Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Welcome to It's Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. I'm Melanie. Today we are learning how to be fit for life, how to build and keep muscle after 40. joining me today is Ken Lang. He's a lifestyle specialist and Russell Gage, he's the fitness director at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us today. We're gonna have a little fun today talking about strength training and muscle building. And so Russell, I'd like to start with you, and you and I have been together before talking about exercise And the importance. Can you tell us a little bit about the changes that happen as we age in our strength and our mobility, in our balance And in our muscle mass, and specifically after the age of about 40.

Russell Gage, CSCS, USAW, CES: I think a lot of stuff can change as we age and just like all the points that you just laid out, How you train, what you do and how your body reacts in kind of every decade or so. Definitely it has to adapt. I think you can keep doing the things you love to do, especially if you've been a lifelong exerciser.

There's a lot of research behind. the difference between exercising for life or starting exercising later in life And what your body can kind of do in relation to that. So when we have clients and stuff come in, how we, address them really does depend on that exercise history and health history.

but there's definitely a, plateau of sort that kind of starts to happen around age 40 and varices from person to person on kind of muscle gain And what you can do and more, more along the lines of kind of neuromuscular function that happens. But, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The best, second, best time is to start now. And so, if you're getting to that 40 age, you're already above it. Starting where you're at is always gonna help make a huge difference.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Well, it really is important and as we start to age and, and now our risk of osteoporosis. Bone fractures and all of these things, postural problems and balance all start to kick in. You're right, That is really the time and no time like the present. So, Ken, why? Why is maintaining this muscle mass so important and more importantly, overlooked part of healthy aging?

Ken Laing: Yeah, so like the cardiovascular health tends to get a lot of the attention it is, it's really important, but maintaining that strength over time determines how you're gonna be able to interact with your environment. a lot of my clients are, you know, not just over 40, but they're over 60 or 70, right?

And this kind of stuff we work on is, can you get to the ground and get back up? So if you wanna play with your grandkids, Getting down is the easy part. You have the strength to actually get back up from the ground, If you wanna go out, If I wanna go see a concert, Can I navigate the stairs that get me into my seat, Without having to ask for help, without risking a fall, So that's what strength does.

I mean, it does a lot of things, but how you function in the world, how you interact with your environment, And then. The next step of That is Once you know you don't have muscle mass, you start shutting things out so your life gets smaller and smaller and smaller because you don't wanna take that risk.

You don't wanna put yourself in a place where you might fall or you might need help. So maintaining that strength, is maintaining your ability to function and live the life that you wanna live.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Okay, Now a big question for you, Russell, because. You know, women, we've had this thought in our heads, and many women still have this myth. Can we build muscle over 40? And if we do, oh my goodness, we're gonna look like one of these German weightlifters. but it's something we can do.

So I'd like you to speak a little bit Russell, about women and building that muscle. 'cause you probably work with so many of us helping us to do that.

Russell Gage, CSCS, USAW, CES: Yeah, and I think it touches on kind of what Ken was saying is, what you can still do. And then doing the strength training to be able to still maintain kind of, I, I kind of talk about muscles, like the glue that holds your body together. And so, A lot of women won't wanna strength train 'cause it's this either a fear of getting too bulky or whatever it is.

And I point to like the high school guys that will train and be like, these guys look like sticks. And they're trying to get bulky. Like you really, really gotta do a certain diet, a certain supplement intake, certain who knows what, and a lifting program that's gonna get you really bulky.

And if you're not. Really, really chasing that. The importance of strength training is to maintain that glue, to maintain that muscle and to build that. And that's gonna be able to give you the ability to do several things. I had, a client one time And we were doing weighted carries at like 10 pounds in each hand, and she was like, This is just too much.

And then I asked her, how heavy is her purse and her purse? Was probably a 30 to 50 pounds just from what I knew that she brought in or her workout bag that she brought. I'm like, you are doing these weighted caries with a lot more every day And this shoulder or neck pain and back pain is really important to make sure that you are strong enough to kind of resist that and balance the body out.

And so I think strength training for women is probably the biggest focus we will have. especially 40 and above. Because it's one of the biggest things That is either uncomfortable or has a lot of like, taboo around sometimes, or that it's like, I don't wanna get too big, I don't want to gain weight.

