Fitness Coach Says Four Habits Can Slow Age-Related Muscle Loss

As more Americans use GLP-1 weight-loss drugs — medications tied to loss of lean muscle mass, particularly during rapid weight loss — fitness experts are urging people to make preserving strength and mobility a deliberate priority as they age.

Jacob Zemer, a New York-based fitness coach who works mostly with clients between 35 and 55, told Fox News Digital that muscle loss with age isn’t just about medication. Lifestyle changes play a major role.

“The biggest change is lifestyle. When you’re in your teen years or your 20s, you’re running around, you’re doing activities that lend themselves to building muscle.”

That naturally shifts as people move into careers and family life, Zemer said. “You simply become more sedentary, which lowers your metabolism and your level of activity, so you’re going to have less muscle.”

Hormonal changes in a person’s 40s compound the problem for both men and women. “That means we partition the calories we’re using less and less for protein and building muscle, and more and more for simply storing as fat,” Zemer said. “We see this all the time — people start to store fat in their tummies, and they start have less muscle.”

Zemer said people should think about building muscle starting young, comparing it to a retirement account. “All the way up into your 50s, your goal should be to build muscle so that when you enter your golden years — your 60s, 70s, 80s — it’s kind of like your 401K. You’re going to be depleting from it as you go through life. So in your 30s and 40s, you just have to be more strategic about it, because your lifestyle has changed. You need to go to the gym and train in order to have that muscle later in life.”

Get enough protein

Protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis, the body’s process for repairing and building muscle, and adequate intake can lower the risk of sarcopenia — the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.

Needs vary by age, activity level and goals, but Zemer said the sedentary population generally isn’t short on protein. “If you’re a sedentary person, you don’t need to be obsessed with protein. Very few people aren’t getting enough protein in terms of macronutrients. But if you’re training and going to the gym, you want to be getting somewhere between 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.”

Lift weights regularly

The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend adults strength-train at least two days per week, hitting all major muscle groups — legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms — at moderate or greater intensity until another repetition with good form becomes difficult, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidelines also call for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity.

Zemer said even modest lifting sessions can preserve muscle even if they don’t build much new tissue. “Even if you have a busy week, and you went to the gym and you lifted weights 30 minutes twice a week, that may not be enough to build new muscle, but that is certainly enough to maintain muscle. So it’s very important that you lift weights a couple of times a week as you age.”

Beginners can start with basic functional movements — squats, lunges, push-ups and pulling exercises — along with carrying weighted objects, sometimes called a farmer’s carry, to build grip, balance and stability. Those intimidated by the gym can benefit from a few sessions with a qualified trainer to build confidence and technique.

Prioritize sleep

Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep is one of the harder habits to maintain but matters significantly, Zemer said. “Now, if you don’t get that every night, you’re not going to lose muscle. But when you start to look at actual serious sleep deficiency, like we’re talking five hours consistently, that is when you see rapid muscle loss.”

Keep moving, even when it hurts

Zemer said staying inactive is the worst response to injury or discomfort. “The worst thing you can do, even if you’re injured, is to stop doing anything. Find things you can do. Even if something hurts you, even if your knees aren’t like what they used to be.”

Even without structured workouts, regular movement helps slow age-related muscle loss, while sedentary behavior is linked to rapid declines in muscle mass and strength, Zemer said.

A note for GLP-1 users

Zemer said these four habits matter even more for people taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, since the drugs can accelerate muscle loss absent strength training and sufficient protein. “If you are on a GLP-1, just remember you’re accelerating the rate of fat loss, but you’re also accelerating the rate of lean muscle. You want to make sure you’re getting that protein and training, so that you are not losing muscle on top of the fat loss.”