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To speak of aging and muscle gain in the same body of words requires a few simple rules. It is almost a certainty that if you are over the age of fifty then you have some sort of ailment or infirmity that has come of a life style choice. By definition "aging" indicates that you get older. The sole alternative is to not get any older, and I am sure that most of us wish to live as many years as possible. The goal then becomes to live as hearty and healthy as we can. Exercise is the answer and weight training is a convenient form that is available to all of us. Weight training can be through free weights or machines designed for a specific purpose. However any form of weight training puts stress on your body and detrimental effects need to be guarded against. Therefore it is imperative that prior to beginning any strenuous activity you clear yourself with the medical people. There is absolutely no reason to induce a heart attack if not having a heart attack is your goal!

Reality is that when you ingest more calories than you burn throughout a day you will inevitably gain weight. Nutrition is the KEY to increasing your muscle mass through exercise. You can no more put a body through a work out program without proper intake of food than you can drive your Buick to the mountains without filling the gas tank. The key word is PROPER food. It is time to grab hold of the fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and a source of lean protein are a must. And do not forget to add fat into your diet. Sounds like an oxymoron to suggest intake of fat when your goal is to reduce the amount your body carries. Fat is necessary to our diet. However you need to choose the good fats.

Omega 3 is the fat that is high on the good list. This fatty acid is instrumental in aiding digestion as well as well as having a cardioprotective ability. And protecting your heart is what this is all about. Sources of this oil include fishes such as salmon, walnuts, olive oil, beans and flaxseed. And of course supplements. Choice is up to you but please understand the benefits of this fat.

Along with choosing the proper nutrition for building muscle mass is the methodology of ingesting these calories. Current thoughts are that a number of small meals spread throughout the day is much better than two or three larger meals at the commonplace breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are seeking higher metabolism in order to burn calories and increase muscle. Also by spreading your intake of protein, carbohydrates and fats over the higher number of meals you provide a consistent source of fuel to maximize your body's ability to build muscle.

Time for the work! This is the area to engage the services of an expert. Get some help setting up a good routine for your age and beginning abilities. If you really want to build muscle you must keep challenging your body. The object is to stress the muscles but not to injure them. This is where you will begin to see some change. However your body has a tendency to adapt to the stress so you will occasionally need to change your weight training routine. Another plus of changing the routine is that you can reduce the boredom of the training. Absolutely no chance of gaining muscle and losing fat through weight training if you get bored the first week and quit.

To engage in a weight training program in our "senior years" necessitates more than a bit of intelligence. This is not the time to try to impress the boys at muscle beach. Your object should be to increase your muscle mass while reducing your body fat. This probably should not be a daily task. If you can set a training schedule of two or three days per week for an hour at a time you will gain significantly. Whatever weight routines you choose you should limit the amount of weight lifted in each one while increasing the number of repetitions performed. The increased reps will help tone the muscles you have while aiding your body to add mass to them.

The routine that you and your trainer choose should contain about eight to ten different exercises. These exercises should be designed to target separate areas such as back, shoulders, arms and chest. Performing each one two or three times for eight to twelve reps per workout should give you the progress that you will like. Please remember to include your age and prior condition into the formula and DO NOT hurt yourself needlessly.

Now we have nutrition coupled with the workout itself. The final addition to this fitness formula MUST be rest. And by rest we really mean SLEEP. Recovery time is a crucial part of strength training. A sixty year old who has not exercised in years quite obviously requires more recuperation time than a twenty year old brick layer! Do not be foolish. Attempt to sleep eight or nine hours per night. This will give your body time to repair, grow and remodel. Also by resting we help ourselves continue with the workout routine. If you are continually bored and tired you will not keep up the good work.

You are older. You must understand that weight training will not produce the muscle mass at sixty as it did at twenty or thirty. However it will produce muscle mass. At any age there is no reason not to look and feel good. While you must be aware of your age do not dwell on it. Consider your beginning abilities and your desire to improve. Combine those two with how much effort you are putting into it and you will grow. Results are a result of the effort you put in and not based solely on how old you are.

So here we are. Nutrition, weight training and rest (sleep). Put into action and you will regain flexibility, increase metabolism (your ability to burn calories) and protect your immune system. A precise combination of these three will provide you with the maximum results. Feel better, look better, and above all LIVE LONGER!