By Kelsey Kennedy
We anticipate that in the coming year, a rising body of research, along with improvements in muscle measurement and a changing culture surrounding exercise, will revolutionize how we build and track the health of our muscles.
Research on muscle and mortality will alter how we workout
Interested in knowing how long you'll live? Observe your muscles. A longer, healthier life may be possible if you have more strength.
Regular resistance exercise can significantly lower your chances of developing a number of chronic conditions.
Low muscle mass has previously been linked to higher levels of inflammatory markers, cognitive impairment, and insulin resistance. Additionally, it increases your risk of developing bone fractures, a leading cause of death in older people.
Muscle is referred to as "the organ of longevity" , due to its preventive effect against age-related illnesses and injuries. It's crucial to begin developing your strength as soon as possible.
A new method of measuring muscle mass that encloses a unique kind of creatine12—an amino acid contained in muscle—into a little capsule that you ingest in an effort to produce accessible and trustworthy data. The creatine is then dispersed throughout your muscles, where it is changed into creatinine and excreted in the urine. After taking the pill for a few days, collect a urine sample to get a more precise estimate of your muscle mass. In order to further investigate the relationship between muscle and mortality13, this noninvasive test is currently being implemented in significant, NIH-funded cohort studies including the Framingham Heart Study and Women's Health Initiative.
They envision the test being used in every doctor's office in the future, enabling individuals to monitor their muscle mass in the same way that they do their body weight.
The future will allow us to quickly assess our skeletal muscle mass at every doctor's appointment. That's going to be the next frontier.
There will be more access to hot and cold therapy
Devices like sauna blankets, at-home infrared saunas, cold plungers, and cold therapy equipment are blowing the healing space up. Previously, these treatments were used by professional athletes, doctors' offices, and people with a lot of money to burn. Hot and cold recovery are becoming much more accessible, if not mainstream, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
It could be difficult for you to accept the idea of going directly toward stress if you've spent your entire life attempting to escape it. However, it's likely that you've already heard the health-improving effects of routines like sauna visits or diving into a chilly body of water.
Hormesis may be more familiar to you than you might realize. These are all illustrations of hormetic stressors, each of which aims to alert your body to a necessary adaptive stress response. Hormesis is induced even in a typical high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class.
You can decide how long to take a cold shower or how long to keep the heat on in your sauna blanket. Our bodies require these brief, mild shocks to be shaken out of equilibrium and into hormesis, indicating positive stress reactions that aid in repairing cellular damage, removing toxins, reducing inflammation, boosting immunity, and lengthening life expectancy.
In the end, the strategy of increasing positive stress to lessen negative stress will continue to be used. Cryotherapy, infrared saunas, infrared sauna blankets, cold plunges, cold showers, and other hot and cold therapy methods are certain to remain popular for the foreseeable future, and we anticipate that experts will only become more savvy about how to put your body through stress to support overall health and longevity.
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Book Your Free Consultation →Frequently Asked Questions
Why is muscle mass linked to longevity?
Muscle regulates metabolism, protects against insulin resistance, and reduces fracture risk in older adults. Low muscle mass correlates with inflammation, cognitive decline, and higher mortality.
Do cold plunges and saunas actually work?
Yes, under the right protocols. They trigger hormesis — controlled stress that improves inflammation response, recovery, and longevity markers. But they're complements to training, not substitutes.
How much strength training should I do?
Start with 2–3 sessions per week. Progress to 3–4 as you adapt. Consistent exposure beats maximal intensity.
When should I add cold plunges or sauna sessions?
After you have a consistent training base. Heat and cold therapy amplify what's already there — they don't create gains from nothing.
How much does Orange County personal training cost?
Train With Dave averages $60 to $80 per session — and that includes a fully customized workout program, personalized nutrition plan, training app, and direct access to your trainer between sessions. Exact pricing is customized during your free consultation.
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