To ensure young athletes gain muscle mass coaches provide advice and direction. They set up workouts, have goal meetings, implement training rules, discuss and suggest nutritional and sleep guidelines, track weight and strength progress. Eating more calories than you are used to is often difficult for athletes to maintain and gain tissue, yet rewarding. Proper dietary intake drives the results of a well organized and participated in program.
When you reach middle age things change, behaviors associated with weight training and muscle retention are counterintuitive. For years caloric restriction has been studied in animals as a way to increase longevity. Now, researchers are discovering how the aging muscle receives the most benefit by restricting calories. By eating less, there is what is called 'metabolic reprogramming', this means decreased energy from glycolysis and increased cellular dependency on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Metabolic reprogramming seems to help cells better use antioxidants and protect their retention. Don't forget a muscle is an 'organ' critical for movement ...and fuel metabolism as well.
The message is - do not continue the same eating habits that you had as a young athlete. When you reach middle age reduce the calories that you have been eating daily and you will maintain more muscle tissue using your personal strength and conditioning protocol. Eat less and Get Strong.
