So today I want to share a new super cool study with you guys. It’s not a huge meta-analysis or something like that, just a cool case study on a 71-year-old woman who started lifting later in life and what strength training can do.1
Meet the Main Character
Researchers looked at a 71-year-old woman who has spent the last 8 years doing heavy, high-intensity strength training. And her results show what can be done when you set your mind and body to it.
Having had scoliosis and chronic back pain since her youth, she was advised not to exercise (sadly, the stance of many doctors and PE teachers back in the day).
In her 40s, she started doing water exercises and yoga, and after realizing she was capable of doing all the things she was told she couldn’t, she took up aerobic exercise at 50.
Then, at 63, she started strength training.
Her Workout Plan
Let’s take a closer look at what her training looked like (and still does, I assume).
She trained in a very well-equipped home gym (leg press, bench press, leg extension, leg curl, Smith machine, cable cross, plus adjustable free weights and accessory equipment).
Her training consisted of three weekly 60-minute workouts, alternating between upper-body, lower-body, and full-body sessions.
Day 1: Upper Body
Focus: Upper-body push and pull, plus arm and shoulder isolation work.
Example exercises
- Bench press
- Weighted push-up
- Cable chest fly
- Pull-up
- Single-arm cable row
- Dumbbell lateral raise
- Incline dumbbell curl
- Cable triceps extension
Sets & Reps
3 × 5–8 for multi-joint exercises3 × 8–12 for single-joint exercises
Day 2: Lower Body + Arms
Focus: Lower-body strength with additional arm work.
Example exercises
- 45° leg press
- Leg extension
- Bulgarian split squat
- Seated leg curl
- Back extension
- Dumbbell curl
- Cable triceps extension
Sets & Reps
3 × 4–8 for multi-joint exercises3 × 8–12 for single-joint exercises
Day 3: Full Body
Focus: Combined upper- and lower-body training.
Example exercises
- Bench press
- Cable chest fly
- Pull-up
- Single-arm cable row
- 45° leg press
- Leg extension
- Seated leg curl
- Back extension
- Dumbbell curl
- Cable triceps extension
Sets & Reps
3 × 5–8 for multi-joint exercises3 × 8–12 for single-joint exercises
Working out under the eye of a trainer, she focused on progressive overload and taking training close to muscular failure.
On top of the weight training, she walked an average of 8.5 km (~5.3 miles) each day, and ate a protein-rich diet of eggs, dairy, fish, and protein powder while keeping sugars and fats to a minimum.
Her Stats
After 8 years of following this dedicated routine, she achieved the body composition and strength performance that would make most 30-year-old fitness aficionados jealous.
Here’s a look at her metrics compared to typical norms for women her age:
- Body Composition: Her body fat was a super lean 15.1%. For context, the average for a woman her age is around 40%. Her appendicular lean mass (the total weight of lean muscle tissue in your arms and legs) index put her far above the threshold for age-related muscle loss.
- Lower-Body Strength: She managed a leg press of 192.7 kg (~425 lb or 3.85x her body weight). That matches the strength of a competitive world champion powerlifter of the same age.2
- Upper-Body Strength: Her bench press 1RM was 52.5 kg (~116 lb or 1.05x her body weight). That places her in the 90th percentile of international powerlifting standards for her age.3
- Functional Strength: In a test of push-ups to failure, she did 27 reps, landing her in the “Excellent” category for women aged 30–39. She also completed 21 chair stands in 30 seconds and scored a perfect 12/12 on the Short Physical Performance Battery, which suggests a near-zero risk of mobility issues.
Beyond the Physical
The researchers also looked at psychology.
She scored high in self-esteem (34/40) and self-efficacy (35/40) tests, and described lifting as central to her identity:
The training gives me independence and control… I’m much stronger, also mentally.
Strength training became “part of me… part of my life.”
The researchers described it as a “virtuous cycle” where building strength improves confidence, which then improves adherence, which then improves strength even more.
Final Rep
This study was an N=1 case study on only one person, not a blueprint for “this is how you do it.” It’s not possible to say that everyone can get even close to similar results (the researchers call it an “upper-bound example”).
Because let’s face it: with results like these, you have good genes. And she had a trainer who pushed her for 8 years, which not everyone does.
Still, it does show what strength training can do, even when you don’t have youth on your side, and you’ve been told that your medical conditions will prevent you from doing what you want.
That being said, not everyone can or should aim for elite-level results. The important thing is that aging may be more trainable than most people realize.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with your training.
Want more?
Check out my guide to building muscle after 70 if you want to get started with strength training. It gives you all the information you need in one easy-to-understand package.
>> Building Muscle After 70: 2026 Strength Training Guide.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-04
References
- Front. Aging, 01 June 2026. Aging strong: an N = 1 mixed-methods study of long-term supervised high-intensity resistance training in a 71-year-old woman.
- Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2024 Mar 7;34(4):223-231. Becoming a World Champion Powerlifter at 71 Years of Age: It Is Never Too Late to Start Exercising.
- J Sci Med Sport. 2024 Oct;27(10):734-742. Normative data for the squat, bench press and deadlift exercises in powerlifting: Data from 809,986 competition entries.
