Building Muscle After 70: 2025 Strength Training Guide

Key Points:

• Building muscle after 70 is very much possible, and even if you’re starting from scratch, you can gain strength, lean mass, and confidence faster than you think.
• Strength training can reverse years of age-related muscle loss and dramatically improve your quality of life.
• Just one hour of strength training per week can cut the risk of dying from heart disease by 19%.
• You’re never too old to start lifting, and the older you are, the more you have to gain.

This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional care.

Can You Really Gain Muscle at 70 and Beyond?

It’s a common misconception that once you hit a certain age, muscle mass is just a downhill slide.

That’s simply not true.

Building muscle or significantly slowing down and even reversing muscle loss is absolutely possible after 70.

We are talking about sizeable strength gains and functional muscle that helps with balance, mobility, and independence and can literally change your life.

If ever there was an elixir of youth, it’s strength training.

In this article, I will show you that it is safe, effective, and fun, no matter your age.

Why Muscle Matters as We Age

As we age, our muscle mass and strength start to decline. This decline begins as early as our 30s and accelerates after 60.¹

And while things do happen in the body that make it more challenging to maintain your muscle sometime after 50, much of this loss is from inactivity, not just age itself.

Many people do less with their bodies over the years, and that’s bad news.

Use it or lose it.

Most people lose ~1% of their muscle mass per year.

If you lose 1% of your muscle going from 35 to 36, you won’t notice.

But 1% every year from 30 to 70? That adds up.

If you lose too much muscle and strength, you have a condition called sarcopenia. It affects up to 25% of people >70 years and up to 50% of older people >80 years.²

Sarcopenia can lead to frailty, increased risk of falls, and loss of independence, turning everyday tasks into struggles. In short, it means a lower quality of life.

But the good news? You can definitely fight back.

It doesn’t require taking pills, isn’t expensive, is very safe, and you can do it anywhere.

You can take the fight against father time in many ways, but only one is truly effective: strength training.

If the idea of “lifting weights” sounds daunting, you should know that strength training is infinitely scaleable. You can start at home with simple bodyweight exercises or bicep curls with soup cans, 5–10 minutes a day, a few times a week.

You’ll see and feel results very quickly if you are new to strength training.

And the more comfortable and stronger you get, the more enjoyable it will be. Before you know it, you’ll be well on your way into the amazing world of strength training.

What Is Strength Training?

Before we discuss the hows of building muscle after 70, let me break down strength training in a way that makes sense, even if you’re just starting out.

Think of strength training as giving your muscles a challenge so they get stronger. It’s like sending your muscles to school to learn how to lift heavier things so they can graduate stronger.

You’re basically making your muscles work against some kind of “resistance.” That’s why strength training is also often called just that: resistance training.

That resistance can be:

• Your own body weight: push-ups, squats, lunges, planks. You don’t need any equipment for strength training as long as you have your body.
• Free weights: These are things like dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells. You pick them up and put them down.
• Resistance bands: Those stretchy elastic bands that give you tension as you pull them.
• Weight machines: The big contraptions you see at the gym that help guide your movements. Many beginners prefer them because doing the exercise right is easy, and they can feel less intimidating.

Sets and Reps

• A “rep” (short for repetition) is one complete movement of an exercise (like one push-up).
• A “set” is a group of those reps you do back-to-back before taking a short breather. If you do 10 push-ups, rest, and then do another 10, that’s two sets of 10 reps each.

When you strength train, you often do a couple of sets for each exercise, each consisting of a certain number of reps.

For example, if you see 3×10 in a workout, it means you do three sets with 10 repetitions each: do one set of 10 reps, rest for a bit, do another set, rest, and do a final set, before moving on to another exercise.

Benefits of Strength Training After 70

Do you want to:

• Build muscle and strength?
• Play with your grandkids without getting tired?
• Garden more easily?
• Walk independently and with more confidence for longer?
• Reduce aches and pains?
• Feel more energetic?
• Move like you were decades younger?
• Look and feel better?

Then you need strength training.

Building muscle in your golden years offers a ton of benefits.

Weight training Over 70 Builds and Preserves Muscle and Strength

Strength training after 70 preserves muscle and strength by stimulating muscle protein synthesis, the process where your body repairs and builds muscle fibers.

For example, a 2020 meta-analysis (a study combining the results of many studies to draw stronger conclusions than any single study could on its own) found that strength training is an effective way to increase strength and muscle size after 75.³

One study, in which 10 90-year-olds lifted heavy (for them) weights for 8 weeks, found that they increased their thigh muscle area by 9% on average.⁴

As noted earlier, losing ~1% of your muscle every year is considered normal. That means those 90-year-olds reversed almost a decade in 8 weeks.

Just look at this magnetic resonance image of a 40-year-old triathlete (top panel), a 74-year-old sedentary man (middle panel), and a 70-year-old triathlete (bottom panel). 

And the less muscle you have and the weaker you are, the more you benefit and the faster you get results from strength training.⁵

So, that old “I’m too old to start” mantra? If anything, it’s the opposite: you’re never too old, and it’s never too late. Building muscle after 70 is a reality.