There's a lot of weight management aspect to it where yes, muscle is denser and heavier, but lean muscle is, really what we're going for. And to get that big, bulky, heavy muscle is very, very hard to do, even if you're intentionally going for it.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): It's true. I can attest to it. It is not easy. You don't get to look like those women by just lifting five and 10 pound dumbbells. Really, even 15. I mean, as you say, Russell, it is diet and you have to practically starve yourself. And the protein, I mean, it is, Harsh and brutal to try and look like that.

So we're not gonna look like that very easily. I can say that from experience now, Ken, before we get into some exercises and things that we actually can do, let's talk a little bit about lifestyle habits. And as Russell was saying, you know, maybe this woman was carrying such a heavy purse anyway, that.

Uh, maybe she was getting some pain and around and up here, but lifestyle habits that we do that maybe we didn't think about when we were young, that can deplete our muscle mass, deplete our bone mineral density. We think about nutrition. Sleep as we get older becomes way more elusive.

Stress management, which we're all dealing with right now. How do those things. And our healthy lifestyles support that muscle management and maintenance as we get older, because I think it all ties together, right? It's really important.

Ken Laing: Yeah, it really does. And you touched on a lot of things there. the most important thing for most people is it's. Being sedentary is what leads to that loss of muscle mass. All right? So if we're sitting a lot, whether it be commuting in cars, sitting home, in the computer, in front of the tv, whatever, if you're sedentary, your muscle mass is gonna be going down over time, And so that's the biggest thing.

Like before we talk about any specifics, do something, anything, The more you move, the more you preserve your muscle mass. And then to kind of, to go off what you and Russell were just saying, working with women in particular, but also men who have injuries or who've had issues lifting in the past.

Getting 'em to lift heavy enough to put on muscle mass is sometimes we gotta sit down and have a conversation like, Hey we want you to get strong, which means we have to push you to. You're limited a little bit. Not take it past it, not increase your risk of injury, but we have to take you to your capacity or we're not gonna see change.

Right. And particularly with, women, younger women in particular, a conversation we gotta sit down and really seriously have. 'cause there are, like you're talking about all those social issues that. sort of come up when I give a, even a younger person, a 20 pound or 30 pound or 40 pound kettlebell and say, Hey, let's go for a carry.

Let's pick this weight up. let's do a deadlift. but I'm getting off track somewhere. But,

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): No, you're getting it. you're saying all the right things because I think that, that it all ties together. And one thing that we don't always realize is that everything has this effect. And while we're all coming together now, you know, so much of our business, the three of us are trainers coming in together.

We're learning more and more. Eastern and western medicine coming together, right? And so the things that we do outside of the gym are just as important in that maintenance. So Russell, I am gonna ask you to take us to begin. A woman walks in or a man who maybe hasn't been a big exerciser.

What are some of the first things that you have them do? First steps to getting into a good healthy weight training type lifestyle. Give us a few exercises. Talk to us about what you would do with somebody day one to get them going. You know, I mean, there is the evaluation, you're gonna talk about that a little bit And then everything, but I'm talking about let's, let these listeners and viewers know some exercises that they can do just right away.

Russell Gage, CSCS, USAW, CES: Okay. Yeah, like you said, the evaluation's a huge part of it 'cause a lifelong exerciser compared to someone who hasn't, and This is day one and their. Already over 40 and it's brand new to them. And I've, I've had a couple people who come in like this and it's, it's It's like if you never went to Disney World in your first-time there, you're like, I have no idea what direction to go.

There's several machines and people look like they know what they're doing. I have no idea. And so a lot of it is getting that comfortability. So we do the evaluation to kind of say what type of movement patterns should we red light, what type of movement patterns should we green light?

And then let's go on the green light ones And then let's work. Kind of more of an educational corrective exercise around those red light patterns. So, What I typically encourage people to do, there's the cardiovascular aspect, there's the strength aspect, there's a mobility aspect, and I kind of try to stick within those three categories and say one of these three, you're gonna like more than the other.

We'll find out what you enjoy doing and we'll hit on that, but we still need to pay attention to these ones that might not be as enjoyable. So making sure their tissue density as well with like some type of foam rolling, some type of mobility work. Teaching them how to properly prepare to exercise is, kind of first two weeks of working with someone like that of here.

