IT TAKES AN AGE TO RECOVER

Muscle repair may not be about the years on the clock

The older you get, the longer it takes to recover, right? Science isn’t so sure. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared nine physically active men whose average of age was 22, with 10 physically active men who had an average age of 47. They all did a high-volume resistance workout and then flexed their knees repeatedly against a weight. Their leg strength was assessed before and after the test, and then a few more times until 48 hours after the workout. While the workout isn’t running, the basic pathways of muscle damage, repair and recovery are thought to be similar across exercises. The younger group was stronger to start out with, but the relative loss and recovery of strength was the same in both groups. Stress and inflammation also followed the same trajectory.