Improved Mobility & Balance

Strength training makes your legs, core, and stabilizer muscles all over your body stronger. Those are the muscles you rely on for balance, coordination, and mobility.

And if you have mobility disabilities, expect improvements in that department.^{6 7}

Because your body becomes stronger so fast when you take up strength training, things like walking, standing up from a chair, or climbing steps become a lot easier. And quickly, too.

You also reduce the risk of falls and the fear of falling when you become more confident that you have a body capable of keeping its balance.

Studies show that up to 85% of older adults have a fear of falling, so this is huge because falls can be devastating for older adults.⁸

But so can the fear of falling itself. It can make you doubt if you can perform everyday tasks safely. You might start to avoid more challenging things, things that are good for you and keep your muscles strong.

Lastly, training boosts proprioception, your body’s sense of where it is in space.⁹ When you challenge your balance, even slightly (like a single-leg stance or lunges), you improve that internal feedback system and your brain gets better at knowing what your limbs are doing. And you don’t need heavy weights; it’s the movement patterns themselves that do the magic.

Stronger Bones & Joint Health

When you lift weights, you put stress—a good kind of stress—on your bones. You signal to them to become denser, which helps fight osteoporosis and reduces fracture risk.^{10 11}

And when your muscles are strong, they support your joints better, cushioning them and protecting them from injuries.

If you already have arthritis, it’s easy to think that it might be harmful or painful to lift heavy things, but according to research, it is beneficial and will likely not increase pain. In fact, it will decrease pain in most people.¹²

Better Metabolism & Weight Management

For a long time, many people, including doctors and scientists, believed that your metabolism just took a nosedive after your 20s.

However, recent research shows that it only starts to slow down after 60, by about 0.7% per year.¹³ By the time you’re 95, you might need about 26% fewer calories than someone in midlife.

That decline is not just from moving less and having less muscle.

However, your muscle is active tissue. It burns more calories than fat, even when you rest. And that’s one thing you can do something about.

Because what does slow your metabolism is losing muscle. Each kilogram or pound of muscle doesn’t burn many calories a day, but together and over time, it adds up.

So, if you maintain your muscle mass with strength training, you also keep your metabolic furnace stoked.

That means you burn more calories 24/7, can enjoy more of the food you like without putting on fat, or lose fat more easily if you want to lose weight.

Management of Chronic Conditions

Strength training is like a magic potion for your body, addressing a whole slew of health woes. It makes you feel good and keeps your internal systems humming.

For example, it can help reduce symptoms of diabetes and depression and improve sleep and even heart health.

• Your muscle mass protects against diabetes, and resistance training is an accepted secondary treatment for type 2 diabetes.^{14 15}
• A 2024 meta-analysis found that strength training is so effective for mild to moderate depression that it can be considered a core treatment along with therapy and antidepressants.¹⁶
• Strength training improves all aspects of sleep; you fall asleep faster and sleep longer and better.¹⁷
• As little as 60 minutes of weekly strength training is associated with a 19% lower risk of dying from heart disease, and the American Heart Association recommends at least two days of strength training per week for a healthy heart.¹⁸

In short, most people probably think of big muscles when they think of lifting weights, but strength training also works behind the scenes for a healthier, happier you.

Sharper Mind

Strength training is the best type of exercise you can do as an older adult for cognitive function.

Don’t believe me? A huge 2025 meta-analysis of 37 studies from 13 countries and more than 2,500 senior participants found that strength training the has strongest effect on improving your general cognitive abilities, more so than any other type of exercise, including aerobic exercise.¹⁹

• It boosts levels of something called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps your brain cells grow and connect, especially in areas important for memory and learning.
• It can also reduce inflammation in your body, which is a good thing for your brain because inflammation can mess with your cognitive function.

The researchers even pinpointed what seems to be the sweet spot to get those cognitive benefits: 2–3 45-minute sessions per week.

So, if you’re looking to keep your mind sharp as a tack, don’t shy away from resistance training. It builds your brain as well as your biceps.

Quality of Life

Add all the above up, and what do you get?

A better quality of life!

A stronger body allows you to live a more active, independent, and joyful life, regardless of age. You’ll look better and feel better, and you can even manage and keep a number of chronic conditions at bay.

Want to get started right away?

Follow our Training Program for Seniors in StrengthLog.

Get StrengthLog for your device (iOS or Android) and get on the fast track to all these benefits today:

What Happens In Your Body As You Get Older?

As you get older, your muscles naturally go through some changes. Some of them make it more challenging to build muscle.

That’s normal, but it doesn’t mean you’re helpless.

Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes:

Muscle Mass Starts to Decline

That slow but steady decline in muscle mass that the average person experiences after 30?

By 70 and above, it adds up.

However, as we discussed, weight training can mitigate or even reverse it. Whether you’re 40, 70, or even 100.

Powerful Muscle Fibers Shrink

Fast-twitch muscle fibers, the ones that help you react quickly and lift heavy things, tend to pack their bags and shrink and even disappear altogether as you age.²⁰

Want to keep them? Use them.

Also, to really hit these guys, you need to challenge yourself. They only get involved once your other muscle fibers can’t handle whatever you’re doing.

