JJ Virgin, an exercise physiologist, explains that after 40 you lose about 1% of muscle mass yearly without resistance training, plus 2-4% of strength and 6% of power. Strength and power matter more than size. At 60, Virgin says she's fitter than ever, proving the decline isn't inevitable.
I think we start to see it more at 40, 45, 50, is that we start to lose muscle if we are not actively working against it. You know, I'm 60 and I'm fitter than I've ever been. So this doesn't have to be this sentence of doom. But if you don't actively work against this, starting at 40, we lose up to 1% of our muscle each year. That's actually not the worst part. 2 to 4% of our strength, 6% of our power. And I think we're focusing a lot now on muscle, which I'm thrilled about. I feel like my time has come as an exercise physiologist, but we're missing the big part, which is strength and power.
