How Do You Know When You’re Losing Muscle

springlering62

Weight is up about ten pounds from last year, but clothes are starting to feel unintentionally looser, I look like all arms and legs again, but yet, distinct and visible muscles, much more so than at the lower weight. I’m definitely getting stronger.

At what point do you start losing muscle? How do you prevent muscle loss without gaining again?

I eat unusually high protein, and carbs and fats are bang on goal, viewed by weekly average.

I haven’t busted my *kitten* to do this simply to lose muscle mass again. The Grandaddy Longlegs look was not kind to me, and even my new trainer is gently asking if I’m getting thinner, even though I’m maintaining at the higher weight.

How do you hang on to that hard won muscle?

nsk1951

I think you start to lose muscle when you don't use them. .. At least that's how it worked for me. As I became more sedentary, over time, I noticed my flesh starting to feel softer instead of rock hard when I touched or pinched various areas of my body ... like my butt, my legs, my biceps. Also, I started to look bigger and my clothes didn't fit as smoothly even though my weight had not changed. .. So yes, ... Use it or Lose It.

Retroguy2000

I'm a bit confused. You suggest you're losing fat, with looser clothes and more defined muscles, but you're also ten pounds heavier. I think I recall from other posts that you're older and consistently training? Sorry if that's wrong. If so, you probably haven't lost some pounds of fat and gained 10+ pounds of muscle.

To answer your question, I think the main indicator of losing muscle will be less strength, but you say strength is up, and you've gained weight, plus your protein is high, so you probably have nothing to worry about. If you aren't doing less weight/reps/sets than last year, you should be fine.

EDIT: Has your diet changed recently? Maybe you are carrying less water and/or glycogen than normal?

AnnPT77

I think you've gained some muscle, too. All the indicators are there: Smaller at higher weight, stronger, look more defined.

The research I've read suggests that at some point it's difficult to overcome age-related muscle loss, as a practical thing. I don't think you're at anything like that age yet, and your workout practices are well above average (beyond what some people would rightly or wrongly consider practical, because what's practical is a personal decision, right?). But age-group records do suggest that's true.

(OTOH, as I think you know, athleticism was much less encouraged in our young years among women, so I wonder if the seeming age decline among women is partly that the older cohort were later starters. I'm not as familiar with age-group lifting stats, but familiar with rowing stats. It seems like the competitive averages for men my age are closer to younger men than the averages for women my age are to younger women, but I admit I haven't literally done that math.)

I'm not sure whether your late start is advantageous or the reverse, or even neutral. The only woman I can think of offhand in my social circle who's lifting (and very strong) in her late 70s started lifting in her 30s, and went at it hard. She's said she can't hit the lifts she could in her heyday decades back, but I think she's maybe also gone more into maintenance mode these days, anyway, and diversified what she does athletically. She's in hecka good shape, looks maybe 20 years younger.

Beyond DEXA, I think you'd notice things like being larger at the same weight, having more fat (by tape measure or calipers or even pinch tests), getting weaker, getting fatigued from exertion that wasn't previously fatiguing (and that you've continuously trained at that same volume), getting a little more flaccid physically, etc.

You're not going to lose it (ignoring extremes of aging for the moment) if you keep some progressive challenge going and get the good nutrition, especially but not exclusively protein).

Is there a specific reason(s) you're feeling anxious about this, @springlering62? For example, are you wanting to reduce training volume or intensity but worried about the effect, or worried about aging per se, or . . . ? I'm wondering because it seems pretty clear from what you say that it isn't happening for you now.

springlering62

Thanks for responding, y’all.



@Retroguy2000 I’m going to go out on a limb and posit that I have indeed gained ten or more pounds of muscle.

Two and a half years ago I was at 127. I lost any muscle I’d built in my first six months of weight training. My trainer busted me back to zero and started me over again, literally with no plates.

It has taken a long time to rebuild muscle, but I definitely have, and have gained strength in other ways. I can tell a big difference in many of my other activities.