That means that many people never need to use their fast-twitch fibers to any extent. The good news: strength training, especially if you use relatively heavy weights and move them fast, do!

Anabolic Resistance

Anabolic resistance sounds complicated, but it basically means that as you get older, your muscles don’t respond to growth signals (like those from exercise or protein) as they did in your younger years.²¹

Again, there’s a fix. Lift heavy things and eat some more protein.

Bench presses and chicken breasts won’t make your muscles 25 again, but it will make them younger and able to build strength and muscle mass.

Nerves and Muscles Don’t Communicate As Well

Let’s say your brain is the CEO, and your muscles are the workers.

Your nerves are the communication lines between the boss and employees, and as you age, those communication lines and the junction where they meet the muscles start can start to get some hick-ups.²²

That makes movements a bit slower and less forceful, especially if you don’t train those connections.

It happens to everyone, and while scientists don’t know exactly how it works, using your muscles is the best way to keep both them and your nervous system happy and kicking.

Hormone Shifts

Testosterone levels, growth hormone, and IGF-1 (all important for muscle building) drop with age.²³

How much and how fast varies a lot from person to person.

Some 70-year-olds have the hormone levels of an average 30-year-old, and the opposite also happens.

But typically, age means lower levels of muscle-building hormones.

Leading a healthy lifestyle can significantly slow that process down.²⁴ That means regular exercise (including strength training), a good diet, and keeping your body weight within a healthy range.

If you have clinically low testosterone or thyroid issues, it can slow progress (and make you feel bad). It can be a good idea to get some basic blood work done and discuss safe options with your doctor.

Inflammation Can Increase

After a workout, inflammation rises.

That’s called acute inflammation and is a good thing. It’s a big part of what makes your muscles respond and grow bigger and stronger.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is bad for you and can slow recovery and make building muscle harder.

With age, inflammation levels in the body can increase.²⁵

Again, exercise to the rescue. Regular physical activity like strength training is anti-inflammatory in itself (even if it increases inflammation in a good way right after training) and helps you control chronic inflammation that might hold you back.

***

In short, some things happen in the body that make building muscle after 70 more challenging.

But none of this is a dealbreaker. It just means you need to train a bit smarter.

Should You Talk to Your Doctor Before You Start Strength Training?

Everything you read in this article assumes you are healthy without serious medical conditions (not counting everyday aches and pains that pop up over time in most people as we get older).

If you have any serious injury, disease, or other medical condition, you want to talk to a doctor before doing any strength training. Or any other kind of exercise for that matter.

But if you’re otherwise healthy, is a visit to the doctor’s office necessary?

I remember back in the day, when I started training, it felt like you practically needed a doctor’s note to even look at a dumbbell. At least if you were over 25.

However, studies started showing that these rules might have been a bit overcautious, sending too many people to the doctor’s office.

That could actually stop some people from starting to exercise at all. Plus, the evidence is solid that exercise is safe for most people and has a ton of health benefits.

In 2015, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) got a bunch of experts together (cardiology, exercise physiology, public health, you name it) to rethink the whole pre-exercise screening thing.²⁶

They found that having to consult a doctor before starting an exercise program meant that many people didn’t start at all because it’s one more step to take.

And the benefits of physical activity far outweigh any theoretical risks.

New Guidelines

The new guidelines say that you should see a doctor first if you:

• Are inactive and have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease (or symptoms of these conditions).
• Are already physically active but have symptoms suggesting disease.

That means if you don’t have any of these diseases, you can typically begin moderate exercise without seeing a doctor first, even if you have been sedentary.

Of course, don’t jump into a training program meant for high-level athletes right away. That’s always a bad idea. Even if it’s not dangerous, it’ll likely make you overly sore, tired, and unmotivated. And might lead to injury.

If you want to be on the safe side and ask your doctor if it’s a good idea to hit the weights, absolutely do so. It doesn’t hurt and can give you ease of mind, knowing you are good to go.

What Does Effective Strength Training to Gain Muscle Over 70 Look Like?

Now that you’re ready to start, this section explains what effective senior fitness involves.

You’ll learn core principles like progressive overload and exercise specificity, practical choices like the best exercises, whether to use free weights or machines, and how to structure your workouts with the right sets, reps, and rest periods.

The fundamental principles for building muscle and getting stronger remain the same whether you’re 20 or 70.

Your body, at any age, responds to stimulus. You challenge it, and it adapts.

Here’s how those principles still apply, with a few tweaks specifically for building muscle after 70.

The Golden Rule: Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the fancy term for the simple idea that to keep getting stronger, you need to keep challenging your muscles more and more over time.

If you keep doing the same thing, your body has no reason to get stronger or build more muscle. It can already handle everything you throw at it!

Progressive overload can mean:

• Lifting a little bit heavier weight.
• Doing more repetitions (reps) with the same weight.
• Doing more sets of an exercise.
• Making an exercise harder (like doing push-ups on your toes instead of your knees).
• Better form and having more control over the movement can be a form of progression.

But when you are just starting out, learning how to do the movements is more important. You have plenty of time to challenge your body once you are comfortable with training.

Specificity: Train What You Want to Improve

The specificity principle means that your body adapts to the demands you place on it.

