What if I told you I've discovered a supplement that will not only add years to your life but also increase the quality of those years? Would you take it? What if it lowered your risk of death by 50%? What if this supplement lowered your risk of getting diabetes by 58% and your chances of fracturing your bones by 30%? Would you take it? Of course, you would, right? What if the only side effect was that you have to sacrifice three to five hours of comfort per week? Would you still take it?
The truth is, this "supplement" isn't a pill or a potion—it's regular exercise. Increasing your skeletal muscle mass (SMM), strength, and VO2 max can stack the odds in your favor to live a longer, healthier life. It’s the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth, and there really isn’t a close second. What’s even better, two of these three can be accomplished with the same activity: resistance training. Don't worry; I'll leave plenty of references at the bottom!
Before we go any further, I want to give you a very high-level definition of lifespan and healthspan. Lifespan is simply how long you will live, which is obviously incredibly important. Focusing solely on lifespan, though, is a mistake. It doesn’t take into consideration the quality and functionality of those years. That’s where healthspan comes into play. Healthspan is loosely defined as how many years you are alive and able to live independently and well. To me, this is at least as important as lifespan. When I’m older, I’d like to be able to run around and wrestle with my grandkids, travel the world, go on hikes, and get up and down off the floor without help. I’d venture to guess you do too. This is an important distinction as not everything that can potentially extend your lifespan will extend your healthspan and vice versa.
What the Science Says
I’ll start with the bad news. If you think there’s a magical detox, cleanse, fast, or supplement protocol that is going to extend your life and healthspan in any meaningful way, you are, at least at this moment in time, sadly mistaken. There is no quick fix.
And now for the good (amazing?) news. There exists a robust amount of scientific data to support the following claim: if you increase skeletal muscle mass (SMM), strength, and VO2 max, you can stack the odds in your favor to live a longer, healthier life. What’s even better, two of those three can be accomplished with the same activity: resistance training.
SMM & Longevity
If you’ve read any of my articles in the past, you’ll likely notice a common theme. I am a huge fan of building muscle! I will admit that a big part of my interest stems from a desire to make my wife’s mouth water when I mow the lawn with my shirt off. Fortunately for me and my clients, as it turns out, having a substantial reservoir of muscle mass has benefits that reach far beyond the aesthetic and become even more beneficial as we age. Sarcopenia is coming for us all. It’s a great idea to build as much SMM as possible now, so as we age, its effects are less pronounced.
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, which usually leads to decreased mobility, increased risk of falls, and an overall decline in physical function. Falls are a major health concern for older adults, with approximately one in four Americans aged 65 and older experiencing a fall each year. These falls often result in serious injuries; for example, falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults, leading to over 3 million emergency department visits annually. The mortality aspect is particularly alarming: for instance, individuals over the age of 65 who suffer a hip fracture face a 30% chance of dying within the next 12 months. Read that again. It’s horrifying! One in every three people who break their hip over the age of 65 will be dead within 12 months! Yikes! Additionally, let’s not forget about the quality of life aspect of this, as decreased mobility due to sarcopenia is associated with higher rates of disability, dependency, and mortality. Scary stuff. Lucky for all of us, we can avoid becoming one of these terrifying statistics by building a robust reservoir of muscle mass. The earlier you start, the better!
Want to Live Long? Get Strong
Having strong muscles offers a plethora of benefits that can positively influence your overall health and longevity. For starters, muscle strength is strongly correlated with lower mortality rates. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that higher levels of muscular strength are associated with a significantly reduced risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. This means that individuals with greater muscle strength are more likely to live longer and healthier lives.
Moreover, muscle strength helps maintain mobility and functional independence. As we age, maintaining the ability to perform daily activities without assistance becomes increasingly important. Strong muscles contribute to better balance, coordination, and flexibility, all of which are crucial for preventing falls. Considering that falls are a leading cause of injury and death among older adults, the importance of muscle strength cannot be overstated.
On the flip side, lacking muscle strength can have severe consequences. Weak muscles are linked to a higher risk of disability and a diminished quality of life. Without sufficient muscle strength, even simple tasks like climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or getting up from a chair can become challenging, leading to a loss of independence. Additionally, weak muscles are often associated with sarcopenia, which, as previously mentioned, increases the risk of falls and fractures.
I mentioned this earlier, but I don’t think enough of us appreciate how deadly falling and breaking a bone when we are older can be. Strength and muscle are like armor against this. When you’re strong, your chances of being able to catch yourself when you lose your balance and stumble are much higher than if you’re weak. Don’t get confused about “stability” training either. I’m all for standing and balancing on one leg. That certainly has its (small) place in a training program. But much more valuable than being able to perform silly movements while standing on an upside-down bosu ball is being strong as hell on single-leg exercises like lunges and split squats. The carryover to real-world practical stability (did I just coin a new phrase!?) is significantly higher on lunges and split squats than on single-leg circus tricks. Make sure your time spent in the gym reflects this reality.
Don’t Forget Your Cardio, Bro!
