Taco Bell was going to eliminate trans fats by March of next year. They claim that the taste of the food won't be affected.

KFC also. These companies have no choice IMHO as the consumer has been hammered with trans fat horror stories.

JG

[Mr._johngalt]

Originally Posted by Zipper

I'm 63, 5' 9'' 155. Same as I was 40 years ago.

I take CoQ, Mixed E, C, Lipoic Acid, Selenium, Chromium, Gingko, Garlic, Cal/Mag, 1/2 an aspirin, Fish Oil, and a Multi.

DHEA is banned in Canada. I think there is a reason for that.

I do weight training on machines 3 or 4 times a week and aerobics (run/walk) 3 or 4 times a week.

I walk for a couple of minutes and sprint all out for a minute. Walk, sprint, walk sprint, for a total of 30 minutes.

I have treated transfats as poison and avoided them as much as possible all my adult life.

Never smoked.

Was never overweight.

Drink about 12 Canadian beers a week.

Muscle Mass seems to be holding up so far.

62, 5-9, 155 lbs. (up ever so slightly from 20 years ago.

I take Xanax, Ginkgo, Vertigoheel and a multi.

Avoid trans fat and also am on low carb diet (but I cheat).

I walk the dog for exercise. Would not be caught dead at a gym
or health club.

Smoked cigars for 10 years and a pipe for 10 years. Nothing since about
1991. Never overweight.

Probably polish off about 4 bottles of white wine a week, plus a couple
beers, plus one or two bourbon manhattans.

Built like a Greek God.

JG

[windsurf]

Built like a Greek God.

JG


What is your waist to hip ratio? :P ?

[spike]

Zipp it must be the beer, what kind?

Spike

[FinanceDude]

Originally Posted by windsurf

Built like a Greek God.

JG

Which one? Do women in your are know this??

[windsurf]

response to the Galt guy's Greek god quip:
Which one? Do women in your are know this??

Is this what my post on maintaining muscle mass has come to? Is there anyone out there who is serious about function? Defensively and disappointedly, Windsurf

[Sheryl]

Don't be sad, Windsurf, JG drops in on most threads, but others will get it back on track... there are many of us here interested in staying fit and healthy.

As a 46 yo female I don't have too much to offer on your topic, other than you and the Zip man both seem to be doing all the right stuff.

[audreyh1]

Wow - things did get off track (mainly the trans-fat detour)!

It's pretty clear to me that people benefit greatly from strength training at an older age. All anecdotal - but I know several folks 60+ that have been able to significantly reduce body fat and get to feeling a lot better through weight training.

I intend to do SOMETHING as I get older (I'm still in my 40s). I don't know if I'll always be hitting the gym, but I'm hoping yoga and strength training at home will keep the muscles from shrinking as I grow older.

I spent a couple of years training twice weekly with a personal trainer and got into pretty great physical shape. Unfortunately I switched to a constant traveler lifestyle (live in an RV) and that kind of focused weight training has been a real challenge. I'm losing ground! Well, I'm trying to get back on track, it's just considerably more difficult in my current lifestyle. I just don't have access to gyms often enough - have to do things in other ways.

Gosh I miss having a personal trainer. $$$ but it made things so much easier!!!

Audrey

[Linney]

Originally Posted by audreyh1

Unfortunately I switched to a constant traveler lifestyle (live in an RV) and that kind of focused weight training has been a real challenge. I'm losing ground! Well, I'm trying to get back on track, it's just considerably more difficult in my current lifestyle.

My husband and I want to do the RV travel thing in a couple of years after I have retired. We're both advocates of weight training to maintain muscle mass so we've discussed how we will handle this issue when that time comes. The best idea so far is to haul along a basic weight bench and a set of free weights. The catch is that we'd need a large range of weights to accommodate my needs as well as his needs. I need 5-20 and he needs a 15-50 lb. range. We have seen some adjustable dumbbell systems like the Bowflex SelectTech that allow quick and easy switching between different weights but the 'jump' between different weights is larger than we prefer (jumps of 10 lbs instead of 5) . We may need to use a standard plate set and take the time to add/remove plates in order to get what we want.

I'd like to hear from anyone else who is RV'ing and how they handle weight training while on the road for weeks or months at a time.