1: “The strong association between cardiorespiratory fitness and longevity has long been known,” Dr. Peter Attia writes in his powerful book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. .
What may be more surprising is that our strength is also powerfully correlated with living longer.
“A ten-year observational study of roughly 4,500 subjects ages fifty and older,” Peter writes, “found that those with low muscle mass were at 40 to 50 percent greater risk of mortality than controls, over the study period.”
In one study, strength was even more critical than cardiorespiratory fitness: “Researchers following a group of approximately 1,500 men over forty with hypertension,” he states, “for an average of about eighteen years, found that even if a man was in the bottom half of cardiorespiratory fitness, his risk of all-cause mortality was still almost 48 percent lower if he was in the top third of the group in terms of strength versus the bottom third.”
The results from study after study show that those with the least muscle mass are at the most significant risk of dying.
“One Chilean study looked at about one thousand men and four hundred women, with an average age of seventy-four at enrollment. The researchers divided the subjects into quartiles, based on their lean mass index. . . After twelve years, approximately 50 percent of those in the lowest quartile were dead, compared to only 20 percent of those in the highest quartile for lean mass.”
2: Which is what we want to avoid.
And how do we do that? “With the help of this powerful ‘drug’ called exercise that miraculously extends lifespan and improves healthspan,” Peter notes.
We begin losing muscle mass in our thirties. Which continues with each passing decade.
Then, “both physical activity levels and muscle mass decline steeply after about age sixty-five,” Peter notes, “and than even more steeply after about seventy-five. It’s as if people just fall off a cliff sometime in their mid-seventies.”
By the time we reach eighty, we will lose eighteen pounds of muscle from our peak.
But there is reason for hope: “People who maintain higher activity levels lose much less muscle,” he notes.
We can begin lifting weights at any age. Peter shares that his mother did not start until she was sixty-seven. “And it has changed her life,” he writes.
“There are dozens of studies,” he notes, “showing that strength training programs can significantly improve the mobility and physical function of subjects who are obese, or recovering from cancer treatment, even those who are already elderly and frail.”
That said, the earlier we start, the better. Because as we get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to get stronger.
“One study looked at sixty-two frail seniors (average age seventy-eight) who engaged in a program of strength training and found that even after six months of pure strength training, half of the subjects did not gain any muscle mass. They also didn’t lose any muscle mass, likely thanks to the weight training, but the upshot is, it is very difficult to put on muscle mass later in life.”
Peter writes: “This is why I place such an emphasis on weight training—and doing it now, no matter our age.”
Because the more effort we are willing to put in now, the greater the benefit we will experience in the future.
“I think of strength training as a form of retirement saving,” he suggests. “Just as we want to retire with enough money saved up to sustain us for the rest of our lives, we want to reach older age with enough of a ‘reserve’ of muscle to protect us from injury and allow us to continue to pursue the activities that we enjoy.”
Similar to investing, the benefits of strength training compound: “The more of a reserve we build up, early on, the better off we will be over the long term.”
3: Our goal is not to have the biggest biceps in the gym or max the weight we can bench press. “Those might matter if you’re a bodybuilder or a powerlifter,” he notes. But they matter less in real life.
“A far more important measure of strength,” Peter writes, “is how much heavy stuff you can carry. . . I’ve become semi-obsessed with an activity called rucking, which basically means hiking or walking at a fast pace with a loaded pack on your back.
“Three or four days a week, I’ll spend an hour rucking around my neighborhood, up and down hills, typically climbing and descending several hundred feet over the course of three or four miles. The fifty- to sixty-pound pack on my back makes it quite challenging, so I’m strengthening my legs and my trunk while also getting in a solid cardiovascular session.”
Rucking also provides an aerobic workout as well: “Going uphill gives me a chance to push my VO2 max energy system,” he notes. “First-time ruckers are amazed at how taxing it is to walk up a 15 percent grade with even twenty pounds on your back—and then walk back down.”
Once we get the hang of it and develop our strength and stamina, we aim to carry 25% to 33% of our body weight. “My daughter and wife routinely carry this much when they join me,” he notes.
But rucking by itself is not the only answer. Tomorrow, we will get into the specifics of Peter’s recommendations for strength training.
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: How can I incorporate strength training into my routine now to build a “reserve” of muscle for my future health and longevity?
Action: I will start a basic strength training program this week, focusing on compound exercises like squats and deadlifts, and gradually increase the weight and complexity over time.
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