How to stay strong after 50 and avoid muscle loss with Dr. Selen Courtney

In this episode of the HealthspanMD Podcast, Dr. Robert Todd Hurst, MD, FACC, FASE sits down with Dr. Selen Courtney to explore one of the most overlooked pillars of longevity: physical performance. They dive into how strength, stability, and functional movement play a critical role in preventing frailty, extending healthspan, and maintaining independence as we age. From understanding progressive overload and muscle failure to identifying hidden blind spots like power and balance, this episode offers a practical, science-backed roadmap to staying strong, resilient, and capable for life. Dr. Selen Courtney is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a unique background in psychology, yoga, orthopedics, and leadership at the Mayo Clinic. Now at HealthspanMD, she focuses on shifting physical therapy from reactive injury care to proactive performance and prevention. Her work centers on helping individuals identify weaknesses early, optimize movement, and build the strength and stability needed to live longer, healthier lives. Key Timestamps 00:00 – Intro and why you don’t need to train to full failure 01:00 – Why avoiding frailty is essential for longevity 02:20 – Dr. Selen Courtney’s background and journey to HealthspanMD 04:40 – Rethinking physical therapy as prevention, not just rehab 06:30 – Why decline accelerates in your 60s and how to prevent it 08:00 – Muscle loss, injury, and the downward spiral of aging 09:20 – Inside the HealthspanMD physical performance assessment 11:30 – How strength, balance, and movement are objectively measured 13:50 – Why “average” isn’t good enough for longevity 15:50 – Common fitness blind spots and imbalanced training 18:20 – Why people gravitate to what they like (and what they neglect) 20:30 – Fixing the reactive, one-size-fits-all fitness model 22:50 – What stability really means (rotator cuff, trunk endurance) 25:10 – Safe strength training principles for longevity 27:30 – Progressive overload and training close to failure explained 29:50 – The importance of protein and recovery for muscle growth 32:00 – Overtraining and why more is not always better 33:50 – What functional movement actually means in real life 34:40 – The physical performance age score explained 36:50 – How data reveals your biggest opportunities 37:00 – Technology used to measure strength, power, and balance 41:30 – The most overlooked blind spot: power training 43:50 – Final advice: start small and build consistency Connect with Dr. Selen Courtney: 👉Instagram: @drselencourtney 👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selen-courtney-76402770/   This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Don't make any decisions about your medical treatment without first talking to your doctor. Connect with HealthspanMD : 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/healthspanmd/ 👉 https://www.facebook.com/healthspanmd 👉 https://www.instagram.com/healthspanmd/ 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/5KQuoWqKP2vTBu05ci6EQB?si=fdb033a52b674909 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-healthspan-podcast/id1680270608 🏆 Become a Member / 🤝 Partner With Dr. Hurst and His Expert Team To Add a Decade or More Of Healthy Life At HealthspanMD, we combine cutting-edge medicine, advanced technology, and concierge care to help high-achievers avoid heart attacks, strokes, and dementia. 🔍 Learn how patients add years to their lives by going to 👉 [https://www.healthspanmd.com](https://www.healthspanmd.com/) 📅 Or Schedule a Call Directly with a HealthspanMD Dedicated Patient Advisor by clicking 👉 https://join.healthspanmd.com/call