Key Points:
- Strength training after 60 allows older adults to match folks 45 years younger in physical function.
- Trained older adults outperform untrained peers in mobility and strength tests.
- Follow basic ACSM guidelines (≥ 2 workouts/week) for real-world strength and mobility benefits.
This article is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional care.
Table of Contents
Turning Back the Clock? Strength Training Keeps Seniors Strong and Functional
It’s no secret that getting older can feel like playing an increasingly unfair game.
Your muscles start to shrink, your strength isn’t what it used to be, and many things you do in everyday life become a bit of a struggle. Suddenly, standing up from a low couch feels like a powerlifting meet.
The good news is that it only has to be like that if you let it.
What if I told you there’s an antidote for this decline?
In this article, I’ll reveal how strength training can turn the clock back and make 70-year-olds perform like 25-year-olds.
Sounds too good to be true? A new study published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) reveals that older, everyday adults who follow basic resistance training guidelines can stay as functionally fit as younger folks.1
Let’s talk about it.
Aging, Strength, and Sarcopenia: The Big Picture
Most people lose muscle as they get older, starting as early as around 30.
As the years go by, that muscle loss turns into a real, measurable decline that can lead to sarcopenia.
Sarcopenia is when your muscles start to shrink and weaken with age. It is classified as a disease, which means it’s a serious medical condition, not just an “Oh well, I’m getting old” thing.2
Sarcopenia makes everything in daily life more challenging, leading to a loss of independence and, ultimately, a lower quality of life.
The natural aging process is part of why sarcopenia happens, but it’s not the only reason. Medical conditions like diabetes and chronic, low-grade inflammation also contribute.
However, there are also causes you can do things about.
An inactive lifestyle and poor nutrition are major contributing factors.
“Use it or lose it” is a harsh but true reality for your muscles. If you’re not challenging them, they’ll waste away faster than you can say “couch potato.” And it happens faster the older you are.
But the good news is that sarcopenia is largely preventable and even reversible.
Resistance training is one of the most effective weapons against sarcopenia.3 It builds muscle and improves strength like nothing else.
Get Started: Follow our Strength Training for Seniors program (2–3 days/week).
Pair strength training with good nutrition, and you have a combo that will take up the fight with many medical conditions and that pesky inflammation as well. That’s a win-win for sure.
While science has known for decades that hitting the weights is especially beneficial for older adults, this new study set out to see if these benefits translate into real-world function for everyday people.
The Study: Expected and Unexpected Results
Researchers from Texas State University wanted to see how age and strength training habits affect muscle mass, strength, and physical function in older adults. Not elite athletes, just regular folks like you and me, but at a respectable older age.
They got their answer, and it was as most of us likely expected: older folks who make lifting part of their lives enjoy higher levels of physical function compared to their peers who skip the weights.
But they also found something new and perhaps unexpected:
Key Takeaway
Older adults who regularly pump some iron as part of a healthy lifestyle can match the physical prowess of their younger counterparts. Even those almost half a century younger.
Who Flexed and Who Didn’t? The Participants
The researchers rounded up 76 healthy men and women, splitting them into four groups based on age and resistance training status.
| Group | Age & Training History |
| YRT – Younger Resistance Trained | Active young adults (~24 years old) who regularly hit the weights. |
| YNT – Younger Not Resistance Trained | Young adults of similar age who didn’t lift. |
| ORT – Older Resistance Trained | Active older adults (~69 years old) who had done some form of strength training at least twice a week for six months or more. |
| ONT – Older Not Resistance Trained | Untrained older adults of similar age who had kept resistance training off their to-do list. |
What Qualified as “Resistance Trained”?
Participants in the “Resistance Trained” groups had been training at least twice a week for a minimum of six months, following the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.
