Muscle is becoming a vital sign.
Mass Appeal
Prioritizing function over aesthetics, longevity-focused consumers are embracing weights, protein, creatine, and Pilates, with women participating in record numbers.
But, as the science evolves, muscle quality—not just mass—will define healthy aging.
New Flex
An invisible shift, skeletal muscle declines with age as intramuscular fat increases.
Now, like steps and sleep before it, muscle is becoming measurable — with wearables, diagnostics, and therapeutics racing to define and optimize it.
Strong signal. Leveraging near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), devices like Moxy, NNOXX, and Train.Red unlocked real-time muscle oxygenation (SmO2), enabling new training insights.
Targeting strength, WHOOP acquired Humon Hex’s SmO2 tech and VBT platform PUSH while patenting new hardware to track muscular demand. Meanwhile, Garmin patents point toward Muscle Battery metrics like neuromuscular readiness.
Elsewhere, Fort’s wearable aims to curb overtraining, while Noxon embeds EMG sensors into sportswear for continuous muscle monitoring.
Muscle map. Democratizing muscle diagnostics, gyms are analyzing body comp, while Fitnescity and BodySpec scale DEXA scans beyond BMI. Going deeper, Springbok Analytics uses MRIs and 3D digital twins to track lean muscle volume alongside inter- and intramuscular fat, revealing imbalances and informing personalized programs.
Strength lab. As biology becomes programmable, Regeneron, Scholar Rock, and Eli Lilly are advancing muscle-preserving therapies to complement GLP-1s.
Meanwhile, companies are exploring new pathways for muscular optimization, from mitochondrial peptides like MOTS-C and microbiome-linked performance strains to experimental therapeutics like follistatin gene therapy.
Takeaway: With body composition linked to longevity, resilience, and medical outcomes, muscular function is foundational to healthy aging.
