Longevity Businessman Says He Gained 10 Pounds of Muscle in 1 Year Using a Simple Protein Equation

• Longevity entrepreneur Peter Diamandis works to combat the muscle loss that comes with aging.
• He works out 5 days a week and eats tons of protein.
• His formula, one gram of protein per pound, is slightly higher than what trainers usually recommend.

Entrepreneur Peter Diamandis is what you might call a longevity hunter. He is part of that tribe of immortality seekers who want to extend the time period that most human beings exist on Earth well beyond 100 years.

In his quest to stay healthy and young for many decades, the 62-year-old is already doing a lot.

Supplement your diet with berberine and quercetin. He has previously tried the cheap diabetes pill metformin, and takes weekly doses of rapamycin, the beloved longevity drug of many biohackers. She is also known to have gone to Panama City to get stem cell injections to ease her joint pain. And, he’s founded at least a couple of longevity clinics, plus a new $101 million XPRIZE for human health.

As he’s learned more about human longevity over the years, he’s been compelled by the mountain of evidence that healthy aging is tied to going to the gym and doing enough bodybuilding.

“Muscles are like the most important thing if you’re over 60,” he told a longevity-curious crowd at the Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “Muscle breakdown, your hormones, all those things go down, and it’s pretty predictable.”

The studies back it up here. Sarcopenia, the inevitable loss of muscle as we age, is a serious problem for older adults, and there is a large body of research suggesting that people who engage in regular strength training can live longer lives, happy and healthy

So last year Diamandis’ biggest personal longevity effort wasn’t some new supplement or unregulated potion. It was more time in the gym, plus enough rest to stick it.

10 pounds of muscle in 1 year

“My mission last year was to add 10 pounds of muscle, which wasn’t easy,” Diamandis said. “It was like my number one goal to do that.”

And he says yes. His formula involved increasing his protein intake dramatically.

“I increased my protein intake by 150 grams,” he said. “One gram per pound.”

Dietitians typically recommend slightly less than what Diamandis did—about 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight—for people looking to bulk up, but those recommendations can vary based on your body composition goals. a person.

“I trained five days a week,” Diamandis said. He also stopped taking metformin, a diabetes drug that has become a popular off-label supplement for biohackers trying to stave off aging. Some studies suggest that the diabetes drug may slightly hinder muscle growth (though scientists hotly debate the idea), and that gave Diamandis pause. It also “added other sets of amino acids” that can help with muscle building.

The last ingredient in his muscle building recipe was rest. Diamandis tried to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, because proper recovery is a key component to getting stronger.

“Exercising and maintaining muscle is the number one thing to do in your life above everything else,” he said.

It’s a hot shot, but it’s also one that most longevity scientists agree that exercise is one of the most important factors in healthy aging we can control and has the biggest impact. “So please go to the gym tomorrow,” she said.