How To Regain Muscle Mass: 6 Everyday Habits To Do After 60

6 Everyday Habits To Regain Muscle Mass After 60, Fitness Expert Says

Your independence and overall well-being depend on them!

By Alexa Mellardo/ Published on November 10, 2022 | 6:00 AM

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Eat This, Not That!

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Key Points

‧ Sarcopenia (muscle loss) is a common ailment in the elderly.

‧ Performing and tracking regular weight training efforts can help to prevent and even reverse muscle loss.

‧ Include stretching in your weight training program for faster recovery and to avoid injuries.

Growing older doesn’t only mean pesky gray hairs and sneaky wrinkles shocking the heck out of you when you look in the mirror. There are a lot of changes your body endures underneath the surface—one of them being the loss of lean muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia. Staying on top of your muscle mass is the name of the game as you age. In fact, your independence and overall well-being depend on it! That’s why we’re here to share exactly how to regain muscle mass after 60 with expert-backed tips.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, you can lose anywhere from 3% to 5% of your muscle mass every decade after your 30th birthday. If you don’t do anything to build up and maintain your lean muscle mass, sarcopenia could cause a decline in mobility. It can also make you feel weak, heightening your risk of suffering from falls, fractures, or other injuries. Needless to say, there’s no better time than the present to take action and give your daily routine a much-needed facelift.

We chatted with Maggie Priore, a personal trainer on Fyt, the biggest personal training service in the nation that offers in-person or virtual expert training, who walks us through the top daily habits to regain muscle mass after 60. It’s time to listen up and take some notes!

1. Start strength training ASAP.

Let’s get real: Strength training is king—especially when it comes to building and preserving your muscle mass. Priore dubs it “the most important habit you can develop to increase muscle mass at any age.”

Performing exercises that have “progressive overload,” which means bumping up the intensity of the movement by slowly increasing the time, number of reps, or weights, helps you build back muscle mass. According to Priore, “Other benefits include having more energy throughout the day, added prevention of arthritis (and other ailments we are more at risk for when we get older), improved posture, and better flexibility.”

If you’re a newbie to strength training, work it into your fitness routine two to three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Set strength training goals.

Now that we’ve established just how necessary strength training is, let’s talk about setting goals. When kicking off any health and fitness regimen, it’s essential to provide yourself with small goals. Another key tidbit? Be patient, because it’s all a process!

According to Priore, “Setting too large a goal or expecting to make huge muscle gains after only a couple of weeks can lead to discouragement. It takes time to regain muscle.” She suggests writing down the goals you’d like to achieve in one month, three months, and six months. Once each period comes to a close, note what you succeeded at and what you can work on. Every time you reevaluate your progress, tweak your goals as you see fit.

3. Stretch it out.

Stretching helps you avoid sore muscles and injuries. It’s a necessity—not a question—to perform a solid warm-up and cool-down routine for every workout you do. In addition, Priore explains, “On days when you aren’t strength training, spending a little time stretching will help improve posture, eliminate back pain, and improve flexibility.”

4. Focus on low-impact cardio.

Okay, we can’t say enough good things about strength training, but let’s not forget to show low-impact cardio some love, too. Carving out time for low-impact cardio workouts like walking, using the elliptical, swimming laps, or hiking your favorite trails is incredibly beneficial. How so? Priore says this form of exercise can aid in fat loss and toning your entire body. Low-impact cardio is a stellar choice to incorporate into any regular fitness rotation, so get started pronto.

5. Increase your protein intake.

Bumping up the amount of protein you consume comes with a number of health benefits. Priore tells us, “Not only [will it] help you regain muscle mass, but [it will] also help promote weight loss. A person trying to increase muscle mass should have .5 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight a day.”

6. Make rest a top priority.

You may not know this, but getting enough solid sleep is just as important as staying on track with a healthy diet and workout routine. “Active adults should get at least seven hours of sleep a night,” Priore explains, adding, “A good night’s sleep gives your muscles time to recover from workouts and other activities. When you sleep, your muscles can rebuild, and you will have better energy for your next workout.”

 

 

 

 

What Happens To Our Muscles As We Age?

By Beth Bradford/Sept. 25, 2022 9:00 pm EDT

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Health Digest.

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Our Takeaways:

· Adults over 65 should engage in resistance training at least twice a week to stave off the effects of sarcopenia (age related muscle loss).

· Age related muscle loss is more pronounced in men.

· Increased inactivity combined with hormonal decline accelerates sarcopenia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults over 65 devote at least two days a week to strength training. That’s because our muscles lose both size and strength over the years, according to Better Health. The muscle fibers themselves get smaller and we have less of them. It takes longer for us to replace muscle tissue, and it’s often replaced with tougher tissue. Our nervous system also changes with age, which means that we lose muscle tone and the muscles themselves can’t contract as well. This can put us in a vicious cycle where our muscles get weak, we’re too tired to exercise, then we don’t want to exercise (via Healthline).

