Recovery and strength slipping away in men

You lift the same weight. It costs more than it used to, and it takes longer to come good afterwards.

Some of that is age. Some of it is not. The useful question is which parts you can do something about, and which parts a doctor should look at.

Here is what sits behind slower recovery and fading strength in men.

The short version

• Muscle mass starts to decline from around age 30, and the decline speeds up after 50.
• The cause is usually more than one thing at once.
• Sleep, food, alcohol, rest days and how you train account for most of it.
• Some health conditions and prescription medicines cause muscle loss directly.
• The rate of loss is not fixed. Strength training increases muscle and strength at every age.

What causes muscle loss in men?

Muscle loss and slower recovery are symptoms, not a diagnosis. They have many possible causes, and more than one is usually true at once. The main groups are age, how you train, sleep, food and protein, alcohol, other medical conditions and prescription medicines. Which of them applies to you comes out of a history, an examination and usually blood tests your doctor selects to fit your picture.

The signs men notice

• Weights that used to be routine now feel heavy
• Three days of soreness where one used to be enough
• Training that has stopped producing any change
• Getting out of a low chair, or carrying the shopping, taking more effort
• Less size around the shoulders, arms or thighs
• Grip that is not what it was, on jars, tools or a bar

None of these point to one cause on their own. That is exactly why the list below matters more than the symptom does.

What age does to muscle

Muscle mass falls over time in everyone. Healthdirect describes the decline as starting around age 30 and picking up speed after 50. When it reaches the point of causing weakness and difficulty with physical tasks, it has a name: sarcopenia.

The mechanism is well described. Better Health Channel sets out three changes: muscle fibres reduce in number and shrink in size, muscle tissue is replaced more slowly and partly with tough fibrous tissue, and changes in the nervous system reduce muscle tone and the ability to contract.

Two things follow from that. Some decline with age is expected and is not a disease. And the rate is not fixed, because Better Health Channel is direct that older people can increase muscle mass and strength through muscle-strengthening activities.

How much strength training men actually do

Australian guidance for men up to 64 is two and a half hours of moderate activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle and bone strengthening at least twice a week.

Healthy Male reports that just under half of Australian men aged 18 to 64 meet the activity guidelines. Only around a quarter do enough strengthening activity. Only one in five meet both.

If your strength has slipped and resistance training twice a week has not been part of your routine, start there. Australian guidance puts it at twice a week, and it is the part of this you control.

What slows recovery down

Four things do most of the work here.

Sleep. Broken sleep undoes training. If you wake unrefreshed after a full night, sleep apnoea symptoms in men is worth reading, because it is common in Australian men and frequently missed.

Food and protein. Healthdirect describes muscle loss as what happens when your body breaks down muscle protein faster than it replaces it. Eating too little, or too little protein, tips that balance. Fast weight loss usually takes muscle with it.

Rest between sessions. Better Health Channel advises resting each muscle group for at least 48 hours. Training the same group harder and more often is a common way to go backwards.

Alcohol. It affects sleep quality and it affects what you eat around it. Both matter here.

Health conditions that cause muscle loss

Muscle can be lost because of a health problem rather than because of age or training. Healthdirect lists cancer, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis and several neurological conditions among the causes. Malnutrition and obesity are both associated with it.

Tiredness often turns up at the same time. If that is your main symptom, why am I always tired works through the causes worth ruling in or out. Low iron and fatigue in men covers one that a blood test can identify.

Medicines that affect muscle

Some prescription medicines cause muscle loss. Healthdirect names corticosteroids, some diabetes medicines, and some medicines used for autoimmune conditions.

Two things to do with that. Take a full list of everything you take to your appointment, including anything bought over the counter. And do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Raise it with the doctor who prescribed it, because there is usually more than one option to discuss.

How a doctor checks strength

The tests are simpler than most men expect. Healthdirect describes measuring grip strength, standing up from a chair without using your arms, walking speed, and a timed test of getting up, walking three metres, turning back and sitting down.

