Masters Track & Field

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Beating the middle-age Somatopause

It's been called the middle-age spread and the middle-age blimp-out. But whatever it's called, it's a physical reality for 80 million middle-age adults.

Officially, medical researchers call this condition the somatopause (sa-mot-a-pause).

Are you middle-age and experiencing weight-gain, energy decline, and loss of muscle? Are lab reports showing bad cholesterol going up and good cholesterol going down? These are all symptoms of the somatopause that typically begins in the 30s.

Medical researchers report that the somatopause is related directly to the decline of HGH growth hormone (a natural substance produced by the body during aging).

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You want the truth?... asks Jack Nicholson
You can't handle the truth

Truth about exercise
What the infomercials don't tell you

A new study published on the National Institutes of Health Web site pulls together a body of previous studies and makes it clear that middle-aged and older adults should be doing anaerobic exercise - high-intensity intervals and sprints rather than slow, low-intensity exercise like walking, says 50 year old fitness book author Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A.

"Anaerobic sprinting types of exercise, whether it's running, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing-are shown by medical researchers to make the body produce significant amounts anti-aging growth hormone," says Campbell, author of a fitness book for middle-age adults, now in it's 2nd edition (Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness, Pristine Publishers, 384-pages, $19.95).

It's widely reported that several well-known entertainers take growth hormone (GH) injections for its body fat cutting, muscle toning, youth rejuvenating properties, but Campbell cautions that there can be serious side-effects from GH injections. At age 50, Campbell prefers getting the benefits of GH by running sprints and other types of high-intensity exercise.

"Growth hormone injections are given to children with clinical stature growth problems to help them grow normally," explains Campbell, "however, GH does not make adults grow taller."

For middle-age adults, GH can reverse several measurable clinical factors of the middle-age bulge--now named "the somatopause" by researchers. The middle-age somatopause is signified by energy decline, weight-gain (around the middle, and hips), loss of muscle, and wrinkled skin after the age of 30.

"Anaerobic exercise should be a part of every fitness routine," says Campbell. However, he cautions that physician clearance and a progressive build-up of the high-intensity exercise is necessary to prevent injury.

Researchers report;
"Aging is often associated with a progressive decrease in the volume and, especially, the intensity of exercise. A growing body of evidence suggests that higher intensity exercise is effective in eliciting beneficial health, well-being and training outcomes.
In a great many cases, the impact of some of the deleterious effects of aging could be reduced if exercise focused on promoting exercise produced growth hormone,"
("The exercise-induced growth hormone response in athletes," Godfrey, Sports Med. 2003;33(8):599-613.2003).

Campbell cites 160 biomedical research studies in his book to make the case middle-age and older adults should be performing shorter, but more intense forms of exercise.

National Institutes of Health Research link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=
Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12797841&dopt=Abstract

Ready Set Go Synergy Fitness shows you how to increase exercise-induced
growth hormone here

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Featured in

"I absolutely guarantee you will NOT be able to put this book down." - Thomas Woodrow, About.com

"I've read a lot of books in my life, but your fitness book is one of only 10 or so that has had a very influential impact on my life. I'm lucky I found it." - Mike Rabe

"Phil Campbell is not trying to sell you anything except a longer, healthier life. A terrific concept, easy read, and a welcomed addition to a health and fitness library filled with more style than substance.
This is the real deal." - Keith Murphy, NBC Sports Director, Des Moines

"Phil, Guess my training regimen of weight training, Sprint 8's, etc. paid off. Got six firsts and set five records in the swimming events for men 65-69 at the National Senior Games and I'm pushing the top of my age group at 68." - Bill Lauer, Knoxville

"This book is brilliant!"  Mike Gotfredson, President Road Runner Sports & Run America Club

"If you are SERIOUS about wanting to beat aging and get or stay in the best shape, and are noticing that age is beginning to take a toll, this book could be very helpful. I predict Campbell's book will become the next health & fitness bestseller." - Joanna Danema, TOP 10 Reviewer

"I've read your book twice now and I need to congratulate you on one of the best books available for understanding what really happens when you train." - NASA Consultant, Jim Warren, President, Team America Health & Fitness, Inc.& Exer-Genie Training Systems

"My son (a competitive cross country skier) told me about your book and I started the workouts following your basic approach. I am a 62 year old Orthopaedic Surgeon, and run for cardiovascular fitness, weight control and enjoyment. The Ready Set Go Fitness program has worked for me. I am running faster, have lost 5 pounds, have less muscle soreness than I had with just doing longer but slower paced runs - and enjoy my workouts much more.
I have shared the book with my brother, a superb 70 year old athlete with a bad knee and it works for him on the bicycle and running up hills. I will keep recommending this approach as an integral part of an overall fitness program." - Rolf Lulloff, MD

 

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Objective: To study different aspects of health in master athletes. Design: A 16-year follow-up study.

Participants: All male Finnish master athletes (N=102, mean age 58.3 years) who in 1985 participated in track and field athletic World Veterans Games. Controls were men, who as young adults had been classified as completely healthy (N=777, mean age 55.0 years).

Main Outcome Measurements: Health questionnaires at baseline (in 1985) and at 10-year and 16-year follow-ups.

Results: During follow-up, the master athletes self-rated their health as better (P<0.001) and they coped better with leisure-time daily activities (P=0.024) than controls. The adjusted risk for shoulder region (odds ratio 2.84, P<0.03) and Achilles tendon rupture (14.87, P<0.01) after the age of 45 years was higher in the athletes than in the controls. At the 16-year follow-up, none of the athletes, but 9% of controls reported having diabetes mellitus. The adjusted odds ratio of having at least 1 metabolic syndrome disease was 0.43 (P=0.01) in the athletes compared with the controls. At follow-up among subjects without reported coronary heart disease in 1985, the age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) in the athletes compared with the controls of death from natural-cause was 0.41 (P<0.01).

Conclusions: Master athletes had a lower risk of chronic diseases than the controls. It remains to be determined how far this advantage is due to initial selection and/or incomplete adjustment for covariates.

Clinical Relevance: There seems to be no such health risks as to why those who have good training background and feel healthy should avoid participating in master athletics.