BACK TO THE FUTURE
THE TRUE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

By John L. Boos,  L.M.T., N.S.C.A., C.P.T.

Jack and Jill went up the hill in search of the fountain of youth. They both came down wearing a frown still searching for the truth. Jack LaLaine and Charles Atlas both knew the answer to staying younger. Many of the early day muscle builders of the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s knew it, as well. Since my early teens, I passionately felt the same about staying younger. But instinctively knowing something and being able to prove it are two different things. Only in the last few years has medical science disclosed how to remain healthy, vital, disease-free, and younger for much longer…in other words, the truth of the fountain of youth.

To understand what I’m getting at, we must understand the other side of youth. The opposite of youth is aging. As we age, we lose muscle. This muscle loss is accompanied by a multitude of other negative changes, such as, raised blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, to name a few. There have been a number of in-depth studies performed in the past demonstrating that by staying physically active and working on maintaining muscle mass, you can ward off the greatest health risks and sustain a feeling of youthfulness. One of the best works to address the aging process was conducted at Tuffs University by Dr. Bill Evans and published in his book entitled “BioMarkers”. This may not sound like a big science breakthrough because you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to know exercise is good for you. But there has been a breakthrough that is a biggy. That breakthrough is that it’s not just any exercise. It’s exercise that affects a special kind of muscle tissue. Our bodies have several different kinds of muscle fiber types. One class of muscle fibers perform endurance activities, such as jogging, walking, biking, and aerobic or cardio classes. Another class of muscle fibers perform in a more power and strength fashion as in resistance exercising (barbells, dumbbells, or weight training machines).

Until recently, medical science believed that the key to health and vitality was exercise and a good diet. However, the never ending search for more specifics has cleared things up quite a bit. Science is now learning more about the secrets that exercise holds for staying younger. Several years ago, a breakthrough was revealed. Not only do we lose our muscle through the aging process, but we now know what kind of muscle fibers we lose. The definition given to “age-related loss of muscle mass, strength and function” is sarcopenia. This muscle loss (atrophy) is seen in the power and strength (fast twitch) fibers. These fibers are recruited or activated only during high levels of exercise (anaerobic), not during lower levels or aerobic exercise. Fortunately, sarcopenia is considerably reversible with appropriately applied resistance exercise intervention. The process of staying younger is also part of good protein synthesis and healthy hormone balance, which is also enhanced through the same type of exercise (resistance training).

Along with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), comes a decrease in sex hormones, body repairing hormones, and body building hormones. Proper nutrition uptake of vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, and micronutrients are essential to combating the aging process. Hormone depletion and decreased essential uptake and assimilation of foods and supplements in the diet is not a new epiphany of the aging process.

What is becoming more and more scientifically evident is that if the approach is taken to deal directly with muscle tissue that is associated with strength and power, it becomes a win-win situation for all of the aforementioned concerns of the aging breakdown. With properly executed resistance exercise, sex hormones remain higher, nutrition breakdown is magnified, and the uptake of precious enzymes and natural food elements are vastly improved.

So what is the formula for reversing this muscle, strength, and power disintegration called sarcopenia? The answer is – intense anaerobic exercise. What is the proper intensity formula? According to medical research, it is 70% to 90% of what a muscle can lift once. To simplify, it would be a repetition range of 6 to 14 until you can no longer properly perform the movement. Now don’t go stampeding off to the gym and piling on the weight. Exercise in itself is a science process requiring knowledge, know-how, and experience. This is not your cardio fun class. A future article will address this.

The purpose of this article is not to talk about formulas, but to show that medical science is finally catching up with what so many of the old-time physical culturists (Jack LaLaine, Charles Atlas, etc.) knew instinctively. I was a fan of both of them, and as a very young boy, I was able to relate to their values. I always loved learning and teaching. When I was younger, body building to the outside world was back alley fun. Now science is making it front room news and promoting it as a necessity to staying younger while growing older. So if you want to have a younger future, you now know you must go back and get your strength and power.

Now it can be said… Jack and Jill went up the hill in search of the fountain of youth. They both returned from what they learned, and now they know the truth. And remember to live long and prosper because “Life is a Sport, Train for It.”

EMPOWER YOURSELF.

LIVE STRONG AND PROSPER

BECAUSE

LIFE IS A SPORT – TRAIN FOR IT!!!

John Boos is two-time Mr. World/Mr. New York State who specializes

In one-on-one strength training geared to women, post rehabilitation

Exercise, body composition analysis, is a NYS licensed massage

Therapist and is certified in medical exercise for: diabetes,

Osteoporosis, menopause, high blood pressure/cholesterol

And arthritis. For more info, contact: (631)587-4786

Or visit www.boosworld.com