There are few data points that can predict improvements in life and healthspan as well as an increase in VO2 max. VO2 max is the maximum rate at which your body can consume oxygen during intense exercise. It’s a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance. In simple terms, VO2 max reflects the efficiency of your heart, lungs, and muscles in using oxygen. A higher VO2 max allows for better performance in endurance activities but, more importantly, is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as a lower risk of all-cause mortality.
Increasing your VO2 max is one of the best single things you can do to improve your health and lifespan. Numerous studies have demonstrated that individuals with higher VO2 max levels have significantly lower risks of dying from all causes. One study showed that a high VO2 max is associated with a 45% reduction in all-cause mortality risk compared to those with lower VO2 max levels. This means that the more you improve your cardiovascular fitness, the better your chances of living a longer and healthier life.
What's truly remarkable is that there seems to be no upper limit to the benefits of increasing your VO2 max. Research indicates that the higher your VO2 max, the lower your risk of all-cause mortality, and this trend continues upward without a ceiling. In other words, continually working to improve your cardiovascular fitness can keep providing health benefits, regardless of your starting point. This means that even if you are already in good shape, pushing your VO2 max even higher can still yield significant health benefits.
Even small improvements in VO2 max can have profound effects, particularly for those starting from a lower baseline. Moving from the bottom quartile of cardiovascular fitness to the next level can drastically reduce your risk of all-cause mortality. For example, individuals who improve their VO2 max from the lowest quartile to the second quartile can see a significant reduction in mortality risk. One study found that low-fit individuals who became moderately fit lowered their mortality risk by nearly 50%. This demonstrates that even modest gains in cardiovascular fitness can have substantial impacts on your overall health and longevity.
To increase your VO2 max, incorporate regular aerobic exercise into your routine. Activities such as running, cycling, swimming, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are particularly effective. I suggest finding the one that you like, or at the very least, hate the least. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity per week.
Increasing your VO2 max is one of the most effective strategies for enhancing both your lifespan and healthspan. By prioritizing cardiovascular fitness and incorporating regular aerobic exercise into your routine, you can significantly improve your chances of living a longer, healthier, and more vibrant life. So, don’t forget your cardio, bro!
Putting it All Together
Hopefully, you’re now convinced that SMM, strength, and VO2 max are three areas worth focusing on, and you’re ready to get after it! That’s great! But now what?
Here’s a basic overview of what I would recommend as a starting place for building a scientifically backed life/healthspan increasing program. Keep in mind, everyone is at a different starting point. I always recommend starting with less and building up over time. If you start with too much, too fast, you’re increasing your risk of injury.
Resistance training three days a week is, for most people, the minimum effective dose to see and feel meaningful progress in strength and hypertrophy (the building of muscle). So that’s a great starting point. If you’re really efficient with your time, you can get a quality resistance training day in around forty-five minutes. If you have the time and desire, by all means, do more.
When it comes to improving your VO2 max, you’ll want to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity per week. I like to break that into two sessions. If you don’t have the time or desire to train five days per week, you can add 15 minutes to the end of a 45-minute resistance training session, and that gets you over half of the high-intensity goal already. Then you can shoot for a 30-minute HIIT day, and you check all the boxes in only four training days per week, with none of those days being over an hour. Almost everyone can carve out this time if they really make it a priority. Maybe you have to wake up an hour earlier to get it done or sacrifice the Sunday morning comforts you’re used to. Whatever it is you have to sacrifice to make it happen, I highly recommend doing so. According to the data, the juice is certainly worth the squeeze.
If you are looking for more guidance on building the ideal program for you, book a 30-minute discovery call with us here. We would love to chat with you and figure out how we could best help!
References
Sharples, A., Hughes, D. C., Deane, C., Saini, A., Selman, C., & Stewart, C. (2015). Longevity and skeletal muscle mass: the role of IGF signalling, the sirtuins, dietary restriction and protein intake. Aging Cell, 14, 511-523. Click here.
Hodson, N., West, D. W. D., Philp, A., Burd, N., & Moore, D. (2019). Molecular regulation of human skeletal muscle protein synthesis in response to exercise and nutrients: A compass for overcoming age-related anabolic resistance. American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology. Click here.
Keipert, S., Ost, M., Chadt, A., Voigt, A., Ayala, V., Portero-Otín, M., Pamplona, R., Al-Hasani, H., & Klaus, S. (2013). Skeletal muscle uncoupling-induced longevity in mice is linked to increased substrate metabolism and induction of the endogenous antioxidant defense system. American Journal of Physiology. Endocrinology and Metabolism, 304(5), E495-506. Click here.
Teng, Y.-C., Wang, J.-Y., Chi, Y., & Tsai, T. (2020). Exercise and the Cisd2 prolongevity gene: Two promising strategies to delay the aging of skeletal muscle. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21. Click here.
McLeod, M., Breen, L., Hamilton, D., & Philp, A. (2016). Live strong and prosper: The importance of skeletal muscle strength for healthy ageing. Biogerontology, 17, 497-510. Click here.