According to Cleveland Clinic, we begin losing muscle mass in our 30s, but muscle loss accelerates after the age of 65. In fact, this age-related decline in muscle mass is more pronounced in men, according to a 2014 article in Sports Health.

The consequences of muscle loss

We need to keep muscle as we age to limit the risk of sarcopenia, which is the medical term for this age-related muscle decline, according to Cleveland Clinic. Sarcopenia is the main contributor to older adults falling and losing their quality of life. It prevents seniors from performing daily activities and living comfortably on their own. People who have sarcopenia have poor balance, walk slowly, and have problems climbing stairs.

Not only does sarcopenia reduce the quality of life, but it also reduces life span (via Healthline). Much of the muscle decline in older adults comes from reduced physical activity, less protein in the diet, inflammation from injury or illness, or stress from chronic diseases. As we age, we also have lower levels of hormones that maintain muscle mass and bone, such as testosterone and estrogen (via 2014 article in Sports Health). The good news is that we can make changes to slow and even reverse this muscle decline, according to Better Health.

How to prevent age-related muscle decline

Even if someone is already experiencing muscle loss, muscles can still respond well to strength training, according to a 2014 article in Sports Health. Adults up to 90 years old have even improved their strength. A 2022 review in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found that strength training is best to combat sarcopenia. The researchers recommended methods like suspension training to activate core muscles. They also suggested low weights with low reps and short breaks for seniors.

Because poor nutrition can contribute to age-related muscle decline, Cleveland Clinic suggests adding 20 to 35 grams of protein to each meal to maintain muscle mass. However, the 2014 article said more research was needed on how nutrition affects sarcopenia specifically. Therefore, experts suggest for seniors to add vitamin D and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to their diets in order to retain muscle.

 

This 40-Year-Old Dad Used a Simple Hack to Lose 20% Body Fat

Simon Khinda, a 40-year-old lawyer from Southern California, looked down and realized he had a “dad bod.” Looking for a reset, he went all out. Here, he tells Men’s Health how he did it.

By Jesse Hicks Jul 26, 2022

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Men’s Health

Edited for content. The opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the opinions of this site’s editors, staff or members.

Our Takeaways:

· Men can possess high levels of body fat without appearing overweight.

· Maintaining a high level of protein intake is important when attempting fat loss.

· Excellent form with your exercises will give you more results with less risk of injury.

Simon Khinda, a 40-year-old lawyer from Southern California, looked down and realized he had a “dad bod.” Looking for a reset, he went all out. Here, he tells Men’s Health how he did it.

I always thought I was in pretty okay shape. I would intermittently go to the gym, sometimes getting into fad workouts—my waist was at 31 inches and I figured I was doing fine. One day my daughter said to me, “I love you, papa, and you’re squishy!” I realized I had the infamous “dad bod.”

It was an eye-opening moment. I thought I was in generally good health. That said, I don’t really think I ever appreciated what “good health” meant, since I was not surrounding myself with people who were in excellent health. I’d never had obvious issues, and I didn’t lack confidence in myself. At the same time, my sleep was terrible; I had an overactive mind and I was constantly stressed out. So overall I hadn’t really been taking care of myself, even as I thought getting to the gym occasionally was enough.

I signed up for a transformation program with Ultimate Performance in Los Angeles. One of the first things that happened was meeting my trainer, Chris, who checked my body fat. I thought it would maybe be 20%. It was pretty crushing when Chris told me that actually, I was at 30.1%.

I’m from a big foodie family; I actually trained informally in Italian cuisine. Revamping my diet, then, meant cutting out all starchy carbs: no more rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes. I started in November, and dodging comfort foods around the holidays was challenging. I learned to monitor my macros, something I hadn’t paid attention to before. I aimed for 160 grams of protein, 50 grams of carbs, and 65 grams of fat per day.

So on a typical day, I’d start with eggs with smoked salmon or cottage cheese, or other protein alternatives. Lunch and dinner would be lean protein like chicken or white fish and veggies; I had veggies with every meal while still watching my macros. I really love to cook, but I also recognized that Costco was a real help for getting pre-marinated chicken, fish, meats (cooked and uncooked), and bulk veggies—it makes it so much easier to through together a meal. For snacks, I had Epic Bars and nuts. Or protein shakes, a perfect dessert fix for my sweet tooth.

That was a big change from my previous diet, where I’d usually have cereal or eggs and toast, a sandwich for lunch, and often rice with curry or pasta for dinner. Three or four nights a week would be a restaurant dinner, which I thought was healthy. I cut back on all of that and revamped my diet. I also cut out alcohol, which I know can have a big effect.

