3 Tips A Functional Medicine Doctor Swears By To Build Lean Muscle

The last time functional medicine doctor Gabrielle Lyon, D.O., author of Forever Strong, joined us on the mindbodygreen podcast, we had a fascinating conversation around lean muscle mass and protein consumption (check out the highlights here). We promised to have her back on the show to dive even deeper into these topics—and, well, the time has come! 

It's never too late to start working on muscle mass, but the earlier you commit, the better. "Because let's face it: It doesn't get easier," says Lyon. "In your 60s, 70s, and 80s, it becomes more challenging to maintain healthy skeletal muscle mass." 

She even argues sarcopenia (aka, a decrease in muscle mass and strength) can begin as early as your 30s1, due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. "So when you are in your 20s and 30s, this is your prime time for optimizing the health of skeletal muscle," she adds. And for those past their 30s, she recommends starting as early as you can. 

You might think you have to "get in shape" or lose weight before you can focus on strength training, but according to Lyon, this could not be more false. "People struggle to go to the gym because they feel that they have to get in shape first," she explains. "If we can shift from what people have to lose to what they have to gain from muscle and strength, that's a much better strategy, both physically and mentally." 

There are plenty of strength training moves to try (check out this list of expert-backed exercises), but Lyon's favorite workout tends to include kettlebells. 

"I will do some kind of kettlebell activity, whether it's a carry, swing, or a Turkish get-up. I will also do a push-press or some kind of squat with kettlebells," she says. She doesn't have a rack of weights at home; she finds it safer to have kettlebells on the floor in a house with young kids. "We also have a Bulgarian bag—sometimes I'll throw [it] over my shoulder—and we have various levels of kettlebells. I'll hold those, and I'll just walk around in the garage." (Here's a set of three you can buy from Amazon.)

Thought we'd have a conversation about lean muscle mass without discussing protein? Think again. Eating enough protein is nonnegotiable for building muscle (and overall longevity, we'd say). "When someone is not eating a diet that is robust enough in protein, the body will dip into its own protein reserves, which are skeletal muscle," Lyon explains. The problem is, she adds, "dietary protein has been an afterthought." 

She references a study3 in which researchers compared two groups of women who ate the majority of their calories from carbs versus protein. The women on a high-protein diet wound up losing more weight, despite eating the exact same amount of calories, had better cholesterol levels, and reported greater satiety. "So when we correct for dietary protein, it allows the body to work more efficiently," she notes. "By adjusting dietary protein first, you really can improve body composition and the metrics that follow."