My “new” gym is mirrored. I like being able to watch and improve my form, especially during fast paced cardio-weight classes. I use heavier weights and slow the reps down to maintain form. I don’t like seeing folks swinging weights.

My new trainer isn’t a lifter, but asked to train me, which was kind of neat. She’s an excellent and rigorous trainer, and in our four months she’s increased weights, reps, and difficulty of the sessions. She’s under strict orders not to cut me any slack, and she doesn’t.

I recently did several recent overseas trips, where I ate easily double or more than usual. When I returned, I cut calories to lose back to pre-travel weight. So, a series of very unintentional bulk and cuts, which has had an effect, too.

In those mirrors (which btw, I highly recommend if someone has any issues with Dysmorphia) I see very defined shoulders, triceps, biceps, even some
vascularity. Calves are defined, thighs are strong. Even my wrists are smaller but stronger. My abs are a riot. They have the shape and delineation of a four pack, but with a thick sagging layer of extra skin over them. So I have a floppy four pack but I’m ok with that.

There’s absolutely no comparison in muscle mass to last year and def not to when when I was 127.

I guess the thing to do is kinda hold here in maintenance for a while and see what happens.

I just wonder if there’s some line you cross, or some symptom you see feel, or should be aware of if you’ve reverted back to “losing muscle” territory.

@AnnPT77 you’re so tactful, lol. I know I do too much, but I’m still afloat in the utter joy of movement. I feel like I’ve got years to make up for. I’ve spent all weekend trying to plot how to get to Portugal for the Camino walking pilgrimage I had to cancel due to Covid. There’s so much I want to do before old age truly sets in.

I want to grab older women and shake them by the shoulders and tell them “it doesn’t have to be like this!!! Get up and move!!!! Go have yourself an adventure, even if that just means walking and listening to birdsong and enjoying the sunshine!”

AnnPT77

@springlering62, I absolutely do not think you "do too much" . . . as long as you find your routine happy and balanced for you.

I think that individual preferences define what's too much, too little, and just right. I do occasionally see folks here that I think are over a line, psychologically fraught in some way: Desperately exercising lots as a compulsion or obsession, anxiety-ridden about reducing activity, giving up other things they want/need in order to exercise more, etc.

Your posts don't sound like that, and in fact you've rationally and seemingly calmly switched up your routine for various good reasons, are able to take breaks to travel, etc.

I do think you're more active than average, and more than some people would find practical/pleasant. That's not a criticism - far from! - just an observation.

I agree with you that there are way too many women in our age range who've sort of given up on themselves physically, have unrealistically low expectations of themselves, suffer for that.

Retroguy2000

OP, that sounds like tremendous progress, well done.

I'm sure you were over-simplifying, but anyway I'm not sure that bulking works by taking time off during traveling and bingeing then. The muscle protein synthesis is probably just for a couple of days after your last workout. You maybe have extra energy stores on board for when you resume training though, so you can push harder.

It sounds like you're well aware of the gym mirror effect. They may be angled slightly to make the upper body look bigger, better lighting and thicker glass helps too. I see a similar effect with the mirrors in my bathrooms here. In the one closest to my home gym room, I can go in there right after a workout and think, 'Hell yeah', then walk to the primary bathroom for my shower and look in that mirror and think, 'What happened?'

springlering62

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

It sounds like you're well aware of the gym mirror effect. They may be angled slightly to make the upper body look bigger, better lighting and thicker glass helps too. I see a similar effect with the mirrors in my bathrooms here. In the one closest to my home gym room, I can go in there right after a workout and think, 'Hell yeah', then walk to the primary bathroom for my shower and look in that mirror and think, 'What happened?'

😵‍💫

Oh good grief. Something else to gnaw on. Funhouse gym mirrors. I never ever would have thought of that. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

nossmf

I doubt it's actual change in the mirrors themselves, and more a change in lighting. Light from one angle creates shadows, which changes perspective. From another angle, those same shadows are gone. In my gym locker room, one mirror has lights way high, almost on the ceiling, and I like the image far more than a mirror by the sink where the light is right next to the mirror and shining straight out. All about the shadows.