• If you want stronger legs, you need to train your legs.
• Want to get better at carrying things, whether groceries or your grandkid? Practice carrying something heavy!
• If your goal is to build strength for daily activities, your exercises should make you stronger in those movements.

Focus on “functional” movements that translate directly to your everyday life. Like squats (getting up from a chair), lunges (stepping), rows (pulling things closer), and overhead presses (reaching for something on a high shelf).

These exercises build muscle and also improve your balance and mobility, which are super important as you age.

Best Exercises for Seniors

It’s a good idea for most people to choose exercises that hit multiple muscles at once.

• These are called compound exercises. The squat is a great example. It trains your legs, butt, and lower back and involves your hips, knees, and ankles.
• Isolation exercises, on the other hand, focus on one muscle group and move one joint. For example, in the leg extension, you only move your knee joint and train one muscle group: your quads at the front of your thighs.

Both compound and isolation movements build muscle and strength effectively, but you save time if you pick exercises that work many muscles at once.

In addition, compound exercises likely give you more functional strength because they mimic the movement patterns you use in daily life more closely.

Isolation movements are great if you want to focus more closely on a particular muscle.

But for most people, making compound exercises the bread and butter of your workout routine is a good idea.

Great choices include:

Squat

Squats (or chair squats if your knees are sensitive). The squat is an excellent muscle-builder for much of the lower body and improves general physical performance like no other exercise. If you prefer machine training, the leg press is a good alternative.

Deadlift

Deadlifts strengthen your entire body, particularly your posterior chain: the muscles on the back of your body, including your hamstrings and lower back. Go light to start, and use dumbbells or a trap bar (a special hexagonal bar you step into) if you have mobility issues.

Bench Press

Bench presses. The king of upper-body exercises, the bench press builds muscle and strength in your pushing muscles: chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Push-Up

Push-ups (from the wall, counter, or floor). An excellent bodyweight alternative to the bench press that you can easily scale to your fitness level.

Rows

Rows (with a barbell, machine, dumbbell, or cable) build your upper back and biceps and make you stronger in pulling things toward you.

Overhead Press

Overhead presses (seated or standing, barbell or dumbbells). The overhead press is a great exercise for your shoulders and triceps and makes it easier to do anything where you hold your arms over your head. If you stand up, you also involve your core and train your balance.

Free Weights vs. Machines for Older Lifters

Free weights and machines are equally good for building muscle.

It’s not really an “either/or” situation, and you can basically mix and max or focus on one or the other as you like.

The Case for Machines

Machines get a bad rap sometimes, but they’re very valuable and inviting, especially for senior fitness, beginners, or if you have stability concerns.

Machines guide your movement, fixing you in a specific plane of motion.

That means less risk of going rogue with your form and potentially injuring yourself.

Now, the risk of injury is super low in strength training compared to most other types of physical exercise and sports, so don’t worry about using free weights for that reason.

But machines are even more safe.

The fixed path of motion also makes machines simpler to pick up. You don’t need to spend as much time mastering complex movements, so you can get right to lifting and building muscle.

And, if you’re new to lifting or haven’t done it in a while, starting with machines can help you build confidence.

The Case for Free Weights

Free weights offer a different set of advantages.

When you lift a barbell, dumbbell, or kettlebell, your body has to work harder to stabilize the weight and control the movement. You recruit more muscles, including smaller stabilizing muscles.

Free weights often allow for a more natural range of motion compared to machines, which can sometimes restrict movement.

However, all machines don’t fit everyone.

For example, some machines might be uncomfortable and even hit the wrong muscles if you are shorter or taller than average.

Free weights are a no-brainer if you train at home unless you are a multi-millionaire.

You can outift a complete home gym with them without spending a fortune, but you can’t say the same about machines.

Also, free weights are fun. In one study, 32 men and women 60 to 86 years old trained with free weights or machines twice per week for 26 weeks.²⁷

Both free weights and machines improved strength, but the first group, the free-weight group, found their workout to be more fun and rated them more useful in daily life.

Why Not Both?

Honestly, the best approach for building muscle after 70 is often a combination of both free weights and machines.

If you’re new to resistance training, consider starting with machines. They provide a safe and controlled environment for learning the basic movement patterns and building strength and confidence.

If you’ve lifted weights before, the free weights are calling your name.

Even if it was a long time ago, your body and brain remember. Your nervous system will recall how to do the movements and connect with your muscles in no time.

No matter what you prefer: machines, free weights, or a mix of both, you’re not making any wrong choices. It all works.

Also, no matter what you use, proper form is priority no 1. It’s way more important than how much weight you’re lifting.

If you’re unsure, working with a qualified personal trainer who has experience with older adults is a swell idea. You can also learn from the instructions (text and video) in the StrengthLog workout tracker, either ahead of hitting the gym or on the fly.

How Much and How Often Should You Strength Train?

• Training volume is the total amount of work you do (sets x reps x weight).
• Training frequency is how often you train a muscle group.

You need enough volume to tell your muscles it’s time to grow bigger and stronger, but not so much that you can’t recover.

Most people benefit from hitting each muscle group 2–3 times a week.