The closest UP gym was almost 70 miles, so I was doing 140 miles round-trip to get there. I’d work with Chris once a week in person, then four more times using his workout plan. We made it work! Chris really helped me understand good form and the importance of being careful with your exercise. Whatever habits I’d made in the gym were things I’d picked up from other people around me, and I realized that’s not the best way to go. Tempo and form are so important.

Chris is also very strict about doing pure reps. There is no such thing as impure reps, bouncing, or cheating. If you can’t do a pure rep then it doesn’t count. You either decrease the weight or stop as you have hit the limit. I cannot evangelize about this enough.

A lot of people want to know how I stayed motivated and how I found time in the day to be so committed. I don’t have an answer other than that if this is something important to you, you’ll find the time. I have a 4-year-old daughter and my wife got pregnant as I started this journey, so believe me, my time was limited. But I made it work, including tricks like walking around while on the phone to get my 10,000 steps in.

The transformation took me 22-23 weeks. Over that time, I lost 27 pounds and gained 13 pounds of lean muscle. I dropped from 30.1% body fat down to 9.8%. When I had my photoshoot, I weighed 144 pounds.

I said I felt pretty confident in myself before this transformation, but afterward, my confidence shot through the roof. I have much more energy to play with my daughter. My physical with my doctor was amazing. I sleep a hell of a lot better, and I feel much more virile!

I got rid of the “dad bod” and the fat, so I had the total body recomposition I wanted. Now I’m learning how to go back to a healthier me, where I can eat pasta and rice etc., have the occasional drink, but all without jeopardizing my health and regressing. I needed the “reset” that the transformation gave me, and now I’m looking forward to a new and sustainable lifestyle.

That was important to me, and I think for anyone who feels similarly, the key is to set clear goals. Whether that means working with a trainer or on your own, clearly lay out the steps you need to get where you’re going. Then just take it one step at a time.

Testosterone Levels: Can Specific Foods or Diets Boost Them?

Can Specific Foods or Diets Boost Your Testosterone Levels?

What you eat or drink may affect levels of the male sex hormone, but whether a diet can increase libido or energy depends on many things.

By Randi Hutter Epstein, M.D.

Nov. 2, 2021 Updated 12:15 p.m. ET

This article is a repost which originally appeared on The New York Times

Edited for content.

Can I increase my testosterone levels through the foods I eat? And if so, which foods or diets work best?

Many men, particularly as they age, are concerned about their levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone touted to build muscle, sex drive and vigor. But individual foods are unlikely to have an impact on testosterone levels — though drinking excessive amounts of alcohol might. If you are overweight, altering your diet to lose weight may help, since carrying excess pounds is a common cause of low testosterone. But in terms of specific foods or diets, any uptick you achieve may not have a noticeable impact on libido, energy or muscle mass.

“If someone was not overweight, I wouldn’t put them on a specific diet to raise testosterone based on the data we have now,” said Alexander Pastuszak, an assistant professor of urology and surgery at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, who co-authored a review on alternatives to testosterone therapy.

In men, normal testosterone levels range from 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter of blood. Ups and downs within that normal range are unlikely to have any impact on sex drive or vitality. Only when levels consistently drop below 300 points — as confirmed in two blood tests by an accredited laboratory — are symptoms like low libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, low mood or loss of muscle mass likely to appear, a medical condition known as hypogonadism.

Starting at around age 40, men’s testosterone levels start to decline by about 1 percent per year. But the drop can vary tremendously, with some older men maintaining levels similar to healthy young men. The trajectory of falling testosterone is steeper among men who gain a lot of weight, said Dr. Shalender Bhasin, professor of medicine at Harvard and the director of the Research Program in Men’s Health: Aging and Metabolism at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Studies on foods or diets and testosterone levels have generally been small and the findings far from conclusive. A recent British review that pooled data from 206 volunteers, for example, found that men on low-fat diets had testosterone levels that were about 60 points higher, on average, than men on high-fat diets. Men who followed a vegetarian diet tended to have the lowest levels of testosterone, about 150 points lower, on average, than those following a high-fat, meat-based diet. Still, Joseph Whittaker, the lead investigator and a nutritionist at the University of Worcester in Britain, said he would not recommend a man increase the fats in his diet unless he had low testosterone levels and symptoms of low T and was already restricting fats.

Another study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research tested two styles of diets in 25 fit men between the ages of 18 and 30. Calories consumed were the same, but one group ate a high-fat, very-low-carb, ketogenic-style diet, consisting of 75 percent of calories from fats, 5 percent from carbohydrates and 20 percent from protein. Men in the other group ate a more traditional Western style, low-fat diet, containing 25 percent of calories from fats, 55 percent from carbohydrates and 20 percent from protein. After 10 weeks of eating the high-fat diet, testosterone increased by 118 points, on average, while after the low-fat diet, levels declined by about 36 points

Similarly, a study of 3,000 men found that those who reported eating a low-fat diet had slightly lower testosterone levels — about 30 points lower — than men who ate higher-fat diets. But none of the men had low testosterone.

