Muscle Up, Age Down: How to Stay Strong as the Years Go By

I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.

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Long-time subscribers know that I’m not exactly drawn to exercise. So, I may be knocking you over with a feather regarding today’s topic.

Let’s start with the bad news. From age 30 to 60, we lose about 1% of muscle mass annually or about 3-8% per decade, doubling the rate after age 60. This muscle decline results in losing 2-4% of strength and 6-8% of power. Why does this happen? Starting in our 30s, we undergo a hormone shift that requires us to rely on nutrient intake and resistance training to build muscle instead of hormones.

The good news is that with adequate protein intake and an intelligent and tailored strength training program, we can overcome muscle loss and remain strong and vital into our golden years.

I watched a very informative interview with JJ Virgin on the Luke Storey podcast. JJ is a triple-board-certified nutrition expert and Fitness Hall of Famer with decades of experience helping clients make incredible physical transformations. The interview covers JJ’s background, how diet and exercise trends have changed, a primer on protein, strength training tips, debunking diet myths, and successfully navigating menopause. I captured some of my key takeaways from the interview.

JJ’s Tips for Building Strength for Daily Life

• Stop relying on weight as a single data point. Find a location that offers a DEXA scan, which is considered the most accessible gold standard for measuring body composition. Get a bioimpedance scale that provides more data about body composition. Bioimpedance scales measure something called total body water, which correlates with muscle mass. More body water means more muscle. The WYZE Smart Scale X gets good reviews (Amazon affiliate link). Weigh yourself at the same time every day and look at the trends over time.

• Protein requirements increase as we age. Eat protein first at every meal. Aim for 0.7 to 1g of protein per pound of target body weight. I wrote about the importance of protein in a previous newsletter.

• Before starting with resistance training, determine whether you are moving enough. A good target is 8,000-12,000 steps per day. Once you have a baseline of physical activity, increase the intensity at least three times a week for thirty minutes. Increase walking speed. Hike in mixed terrain. Add a weighted vest or rucksack.

• The number one most important key to resistance training is to avoid injury. You’re not training to get better at training. You’re training to get better at life. Think about the compound movements of daily life: sitting in and getting up from a chair, getting in and out of a car, reaching to place or remove something from a shelf, etc. Focus on the four primary body areas: hip and thigh hinging, upper-body pushing, upper-body pulling, and power core.

• If you are focusing on strength, do one to five reps with three—to five-minute rest breaks in between.

“Think of resistance training like flossing your teeth. It’s not an optional thing.” —JJ Virgin

What I Am Doing for Exercise

• Laugh all you want, but I’m still playing virtual ping-pong after over two and a half years. I just upgraded to the Meta 3, which is better than the Meta 2 in every way. I work up a sweat playing for over two hours; most importantly, it’s fun! Dr. Daniel Amen says that people who play racquet sports live longer than anyone else.

• I’m testing another gaming system called the Quell, which uses resistance bands to combine cardiovascular and strength training.

• Now that Arizona's weather is cooling off, I’m doing a lot more walking. When I’m ready to increase the intensity, I have a rucksack to add.

• I’m still at the level of using body weight before graduating to more intensity. When I’m ready for more, I’ll return to using the X3 Bar.

• I will continue my weekly stretch appointments. Stretching is underrated, and I would not have the mobility and range of motion after sitting at the computer all day had I not been focused on stretching.

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The Daily Habit is where I share my habits related to the fundamentals: sleep, diet, physical activity, mindfulness, and stress management.

Cronometer is a free app that allows you to track your diet, exercise, and health data. With the phone app, you can scan bar codes and easily input your nutrient intake. It shows you all nine essential amino acids to determine whether you are getting sufficient protein based on your goals.

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Refer Subscribers, Earn Perks 📣 NOW Lower Thresholds!

With the new referral program, you can earn perks like a complimentary Club Membership and other goodies by unlocking three tiers, which I lowered to make it even easier to earn bonuses.

• Get a 1-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club for 3 referrals.

• Get a 3-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and receive a book from my personal library for 6 referrals.

• Get a 6-month complimentary membership to the Be Wellthy Club and a goodie bag prize for 15 referrals.

By the way, if you’re already a Club Member, the free months will be added to the end of your subscription. You'll get credit for new subscribers (free or paid) when you use the referral link below or the “Share” button on any post. Send the link in a text or email, or share it on social media with friends.

While signed into your Substack account, you can visit the leaderboard that shows you how many referrals you have.

To learn more about the referral program, check out Substack’s FAQ.

Thank you for helping get the word out about Be Wellthy!

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Last week’s answer

Be Wellthy Club entrants: Scott S., Scott L., Steve H., Renata B., Ariel E.

Raffle prizes are for Be Wellthy Club Members only. Club members can email bewellthy@substack.com with the correct answer to each week’s brain training and be entered into a monthly raffle to win one of two prize packages every month. I do respond to every email.

This week:

Find the missing number.

See the answer.

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A year ago, I wrote about my visit to Chimney Rock in North Carolina. Sadly, this area was devastated by Hurricane Helene. I’m grateful that I was able to experience this beautiful location. Even though it’s a long road of recovery ahead, the people of North Carolina are resilient and will make it through this tragedy.

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