In your 30s, you start to lose a certain percentage of muscle tissue year over year, and that rate really accelerates when you hit 60.But everything we've been told about the importance of maintaining muscle as you age is roughly around half right.

Maintaining muscle mass and muscle strength is a key driver of longevity, but even more important is maintaining muscle power and explosiveness. They are not the same.

A recent 10-year study of nearly 4,000 adults revealed that those with lower muscle power and explosiveness had a six to seven times higher mortality risk compared to the strongest, most powerful group, while differences in pure strength were insignificant once age and health history were factored in.

I explain the difference between sarcopenia and dynapenia, why muscle power is the first thing you lose and you lose it more quickly than anything else, and why we lose our anaerobic conditioning, muscle strength, and power at around 40% per decade, compared to roughly 10% for aerobic conditioning. 

I also share practical ways to develop and preserve muscle power and explosiveness safely, so you can maintain that important attribute throughout life and avoid the devastating consequences of falls.

 

TIMESTAMPS:

Muscle mass and muscle strength are not the same but both are key drivers to longevity. [01:01]

Sarcopenia is age-related loss of muscle mass or muscle strength. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle power and explosiveness. [02:25]

Training has risen in the level of sophistication where athletes can perform better. [05:16]

We have an obligation to hone things like coordination, balance, agility, and timing. [07:22]

Dynapenia is defined as the loss of the nervous system's ability to recruit what muscle you still have. [10:10]

Muscle mass declines the slowest. Muscle strength declines faster than muscle mass declines. Muscle power declines faster than all the others. [14:29]

Falls should be in our central focus as something that is really concerning to us. Overall, there are 14 million aging Americans who fall every year, resulting in three million emergency room visits. [19:20]

How do you train for power specifically as opposed to just building your muscular strength? [20:34]

All manner of complex kinetic chain acuity starts with your feet.  Your feet play a huge role in balance stability, proper movement through the kinetic chain and proper execution. [25:40]

 

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Video of kids exercising for speed, power, and explosiveness
Brad's video on the 400

 

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to podcast@bradventures.com. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!

Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:

B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!

Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!

Jaspr Air Scrubber: Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $200 on your unit with code BRAD.

Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.

Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!