• Two sessions are significantly more effective than one, but after that, you get diminishing returns.
• Three sessions are often more effective than two, but not nearly as much as going from one to two.
• Four sessions can be even better for some advanced trainees, but at this point, diminishing returns really kick in, with only a bit more benefit for a much bigger time investment.

But one workout per week is a hundred times better than no training at all (and will work well if you are new to strength training).

After 70, your recovery might take a little longer.

If you do 2–3 full-body strength training sessions per week, schedule at least one rest day in between.

And listen to your body. If you’re still sore, give yourself another day.

As you get more experienced, you can split your body into upper/lower workouts or train only a few muscles each session. But for most people 70+, I recommend the full-body approach, especially if you’re new to strength training.

How Many Sets and Reps Should You Do?

Let’s talk sets and reps.

Sets

If you are new to lifting, you can start with a single set per exercise.

Do that for the first few weeks to a month, then increase it to two sets.

Two sets build muscle ~40% more effectively, so try doing a little more as you gain experience and learn the movements.²⁸

A few weeks to a month after that, you can up the number of sets to three per exercise if you want.

Now, if you’re training three times per week, you’re at the optimal training volume for building muscle after 70.²⁹

Reps

You can do pretty much any number of repetitions per set and build muscle.

Heavy weights for six reps and lighter weights for 20 are equally effective.³⁰

That being said, if you want to get strong, too, using heavy weights with a relatively low number of reps is better.

And if you ever try doing 20 reps until you can’t do any more, you’ll notice that it hurts a lot and is not very fun.

It’s not a dangerous pain at all, but it’s definitely uncomfortable.

For most older adults, I recommend doing 6–15 reps. You build strength and muscle effectively, and it’s not overly uncomfortable for no good reason.

If you’re new, start light and focus on good form. You should feel challenged but not exhausted. Pick a weight you can comfortably do all the intended reps with without struggling.

But once you have learned how to perform the exercise and feel comfortable with the movements, don’t be afraid to increase the weights.

Including some very heavy sets (so heavy that you can only do 2–3 reps) in your training is safe for older (even very old) adults with benefits beyond what light- to moderately heavy training offers.³¹ But learn the exercises first, and remember to warm up properly before going really heavy.

How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

This one is pretty straightforward.

Rest as long as you feel you need to do yourself justice in your next set.

There is no need to time your set rest. 1–2 minutes between sets is a good interval where most people feel ready to get at it again.

After some exercises, like squats and deadlifts, you might need to rest a little longer.

And while it might sound counterintuitive, older adults recover faster between sets than younger folks.^{32 33}

So, rest as long as you want and need. Or as little as a minute if you feel that’s enough.

***

The basic principles for building muscle after 70 are the same as for younger people, but your approach should be smart and suit your individual needs and abilities.

Start slow, focus on good form, be consistent, but don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Strength Training Programs for Building Muscle After 70

Here, you’ll find several fantastic training programs for building muscle after 70.

They are available in StrengthLog, our workout log app, which you can download for free for iOS or Android. It’s the best way to track your workouts and your progress.

The app is completely free to use, forever, with no ads, as are our senior programs.

Download StrengthLog for your device:

Home Training Program for Seniors

This is a training program where you don’t need any additional equipment all. Only body weight exercises that work all major muscle groups; great for home training and for when just starting out.

Two workouts per week, like this:

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Push-Up Against Wall	1–2	10
Chair Squat	1–2	10
Crunch	1–2	10
Step-Up	1–2	10
Kneeling Side Plank	1–2	30 secs
Floor Back Extension	1–2	10
Glute Bridge	1–2	10
Clamshell	1–2	10

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Push-Up Against Wall	1–2	10
Shallow Body Weight Lunge	1–2	10
Kneeling Plank	1–2	30 secs
Oblique Crunch	1–2	10
Hip Thrust	1–2	10
Heel Raise	1–2	15
Side Lunges	1–2	10
Fire Hydrants	1–2	10

After a month or two, you can add a third workout if you like.

In that case, you’d do workouts 1,2,1 on the first week, workouts 2,1,2 on the second, and so on.

If the number of reps for any exercise starts to feel easy, you can do more or add resistance in the form of dumbbells.

Open the program directly in StrengthLog.

StrengthLog’s Training Program for Seniors

This 5-week training program starts with two weekly sessions and builds to three by the last week. It features a mix of machine training, cables, and bodyweight exercises. Mostly compound movements with some isolation work sprinkled in.

You do this workout two times per week:

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Leg Press	1–2	12
Leg Curl	1–2	12
Row or Lat Pulldown (every other workout)	1–2	12
Chest Press	1–2	12
Shoulder Press	1–2	12
Machine Biceps Curl or Dumbbell Curl	1–2	12
Tricep Pushdown	1–2	12
Calf Raise	1–2	12
Crunch	1–2	12
Back Extension	1–2	12

When you reach week five, you can add a third workout if you 1) want to, 2) feel that you recover properly, and 3) have the time. If that’s a “no” to any of those, continue with two weekly sessions.

After those five weeks, you can start over with heavier weights (as you will have become significantly stronger).

If you are new to strength training, starting with one set per exercise is enough.

