5 Exercises to Prevent Muscle Loss
The process of muscle loss might be inevitable, but it's worth knowing how to combat it. Muscle loss is associated with weight loss, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of protein in the diet, and aging. However, in most cases, a proper diet and resistance exercise can combat most, if not all, muscle loss.
To prevent muscle loss, you can send frequent messages to muscles that they are needed. The most important thing is to stick to your resistance training. Read on to find out the best exercises to prevent muscle loss.
1. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are essential for you to age in a healthy way, build your muscle, as well as increase strength. The hinge pattern is a fundamental movement pattern in weightlifting that carries over into everyday life. The key to preventing back injuries and functioning properly is to bend over to pick things up safely.
The reason why this compound, multi-joint, multi-muscle exercise is great for preventing muscle loss is that it targets many muscles at once. These muscles include the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and back. Each variation will practice some of these muscles more than others.
You can try various types of deadlifts. Choose the one that you feel most comfortable with. However, it would be wise to make some changes to get the most out of the hinge pattern.
2. Squats
If there is a basic movement pattern that everyone should be able to do, squats are on the list. Doing this exercise doesn't mean you have to lift heavy things or use a barbell, but squat is key to any functional movement and is also considered a primitive human posture.
Squats are effective at preventing muscle loss as it activates most of the muscles in the body, which include the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, deep core stabilizers, as well as back and abdominal muscles.
To prevent muscle loss lower body resistance training is also essential. By the way, squats are the ultimate lower body exercise.
3. Bench Press
Bench press is another major compound lift exercise, which focuses on your upper body.
The target muscles of the bench press variation is primarily the chest muscles (pectoralis). However, they also work great with the shoulders and triceps.
4. Shoulder press
It’s goes without saying that healthy, strong shoulders are vital to bodily function. The shoulders are one of the most vulnerable parts of the body because of their high flexibility and lack of structural support. Shoulders are also involved in many human movements, and they also control everything you do with your arms and hands.
Therefore, preventing shoulder muscle loss plays an important part in injury prevention and healthy functioning. The shoulder muscles, also known as the deltoid, are made up of the anterior (front), posterior (back), and lateral (lateral) deltoid muscles.
All of these muscles help move your arms forward, back, and sides, supporting ligaments and other structures that support your shoulder joint. You can see the importance to build and maintain muscles in this area. The shoulder press is a great option for working your shoulders because it activates all the muscles in your shoulders.
5. Rows
The traditional deadlift primarily helps build and maintain the muscles of the lower back, while the row is a compound movement that works the same on the muscles of the upper and middle back. Losing back muscles can lead to poor posture, injury, and pain.
You can try various types of rowing exercises. You can also do this exercise along with weighted barbells, dumbbells, cables, or resistance bands. The key is to keep the weight challenged and progressed so it effectively prevents muscle loss.