“The moral is that healthy men who are of normal weight with no significant comorbidities are unlikely to benefit from restrictive diets,” said Dr. Richard J. Fantus, one of the study’s authors and a urologist at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Evanston, Ill.

Diet studies are complicated, because changing one component of the diet, such as fat intake, alters so many other things, such as the amount of carbohydrates, protein and micronutrients consumed. It’s unclear which component of the diet may have prompted the hormonal changes, Dr. Bhasin said. Furthermore, testosterone levels may also be shaped by how much a person sleeps, or whether they are jet-lagged, or if they are eating most of their calories at night or in small meals throughout the day.

Dr. Faysal Yafi, chief of the division of Men’s Health and Reconstructive Urology at the University of California, Irvine, says his patients who opt to follow specific diets tend to start exercising more and drinking less alcohol, all of which can raise testosterone levels. He suspects any links between diet and testosterone may be the result of an overall healthier lifestyle.

Some men worry that eating lots of soy foods may cause their testosterone levels to fall, because soy is rich in isoflavones, which mimic the structure of estrogen. But the evidence doesn’t support their concerns, even if men eat foods like miso, tofu or soy milk at every meal. (Doctors did report one anecdotal case in which a 19-year-old man with Type 1 diabetes who followed a vegan diet containing 360 milligrams of soy daily — nine times higher than a typical Japanese diet, and 100 times higher than the typical American diet — developed low testosterone levels along with low libido and fatigue. His symptoms improved when he stopped eating the soy-heavy, vegan diet.)

Long-term alcohol abuse lowers testosterone by damaging cells in both the testes, which make testosterone, and the liver, which alters testosterone metabolism. But binge drinking every now and then does not appear to have much of an impact — it lowers testosterone for only about 30 minutes, according to one study, after which levels bounce back to baseline.

Obese men who have low levels of testosterone can increase levels by cutting calories and losing weight — the type of diet does not matter, studies suggest. On the opposite extreme, Dr. Bhasin said he is seeing an increasing number of men at his clinic who have body dysmorphic issues and are suffering from low libido and fatigue. Strict calorie restriction, exercising intensely and being chronically stressed can all cause testosterone levels to plummet and are likely to blame, he said.

The bottom line is that for otherwise healthy men who are following a reasonably healthy lifestyle, fiddling with specific foods or the composition of the diet is not likely to make much of a difference on the testosterone score card. As Dr. Fantus of NorthShore University put it: “I don’t think there is a way to game the system to get really large increases by changing the diet.”

 

How Much Muscle Can You Gain in a Month?

How Much Muscle Can You Gain in a Month?

Written by Daniel Preiato, RD, CSCS on February 2, 2021 — Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, M.S., NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Healthline

Edited for content.

When looking to gain muscle, it’s no secret that exercise and proper nutrition are key.

Additionally, numerous factors contribute to the rate of muscle gain, including your training experience, sex, age, and the type of exercise you do. As such, you may wonder how much muscle you can really gain in a month.

This article covers how much muscle you can gain in a month, including how to get started and supplements that may be worth taking.

How much muscle can you gain?

In most cases, gaining muscle is a slow, gradual process, and it can take years rather than months to see sizeable results.

That said, beginners and some intermediate lifters may be able to see small changes after just a few months of intense training.

Though it’s nearly impossible to determine exactly how much muscle you can gain in a month, some studies can give you a good idea.

One study in 30 college-aged men with previous training experience observed a 23% increase in vastus lateralis size — one of the leg muscles — after 6 weeks of purposeful resistance training.

However, it’s important to note that this muscle growth was largely attributed to increases in water and glycogen stores, which is the stored form of carbs.

Similarly, one small older study observed a 5.6% increase in muscle size after 21 weeks of strength training in 8 non-strength-trained athletes, while 8 strength-trained athletes experienced less growth.

This suggests that trainees without prior strength training experience have a greater potential for muscle gains than athletes with training experience. What’s more, your genetic makeup may also mean you respond better to muscle growth stimulus.

While data is limited on exactly how much muscle you can gain in a month, these studies suggest that short-term muscle growth is modest in natural athletes.

Summary

Though data on the specific amount of muscle you can gain in a month is limited, select studies suggest that new trainees can yield noticeable muscle gains in less time than those with resistance training experience.

How to get started

When looking to gain muscle quickly, there are a few factors you can focus on to get the most efficient results for your efforts.

High intensity resistance exercise

Arguably, the most important factor is to focus on high intensity resistance exercises in the 8–12 rep range.

