Turning back the clock on aging muscles.

[Ouabache]

This is some compelling new research...
"A study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has identified critical biochemical pathways linked to the aging of human muscle. By manipulating these pathways, the researchers were able to turn back the clock on old human muscle, restoring its ability to repair and rebuild itself." ref01 (http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-1/Scientists-discover-clues-to-what-makes-human-muscle-age-10175-1/)
"The research also found evidence that aging muscles need to be kept in shape, because long periods of atrophy are more challenging to overcome." ref02 (http://www.livescience.com/health/090930-aging-muscles.html)

This research was led by scientists at Berkeley (http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/09/30_muscle.shtml).
and recently published in the journal, EMBO Molecular Medicine (http://www.embomolmed.org/details/journalArticle/368207/Molecular_aging_and_rejuvenation_of_human_muscle_s tem_cells.html)

[Proton Soup]

yeah, getting old sucks. better get in the gym while you can and do your squats. immobility correlates with death.

as for repair and rebuild, we already have some things that help: http://jp.physoc.org/content/573/2/525.abstract

[berkeman]

Interesting link, Ouabache. Are they planning to bring something to market out of the research? I couldn't tell with a quick scan.

Proton -- I didn't know that about creatine. Do you use it as part of your workout/nutrition regimen? What kind, and how much?

[Proton Soup]

Proton -- I didn't know that about creatine. Do you use it as part of your workout/nutrition regimen? What kind, and how much?

oh, yeah, there's a ton of papers you can find on it at pubmed. i use 5g/day of creatine monohydrate. other varieties are simply hype because the old-fashion mono is dirt cheap.

and i keep meaning to check back and do some more research on this thread topic. there are a couple of other things that may be useful for older people. one is anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. there was a study that showed taking an entire day's recommended dose in one bolus inhibited protein synthesis in muscle, but another showed that older men that took it ad lib. according to the bottle directions actually improved their strength performance. what i want to know is whether the reduced pain simply encourages more effort towards training, or if there is a link between inflammation and the formation of scar tissue in muscle that is mentioned in the article. another thing is vitamin D, which reduces falls in the elderly.

you may also want to look into fish oil if you're not already doing so. the number of things in the body that it makes better is just amazing.

[WhoWee]

oh, yeah, there's a ton of papers you can find on it at pubmed. i use 5g/day of creatine monohydrate. other varieties are simply hype because the old-fashion mono is dirt cheap.

and i keep meaning to check back and do some more research on this thread topic. there are a couple of other things that may be useful for older people. one is anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen. there was a study that showed taking an entire day's recommended dose in one bolus inhibited protein synthesis in muscle, but another showed that older men that took it ad lib. according to the bottle directions actually improved their strength performance. what i want to know is whether the reduced pain simply encourages more effort towards training, or if there is a link between inflammation and the formation of scar tissue in muscle that is mentioned in the article. another thing is vitamin D, which reduces falls in the elderly.

you may also want to look into fish oil if you're not already doing so. the number of things in the body that it makes better is just amazing.

Just a foot note on creatine.

Work your body to a stall point - that is you hit a plateau where strength increases stop or slow. The conditioned body will respond very well to a short term creatine program along with heavy weight training. It is not intended or recommended for continuous use.

[Proton Soup]

Just a foot note on creatine.

Work your body to a stall point - that is you hit a plateau where strength increases stop or slow. The conditioned body will respond very well to a short term creatine program along with heavy weight training. It is not intended or recommended for continuous use.

why do you think that? and how long does it take you to hit a stall point?

[WhoWee]

why do you think that? and how long does it take you to hit a stall point?

I'm not saying that creatine won't provide a benefit to anyone who gives it a try.

What I am saying is if you are someone who trains a great deal - eventually you will hit a plateau. This is a "stall point" in your development. Often, you'll struggle to maintain the same resistance weight or possibly the number of reps or sets. Some people argue exhaustion/lack of rest and others argue lack of proper nutrition, either way, it does happen.

This is when creatine really seems to help - in the short term. I've witnessed several cases where creatine was effective.

I personally went through this when I competed in the discus. I didn't like to lift weights and focused on my form, balance, and agility. Accordingly, I focused my weight training on low reps and sets with the heaviest weights possible. My bench press quickly jumped from 300#'s to 325#'s in about a 9 week period, then it stayed at 325 for about 5 to 6 months and the sets and reps seemed harder and harder to complete. Looking back, I was very discouraged and nearly quit.

I tried a variety of amino acid supplements and vitamins and tried working different muscle groups and nothing helped. Finally, a strength coach talked me into trying creatine for a few weeks. After about a week I was back on track. Within 3 weeks I was at 350 (we stopped the creatine at that point) and I reached my 400# goal within another 4 to 5 months. From that point, I focused on extra reps and strength maintenance.

On a side note, my son is currently a high school football player and I won't let him try creatine. My logic is that he hasn't yet hit a legitimate plateau and he's growing like a weed. He doesn't need it and I don't know if it's safe for him at this point.

[Proton Soup]

yeah, i know all about plateaus. it took me two years to add about 25 lbs to my bench and 80 lbs to my deadlift. you didn't hit a plateau before because, as you say, you didn't like to do it and didn't take it seriously. wait til you're actually focusing on strength, not agility, and still can't make fast progress.