Is age a limiting factor for building strength? You might have seen people in their 60s and 70s who have enviable muscle definition and look fitter than people 20 years younger. But what about people in their 90s? Can they develop strength and muscle mass too? It seems that age isn’t a limitation for building strength and muscle.
Get Strong at Any Age
A study published in the journal Age found that adults over the age of 90 who did 12 weeks of strength training experienced an increase in muscle mass, strength, and power capabilities. They enjoyed some functional perks too. Their walking speed increased, and they were able to rise from a chair more easily, due to improvements in strength and power in the lower body. Plus, they enjoyed a lower risk of falling.
This should be good news for anyone concerned about aging and muscle loss. It’s never too late to start!
It’s Not as Easy to Build Muscle After 60
It’s encouraging that you can build muscle at any age, but research also shows that older people must work harder to build muscle and strength and retain muscle tissue. There’s a phenomenon called anabolic resistance that makes building muscle harder after age 60. Anabolic resistance is where muscles don’t respond as well to anabolic signals that tell them to grow. No one knows exactly why, but some experts believe inflammation plays a role. With age, low-grade inflammation increases, and that can put a damper on muscle growth. Maintaining muscle and strength is even more important after the age of 60.
Strength training:
- Enhances muscle strength and size
- Helps Maintain Bone Density and Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis
- Lowers the Risk of Falling
- Preserves mobility
- Maintain Independence
- Enhances self-esteem
Plus, studies show weight training may benefit some health conditions that are more common after 60. Strength training improves insulin sensitivity and helps reduce blood sugar and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Plus, working your muscles against resistance reduces body fat as it improves strength and that’s favorable for long-term health. Other conditions that supervised weight training may help include osteoarthritis, lower back pain, depression, and fatigue.
Older Adults May Need to Train More Often
The benefits of strength training are important safeguards against loss of fitness and functionality. Plus, consistent weight training enhances healthspan, the number of years you’re able to do all the things you enjoy. Without working your muscles against resistance, you can expect to lose muscle at a rate of as much as 0.4 pounds per year. By lowering the risk of falling and fracturing a hip, it can enhance lifespan too.
Here’s the good news. A study in the American Journal of Medicine found that adults can add almost 2.5 pounds of muscle after 20 weeks of strength training. Strength gains can be as great as 30% over this period.
Another study that compared adults in their 60s and 70s to those in their 20s and 30s found both groups who strength-trained three times per week gained muscle and strength. But when each group reduced their training to once per week, the older adult’s lost muscle while the younger group did not.
Both the young and the older participants retained their strength gains after cutting back their training sessions to weekly. Therefore, older adults may need to train more often, at least 3 times per week, to maintain muscle, although strength gains may not be affected.
Maximizing the Benefits of Strength Training
Since building muscle is more challenging after the age of 60, older adults must focus on getting enough protein and total calories. There’s some evidence that older adults need more protein to build muscle due to anabolic resistance. Protein is important for the repair and building of new muscle tissue.
A study published in Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism found that adults of all ages who consumed 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily as opposed to 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight maintained more muscle.
Eating an anti-inflammatory diet and, possibly, taking omega-3s to reduce inflammation may also reduce the effects of anabolic resistance. The basics are still important – quality sleep and stress management matter too.
Older adults also need more recovery time between workouts. Research suggests that the muscles of older adults need more recovery time after workouts. Muscles also take longer to repair and rebuild after a strength training workout. It’s a good idea to balance more vigorous workouts with recovery workouts, like yoga and stretching. Warming up and stretching after a workout is important for everyone but becomes even more essential after the age of 60.
The Bottom Line
There’s no time limit on getting benefits from strength training but the earlier you start the better for your fitness, functionality, and health. No matter how old you are, it is a wise idea to start strength training. However, the importance of strength training only increases as you get older. This is because maintaining muscle strength is vital in keeping your bones and joints strong and healthy since they rely on lean muscle mass for support. Start where you are and keep working toward the goal of getting stronger, fitter, and more functional. Now you know why.
References:
- Eduardo L. Cadore, Alvaro Casas-Herrero, Fabricio Zambom-Ferraresi, Fernando Idoate, Nora Millor, Marisol Gómez, Leocadio Rodriguez-Mañas, Mikel Izquierdo. Multicomponent exercises including muscle power training enhance muscle mass, power output, and functional outcomes in institutionalized frail nonagenarians. AGE, 2013; DOI: 10.1007/s11357-013-9586-z.
- com. “Older People Must Work Out More to Keep Muscles”
- Mark D. Peterson, Paul M. Gordon. Resistance Exercise for the Aging Adult: Clinical Implications and Prescription Guidelines. The American Journal of Medicine, 2011; 124 (3): 194 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2010.08.020.
- Cadore EL, Casas-Herrero A, Zambom-Ferraresi F, et al. Multicomponent exercises including muscle power training enhance muscle mass, power output, and functional outcomes in institutionalized frail nonagenarians. Age (Dordr). 2014;36(2):773-785. doi:10.1007/s11357-013-9586-z.
- Seguin R, Nelson ME. The benefits of strength training for older adults. Am J Prev Med. 2003 Oct;25(3 Suppl 2):141-9. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(03)00177-6. PMID: 14552938.
- American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism. Volume 308. Issue 1. January 2015. Pages E21-E28.
Related Articles By Cathe:
Exercise During Middle Age Protects Against Muscle Loss Later
Lack of Exercise Is Even More Harmful to Your Muscles as You Get Older
Menopause and Belly Fat: Why Your Waistline Is Expanding and What You Can Do About It
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS Strength 90 Day Workout Program
All of Cathe’s Strength & Toning Workout DVDs
Total Body Workouts
Lower Body Workouts
Upper Body Workouts