Blood tests may follow, depending on your history and what the examination finds. Which ones are ordered depends on your picture rather than on a fixed panel.

When to see a doctor

Book an appointment if:

• The change has lasted more than a few weeks and a break in training does not explain it
• You are losing weight without trying
• Strength has dropped enough to affect work, driving or daily tasks
• Tiredness, poor sleep or low mood arrived around the same time
• It started around the time a new medicine did

See a doctor promptly if

• Weakness came on suddenly, or affects one side of your body
• You have severe muscle pain, particularly with dark urine
• You have trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath
• You are having falls
• You have unexplained weight loss, fevers or night sweats

What an assessment involves

It starts with a consultation. Your doctor goes through your history, when the change started, how you train and eat, your sleep, your alcohol intake and every medicine you take. They examine you where that is relevant.

From there they decide whether blood tests are warranted and which ones fit your picture. Nothing is decided before you have spoken to a doctor.

Sometimes the answer is training, food and sleep, and the next step is a referral to a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist. Sometimes it is a medicine that can be reviewed. Sometimes it is something found on a blood test. Often it is two or three of those together.

If deemed medically appropriate, a doctor may recommend a treatment plan. Treatment is one possible outcome. Advice, monitoring, referral, further investigation or no treatment are others. Individual results vary based on your unique biology. Assessment findings do not guarantee a particular outcome.

What to bring

• Roughly when you noticed the change
• Whether it was gradual or sudden
• What your training actually looks like in a normal week
• Your usual food and alcohol pattern
• Every medicine and supplement you take
• Anything else that changed around the same time

Where to go from here

If tiredness is the bigger problem, why am I always tired covers the causes worth checking. If your focus and memory have changed too, brain fog in men works through that list.

You know how you feel. Our job is to help you understand why, and what your options are. We have been looking after Australian men since 2010.

Book a free consultation and talk it through with us first.

Sources

• Healthdirect, “Loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia)”: healthdirect.gov.au
• Better Health Channel, “Ageing: muscles, bones and joints”: betterhealth.vic.gov.au
• Better Health Channel, “Resistance training: health benefits”: betterhealth.vic.gov.au
• Healthy Male, “What to know about exercise”: healthymale.org.au

Common questions

Why am I losing muscle even though I train?

Training is one input among several. Not eating enough protein, broken sleep, alcohol, ongoing stress, and training the same muscle group without enough rest all limit what training gives back. Some health conditions and some prescription medicines cause muscle loss directly. More than one of these usually applies at once.

At what age do men start losing muscle?

Healthdirect describes muscle mass beginning to decline around age 30, with the decline picking up speed after 50. Some of that change is expected with age. The rate is not fixed. Australian health information is clear that muscle-strengthening activity increases muscle mass and strength at older ages too.

What is sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia is the medical term for loss of muscle mass that causes physical weakness and difficulty with physical tasks. It happens when the body breaks down muscle protein faster than it replaces it. Ageing and inactivity are common causes. It is also associated with malnutrition, obesity and a number of health conditions.

Why is my recovery slower than it used to be?

The common reasons are poor or broken sleep, not eating enough food or protein, alcohol, sustained stress, and not leaving enough rest between sessions. Australian guidance is to rest each muscle group for at least 48 hours. Health conditions and medicines can also be involved, which is why a change that persists is worth checking.

Can medicines cause muscle weakness?

Yes. Healthdirect names corticosteroids, some diabetes medicines and some medicines used for autoimmune conditions among the causes of muscle loss. Take a full list of everything you take to your appointment, including anything over the counter. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Raise it with the doctor who prescribed it.

When should I see a doctor about losing strength?

Book an appointment if the change has lasted more than a few weeks and a break in training does not explain it, if it is affecting your work or daily tasks, or if it arrived alongside tiredness, poor sleep or low mood. See a doctor promptly for sudden weakness, weakness on one side of the body, severe muscle pain with dark urine, or unexplained weight loss.