Building Muscle After the Age of 60

Here’s a question from our mailbag:
I overheard someone at the gym saying that you can't build  muscle after 60  years old. Is this true and what type of workout routine would you recommend for someone who is over 60, assuming they were in good  health and just wanted to keep fit?

Answer from Fitness Expert, Don Demas:

The most important thing we can do as we get older is to exercise. As we age, our bodies go through changes such as loss of muscle and problems with balance. Weight training helps combat these two aging effects as well as increase our energy levels, mental sharpness, and decreases the chance of chronic illness. Aerobic exercise is just as important as it has been proven to help manage depression, stress and anxiety. As for the original question of building muscle after 60, the answer is yes but not as quickly or nearly as much as we did in our 20's and 30's. With proper diet and consistent exercise, we can increase strength, lose body fat, tone muscle which will actually make you look more muscular.
 I would suggest for those, ages 60 and older, looking to start an exercise program to begin with 2 days a week of weight training, 8-12 repetitions per exercise, 1 exercise/1 set per body part. As for cardiovascular training, I would suggest 10-15 minutes a day for 2-3 days a week.

Don Demas is a Certified Fitness Trainer and owner of Demas Body-Shaping, Ltd and 133Fitness.com specializing in customized fitness videos, live streaming workouts, web-cam workouts and individual exercise downloads.

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