After a month or so, you can add a set and do two sets per exercise for another month (or two).

Then, if you feel that you recover properly from your training, you can add a third set per exercise.

Open the program directly in StrengthLog.

Other Training Programs

Yes, we have them.

Our training programs for seniors are a fantastic start for building muscle after 70, but you should know that you’re not limited to any particular workout routine just because you’re 70+.

Other great plans include the Home Dumbbell Workout, the Beginner Barbell Program, and the Beginner Machine Program.

Once you feel ready for more advanced programs, you’ll find what you’re looking for in StrengthLog.

Add In Some Cardio

This article is about building muscle after 70, but cardio is important, too.

It keeps your heart and lungs healthy and improves your recovery.

Easy Ways to Add Cardio

• Brisk walking (around the neighborhood or on a treadmill)
• Biking (outside or on a stationary bike at the gym)
• Swimming or water aerobics
• Rowing machine
• Elliptical

Aim for at least 2–3 cardio sessions per week on days you’re not doing strength training, or perhaps a shorter session after your weights (if you’re trying to build muscle, you want to prioritize weight training and schedule your strength sessions first).

As with lifting, it’s best to start slow if you’re not used to it. Begin with 15–30 minutes per session at a moderate intensity.

What’s moderate? You should be able to hold a conversation but maybe not belt out your favorite opera tune.

The general guidelines for older adults is about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, but see how that fits with your strength training and energy levels.³⁴

Tracking Your Progress

It’s easy to lose track of how far you’ve come. So track it!

Ways to Know You’re Improving

• You can lift heavier weights
• You feel more stable walking or climbing stairs
• You recover faster after workouts
• Your mood and energy are better

You wouldn’t go on a road trip without knowing where you’ve been or where you’re going, right?

The same goes for your strength training.

Progression is necessary for muscle building at any age. You need to gradually challenge your muscles to get stronger and build muscle.

Tracking your training allows you to see what you did last time and then strategically add a little more weight, a few more reps, or an extra set.

That is how you tell your muscles, “Hey, time to grow!”

So, How Do You Track Your Progress?

You write everything down.

If you prefer good old pen and paper over an app, I get it.

And in that case, we make it easy with a free, printable workout log.

Download it and print as many as you need.

But your phone is always with you anyway, right?

So, your workout log is always at your fingertips. No more fumbling with paper and pen.

Our free workout log app, StrengthLog, is the best way to track your progress.

You can:

• Log your workouts.
• Follow training programs pre-built by experts (like the senior programs above). Real workouts for real people, no AI funny business.
• Create your own workout routines.
• Plan your workouts ahead of time
• Set and keep track of your goals and personal records.
• Get motivated as you see stats of your strength increases.
• See how to perform every exercise correctly and safely.

And more. All for the reasonable cost of free, without ads.

How do you get StrengthLog onto your phone and reap the benefits?

It’s easy: download it for iOS or Android on the Apple App Store or Google Play:

Or read more about our workout log app here.

Nutrition for Building Muscle After 70

You can train hard, but if your nutrition doesn’t support it, your results will be slow.

In this section, I’ll talk briefly about diet for building muscle after 70: what your body needs to stay healthy, gain lean mass, and recover from your training.

If you want much more in-depth info about nutrition for strength training, I’ve written a comprehensive but easy-to-understand guide.

Nutrition for Strength Training – the Fun and Easy Way.

If you want your body to work like a well-oiled machine, performing and responding to your efforts in the gym by building muscle and strength or losing fat, you need the right fuel to keep it running optimally.

That means getting enough calories, protein, fats, and carbohydrates every day.

Calories

You can have all the best bricks (protein) in the world, but if you don’t have enough cement and workers (calories), you can’t build a strong wall (muscle).

Building Muscle

To build muscle, you generally want to eat at least as many calories as you burn or to be in a slight caloric surplus.

These calories give you the energy to lift weights effectively and tell your body, “Hey, we have enough energy here to create new muscle tissue.”

If you’re in a calorie deficit, meaning you eat fewer calories than you burn, it becomes a lot harder to put on lean mass.

For older adults, the goal isn’t just to bulk up as much as possible by eating everything in sight. You want a strategic surplus to maximize muscle gain while minimizing excessive fat gain, which can happen if your surplus is too large.

Aim for a small, consistent caloric surplus of about 200–300 calories per day above your maintenance level.

You can use our calorie calculator to estimate how many calories you need.

Losing Fat

You must be in a calorie deficit to lose body fat, but this is not ideal for building muscle—unless you’re a heavier person, in which case you can do both at the same time.

A moderate deficit of ~500 calories daily leads to safe and steady weight and fat loss, and as long as you strength training and eat plenty of protein, you’ll maintain your muscle.

And while a deficit isn’t ideal for building muscle, again, it’s doable if you are a beginner or carry a lot of body fat.

Do You Need To Strictly Track Your Calories?

Probably not, unless you want to. It can be a chore for many people.

Counting calories can be helpful initially to get a sense of things, but a more practical approach is to focus on eating consistent, healthy meals and keeping track of your progress:

• If you’re consistently gaining a little weight (e.g., 0.5–1 pound per month) and strength, you’re likely in a good caloric sweet spot.
• If you’re not gaining weight or strength, you might need a bit more.
• If you’re gaining weight too quickly or mostly around the middle, you are probably eating too much.

