Fitness pope Prof Froböse: "You can't do it without strength training - I'll tell you why!"

"Use it or lose it": Interview with Prof Dr Ingo Froböse

BIKE: Why is muscle training so important?
Prof Dr Ingo Froböse: Without muscles, there is no movement. From the age of 55 at the latest, we realise that our performance decreases because our muscles atrophy. We have to counteract this - according to the principle: "Use it or lose it."

The book by Prof Dr Ingo Froböse is available here, for example.

A medical blind spot

BIKE: Muscles are hardly ever taken into account during a medical check-up. It can therefore not be so crucial to health.
Froböse: That is a scandal! Medicine hardly ever takes the musculature into consideration. I think that's a huge omission, because it harbours an incredible amount of prevention potential.

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BIKE: Is it difficult to check the condition of our muscles?
Froböse: No, it can be tested quite simply by measuring hand strength. Studies show that this even provides clear information about overall vitality. GPs used to shake patients' hands vigorously to draw conclusions about their muscles. This has been lost since corona at the latest.

BIKE: What should muscle training look like in old age?
Froböse: It has to be organised differently in many respects than in young people. It is not only the muscle volume that changes, but also the structure. The white muscle fibres in particular are broken down. As a result, fast movements become more difficult, lifting heavier loads becomes more difficult and the safety of movement in everyday life decreases. This loss is partly responsible for many falls, for example. To counteract these developments, we need strong muscular stimuli as we get older. Incidentally, muscle loss during the menopause is partly responsible for weight gain, especially in women.

Why nothing works without strength training

BIKE: Why strength training?
Froböse: Everyday exercise, gardening, walking, cycling, running or swimming are usually not enough for targeted muscle maintenance and development. Muscles need targeted and intensive stimuli - in other words, they need to burn. Only when the load reaches around 60 to 70 per cent of maximum strength do long-term adaptations become apparent. This is why strength training is a necessary supplement to endurance training. The good thing is that it's never too late - our muscle cells are a maximum of 15 years old and can adapt to new stresses and strains well into old age

BIKE: Why is your programme called "5 x 5"?
Froböse: I have developed a programme in which at least five effective exercises are selected two to three times a week. These are performed in five series of ten to 15 repetitions each. The five exercises in five series give the programme its name.

Studio or living room?

BIKE: Does it have to be the gym or are exercises at home with your own body weight enough?
Froböse: It doesn't have to be the gym. In my 5x5 programme, I deliberately avoid gym training, because for most people over 55, exercises with their own body weight are sufficient - especially at the beginning. Another advantage is: I am independent of location. The important thing is that the exercise is sufficiently intense. After a few years, it may make sense to go to the gym as your fitness level increases.

Less is often more

BIKE: Can you overdo it with strength training?
Froböse: Yes, you can overdo any workout - especially if you do it too often. The muscles need at least one, preferably two days' rest after training in order to adapt. "A lot helps a lot" does not apply here. The quality of the training is more important than the frequency. That's why I recommend a maximum of three strength training sessions per week for beginners.

The right order for a strong life

BIKE: How should we prioritise?
Froböse: The older you get, the more important strength training becomes. It has a huge impact on our health and quality of life. That's why it should become a matter of course - like brushing your teeth, especially from a certain age. This is followed by a conscious, protein-rich diet. Alongside training, this is a prerequisite for maintaining and building muscle. The optimum is 1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogramme of body weight per day. Only then comes endurance training.

About Prof Dr Ingo Froböse

Prof Dr Ingo Froböse is one of Germany's leading health experts. He is a university professor for prevention and rehabilitation in sport at the German Sport University Cologne, where he headed the Institute for Exercise Therapy until 2023.

Ingo Froböse is known to the general public as the author of bestselling books on health, nutrition and sport. He is also a sought-after media expert (ARD, RTL, ntv, Stern, Brigitte, Fit for fun, Men's Health, etc.) and reaches almost 90,000 subscribers with the "Formel Froböse" channel on YouTube. The "Froböse Formula" provides people with expertise in the areas of exercise, nutrition and regeneration, thus ensuring a better quality of life and well-being.

He is also committed to the topics of health promotion and prevention in his other activities, e.g. as an expert to the German Bundestag on prevention issues, as an advisor to numerous health insurance companies and social security organisations and as the initiator of many institutions that promote a healthy lifestyle for people.

These institutions also include the Institute for Quality Assurance in Prevention and Rehabilitation (IQPR), the Research Institute for Inclusion through Exercise and Sport (FiBS), the Association for Health Sports and Sports Therapy (VGS) and the Research Institute for Training in Prevention (FIT-Prävention).

His past is also sporty: during his time at university, he was runner-up in the German 100 metre sprint several times, German runner-up in the 200 metre sprint and fourth in the 200 metre sprint at the 1982 European Indoor Athletics Championships in Milan.