Muscle Aging is Not Inevitable: Professor Scott Trappe on Viral MRI Images, Fast-Twitch Fibres, and Staying Strong for Life

madman

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Eye opener for many!

Fast-twitch muscle fiber load/rep range training myth!

49:34-53:15




Guest Bio:

Professor Scott Trappe is a renowned exercise physiologist at Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory. His groundbreaking research on lifelong athletes, muscle fibre physiology, and aging has produced some of the most compelling visual evidence of exercise's impact on aging. Scott's work with NASA, elite athletes, and aging populations has shaped our understanding of what's truly possible as we age.






In this episode, I sit down with Professor Scott Trappe - one of the world's leading experts on muscle physiology and aging whose viral MRI images have changed how we see what's possible as we age.

Scott's research on lifelong athletes has revolutionised our understanding of muscle preservation, fast-twitch fibre loss, and the remarkable power of consistent exercise across the lifespan.

We explore the science behind those striking MRI comparisons between active and sedentary older adults, why muscle responds to exercise at any age, and what it really takes to maintain strength and vitality into your 80s and 90s.





Episode Highlights:

00:00 – Scott's journey from swimming to studying the world's best aging athletes
04:06 – The viral MRI study: what those shocking images really tell us about aging
05:46 – Where we measure muscle and why the vastus lateralis tells the whole story

09:47 – Muscle mass, strength, and power: when each peaks and declines across life
12:00 – Why the "peak at 25, decline forever" model is wrong if you exercise
16:49 – Fast-twitch fibre loss: the one thing that changes with age (and what helps)

20:49 – Do masters athletes preserve fast fibres better than regular exercisers?
23:30 – Sex differences in muscle aging: what Scott's data shows about men vs women
27:59 – Are females really different in their training response to aging?
34:39 – The remarkable finding: how older muscle responds to exercise like "stress and chaos" vs "coordinated response"
40:19 – Why Scott's "mashed potatoes and gravy" approach beats complex programming
45:18 – The truth about aerobic vs resistance training: what Scott does at 59
50:56 – Scott's resistance training prescription: why 2-3 days beats complicated protocols
54:16 – What Scott actually does: 500+ hours of exercise per year and loving it
56:03 – Why Scott finally added resistance training (and what changed his mind)
 




Fig.1.

1758388893686.webp

Representative MRI scans for the women of the upper leg (top) and lower leg (bottom) used for analysis of muscle size and intermuscular adipose tissue content. A calibration tube with reagent-grade water is also placed in the field of view, which was not used for the analysis in the current investigation.




Fig.2.
1758388950515.webp

Representative MRI scans for the men of the upper leg (top) and lower leg (bottom) used for analysis of muscle size and intermuscular adipose tissue content. A calibration tube with reagent-grade water is also placed in the field of view, which was not used for the analysis in the current investigation.
 

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Lakshman KM, Kaplan B, Travison TG, Basaria S, Knapp PE, Singh AB, LaValley MP, Mazer NA, Bhasin S. The effects of injected testosterone dose and age on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in young and older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Aug;95(8):3955-64.

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