The three buckets of muscle health
Lyon organizes skeletal muscle into three distinct categories, each serving critical functions. First, there’s the metabolic perspective. Healthy muscle mass provides a vital destination for glucose disposal, meaning metabolic diseases often originate in muscle tissue first. “The more healthy muscle mass you have, the greater place for glucose disposal,” Lyon explains.
The second bucket focuses on what she calls “the plumbing,” your cardiovascular system. Lyon and her husband recently published research demonstrating the connection between muscle mass, strength, and sexual function1. This relationship reveals how muscle health influences vascular function throughout the body.
Finally, there’s the strength and mass continuum. While hypertrophy (building muscle size) matters, so does developing functional strength. Lyon emphasizes that all three categories deserve attention, though the metabolic and vascular benefits often get overlooked in fitness conversations focused primarily on appearance.
Progressive stimulus, not just progressive overload
One of the most persistent myths in strength training is that you must constantly lift heavier weights to see results. Lyon challenges this notion, particularly for those in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, when muscles often gain strength faster than the tendons and joints that support them. This imbalance helps explain why injury risk tends to rise in midlife when training is driven solely by load rather than longevity.