Aging and Muscle

In a recent "Dear Dr. Donahue" column in the Star-Ledger, the letter-writer was a 65-year-old man in good health. He described himself as 5-10, 145 pounds, with a trim build. The writer's complaint was a lack of muscle tone. He described his flesh as "wobbly like a bunch of marshmallows." He also said his skin was like"crepe paper on his legs." He wondered what he was going to look like if "he managed to live another 10 or 15 years."

Dr. Donohue's advice was realistic and sound. He explained that you can't expect to have the same muscle tone and size that you had as a younger man. The body enters a cataboloic state as we age, shrinking muscle, but not fat (depressing, I know!). From 30 to 40 years on (depending on your body's unique make-up) there is a diminished level of testosterone being produced.

Muscle training can slow the process, or if you've previously been sedentary, even reverse it. As great as cardiovascular training is (and I swear by it), you have to incorporate some resistance (push-ups, pull-ups, bands) or weight-lifting exercise into your program to delay the slowdown in testosterone production.

Dr. Donohue recommends getting a physical and Doctor's approval before starting a strength-training program, and to vary the exercises (the muscle confusion concept). I agree!