Here’s something I don’t much like about getting older. First, you lose muscle mass faster.
And second, your muscles don’t respond nearly as well to exercise as they did when you were young.
Why is that? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?
The authors of one study start by stating the obvious. “Nutrient intake is the most important anabolic [muscle-building] stimulus for skeletal muscle.” What nutrients? They specifically list amino acids and carbohydrates.
Remember, amino acids are the breakdown products of protein intake. Large amounts of certain amino acids stimulate muscle growth. And that stimulation is especially powerful when you combine it with carbohydrates. This is because carbohydrates stimulate insulin production. And insulin stimulates muscle growth. But here’s the hitch.
All this good stuff mostly applies only to the young. As we get older, we face three problems. First, our digestion becomes impaired, and we often don’t break down dietary proteins into individual amino acids as well as we did when we were young. This means we won’t get the same muscle-building effect from the protein in our meals as we did when we were young.
Second, as we get older, our muscle cells become less responsive to the amino acid effect than they were when we were younger. In fact, an older person needs about twice as much amino acid to get the same muscle-building effect as a younger person.
And third, the carbohydrate-stimulating effect doesn’t work nearly as well in older folks. In young people, combining amino acids with carbohydrates doubles muscle growth. But when older folks get the same amount of carbohydrate, nothing happens! Here’s why. And here’s what you can do about it.
The older you are, the more resistant your muscles become to insulin's muscle-promoting effects. That’s why eating carbohydrates doesn’t work. But regular aerobic exercise can reverse this resistance. So, the moral is: add some aerobic exercise to your resistance training program.
Next, keep a regular resistance-training schedule. I mean weightlifting, push-ups, etc. Resistance exercise literally doubles muscle synthesis for 24 hours. And lastly, make sure you’re taking amino acids with your workout. Studies show that taking amino acids right after resistance training can increase your muscle-growth response by up to 100%! But to get the most from amino acids, you need to know three things.
First, the most effective amino acid blend should consist of free-form aminos. Unlike protein powders, free-form aminos don’t need to be digested in your digestive tract. They are already digested. So, even if your digestion isn't perfect, free-form aminos go directly into your bloodstream, fully intact and ready to go. Another factor that you need to know about is balance.
The best amino blend needs to be perfectly balanced for maximum muscle growth. I have talked about this concept before, but let me briefly review it. The human body has 20 different amino acids. But only some of them are used to make muscle. If they’re not in the right balance, many will be wasted. The best blend of free-form amino acids for muscle growth is in a product called Advanced Amino Powder. Studies show that nearly 98% of the amino acids in this specially blended powder go toward muscle growth. Very few are wasted. Taking this particular blend of aminos maximizes your resistance training.
The last thing you need to know about taking an amino supplement is when to take it. Studies show that taking aminos right after a resistance training session can increase muscle growth by 30-40% compared with taking them before the session.
If you aren’t already in a regular exercise program that combines aerobic and resistance training, now may be the time. It doesn’t take much. Spend about 20-30 minutes three times a week doing interval training to get the best aerobic effect. And then on the other days, spend about 45 minutes with resistance training.
Commit to three months. I’m sure that when you see how much better your quality of life is after only three months, you will be hooked. And be sure to combine it with one to two scoops of Advanced Amino Powder (Mixed Berry or Citrus Zest) right after each resistance training session. Mix the aminos with 8 ounces of fruit juice to get the insulin effect.
Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD
REF: Makanae, Y. and S. Fujita. “Role of Exercise and Nutrition in the Prevention of Sarcopenia.” J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2015;61 Suppl:S125-7.