These include compound movements like variations of the squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, snatch, and clean and jerk. These work multiple muscle groups at once, thus improving exercise efficiency and stimulating muscle growth.

In addition to compound exercises, include various isolation exercises to target specific muscle groups. Unlike compound exercises, isolation exercised target one muscle group at a time, providing maximal stimulation and growth potential.

While cardiovascular exercise is important for overall health, it does not play a major role in muscle gain.

Ultimately, it may be helpful to consult a certified trainer to help you put together a suitable exercise program.

Proper nutrition

Another significant component of gaining muscle quickly is proper nutrition.

For the best results, it’s recommended that you eat 10–20% more calories than your metabolic rate, which is also known as your total daily energy expenditure. This means consuming slightly more calories than you burn, as gaining muscle is an energy-expensive process.

This is often referred to as bulking and sometimes accomplished using a “clean” or “dirty” approach depending on your dietary choices and dedicated time for the process.

In addition to a calorie surplus, it’s important that you ensure a sufficient protein intake of 0.7–1 gram per pound (1.6–2.2 grams per kg) of body weight, as protein serves as the major building block of muscle.

You may want to seek advice from a registered dietitian for further nutritional guidance.

Summary

Two important factors when looking to maximize short-term muscle gains include high intensity resistance exercise and proper nutrition that prioritizes a calorie surplus and adequate protein.

Different populations

One of the main factors in the rate of muscle gain is your training age, or how long you’ve been training.

Two other important factors to consider are age and sex, which can also greatly affect muscle building.

Beginners

When just getting started with strength and hypertrophy (muscle building) training, you have great potential for muscle growth.

This is because training is a new stimulus, and as your muscles are worked, growth occurs to prepare them for future training.

That said, muscle growth is still limited during the initial stages of resistance training, while most of your strength gains are due to neural adaptions. This means that as you train, your brain gets better at recruiting muscle fibers to contract during a particular exercise.

Therefore, if you’re a beginner to resistance training, you’re unlikely to see any sizeable muscle gains in your first month of training, even if you’re gaining strength.

Intermediates

After training consistently for at least 1 year and grasping the fundamental movements, you move toward the intermediate phase of training.

This tends to be where trainees spend the most time, with some never progressing onto the advanced phase.

During the late–beginner and early–intermediate training phase, you have the most potential for muscular growth, as you have moved past the neural adaptation phase.

At this point, you can proficiently perform most movements and stimulate significant muscle growth.

Advanced trainees

The advanced phase of training takes a significant amount of time and effort to reach, usually at least 2 years for even the most gifted athletes.

At this point, most trainees have achieved most of their muscle and strength gains, and new muscle mass is hard to come by.

Progressing as an advanced trainee often requires advanced training techniques that provide maximal muscle stimulation.

Even in the best-case scenario, natural advanced trainees may not see more than a few pounds of muscle gain per year.

Men

In general, men have a few advantages over women when it comes to gaining muscle.

According to both older and new research, men tend to have larger, more numerous muscle fibers, allowing for overall bigger muscles and increased strength potential.

What’s more, men have higher levels of testosterone, the major circulating male sex hormone that’s responsible for male characteristics like muscle development, body hair, and deepening of the voice.

Considering these factors, men tend to gain more muscle than women over a month’s time.

Women

Women are at a slight disadvantage when it comes to quick muscle and strength building due to genetic and hormonal differences.

That said, women have an advantage over men when it comes to exercise fatigue and recovery, as they’re often able to handle more exercise volume and recover quicker.

This is mainly due to higher levels of estrogen, one of the primary female sex hormones, which is thought to have a protective effect on skeletal muscle.

Thus, although men may gain muscle at a faster rate than women, women appear to recover from exercise more efficiently, potentially allowing them to handle more training volume over time.

Older adults

Muscle and strength loss, also called sarcopenia, is one of several factors associated with the aging process in both men and women.

Fortunately, resistance training has been shown to slow, or even slightly reverse, this effect in older individuals.

While the rate of muscle gain tends to be slower in the aging population, improvements in muscle strength and functional mobility are still seen. This stresses the importance of following a regular exercise regimen that includes resistance training as you age.

Summary

The rate at which you can gain muscle varies greatly between populations, with beginners and intermediates seeing significantly more progress than advanced trainees.

Do supplements help?

During your quest for muscle gains, various supplements may enhance your results.

While many supplement companies claim their products can help you pack on muscle quickly, only a few types of supplements boast extensive scientific backing.

Here are the muscle-building supplements with the most scientific support.

Protein powder

Protein powders are the isolated form of various types of protein, including milk proteins like whey or casein or plant proteins like pea or brown rice.

When looking to promote muscle gain, getting enough protein is essential, as it provides the building blocks of skeletal muscle.

