Which Form?
Sarcopenia & Muscle Loss
Universal
consensus
Available Forms
- Progressive overload on compound, multi-joint movements (Lyon, Hyman, Galpin)
- Hypertrophy works across a wide rep range (~8-40 reps) if sets are taken close to failure (Schoenfeld), but include heavier strength and explosive power work — power/rate-of-force matters most for older adults and fall prevention (Schoenfeld, Attia)
- Bodyweight/bands count when starting
Dosage & Timing
Dosage
- Resistance training 3-4x/week is the consensus
- Lyon: a 3-day full-body split
- Hyman/Phillips: 2-4 sessions of 30-60 min
- Protein: ~1g per pound of ideal body weight (Lyon, ~2
- 2 g/kg) to ~1
- 2-1
- 6 g/kg (Hyman), split across meals with ~30-50g (and ≥2-3g leucine) per meal
- Add creatine monohydrate 3-5g/day (see Creatine report)
Timing
- Total daily protein matters more than timing for younger, trained people
- timing matters more with age and anabolic resistance — anchor protein around training, prioritize the first meal (~30g) and a pre-sleep protein feeding, and a fast-absorbing shake helps older adults overcome anabolic resistance (Lyon, Attia, Phillips)
- Resistance before cardio if combined in one session
Expert Positions
What Each Expert Says
Huberman covers muscle most deeply through his guest series with Dr. Andy Galpin and his episode with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. Galpin frames training for strength and hypertrophy as essential for longevity — the primary tool to combat 'neuromuscular aging' and preserve independence — and notes strength loss with age is largely driven by lack of stimulus, not inevitability. Lyon reframes skeletal muscle as an endocrine 'organ of longevity,' stresses 30-50g of high-quality protein per meal to overcome age-related anabolic resistance, and prescribes a practical 3-day full-body resistance program built on compound movements.
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