Muscle Mass: The Magic Anti-Aging Pill – Key Takeaways from our Presentation.
👉 The Why?
Skeletal muscle is not just a tissue — it is a metabolic organ. It regulates blood sugar, manages inflammation, maintains hormonal balance, and serves as the body's primary reservoir of energy during acute illness and surgery.
As muscle power declines with age and inactivity, every metabolic process it supports begins to degrade simultaneously. Loss of muscle power is not a sign of aging. In many cases, it is the cause of it.
Strength training stands out as one of the most effective ways to optimise these processes.
👉 The How?
Be smarter than average — begin with clinical testing to establish a baseline and define a precise, informed and effective program with an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. This will deliver you a proactive healthcare intervention rather than a tick-the-box routine.
Walking, Pilates, yoga and swimming are important foundations for cardiovascular fitness, mobility and balance. For optimal long-term health and performance, they should be complemented by progressive strength training at least twice weekly. Because the body adapts to repeated demands, ongoing increases in resistance are needed to continue building and preserving muscle, strength and bone density, all of which are critical for longevity, resilience and independence as we age.
Key Takeaways
Australia’s 24-hour Movement Guidelines, March 2026
Sarcopenia and Age
Strength training applies a specific type of ‘stress’ that forces your hormones to adapt. It tips your body’s internal scale away from breaking down towards building up. Consistent training biases your entire system to stay in ‘rebuild’ mode.
Professor Robin Daly is the Chair of Exercise and Aging at Deakin University and a member of CCA’s Advisory Board. Read more about Professor Daly’s sarcopenia research.
Protein
Up to 46% of Australians do not consume enough protein to optimally sustain muscle mass. Make your goal 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kg of body weight daily. Read more.
Bone Health
When your muscles contract they pull hard on the bone they are attached to which wakes up Osteoblasts or your internal bone builders. Therefore, strength training also has a positive effect on bone health. Over time your bones become denser and harder to break.
Muscle Strength & Muscle Health
Muscle Strength is what your muscles can do (eg lift and grip capacity), Muscle Health is how well they can keep doing it (quality and endurance).
The Master Plan: The Periodisation Pyramid
You can’t train at 100% intensity all year and expect your body to keep improving. Periodisation involves planned phases of building, progressing and recovering, allowing your muscles, joints and nervous system to adapt. Once reserved for elite athletes, this approach can help anyone get stronger, safer and more consistent with the right exercise prescription.
Living with a chronic condition?
The essential nature of building lean muscle mass remains the same, but your prescription will change. An accredited Exercise Physiologist will build you an evidence-based program with the best mix of exercise types for your condition.
Follow Professor Rob Newton’s Substack Series on Exercise as Cancer Medicine. Prof Newton is Professor of Exercise Medicine in the Exercise Medicine Research Institute that he established (2004) at Edith Cowan University and a member of CCA’s Advisory Board.
Professor Belinda Beck’s research has been pivotal in developing the ONERO® Program for Osteoporosis which is based on the outcomes of the LIFTMOR an MEDEXOP trials. Her work has shown that certain kinds of high-intensity loading can be both safe and effective for people with low bone mass when properly supervised. Chronic Care Australia leads in the delivery of the ONERO® Program in WA.
This newly published scientific review suggests the benefits of properly prescribed exercise for chronic pain may be profound – not only benefiting muscles and joints but influencing the psychological and neurological processes that contribute to persistent pain.
Almost half of dementia cases could be prevented - again it’s lean muscle mass. Read this Curtin University School of Public Health Study published in July 2026 in the Lancet Healthy Longevity. It followed nearly 500,000 adults over more than a decade and found that people with both low muscle strength and excess body fat (sarcopenic obesity) had a higher risk of developing dementia.
Hip or Knee pain? The GLAD® Program is the best, first treatment. Read more.
Where do I start?
👉 Clinical Muscle TestingWhether you’re navigating chronic conditions, recovering from injury or committed to building a body that works for you for decades to come - the clinical testing we offer steps up the precision, clarity and purpose of our value-based exercise medicine programs to the highest level.
Call us on 08 9385 1430 to book an initial appointment to define an exercise medicine prescription tailored for you.
For a free copy of our Learn to Lift eBook, email hello@theexercisetherapist.com.