Building and maintaining muscle strength is one of the most important factors to living a long and healthy life, according to Northeastern University experts.
“Muscle mass really is the key to longevity. It really is our insurance policy for how long we want to stay functional,” says Elaina Manolis, assistant clinical professor of physical therapy, human movement and rehabilitation sciences at Northeastern University.
“To live a long and healthy life, you want to be as functional and independent as possible, and that’s going to depend on how well you move.”
Muscles not only move our bodies. They store glucose that can be used for energy and movement, Manolis says, rather than being stored as fat. Exercising our muscles helps regulate blood sugar, which is especially important for those with insulin sensitivity.
However, our muscle mass typically peaks around age 30 and decreases by 3% to 8% per decade afterward.
A sedentary lifestyle especially depletes our muscle mass, Manolis says. Rebuilding lost muscle takes significantly more time than losing it.
The good news is that it’s never too late to start building your muscle mass, according to Carmen Castañeda Sceppa, professor of health sciences and dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern.
“Muscle is very plastic and responsive to exercise,” she says. “It’s a very forgiving tissue. It will be lost if there is no activity or bed rest, or any condition like that, but it can very quickly get back on track with exercise.”
While strength training is crucial, optimal health requires a well-rounded routine, Manolis says, including resistance training, cardio exercise and flexibility.
Bone and joint health
Resistance training strengthens bones, Manolis says, as they respond to stress and the pull of the muscles by putting down more tissue layers and reinforcing bone structure.
Weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, jumping and push-ups contribute to bone density.
Strong muscles also protect joints from excessive load. When muscles fail to properly support the body, Manolis says, joints degenerate faster, leading to knee or hip replacements.
Regular cyclical or elliptical movements help keep joints lubricated and healthy.
How to build muscle mass
How to start depends on your general health and your age.
Building muscles requires safely and progressively overloading your body, Manolis says, with external resistance. Body weight exercises or yoga alone won’t be enough because our bodies are already accustomed to carrying that weight.
“Doing yoga is great, but you’re not going to necessarily build strength and power because you don’t have that external resistance,” Manolis says.
That is why the terms “strength training” and “resistance training” are used interchangeably.
Any tools that add resistance can be used for strength training: dumbbells, kettlebells or resistance bands. Beginners should start with two days of training per week, which is enough to maintain muscle mass.
Building additional muscle requires four to five days of strength training, which could be split between upper and lower body days.
A good tool for beginners to establish a routine is resistance bands.
“You can adjust the tension by simply changing your position or how much you’re pulling on them,” Manolis says. “They’re also easy to travel with.”
Eventually, you’ll need to progress to heavier weights—around 30 to 50 pounds for deadlifts.
“You have to lift heavy for your body to respond,” Manolis says. “We totally underestimate our ability. Our legs are so strong and so powerful.”
In general, resistance exercises should prepare muscles for functional movements such as push, pull, lift and squat.
For specific exercises, consider consulting a physical therapist who can recommend strength training programs tailored to everyday life.
Those interested in competitive powerlifting should work with a specialized personal trainer.
Benefits for chronic conditions
Age-related changes in muscle mass, Sceppa says, can get exacerbated by chronic conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune conditions, heart disease and diabetes.
Sceppa studied resistance exercise in people with diabetes who had significant muscle mass loss. She found that strength exercise not only reversed muscle loss but also improved blood sugar levels better than diabetes medications alone.
“In my research, I wanted to show that with resistance training I could not only revert the age-related change in muscle mass but also improve their glucose levels and, as a result, improve the outcomes of diabetes,” she says.
Many participants of her research needed much less medication as a result, and some were able to stop taking medication entirely.
However, with the rise of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, a popular diabetes medication, Sceppa says, she is concerned that many people will experience muscle mass loss as a side effect. These medications cause non-selective weight loss—reducing both fat and muscle.
To selectively target fat, she says, strength training must be added to the regimen.
Strength training in older adults
With age, people move less and are afraid of injuries, so they avoid strength training, Manolis says, which results in muscle wasting.
“It really just takes education to teach them actually how to move, and then they feel totally empowered,” she says.
For seniors, even light resistance can be effective.
Sceppa’s research on physical activity interventions for older adults demonstrates numerous benefits.
One successful approach involved training peer leaders to lead group exercises at community health centers and other community-based organizations.
“This can be done on a low budget, and it’s an opportunity to bring people together to address loneliness, particularly in older adults who are living alone and not socializing as much,” she says.
Being physically active makes older adults feel better, which motivates them to continue exercising. As people get stronger, they start taking walks or steps instead of an elevator. They cook healthier food and perform their daily activities better.
“Their outlook on life improves,” Sceppa says. “So there is this psychosocial component of exercise that reduces loneliness, depression and anxiety.”
Exercising with a family member or a friend creates a buddy system and puts some good “peer pressure,” Sceppa says, encouraging regular workouts.
“My research over the years has been about lifestyle as preventative medicine, which can only happen at scale,” she says. “If you have individuals, families and communities coming together to lead their own healthy lives, they can be an example for their children and grandchildren, role-modeling healthy behaviors.”
If you care about muscle, please read studies about factors that can cause muscle weakness in older people, and scientists find a way to reverse high blood sugar and muscle loss.
For more health information, please see recent studies about an easy, cheap way to maintain muscles, and results showing these vegetables essential for your muscle strength.
Written by Alena Kuzub, Northeastern University.
