Special Article
Resistance Training
By Collin Agee
-In my first BCN article, I reviewed and commended the fitness program at The Exercise Coach, where I had just started.
This follow-up progress report includes new information that will interest umpires and their personal fitness programs. The timing is good as we all head into our offseason.
UPDATE: The Exercise Coach program includes periodic Full-Body Composition Measurement. This includes:
- WEIGHT
- SKELETAL MUSCLE MASS (SMM)
- BODY FAT MASS
- BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
- BODY FAT PERCENTAGE
In my first six months on the program, I lost 20 pounds while gaining 3 pounds of SMM. My trainer was encouraged by this because people who lose weight rapidly often lose muscle first, sacrificing fitness even as they slim down.
In fact, this is one unintended consequence of taking GLP-1’s. I use Mounjaro, and I know from discussions with my fellow umpires that some of you use them too. Currently, 11% of American adults take GLP-1s, up from 3% in 2024.
This article addresses the inevitable physiological changes we all experience as we age:
Note that the negative impacts start at age 35. (I’m almost double that.) But all is not lost. It addresses ways to mitigate the effects of aging.
This is a related 24-minute podcast:
Why We Lose Muscle—and How to Keep It
SUMMARY:
Strength training prevents frailty as we age, wards off cognitive decline, improves glucose control, and more. But what happens inside our bodies when we lift weights? And why is everyone suddenly talking about getting strong?
In this episode, 1440 Health & Medicine Editor Dina Fine Maron digs into the science and surprising history of getting strong. She explores how resistance training complements aerobic exercises like running, its role in the era of GLP-1s, and how attitudes toward lifting have evolved–from ancient Olympian might to circus spectacle to fears that big muscles make athletes stiff and slow.
As a reminder, if you are interested in trying The Exercise Coach, where the first two sessions are free, with no commitment, you can learn more here:
Table of Contents
Vol 2 Issue #10 – October 28, 2026
Letters to the editors welcome at [email protected]