Here are variations to come in and warm up. Here's a routine to get used to. This is how to get your body ready to move. Especially if you are a desk jockey who's been at this office desk job and two hours of commuting to and from work. Let's get your posture and everything a little bit more corrected before you just jump on the bench, press and sit on a bike for another 20 minutes and just make it worse.

So kind of our corrective stuff, the more mindful stuff at the beginning, And then as we get used to that, then it's getting into. Uh, maybe just the machines. I like to teach a lot of people how to use the strength training machines 'cause they're really easy to use and have a lot of great initial benefit.

They're stable, they're predictable, and there's a load variance that you can control and manage in that. Starting off, if we want some more specifics. Usually eight to 12 repetitions, two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. And I usually encourage people to pick anywhere between six to eight movement patterns or six to eight machines that hit on different muscle parts.

We're usually trying to accommodate and try to hit on opposing muscle groups, so if there's a chest pressed machine, do that, but also do the seated row, right? I'm gonna push and use. Muscles in front of my body, I wanna pull and use the muscles behind my body. And so that way there's a balance between what we are doing And then upper body.

Lower body and core and hitting on all those aspects. And then I tell them to take alternate days, right? It's gonna take a little bit of time for the body to adapt. Like Ken said, we want to stress the body. Without stress, there won't be growth, there won't be adaptation.

So we want to stress the body, but you gotta be able to sit on the toilet the next day. So don't overdo it to the point where you can't walk around or or do the basic things the next day. So every other day, hitting that full body. I usually encourage people to end with some type of cardiovascular work, whether it just be light walking, bicycling, 10 to 20 minutes of it at the beginning to start to hit on that and not overdo it, And then it's just week to week.

Challenging yourself in something more, more weight, more challenging movements. the patterns that we typically like to follow is a squat pattern, a hinge pattern. And a hinge pattern is like a, a hip lift, a glute lift, a a deadlift pattern. both double leg, single leg. I think everyone's more familiar with the squat patterns.

upper body push, which is again, chest press or a dumbbell bench press and an upper body pull, pull-ups, rows, cable machine, dumbbell rows, whatever it may be. And then hitting some type of core pattern, and a lunch pattern. And if we can kind of balance all of those out, it doesn't mean you have to do them every day.

Everyone's schedule's very different. Some people have 20 minutes to work out. Some people are retired and they got all day at this point. And so, just kind of getting them into a routine that they can do and be consistent with. 'cause if they're not consistent, there won't be that growth And that adaptation.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): I love that. That was great routine. You just really took us through because it's so important to hit all those different body parts and when we hit as many like that, then you are getting this overall health. Now, one of the things that. When I started in this field, and you know I'm older than both of you, but there weren't very many women, there weren't very many women trainers and certainly not very many women in the gym.

So Ken, you work at a fitness center, when you see women come in, and we've always sort of been a little hesitant to go into the free weight room. And while Russell was taking us through, a machine workout with some free weights involved and some dumbbells And that sort of thing.

There's always sort of a freeway weight area where all the big plates are, where the bench press is, where all that stuff. And sometimes, 'cause you see the guys walking around in there And the younger guys, women like myself, don't necessarily wanna walk over to there. What do you say to us about that area?

Not. Being quite as intimidating as we might think that it is, And that that area is for all of us. And there are weights there and, equipment there that we can use as well. 'cause I'm sure you've heard this before. What do you say to women.

Ken Laing: And I think that's actually a really important point because I think the entry point is very much what Russell said, right? When you first walk into the gym, get comfortable with the environment, go to those machines, do what the picture And the machine shows you, and get your routine down.

And that, I think is your entry point to create a level of comfort. Now while you're there, while you're resting between sets, you're gonna see the people on the dumbbells, on the cable machines doing all the rest of this stuff, That's when you can, if you're comfortable, you can start trying to mimic some of what they're doing, A dumbbell, bicep curl is not a difficult thing to pick up, A, cable chopped from a half knee position, little more difficult, And that's where you wanna look for the fitness staff.

That's literally why we're there. Ask us for our advice. We're happy to show you, That's literally why we have our job. It is what we wanna do. pretty much every gym I've ever worked in has a free assessment and a free training session as part of the membership. People, you get a little touchy and avoid that sometimes because they feel it's like a sales presentation it is in some level, but it's also your opportunity.