Experts recommend getting 20–40 grams of a high quality protein, meaning protein that contains all essential amino acids and is easily digested, within 2 hours of resistance exercise to maximize muscle gains.

While protein powders are not necessary, they can serve as an excellent tool to help you meet your daily protein needs, especially if you have trouble reaching them through your regular diet.

Creatine

Creatine is another highly researched supplement shown to promote muscle gains by increasing exercise capacity during high intensity training.

It plays a vital role in the phosphocreatine system. This system provides energy for muscle contractions that last less than 15 seconds, such as when you start sprinting or complete a heavy lift.

Creatine is found in foods like salmon and beef, but supplementing with it is an easy way to maximize its stores in your skeletal muscle and may be a worthwhile strategy when you’re looking to promote muscle gains.

HMB

Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a metabolite — an end product of metabolism — of an essential amino acid called leucine. It has shown some promise in promoting muscle and strength gains when combined with resistance training.

Supplementing with HMB appears to increase muscle protein synthesis and reduce muscle protein breakdown, leading to gains in muscle mass. However, these benefits have mainly been observed in new trainees and the elderly.

This means that HMB may be worth trying for those who are new to resistance training, as well as older adults looking to retain muscle mass, but not for those with resistance training experience.

Summary

While numerous supplements claim to boost muscle mass, only a few are backed by research. The main ones include protein powders, creatine, and HMB.

The bottom line

How much muscle you can gain in a month varies greatly depending on factors like your sex, age, and training experience.

While select populations can see noticeable muscle gains in just 1 month, achieving significant changes in your body’s musculature takes effort and time — often several years rather than months.

To maximize your muscle gains, follow a consistent, high intensity resistance training program, stick to a proper diet that includes sufficient calories and protein, and consider taking select supplements.

It’s best to consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting an intense resistance training regimen, especially if you have any underlying ailments or injuries.

Eat to Build Muscle – Foods and Diet Plan

The Bodybuilder’s Diet: 8 New Rules of Muscle Building

Pure gains.

By Jeff Csatari

This article is a repost which originally appeared on Men’sHealth

Edited for content

You can crank out heavy squats and curls until your quads and biceps scream for mercy, and still you can’t seem to build the muscle you want.

What’s going on?

If you’re struggling to grow muscle despite your dedication in the gym, your problem most likely isn’t your workout, but rather your diet and lifestyle.

Building muscle is a complex science. It’s a coalescence of your lifting, your nutrition, your hormones, and your rest. So, let’s assume you’re doing everything right in the gym—following a good program and pushing yourself hard. Keep it up.

But now let’s focus on the other stuff. Are you getting enough protein and calories? Are you supporting your endocrine system properly? Are you getting quality sleep? Tweaking these crucial variables will result in the kind of muscle that fills out a T-shirt—and then some.

“Nutrition is the cornerstone in building lean muscle,” says nutritionist and exercise physiologist Jim White, R.D. “If the protein isn’t there, it’s not going to help your muscles grow. If the carbs aren’t there, you’re going to feel sluggish. If the fat isn’t there, it’s going to affect energy levels and overall health.”

In short, it’s time to master the soft art of building hard muscle—meal time. Your diet needs to be strategically choreographed to accelerate the repair-and-grow process that follows that strenuous workout session you’re so proud of.

White knows the right formula. A former skinny athlete, he was a self-described “hard gainer,” frustrated by his inability to grow bigger and stronger and run faster. Then he took a hard look at his crappy diet: He ate like a bird. Rarely touched fruits and vegetables. He gravitated toward sugary processed junk.

His nutrition training opened his eyes to his problem, and he changed his body and his life. He started eating six meals a day, increasing his daily calories to 3,500 and began experimenting with different percentages of macronutrients until he found the sweet spot.

Suddenly, his energy skyrocketed, making his time in the gym more productive. Now he’s jacked—he added 70 pounds of lean muscle and saw huge strength gains. The guy who struggled to bench 65 pounds can now press 295.

White shares his story of total body transformation and the plan that got him there in the new book Men’s Health Best Meals for Muscle. Here’s a sample of White’s muscle building plan, below. To finesse your own massive growth spurt, grab a copy of Best Meals for Muscle; it’s full of White’s expert advice and tasty, easy-to-cook meals with the right macronutrient mix to fuel your transition.

1. Eat More Protein

The actual process of growing muscle, when cells rush in to rebuild your torn-down muscle fibers, happens not in the gym but after your workout, when you rest. And the composition of what you eat before and after you stress that muscle can mean the difference between building up the muscle or destroying it.

Making sure you’re eating enough protein is of paramount importance for two reasons:

1. Proteins deliver the amino acids that form the building blocks of muscle. When intense weightlifting breaks down muscle protein synthesis provides the proteins needed to repair that muscle and spur it to grow bigger.

