Zariq Siddiqui brings decades of professional experience in healthcare sales and leadership, with a career that spans field operations, training, and strategic sales management at Abbott Laboratories. His work has required a detailed understanding of health-related topics, performance demands, and the practical realities faced by adults balancing professional responsibility with long-term wellbeing. Throughout his career, Zariq Siddiqui has advanced through roles that emphasize education, coaching, and measurable outcomes, perspectives that align closely with evidence-based discussions of physical strength and functional health after midlife. As adults move past 40, maintaining muscle mass becomes increasingly relevant to daily performance, metabolic health, and injury prevention. Siddiqui’s background in medical sales and training, combined with his long-standing commitment to physical activity, provides an appropriate professional lens for examining how muscle mass changes with age and what practical factors help support strength over time.
How Muscle Mass Changes After 40 and What Supports Strength
Most people do not notice muscle loss first in a mirror. They notice it when stairs feel steeper or when carrying groceries takes more effort. After 40, those changes often connect to a shift in muscle mass and strength that begins earlier in adulthood and becomes more noticeable with time. This age-related muscle loss, called sarcopenia, shows up in older adults but can start in midlife, especially when someone spends long stretches inactive.
Studies on aging and muscle performance suggest that adults can lose about 3 to 5 percent of muscle mass per decade after age 30 when they do little or no strength training. That decline may not feel dramatic day to day, but it can narrow a person’s “strength margin,” meaning routine tasks call on a larger share of the strength they have available. As that margin shrinks, everyday activities can feel more taxing, and fall risk can rise later in life.
Muscle influences more than movement. Lean mass helps set the body’s baseline calorie use, so when muscle drops, the body can burn fewer calories at rest, and weight gain can become easier even when eating and activity patterns look similar. Some people also find that blood sugar control becomes harder as muscle mass declines.
Protein plays a central role because the body uses it to repair and maintain muscle tissue. Many adults over 40 need more protein than younger people to get the same training payoff. A practical target is about 1.0 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day when someone strength-trains regularly, or roughly 70 to 80 grams per day for someone who weighs 150 pounds. Spreading protein across meals often makes this easier. People with chronic kidney disease or a history of kidney stones should discuss major dietary changes with a clinician or dietitian.
Strength training provides the other half of the equation. Lifting weights, using resistance bands, and doing bodyweight movements such as squats and push-ups all signal the body to maintain and build muscle. Many people do well with two or three strength sessions per week because that schedule is frequent enough to drive progress without overwhelming recovery.
Recovery deserves its own attention. Repairs can take longer than they did in earlier decades, and when recovery falls short, workouts stop producing reliable results, and the risk of overuse injuries rises. Regular rest days and about seven to nine hours of sleep per night support the repair process and help the body adapt.
These pieces work best as a package. Protein supports repair, resistance training supplies the growth signal, and recovery protects consistency. If someone increases protein but rarely strength-trains, they often get less benefit than they expect. If they train hard but skimp on recovery, progress can stall, and soreness can linger, which makes it harder to stick with a plan.
Muscle loss shows up as reduced strength and lower physical capacity, such as struggling more with stairs or carrying everyday items. Because many issues can cause similar symptoms, a medical provider can help sort out what is normal aging and what reflects deconditioning or other conditions. Acting early makes the path simpler, whether that means adding strength sessions or adjusting protein intake.
The goal after 40 is not a perfect routine but a repeatable one. A steady schedule that someone can keep tends to protect function and support confidence.
About Zariq Siddiqui
Zariq Siddiqui is a seasoned healthcare sales professional with a long career at Abbott Laboratories, where he has held roles spanning territory management, regional training, and district sales leadership. He has been recognized for performance and strategic execution, including receiving a President Award. Siddiqui holds a bachelor of science in forensic science from the College at Brockport, State University of New York, and maintains certification as a medical representative and regional field trainer. His professional focus has centered on education, team development, and healthcare product strategy.