Wednesday, January 26, 2011

HOW TO GAIN MUSCLE AFTER AGE 40

Here is a good article on the three factors one should consider in embarking on a fitness program in which you wish to gain muscle mass.

http://www.healthtopics.com/inner.php?aid=2828

Of course, when designing your conditioning program, remember that it is most important to include cardiovascular exercise which is designed to keep the heart muscle toned, your circulatory system functioning at its optimal level, and your body fat down to a minimum.

Research has also reported significant increases in HDL (good cholesterol) levels in men that exercised at or above 75% of their maximum heart rate (maxHR), 3 times a week for 12 weeks. No changes in HDL were reported in the subjects that exercised at 65% maxHR. To calculate your training heart rate, take the quantity (220-Your Age) and multiply it by 0.75 to get your target minimum training heart rate which will positively affect your HDL levels. For example, if you are 40 years old, take (220-40) X .75 = (180) X .75 = 135 beats per minute for your training heart rate.

Important Note: If you are out of shape, start training at a lower heart rate level to gradually build up to a 75% max heart rate level. A good rule of thumb is never exercise at a sustained level which has you breathing so hard that you cannot carry on a normal conversation. When beginning exercise, also start with exercise duration of 5 or 10 or 20 minutes, and gradually add more time with succeeding sessions.

Research has also shown that exercise volume is even more important than exercise intensity. It was reported that weekly total mileage was more important in raising HDL levels than was exercise intensity. Interestingly, a higher volume of exercise provided significant increases in HDL in a shorter period of time. This indicates that there may be a relationship between exercise volume and the length of the training program. Most of the exercise training studies identify a weekly mileage threshold of 7 to 10 miles/week for significant increases in HDL’s. This correlates with an average minimum work-out of 25 to 40 minutes, 3 times per week, at a gym on cardiovascular training equipment. If you are eventually able to exercise up to 60 minutes, it would be even better.