How to Build Muscle After 50: Protein, Leucine & Amino Acid Timing - Jim Stoppani

**Jim Stoppani** (0:00)
So many companies are taking advantage of consumers who just read creatine, beta-alanine, that don't understand you need a certain dose of each one of those ingredients for them to be effective.

**Gary Brecka** (0:10)
Supplement manufacturers just throwing things on the label, like creatine, but putting it in dosages that someone that wasn't, didn't have the background that you had, saw it on the label, they're like, okay, this must be a good supplement.

**Jim Stoppani** (0:20)
But what's the dose? Every ingredient is only gonna be effective at a certain dose.

**Gary Brecka** (0:25)
Your background in the supplement industry, your background as a writer, an educator, and having a biochemistry background means that you can take the practical application, muscle building, fitness, exercise, and bring it all the way down to the cellular level.

**Jim Stoppani** (0:38)
As you're aging, what is important? Mobility, maintaining muscle, metabolic health. I would say for the middle-aged and older, you want a more well-balanced fitness routine. In fact, there's research suggesting that those who work out with more variety have more longevity.

**Gary Brecka** (0:58)
What is the secret to maintaining a muscular physique and not getting injured when you get into your 50s?

**Jim Stoppani** (1:05)
The secret to building muscle after 50 is...

**Gary Brecka** (1:23)
Hey, guys, welcome back to the Ultimate Human Podcast. I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brecka. And today, we're settling the score on one of the most debated topics in health and fitness, supplementation. My guest is Dr. Jim Stoppani, a PhD in exercise physiology, Yale-trained researcher, and the man who's built training and nutrition programs for The Rock, Dr. Dre, and LL Cool J.
Jim is gonna break down creatine, and why up to 30% of people can't even tolerate the standard dose, and what to take instead. We're gonna dive into protein, leucine, and exactly what happens to your body's ability to build muscle after 50, a phenomenon called anabolic resistance, and what you can do about it starting now, no matter what your age. We'll even get into the cutting edge, myostatin gene therapy, and the future of muscle growth. Whether you lift, or you just want to still be strong and independent, decades from now, this episode is required listening. Let's get into it. Hey guys, welcome back to The Ultimate Human Podcast. I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brecka, where we go down the road of everything, anti-aging, biohacking, longevity, and everything in between. And today's guest is actually going to answer a lot of questions that are all over the media right now. We're going to settle the score on supplementation, creatine, cognitive function, what you need to do now, even if you're in your 20s, to reach older age and still be healthy, strong, and thriving. And before the podcast even started, we started a mini podcast in the kitchen. I'll share that with you guys in just a moment. But Dr. Stoppani, Jim Stoppani, welcome to The Ultimate Human Podcast.

**Jim Stoppani** (2:57)
Thank you, Gary. Pleasure to be here.

**Gary Brecka** (2:58)
Yeah, I'm really excited to have you on because you see people that are walking the walk and talking the talk, and then you see people that really have their arms wrapped around the science. And I think you're that rare breed hybrid that has both.

**Jim Stoppani** (3:15)
Thanks, I think I would say the same. Yeah, that's my passions of the science, but also the real world application of it.

**Gary Brecka** (3:23)
Yeah, I mean, clearly it's working.
For the record, he is substantially older than I am. He's two years older than I am.
I want to get that out of the way early. When he was like, I graduated high school in 1986 I was like, yes, I graduated in 1988 So I was a sophomore, you were a senior, you're so far ahead of me. But you can live your care for younger years through my eyes. But I feel like if I had a sleeve, I might look more jacked. But it appears that those are real muscles and not tattooed. But I'm so excited for this podcast because they're, you know, your background in the supplement industry, your background as a writer, an educator, obviously getting your doctorate and having a biochemistry background means that you can take the practical application, muscle building, fitness, exercise, and bring it all the way down to the cellular level. So I would love to start with what I think is the hottest topic in supplementation right now, which is creatine.

**Jim Stoppani** (4:24)
Of course.

**Gary Brecka** (4:25)
And creatine has been around forever.

**Jim Stoppani** (4:26)
Forever.

**Gary Brecka** (4:27)
I think it felt, you know, when I was in college, it was like the bodybuilding.