#bradpodcast

In your 30s, you start to lose a certain percentage of muscle tissue year over year, and that rate really accelerates when you hit 60. But everything we've been told about the importance of maintaining muscle as you age is roughly around half right.
Maintaining muscle mass and muscle strength is a key driver of longevity, but even more important is maintaining muscle power and explosiveness. They are not the same.
A recent 10-year study of nearly 4,000 adults revealed that those with lower muscle power and explosiveness had a six to seven times higher mortality risk compared to the strongest, most powerful group, while differences in pure strength were insignificant once age and health history were factored in.
I explain the difference between sarcopenia and dynapenia, why muscle power is the first thing you lose and you lose it more quickly than anything else, and why we lose our anaerobic conditioning, muscle strength, and power at around 40% per decade, compared to roughly 10% for aerobic conditioning.&nbsp;
I also share practical ways to develop and preserve muscle power and explosiveness safely, so you can maintain that important attribute throughout life and avoid the devastating consequences of falls.
&nbsp;
TIMESTAMPS:
Muscle mass and muscle strength are not the same but both are key drivers to longevity. [01:01]
Sarcopenia is age-related loss of muscle mass or muscle strength. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle power and explosiveness. [02:25]
Training has risen in the level of sophistication where athletes can perform better. [05:16]
We have an obligation to hone things like coordination, balance, agility, and timing. [07:22]
Dynapenia is defined as the loss of the nervous system's ability to recruit what muscle you still have. [10:10]
Muscle mass declines the slowest. Muscle strength declines faster than muscle mass declines. Muscle power declines faster than all the others. [14:29]
Falls should be in our central focus as something that is really concerning to us. Overall, there are 14 million aging Americans who fall every year, resulting in three million emergency room visits. [19:20]
How do you train for power specifically as opposed to just building your muscular strength? [20:34]
All manner of complex kinetic chain acuity starts with your feet.&nbsp; Your feet play a huge role in balance stability, proper movement through the kinetic chain and proper execution. [25:40]
&nbsp;
LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">Brad Kearns.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bradnutrition.com/">BradNutrition.com</a></li>
<li><a href="about:blank">B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://a.co/d/3pVVl9w">B.rad Superdrink &ndash; Hydrates 28% Faster than Water&mdash;Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery</a></li>
<li><a href="https://a.co/d/00WIESpY">NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/shop/">Brad&rsquo;s Shopping Page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://borntowalkbook.com/">BornToWalkBook.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">B.rad Podcast &ndash; All Episodes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peluva.com/?view=cro-id28570">Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11VG9OIWDYDEN&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YUxA6UoAabaT0qCyg3O2joFZDw8jKrQ8h3Slvy8Es0M7Kt_QomDoljROTVG1rSixx-II0vKMPamtVWkuQUf5pMM1F7ZWzyAFffHMmkyRGnojtOUu5hYbp4AMg5TYCjEs7SLiB0tHgmCsZlEOjWGoz8540x-a_7iC17mRFmQJPouAhJbj1buFkLazY8jWrdoJAnVol53XnHzKE0A4cw0n6lUG-iyD_DOrwl4mhASWf0w.laZgXJb8OzvjVxBaEkxLX7aSdyd4sQZybNL0SysGbtU&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=outlive&amp;qid=1748894874&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=outlive%2Cstripbooks%2C151&amp;sr=1-1"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://bradkearns.com/podcast-index/">B.rad Podcast &ndash; All Episodes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://peluva.com/?view=cro-id28570">Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes</a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Research-Really-Calories-Healthy/dp/0593421043/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UPBX7D6UQGIC&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6gejETGWkB23I_fAGb18S0IdyLrhpdVYaNI6OKMblEXN5szht3_KYPanrrr6Z9Azpd_B1DnKnOsEblDohvJ48KBAq5V1V74hF3qN5bGgCmvZo6EUzrk3grz9AvgXjT5fr8AtjGL3GFK6XM-ywbvVhI6ywuZ008rCqjqc2gtHPAfv11UdmyvWsUcX1FSj-hUc27qP-YE8BKZMJpwhMeYIO26AcGGmX5YN3e1k8uILGJM.lb0cpOKM9QBwvgKbHMm221UbP_FfBsbwLva0aMYOpxs&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=burn&amp;qid=1783554256&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=burn%2Cstripbooks%2C201&amp;sr=1-1"></a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZBmX0CzxVr/">Video of kids exercising for speed, power, and explosiveness</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA4NS4kUaKk">Brad's video on the 400</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&amp;A shows, emailed to <a href="mailto:getoveryourselfpodcast@gmail.com">podcast@bradventures.com</a>. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn&rsquo;t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won&rsquo;t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
<a href="http://bradnutrition.com/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">B.rad Nutrition:</a> Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!
<a href="https://peluva.com/?sscid=91k7_1q58j&amp;utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Peluva</a>: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!
<a href="https://jaspr.co/products/airscrubber?rfsn=8682396.a9fad4">Jaspr Air Scrubber:</a> Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $200 on your unit with code BRAD.
<a href="http://getstride.com" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://getstride.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1744479083574000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2M5EotlxxWpksCKN7ZVyMD">Get Stride: </a>Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome &amp; blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
<a href="https://bradventures.thinkific.com/collections?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Online educational courses:</a>&nbsp;Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience
<a href="https://www.primalhealthcoach.com/brad/?utm_source=brad-kearns-news.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=brad-kearns-news-dismantling-the-modern-fitness-lie">Primal Fitness Expert Certification</a>: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!
#bradpodcast

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let’s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It’s time to B.rad!

