𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@amelieannepl Ready

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

Evidence distinguishes sharply between natural (or pre-steroid-era) bodybuilders and modern competitive/enhanced ones, and it does not support the idea that packing on muscle mass itself systematically shortens human lifespan via some thermodynamic “energy steal” from the brain or heart.

What the data actually show
Early/natural eras lived longer than average.** Analyses of elite male bodybuilders across historical periods find Bronze Era (roughly 1900–1930) athletes averaging about 74.8 years and Silver Era (1930–1960,still largely natural) about 80.2 years-often outliving their contemporaries by a clear margin. These men trained hard, built substantial muscle, and still showed favourable longevity.
The drop coincides with steroids and extreme practices. Golden Era (1960–1990) averages fell to around 68.6 years. Modern cohorts of competitive bodybuilders (especially professionals) show elevated mortality, high rates of sudden cardiac death (often in the 30s–40s), enlarged hearts and ventricular hypertrophy on autopsy, and standardised mortality ratios roughly 30–34% higher than expected in some datasets. Professional competitors have several-fold higher sudden cardiac death risk than amateurs.
Muscle mass and strength in the general population are protective.** Prospective studies consistently link higher muscle strength (and, to a lesser extent, muscle mass) with lower all-cause mortality in older adults. Sarcopenia is a clear risk factor; resistance training preserves energy-metabolism gene expression in ageing muscle and is associated with better outcomes. Extreme hypertrophy plus pharmacological enhancement is a different proposition from ordinary or even advanced natural training.

Specific claims in the original argument
Charles Poliquin died at 57 of a suspected heart attack and had a family history of heart disease plus a prior event; he was a high-profile strength coach with a muscular physique, but this is an anecdote, not population evidence. NFL players as a group do not show the dramatically shortened lifespans sometimes claimed; professional wrestlers do have markedly higher early mortality (often linked to PEDs, trauma and lifestyle). Gorillas live shorter lives than humans, but that reflects species-level differences in life history, not a simple “more muscle = fewer heartbeats” rule that maps cleanly onto human bodybuilders.

Kleiber’s law describes inter-species metabolic scaling (roughly mass to the ¾ power). It does not demonstrate that adding skeletal muscle in an individual human “steals” mitochondrial capacity from the brain or heart in a zero-sum way that accelerates ageing. Human energy allocation is far more flexible; the brain is prioritised under scarcity, and resistance training itself improves mitochondrial function and metabolic health when not pushed to pathological extremes with drugs, extreme caloric cycling or very high body mass.

The Nature Aging paper referenced in the original post shows that the molecular signature of muscle ageing is largely an energy-metabolism crisis, and that long-term training mitigates a large fraction of those changes. That finding is more consistent with the benefits of habitual resistance work than with the claim that hypertrophy is inherently pro-ageing.

Bottom line
Natural bodybuilding and lifelong resistance training are compatible with—and often associated with—above-average longevity. The excess early deaths that attract headlines are concentrated among enhanced, extreme competitive bodybuilders and are driven primarily by anabolic steroids, growth hormone, diuretics, insulin, very high body mass, and the cardiovascular strain those practices impose. Kruse’s broader biophysical framing (deuterium-compromised electron transport chains turning exercise into a toxin, mandatory “energy bankruptcy” from muscle, etc.) remains speculative and is not required to explain the observed pattern. Ordinary natural training does not appear to trade lifespan for muscle.

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@Ridzilla Play a game whilst watching a video

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@Kino_Plays @Ridzilla Organise Games by genre on the console.

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@bryan_johnson Grow all the herbs you use there instead. Then you can forest bathe instead. 😎

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@Helios_Movement Send

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@NoahEpstein_ Gemini

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@beechinour Yes

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@trader1sz @sciencegirl I sea an ostrich that had a big night out last night.

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@Helios_Movement Following now my bad!

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@maxxmalist Send

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@termsheetinator Dadd

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@DCinfoscaling Offer

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@DCinfoscaling Send

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@bryan_johnson How many sauna sessions per week? And for how long? Would love to know more?

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@Helios_Movement Great thread! Thankyou!

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

Great point on prioritizing sleep quality over late workouts, Bryan! I've seen studies suggesting mid-afternoon (around 2-6 PM) aligns best with circadian peaks in body temp and muscle performance for optimal gains, but mornings do seem ideal for longevity-focused routines like yours to sync the clock and enhance recovery. Consistency wins either way—what's your take on low-intensity afternoon sessions as a compromise?

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@SweetestJRP @IncomeSharks https://t.co/O2t05ApaBD

[John Bollinger @bbands]

Potential 'W' bottoms in Bollinger Band terms in $ETHUSD and $SOLUSD, but not in $BTCUSD. Gonna be time to pay attention soon I think.

[𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 @Bearlearning7]

@mrjoyenxr0 Ig