Protein

Protein is the most important part of the muscle-building equation when it comes to nutrition.

And even more so for older adults.

As we age, our bodies become less efficient at using protein for muscle synthesis.

It’s called “anabolic resistance,” and you might recall that I talked about it earlier in the article.

It means you need more protein than younger folks to get the same muscle-building benefits.

How Much?

Aim for around 1.2 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram (0.5 to 0.91 grams per pound) of body weight per day.^{35 36 37}

For a 165-pound person (roughly 75 kg), that’s about 90 to 150 grams of protein daily.

If you’ve been eating like the average person, that might sound like a lot, but it’s what your muscles need to grow and repair.

Try to get at least 30–40 grams of high-quality protein at each main meal.

Again, you need more protein than a 30-year-old for your body to recognize that you have ample building materials coming in.

However, you can eat as few or as many meals as you want. As long as 1) you get those 1.2 to 2 g/kg over the course of the day, and 2) your meals provide at least 30–40 grams of protein.

Protein Sources

Focus on protein sources with plenty of essential amino acids, especially leucine.

Leucine is like the “on” switch for muscle growth.

• Animal sources are “complete” proteins and are packed with leucine.
  • Meats (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb)
  • Fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel). Bonus omega-3s if you choose fatty fish.
  • Eggs (almost everything your body needs)
  • Dairy (Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk). Milk proteins are the most muscle-building of all.
• Plant-based sources work great if you’re vegetarian or vegan, but you’ll need to be more mindful to get a complete amino acid profile.
  • Tofu
  • Beans and lentils
  • Quinoa
  • Nuts, seeds, and nut butters.

If you struggle to hit your protein targets with “real food,” don’t be afraid to add some protein powder to boost your intake (like whey protein or pea or soy protein for vegans.

They are just food in powdered form, so they don’t build more or less muscle than the “real thing.” However, they are quickly digested and absorbed and can be super-convenient, especially after a workout.

Fats & Carbs

Protein is the muscle-building nutrients, but carbs and fats provide the energy your body needs.

Fats

The fat in your diet is essential for health, hormone production, energy, and nutrient absorption.

Fat provides more than twice as much energy than protein or carbs, nine kcals per gram compared to four.

The ideal fat intake for most people is 20–35% of your total calories.³⁸ You can eat more if you want to, but 20% should be your minimum.

For example, if you eat 2,500 calories per day and want 25% of those calories to come from fat, you’d need to eat about ~70 grams of fat.

• Unsaturated fats, which are sometimes called “good fats”, are found in olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and avocados, for example.
• Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fatty fish) are particularly beneficial for reducing inflammation and for muscle recovery.
• Saturated fats are in cheese, butter, and meat. Some studies link eating too much of them to negative effects on heart health, but they are not “bad” in moderation.
• Trans fats, on the other hand, offer no benefits and can be harmful to your health. They are industrially produced fats sometimes found in processed foods, fried foods, and some baked goods.

Carbs

You don’t need to eat carbs to be healthy or build muscle, and your body learns to perform in the gym if you cut them from your diet.

However, there is no need to be wary of carbs.

They are your body’s primary energy source when you lift weights, if you let them, and you don’t get fat from eating carbs (you get fat from eating more than you need in general, not from a specific food or nutrients).

Whole grains (oats, brown rice, whole-wheat bread), fruits, and vegetables also provide fiber, micronutrients, and are better carb choices than refined sugar.

You don’t have to cut out your refined sugars completely, but make them that little extra, not your mainstay.

Having some carbs around your workout can be beneficial.

Supplements for Building Muscle After 70

Do you need any supplements to build muscle after 70?

No. You do not.

Supplements are like the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. You must first have a foundation of progressive strength training, enough calories from whole foods, and an adequate protein intake. That’s your muscle-building cake.

That being said, some supplements can give you a helpful nudge.

Protein Supplements

Research shows that the combination of strength training and protein supplements is “the most effective method for improving muscle mass, strength, and physical function in older adults”.³⁹

However, the real benefit of protein supplements over foods is how easy they make it to get enough.

You don’t build more muscle with powders, but if, for any reason, you’re struggling to get enough protein, a shake can be a lifesaver.

Maybe you’re not feeling like eating a big meal after working out, maybe you’re out and about, maybe you’re short on time. Whip up a shake, and you’re good to go.

I recommend whey protein as long as you do dairy, but soy, casein, egg, hemp, pea, and other protein powders are also available.

Creatine

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that helps your muscles produce energy during high-intensity things like lifting weights.

It can increase muscle mass and strength, improve exercise performance, and even has potential benefits for bone health, brain function, and cognition in older adults.^{40 41}

Creatine essentially helps you get more out of your resistance training.

If there is one supplement I recommend everyone to take, it’s creatine.

It’s backed by literally hundreds of studies, safe, and relatively inexpensive.

Take 5 grams of creatine monohydrate (the least expensive and most effective type of creatine) every day, whenever you want (you don’t need to time it with your workouts).

