With our focus on weight and waist do we ignore muscle mass and strength?
I do get worried when I see people achieving results with keto and IF, but who are clearly losing muscle mass and strength. Some never had much.
I’m of the belief that having optimal muscle mass and strength helps with insulin sensitivity, decrease likelihood of muscle and back strains, BP, and of course decreased likelihood of falls.
We often measure fat and bodyfat %, but it is the absolute lean weight which may be an important health measure by itself.
There are loads of ways to measure muscle and a simple grip strength might be a good indicator. Maybe, how long you can support yourself hanging from a bar. (Don’t damage mum’s Hills Hoist clothes line!) Dexa would be a good, but expensive way to measure.
For me, at 64, I do a single set routine of 5 exercises at the gym once a week. Super-slow (10+10) until voluntary fatigue on each exercise. Takes 30 minutes. Plus I do some basic body weight exercises most mornings. (I’m 174 cm and weigh 73 kg. BMI 24.1 which ignores muscle and so useless. Waist 85 cm. Waist to height ratio 49%)
I’m totally convinced that most people confuse recreation-like physical activity (eg walking) with exercise done at an intensity that send an adaptive signal for muscles to get stronger. The word “intensity” should not scare anyone. Anybody, at any age and fitness level can exercise intensely enough and safely.
I’d like to know if others measure their muscle mass and strength and how they do it.
PS I hope I categorised this properly.
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