Eilington Darden, Ph.D., Gainesville
The purpose of the Living Longer Stronger program is to provide middle-aged people with a course at action to rebuild muscle mass. An average adult in the United States , for example, loses one-half pound of muscle per year between the ages of 20 and 50. As a 50-year old, his or her body is 15 pounds less muscular than at age 20.
Rebuilding atrophied, weakened muscle entails proper strength training. Proper strength training requires an understanding of the concepts of exercise intensity, progression, form, duration, frequency, and variation. With correct application of the above concepts, an average adult can add from 3 to 4 pounds of muscle during an initial, six-week, strength-training program. Thereafter, the muscle-building results decrease by approximately 25 percent with each successive six-week training period.
Research shows that the typical 50-year-old man or woman can rebuild 15 pounds of atrophied muscle in 18 months. Accomplishing this feat will help this individual live a stronger, leaner, and more productive life.