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health, and low levels are linked to decreased muscle strength in older adults.⁴²

Deficiency is very common (more than 40% of the adult US population is vitamin D deficient, and 82% of black Americans).⁴³ It’s also more common in older adults, as your skin’s ability to synthesize it from sunlight decreases with age.

Your doctor can test your vitamin D levels and recommend an appropriate dosage. Older adults need ~800 IU (International Units) daily, but you might need a supplement to get there, especially during winter.⁴⁴

Other Potentially Helpful Nutrients

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil): Can help reduce inflammation, which might indirectly help your muscle health and recovery.
• Magnesium: Involved in muscle function, sleep, and overall energy production.
• B Vitamins (especially B12): Important for energy metabolism and nerve function. B12 deficiency is more common in older adults.
• Caffeine. Helps you perform better in the gym. No need for caffeine pills, as coffee works equally well.

Rest and Recovery for Building Muscle After 70

As we age, our bodies become a little less efficient at recovering from high-intensity physical activity, like strength training.

Many lifters start noticing that they need to prioritize recovery more as early as their 40s.

You might actually recover faster between sets during a workout, but during the days after training, you often need more time to recover at 70 than your younger counterpart did.

Pushing too hard and often without enough rest can lead to overtraining and injury and hinder your progress. And no one wants that.

So, what does this “recovery” actually involve?

It’s more than just sitting on the couch (though that’s part of it).

Rest Days

Getting enough rest between your training sessions is essential.

It gives your body and nervous system time to recharge and your muscles a chance to grow. You don’t build muscle in the gym but during the days after.

This is no exact science, but as a good rule of thumb, I typically recommend 48–72 hours of rest between training the same muscle group for older adults.

That means if you hit your muscles hard on Monday, give them at least until Wednesday before you do another heavy session.

Two to three strength training sessions per week is a good plan.

Active Recovery

Rest doesn’t always mean doing nothing.

Walking, stretching, or some low-impact cardio (swimming, cycling) on your “off” days increases blood flow, reduces soreness, and keeps you moving without overstressing your muscles.

Think of it as active recuperation.

Sleep

Poor sleep or too little sleep slows recovery and zaps motivation.

Most people benefit from 7 to 9 hours of Zs per night.

When you sleep is when your body releases growth hormones that help with muscle repair and growth.

Poor sleep quality can hinder that process and make it harder to build muscle and lose fat.

Beyond just the hours, focus on the quality of your sleep. A dark, cool, quiet room, a set sleep schedule, and avoiding screens before bed are all worth trying to sleep better.

Strength Training for Seniors Over 70: Avoiding Injuries and Staying Safe

Lifting weights is super safe at any age compared to almost any other type of exercise or sport.

That being said, accidents happen. Here’s the lowdown on how to avoid injuries and stay safe while building muscle after 70.

Quick Tips to Stay Injury-Free

• Warm up before every workout (5–10 minutes of movement + dynamic movements like arm circles, leg swings, and gentle torso twists).
• Progress slowly (increase weights or reps by no more than 10% per week).
• Pay attention to your body — soreness is okay, sharp pain is not.
• Start with machines or resistance bands if you’re unsure.

Form Over Everything

• Forget about how much weight you’re lifting for a moment, especially if you’re new to lifting. Yes, progressive overload is essential, but only once you have your form and technique down.
• Begin with very light weights to learn the proper movement patterns. You can gradually increase the resistance along with your strength and confidence.
• Avoid jerky movements or using momentum. Focus on controlled reps where you really feel the muscle working. It’s a good idea to include fast reps where you explode the weight in your workouts but get a feel for the movements first.
• Use a mirror to check your form, or even better, record yourself with your phone and compare it with the exercise demos in StrengthLog. You’ll be surprised at what you can spot when you watch yourself back.
• If you can, consider working with a certified personal trainer, especially when you’re starting. They can teach you proper form and correct technique oversights you might not spot yourself.

Don’t Do Too Much Too Soon

Jumping into an advanced training program thinking you’ll get faster gains is a big mistake.

The only things that’ll come faster are injuries and overtraining.

Instead, start slow and progress gradually. Just a single set per exercise can be enough to start.

If you follow StrengthLog’s training programs for seniors, we’ve already planned this out for you.

Listen to Your Body

This is perhaps the most important rule of all, especially when you’re over 70.

Don’t push through the bad kind of pain.

The burning feeling when you’re muscle are working hard and some soreness the day after a good workout is one thing, but sharp, persistent pain is a red flag.

If something hurts, stop.

Some days you’ll feel great, others not so much. It’s okay to dial back the intensity or take an extra rest day if your body is telling you it needs it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Building Muscle After 70

Building Muscle After 70: Final Words

You have reached the end of Building Muscle After 70. Thank you for reading!

Your body may have more stories to tell, but it’s still fully capable of writing new chapters. Stronger and more powerful ones.

Does progress come slower with age? Perhaps, but it still comes.

As long as you stay consistent, you’ll prove to yourself, and everyone else, that age is just a number, but in your case, it’s the weights you’re about to crush.

Now go out there and show those whippersnappers how it’s done.

Last reviewed: 2025-11-18

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