Atrophy is muscle loss. Hypertrophy is increase in muscle.

Muscle loss is a natural process that happens as we age usually from the age of 30, this is speeded up if we are very inactive, have a poor diet or after women go through menopause.

Muscle loss is called muscle atrophy.

Muscles will continue to stay strong and healthy for as long as they’re used. Lack of use will cause the muscles to get smaller, this is where the phrase comes from ‘use it or lose it’ very inactive people will suffer from muscle loss and this can happen at any age.

Weak muscles can also occur from illnesses, strokes or following an injury. If your muscles are weak, you may find everyday tasks difficult, such as getting up from the floor, making a bed, climbing stairs etc. If muscles are extremely weak even smaller tasks will be difficult, such as walking alone or even standing upright may become a struggle.

Strength can be lost from all muscles or just some it depends on how the body is used. Having weak muscles will also put extra strain on the spine and joints. If muscle weakness is from lack of activity this potentially means the bones will become weak also.

Weak bones may become more porous and less dense which will mean they will bend and break much easier.

Importance of maintaining muscle mass.

In order to maintain a healthy muscles, the muscles need to be worked well and frequently. This will assist you to be able to continue to do basal needs in senior life such as maintain a good posture, walk without aids, and be able to carry out everyday tasks such as gardening and housework, the body needs to be reasonably active throughout life. This is a bare minimum.

Muscle Atrophy.

Is becoming more common in younger adults, due to the way we have evolved, many adults and children are living very sedentary lives. Mainly due to more ‘sitting down’ jobs and activities such as computer games, people are moving less and less throughout their lives in comparison to 50 years ago.

Many people spend over half their day sitting down and being inactive. Not getting adequate activity in everyday tasks has seen a rise in not only 'weaker' adults, but also anxiety, depression, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Muscle loss is preventable and more importantly, this is the good news, it’s reversible.

You can build up your muscles regardless of how weak they are, or how old you are.

Muscle Hypertrophy

Muscle growth is called muscle hypertrophy and any muscle can grow. The more you use it the stronger it gets. Muscle hypertrophy is a reasonably slow process and many people shy away from strength training thinking they’re going to build big muscles after a few workout sessions! (Many people wish that were true!)

Because of the slow process and the way that muscles need to be worked in order to grow, its very easy to stop your muscles growing any bigger when you get them to the size you want.

Building a big muscular physique is a long process, with many hours a week put into it, along with a diet that has to be worked out to the gram.

In order to strengthen weak muscles, all you have to do is start using them!

Activities such as walking, swimming and cycling is a great place to start if muscles are weak.

Strength and resistance training is a very good productive way of training to allow your body enough stimuli to grow. The beauty of this type of training it can be adapted to suit any age and any ability. You don’t have to be strong to start.

Strength training when accompanied with a good healthy diet including plenty of protein can give amazing results in just a few months.

Will you get bulky quick?

No is the answer.

Depending on what your goals are and what you want to achieve will depend on what type of training you do and the frequency and intensity at which you work.

The general population like a ‘toned’ look which is only achievable through some kind of training.

Building muscle is a relatively slow process so you’re not going to turn into the hulk overnight, but using this type of training and working the muscle groups together and isolated can give you great muscle growth and it will also strengthen your bones and prolong your life.

Unfortunately many people give up on strength training, as they feel they are not making progress. Comparing your few weeks of workouts to someone else's  years of training is the best way to demotivate yourself. It takes a while to build and if you are overweight it will take longer to see your results.

Can you turn body fat into muscle?

At this point I must clarify, body fat cannot be turned into muscle. However as you start working out the body fat will start to diminish, the extra calories being burned during training will ensure less calories are stored. After training your body will need extra calories to repair the muscles that have been worked, which also helps with fat loss.

When your body has more muscle your body will need to use more calories for life basal requirements, even if you stayed in bed all day!

Numerous experts recommend resistance and strength training for every age group.

If you are wanting to lose body fat then strength training is top of the list. Yes cardio is excellent but I still put strength training above it.

The top 5 benefits of strength training are:

Maintaining and building muscle mass

Increased strength

Improved bone health

Controlled body fat

Decreased risk of injury

Obviously, building and maintaining muscle mass is the most important benefit and keeps it top of the list. Not only will having good, developed muscles ensure you look good, the process of developing them will make you feel amazing and the health benefits of enhancing your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities into later life, easily makes it the top go to training option.

I am a personal trainer based in Didcot. I ensure all my clients receive a full consultation before training starts, this allows me to get a good idea of the clients goals, their overall ability and seek enough information to ensure I can create a programme suitable for them.

Top tips to take away.

• Strength training is suitable for people of any age (my eldest client is 77)
• You can strength train regardless of your gym knowledge or fitness ability
• You do not have to be strong to start
• You will not turn into the hulk overnight.
• Strength training is a slow process but can be speeded up with a good diet including plenty of protein
• I offer personal bespoke training from a private gym in Didcot