Indulge us for a moment by flexing your right arm. Assuming you have an average build – and trust us, you do – your arm is packing about five pounds of muscle. It represents nearly 10 percent of the total muscle on your body. Now, imagine that muscle gone. No biceps, no triceps – only a jiggly mass of skin and fat covering your bones from your shoulder down to your fingertips. That five pounds of muscle is about the same amount most men lose between the ages of 24 and 50. And that number doubles by the time they’re 60. In fact, once a man passes the half-century mark, he can expect to lose 1% of his muscle each year for the rest of his life.

That is, unless he does something about it. And there’s good reason for intervention: the natural erosion of muscle and strength that comes with ageing leads directly to weak bones, stiff joints, and a slumped posture, and increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other maladies. But there’s no reason you can’t maintain a healthy, strong musculature well into your 90s if you use man’s most effective antiageing weapon: resistance training. Lifting weights regularly signals your body to fight to keep your muscle. That means a longer, healthier life. Get lifting!