To get that trainer in front of you and ask questions, how do I take my workout to the next level? What are the things I need to be doing? What am I missing? that's usually I recommend is take advantage of, of that free stuff that Jim's giving you is really useful And we're happy to do it.

We wanna be doing it.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Russell, I'd like you to expand for just a second. And I don't know if you guys ever saw, maybe it was Seinfeld or something where I think it was Elaine was watching somebody else get personal trained and following every single exercise. But we don't really mind when people do that.

When they look over and they see what we're doing with somebody And then they kind of wanna do it themselves and you know, that sort of thing. So, Russell, tell us a little bit about the personal training at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health and what's involved. How can somebody get involved in that?

Russell Gage, CSCS, USAW, CES: Yeah. I think to kind of connect it to what Ken, And that last topic is too, I think for women, and even in the gym in general, there's. A large aspect of community, and if you can get connected to that community or find a community, it is much easier to feel comfortable within that realm.

One of the easy ways, like Ken said to get started is in that personal training realm, whether it be a few sessions or just like that, an orientation of some sort that can create a connection that can create someone that you're now comfortable to go ask questions to And so that's, like Ken said, we love doing this.

if we could pay rent and do it for free, most of us probably would. Very much so. So the coaches at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health, just love to just sit there and answer questions. A lot of our members go up and just ask them stuff all the time, And then if there is something more specific, you need a program that you need.

That's where the personal training really comes in, So where that need meets, right? a couple people that I have will just stop by my office all the time. They're like, I've been doing this pull up routine. It's not working. How do I vary it up? I'll give them advice on how to vary it up.

Like that's gonna be easy. That's fun for me. If they're not seeing results from several things they're doing, that's when the personal training comes in. Or if they just are not sure where to begin, we'll do six sessions with someone and it's just more of an educational six sessions and kind of like what I just answered my last, here's how you warm up, here's how you do the strength training.

What machines are you afraid of? What exercises have you seen that you just. Want to do, but have no idea how to do. we have a whole like power lifting club now, and there's women who are just like, I just want to lift heavy. I have no idea how to pick up a barbell and I'm afraid to do it.

And so it's a whole group they're just like, I just wanna like learn how to do this stuff. And a lot of 'em joined. 'cause there's the community of doing it. So the group exercise programs, the small group training programs, there's so many variations within clubs of how to get involved and get that coaching.

If it's not one-on-one, it can be small group. If it's not small group, it can be in a large group. And I just encourage people to get involved somehow into the community aspect of it and find a connection in the gym.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): Beautifully said. I love that you said that. And it is true, and people think that sometimes that they're gonna have to sign up for life if they want a few personal training set. But you can just have a few to learn if that's what you want. If you need the ongoing motivation, which we like our clients, that we've had a long time to want that ongoing motivation, that's why they're still with us.

That's a good thing. But they don't have to. So Ken, I'd love to give you the last word. Best advice on maintaining muscle after 40 men and women and practical changes that we can start today to make a big difference.

Ken Laing: I mean, the advice is really simple. You gotta show up for the gym. that's, it, What you do. After that, we can fine tune what the trainers are for. That's what classes are for all that. But the first thing is you gotta make it to the gym. So all the other stuff you're talking about, right?

Managing your sleep you feel like you have enough energy when it comes time to go to the gym, that you're not gonna just be like, ah, tomorrow. Tomorrow. Managing your nutrition so that you feel like you have the energy when it comes time to work out, to put some energy into.

So all of that lifestyle stuff that happens outside gets you to the front door. And if you do that part, you're gonna do something while you're there. And that's the most important part, All the details And we can get deep into the weeds on specifics of what to do, how to do it, why to do it, all that stuff.

But most of that doesn't really matter. You gotta figure out how to plan the two to three days a week. Usually an hour timer is good. once you show up Walk through that front door. That's the hardest part right there.

Melanie Cole, MS (Host): I agree. Taking that first step And then not being afraid to come to you both and ask for that help. So. Thank you both for joining us, really giving us such good information. It was a good lively discussion, so thank you again, and you can learn more about fitness training at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health by calling 6 6 1 202 3 4 8.

You can also visit our website@henrymayo.com for more information. That concludes this episode of It's Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. I'm Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for joining us today.