2. Your body also looks to proteins to supply amino acids for producing hormones like insulin and human growth hormone, which can further drain protein reserves. A higher protein diet ensures you have more than enough to go around and shifts your body into an anabolic mode, one that builds tissues rather than breaking them down.

While the recommended daily allowance for protein is less than half a gram per pound of bodyweight, you should double that to a gram per pound of bodyweight to build muscle. That’s the maximum amount your body can use in a day, according to a landmark study in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

So, for example, a 160-pound man should try to consume 160 grams of protein a day in order to fuel muscle growth. One hundred sixty grams of protein looks like this: 8 ounces of chicken breast, 1 cup of cottage cheese, a roast beef sandwich, two eggs, a glass of milk, and 2 ounces of peanuts.

2. Consume More Calories

If you’re weight training to bulk up, don’t eat like a guy who’s trying to lose weight. Growing a pound of muscle requires about 2,800 calories. That means you may have to overeat to consume enough calories to build size.

In fact, in some studies, researchers found that lifters with the greatest gains in muscle were the men who were the biggest eaters. White’s plan calls for boosting your calories to 3,000 a day. That’s a lot of food to consume in three squares, so White recommends you . . .

Eat Every 3 Hours (roughly)

By spreading your calories out over, say, six meals spaced about 3 hours apart, you’ll avoid that full-belly feeling that can make you sluggish, and you’ll ensure your muscles get consistently stoked with protein and carbs. Your body needs a constant supply of macronutrients and micronutrients to operate properly, especially when it is being taxed by intense exercise.

Shoot for about 30 grams of protein per meal. That’ll get most people into the proper range for muscle growth.

Get the Right Mix of Macros

Protein is critical, but it shouldn’t be a soloist when you’re orchestrating a plan for building mass. The other macronutrients, namely carbohydrates and healthy fats, influence muscle growth, too. By getting your macro ratio right, you can expect to see your gains skyrocket and avoid adding body fat even with the increase in calories, says White. Best Meals for Muscle makes hitting that holy grail ratio of 50 percent carbs, 25 percent protein, and 25 percent fat easy by translating it into ideal meal examples (and recipes) you can use to fuel your day.

Hydrate for More T

Exercise-induced dehydration slows your motor neurons. Not only will you feel fatigue sooner during a workout than you otherwise would, but your performance slips as well.

What’s more, a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that dehydrated weight lifters produced more of the stress hormone cortisol, while reducing the release of testosterone, the body’s best muscle builder.

Find Your Whey

Right after your workout, drink a whey protein shake that delivers about 25 grams of protein per serving. Whey digests more quickly than other types of protein, so it hits your muscles faster. Whey protein also has the highest concentration of the branched-chain amino acid leucine, which is required for protein synthesis.

Have a Banana Before a Workout

Or some Greek yogurt. Or a low-sugar sports drink. All are rich in electrolytes, which help your muscles contract. Exercise depletes electrolytes fast. Be sure you don’t run short and cramp up.

Time Your Meals

If you’re serious about packing on more muscle, get serious about being more disciplined about when you eat. You can start by creating a meal plan and sticking to strict meal times. Begin refueling shortly after you wake up and stop eating three hours before going to bed. Remember, your body repairs and builds muscles as you sleep. Eating just before bed can disrupt your sleep and throw a monkey wrench into that crucial repair process.

Men’s Health Best Meals for Muscle is full of ready-to-serve meal plans and recipes that take the guesswork out of feeding your muscles the right amounts at the right times.

Men Should Eat These 11 Foods Every Day

Men Should Eat These 11 Foods Every Day

BY Rhett Butler

This article is a repost which originally appeared on THE SOURCE

Edited for content

Superfoods! More than a trendy buzzword, you need to incorporate these healthy superfoods in your diet every day.

Men especially should curate their refrigerator and try to stick to a healthy diet. However, walking through the grocery store can be confusing and many do not know where to start.

The Source has lined up some healthy food picks for daily consumption. They are based on the very common health issues males face.

May we present these 11 top choices for superfoods men should eat every day of the week.

SPINACH

Spinach is a super source of folate, a known blood flow-booster. Folic acid plays a critical role in male sexual function and a deficiency in folic acid has been linked to erectile dysfunction.

Cooked spinach contains 66 percent of your daily folic acid requirement per cup, making it one of the most folate-rich foods around. Additionally, spinach contains a fair amount of magnesium, which also helps improve and stimulate blood flow and has been shown as a trusted Source to boost testosterone levels.

Spinach is also good for penile health. It is a good source of folic acid which may help prevent erectile dysfunction. It also contains magnesium which has been shown to boost testosterone.