 

Join Brad Kearns, New York Times bestselling author, world #1 ranked masters 60+ high jumper, Speedgolf world record holder, and former world #3 ranked pro triathlete, in pursuing peak performance with passion throughout life. Brad delivers an engaging mix of step-by-step education on important health topics like staying fit, strong and powerful as you age; transforming diet to lose body fat and increase energy; sort through hype and misinformation to make simple, sustainable lifestyle changes; and broaden your perspective beyond a fit body to experience happy relationships, nonstop personal growth, and ultimately sail to 100 with a happy, healthy, long life. Let&rsquo;s explore beyond shortcuts, hacks, and crushing competition to laugh, have fun, appreciate the journey, and not take ourselves too seriously. It&rsquo;s time to B.rad!
&nbsp;

Brad Kearns, NY Times bestselling author and world #1 masters age 60+ high jumper, offers a fun and diverse mix of interviews with leading authors and health experts, and  how-to shows for peak performance, weight loss, personal growth, and longevity

The B.rad Podcast

Today, we've been conditioned to believe that accelerated aging is normal — that getting older means slowing down, losing our competitive edge, and watching others from the sidelines. Brad Kearns is living proof that's a lie. A New York Times bestselling author, former world #3 ranked professional triathlete, and current world-ranked masters high jumper and 400-meter runner, Brad is competing and excelling into his 60s.

The B.rad Podcast informs and inspires you to see what's possible at any age. Every episode cuts through the hype and misinformation on the topics that matter most: ancestral nutrition and diet strategies that strip body fat and restore energy; training methods that build strength, power, speed, and endurance without destroying your body; recovery protocols that keep you performing at your peak; and the mindset shifts that help you thrive as you age instead of simply survive. This show offers a refreshing alternative to slowing down, giving up, and fading away.

Whether you're a competitive athlete looking to extend your prime, someone battling fatigue and frustration with conventional health advice, or simply a person who refuses to go quietly into a slower, smaller life — the B.rad Podcast was built for you. No shortcuts. No hype. Just world-class guests and actionable tips to help you dial in all areas of healthy living and lifelong functional fitness.

Enjoy step-by-step actionable protocols from Brad, as well as prominent guests like Mark Sisson, Dr. Paul Saladino, Ben Greenfield, Shawn Stevenson, Dr. Tommy Wood, Mark Manson, Katy Bowman, Gabby Reece, Cynthia Thurlow, and Melanie Avalon. Forget the age limitations. It's time to raise the bar. Visit BradKearns.com for free PDF resources, peak performance tools, and weekly insights delivered to your inbox.

Today, we've been conditioned to believe that accelerated aging is normal &mdash; that getting older means slowing down, losing our competitive edge, and watching others from the sidelines. Brad Kearns is living proof that's a lie.&nbsp;A New York Times bestselling author, former world #3 ranked professional triathlete, and current world-ranked masters high jumper and 400-meter runner, Brad is competing and excelling into his 60s.
The B.rad Podcast informs and inspires you to see what's possible at any age. Every episode cuts through the hype and misinformation on the topics that matter most: ancestral nutrition and diet strategies that strip body fat and restore energy; training methods that build strength, power, speed, and endurance without destroying your body; recovery protocols that keep you performing at your peak; and the mindset shifts that help you thrive as you age instead of simply survive. This show offers a refreshing alternative to slowing down, giving up, and fading away.
Whether you're a competitive athlete looking to extend your prime, someone battling fatigue and frustration with conventional health advice, or simply a person who refuses to go quietly into a slower, smaller life &mdash; the B.rad Podcast was built for you. No shortcuts. No hype. Just world-class guests and actionable tips to help you dial in all areas of healthy living and lifelong functional fitness.
Enjoy step-by-step actionable protocols from Brad, as well as prominent guests like Mark Sisson, Dr. Paul Saladino, Ben Greenfield, Shawn Stevenson, Dr. Tommy Wood, Mark Manson, Katy Bowman, Gabby Reece, Cynthia Thurlow, and Melanie Avalon. Forget the age limitations. It's time to raise the bar. Visit BradKearns.com for free PDF resources, peak performance tools, and weekly insights delivered to your inbox.