Ageless body: How to rebuild your muscles at any age 

It's been all too easy to let weight creep up and muscle tone decline during lockdown. Here's how you can get back in shape from your 40s onwards

To increase muscle strength, experts recommend you build endurance exercise into your training schedule. Picture: Stock image

IT'S not just the accumulated Covid stone or lockdown belly that are lingering side effects of pandemic life. Experts are warning that, among the middle aged and older, a lack of activity by some in recent months may have resulted in accelerated loss muscle, something that not only affects how toned you look but can impact your health.

After the age of 40, our muscles begin to waste away at a rate of 5-10% per decade (more steeply in men as they have a greater amount of muscle to begin with) and, by age 80, most people typically have about 40% less muscle mass than they did in their prime. But when we are inactive for even short periods of time, that deterioration spirals.