ALMONDS

Almonds contain zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, which are vitamins and minerals that seem to be important for sexual health and reproduction. Selenium can help with infertility issues and, with vitamin E, may help heart health. Zinc is a mineral that helps produce men’s sex hormones and can boost libido.

Compared to all other nuts, almonds are the most packed with nutrients and beneficial components. Now all you need to do is to at about 8-10 almonds a day. You can either eat soaked almonds or crush it and add to your morning salad or garnish your dishes, it is beneficial in any way you use it.

YOGURT

Improved digestion. Yogurt contains probiotic bacteria, which are primarily known for their ability to promote digestive health.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, several of the strains of probiotic bacteria found in yogurt may help prevent or treat digestive difficulties including indigestion, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Yogurt’s probiotics can also promote regular bowel movements, better immune system functioning and improved vitamin, mineral and nutrient absorption.

According to LiveStrong, if the results of studies conducted on male mice are any indication, yogurt may also have sexual benefits for men. Science suggests that certain dairy products, including yogurt, can help obese men lose weight. Finally, yogurt, and especially Greek yogurt, is a rich source of high-quality, muscle-building protein.

TOMATOES

Tomatoes have been linked to lowering men’s risk of stroke, helping fight prostate cancer, and preserving brain power with age. Heating tomatoes significantly increases their levels of lycopene, the chemical that can up antioxidant levels.

Lycopene – a nutrient found in tomatoes – may boost sperm quality, a study has suggested. Healthy men who took the equivalent of two tablespoons of (concentrated) tomato puree a day as a supplement were found to have better quality sperm. Male infertility affects up to half of couples who cannot conceive.

POTATOES

Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, a nutrient most people don’t consume enough of, which can help regulate your blood pressure. They’re a good source of vitamin C and vitamin B6, which aids your nervous and immune systems.

The potato’s fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 content, coupled with its lack of cholesterol, all support heart health. Potatoes contain significant amounts of fiber. Fiber helps lower the total amount of cholesterol in the blood, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease.

SARDINES

Sardines contain 20 grams of protein per three-ounce serving, and are one of the best sources of calcium and vitamin D, both of which are essential for bone and muscle health. They’re high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. They might have workout benefits to boot.

Sardines contain 20 grams of protein per three-ounce serving, and are one of the best sources of calcium and vitamin D, both of which are essential for bone and muscle health.

They’re high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. They might have workout benefits to boot. Researchers from Saint Louis University found that athletes who took an omega-3 supplement before and after arm curls felt less sore than those who’d had a placebo.

BLUEBERRIES

All berries are good for your health. They’re loaded with antioxidants, which help your arteries relax and may have anti-aging effects as well. But for men especially, blueberries are king. Blueberries have lots of vitamin K, which helps your blood clot, and plenty of vitamin C like most berries.

A daily bowl could protect against obesity, heart disease and diabetes. A bowl of wild blueberries a day could protect against a range of health problems including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Berries are rich in polyphenols – antioxidants that protect cells in the heart and help lower blood pressure.

AVOCADOS

Avocado is rich in folic acid for increased energy production, along with healthy fats to improve mood and sense of well-being. The more avocado you consume, the more blood flow your body experiences ― which is useful when it comes to sexual performance and in turn will also help lower the risk of heart disease.

Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids. Although most of the calories in an avocado come from fat, don’t shy away!

WHOLE GRAINS

Foods such as wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, quinoa or products made from these foods are considered grains. Grains are high in carbohydrates which provide energy to your brain and muscles. Not all grains are created equally in terms of nutritional benefits. The health benefits of a grain depend on the form of the grain you actually eat. There are two types of grains: whole grains and refined grains.

When you eat a whole grain, your body is getting nutrients found in all parts of the grain, as well as fiber. Whole grain foods include oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat bread or pasta. Refined grains have been processed and are missing some nutrients. Refined grain foods include white bread, white rice, and many kinds of pasta. When you eat grains, try having whole grains as much as possible.

A GLASS OF RED WINE

A study from 2019 reports that males who drank alcohol had a slightly lower risk of lethal prostate cancer, and that red wine had links with a lower risk of progression to lethal disease. The authors say that these results mean moderate alcohol consumption is safe for people with prostate cancer.

The health benefits from wine are the same for men and women, but men can drink more given their generally larger body mass — one or two 4-ounce glasses of wine per day — while women should consume only one glass.

WATERMELON

Watermelon may be a natural Viagra, says a researcher. That’s because the popular summer fruit is richer than experts believed in an amino acid called citrulline, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels much like Viagra and other drugs meant to treat erectile dysfunction (ED).

Watermelon is a natural source of citrulline. Citrulline is an amino acid that may support better erections. Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the penis, allowing a man to more easily get an erection when he is aroused. Citrulline may do the same thing, although it works in a different way to Viagra.

Stay healthy this summer and everyday!