Muscle Mass to Power Your Running Performance
Today we will talk about:
· Why is lean muscle mass important for running performance?
· The challenges of building and maintaining lean muscle mass as we approach mid-life and beyond.
· Protein to support muscle mass
· A suggested exercise framework to support midlife health
Show Notes
(06:24)
Outlining why lean muscle mass is important for running performance
Focus should be on improving performance, also to minimise and prevent injury. A few key areas to consider:
· Lean muscle mass increases metabolism, you’ll burn more calories at rest and during workouts which will support weight management and body composition.
· When you have a strong core you will have improved running efficiency, your posture will be good, so you’ll be more efficient in your movement and form which will lead to improved endurance and less fatigue especially on long endurance runs
· When muscles are well conditioned, they perform better over distance and there will be less likelihood of fatigue, hitting the wall, suffering from cramps
· Good form and endurance will lead to a faster pace
· You will be minimising the risk of injury by minimising muscle imbalances or weaknesses
More strength means more joint stability, stronger bones and ligaments, and increased calorie burn—even during rest—because muscle burns more calories than fat. A runner’s goal is often to improve or maintain a lean body composition by shedding excess body fat and adding lean muscle to improve performance and prevent injury.
(08:41)
The challenges of building and maintaining lean muscle mass as we approach mid- life and beyond
It’s well known that as we age, we lose muscle mass … and that starts at around the age of 30! Which is young!
Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60.
The underlying reasons for muscle loss as we age are:
· lower levels of anabolic (muscle-building) hormones
· a decrease in neuromuscular efficiency,
· a decrease in the quality of communication between the brain, central nervous system, and muscles
· a reduced ability to synthesise protein
(09:34)
An introduction to sarcopenia
Mid-life women often talk about noticing loss of muscle tone or getting flabby and we may notice elderly relatives in their late 70’s and 80’s almost “shrinking” as they lose muscle – this is known as sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia is defined as the presence of low muscle mass together with low muscle function i.e. strength and performance.
There’s lots of research in the elderly population around nutrition and exercise interventions and from my experience in supporting elderly clients, it’s a challenging time of life to make changes and gain significant results. Managing the risk factors for sarcopenia earlier in life is key.
So, whilst muscle loss is a natural ageing process to be expected, it’s important for everyone, and especially as runners that we take steps to preserve our muscle mass and aim to slow down this loss of muscle mass.
KEY RISK FACTORS for sarcopenia
· Obesity and higher...