The ACSM recommends that adults strength train at least two days per week, 8–10 exercises for 8–12 repetitions each. You should hit all major muscle groups and can use any type of strength training method, including free weights, machines, or resistance bands.4
The participants did just that: they used a mix of free weights, machines, bodyweight exercises, and resistance bands. They weren’t athletes in any way, but regular community-dwelling adults training for general health.
The “Not Resistance Trained” folks hadn’t done any regular resistance training in the past six months or more.
What the Study Found
The results are in, and they’re pretty exciting. How much of a difference strength training made for older was even more impressive than I expected.
Physical Function
- Older adults who had been lifting (ORT) completely outperformed those who hadn’t in a stair climbing test. And, there was no significant difference between the ORT group and young untrained people, which is huge considering the 45-year age gap:
- YNT: ~2.5 secs
- YRT: ~2.4 secs
- ONT: ~3.3 secs
- ORT: ~2.9 secs
- In a sit-to-stand test (how many times you can stand up and sit down in 30 seconds), both younger and older resistance-trained adults did more reps than all untrained participants, young and old. ORT matched younger adults who lifted and surpassed both older and younger adults who didn’t:
- YNT: ~19 reps
- YRT: ~23 reps
- ONT: ~16 reps
- ORT: ~22 reps
- In a six-minute walking test, ORT covered significantly more ground than their untrained peers and again equaled younger trained participants.
Key Takeaway
In short, older adults who regularly lifted weights showed physical function levels comparable to much younger individuals who didn’t lift and even matched those who did in some tests.
Muscular Strength
Participants tested their grip and knee extensor (quad) strength using dynamometers.
- The younger resistance-trained group (YRT) had the strongest grip. There was also no significant difference in handgrip strength between the ORT group and the older non-resistance trained (ONT) group. At the same time, the young, untrained group wasn’t any stronger.
- When looking at raw leg strength, the YRT group again came out on top.
The ORT group’s leg strength matched the two untrained groups, both older and younger. However, after adjusting for lean leg mass, there were no major differences in lower body strength between any of the groups.
That means age itself did not create a leg-strength gap: untrained 20-year-olds and untrained ~69-year-olds were equally strong.
Key Takeaway
Grip and leg strength weren’t much different between older groups, but the functional performance was. Strength training made the older group move like they were decades younger.
Muscle Mass and Body Composition
The researchers looked at muscle mass in several ways, including the amount of muscle in the legs and a measurement called the Skeletal Muscle Index, which relates muscle mass to height.
- Young people who regularly lifted weights had more muscle mass than those who didn’t lift. They also had more muscle than the older people who didn’t lift weights. No surprises there.
- The young people who lifted weights also had more muscle than the older people who lifted weights. The researchers mention that even with strength training, it might not be possible to stop all age-related muscle loss completely.
My reflections: while two days per week of unsupervised strength training works wonders for health and physical function in older adults, it might not be enough to maintain all your muscle mass or to maximize muscle growth. If that’s what you want, you might need a more challenging training program akin to a bodybuilding workout plan.
Check out Building Muscle After 70 for your complete guide to get started.
Both groups that lifted (YRT and ORT) had lower body fat percentages than the groups that didn’t.
Key Takeaway
In short, young people who lift weights have the most muscle, but regular strength training also helps older adults keep their muscle mass and stay leaner compared to their peers who don’t train.
Strength Training After 60: Key Benefits
Strength training after 60 offers more benefits than you can shake a stick at.
Most of them become increasingly important as you get older.
Your Action Plan
Are you ready to transform these insights into action? Based on this study and 30+ years of coaching seniors, here are my top tips.
- Start small and stay consistent. Don’t jump into an advanced training program right away. Two days a week is all it takes to see big benefits.
- Use what you have. Dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, gym machines, resistance bands, or your own body weight; it doesn’t matter. Just get your muscles working.
- Include the four fundamental movement patterns: push (like a push-up or overhead press), pull (like a pulldown or row), squat (like a squat, goblet squat, or leg press), and hip hinge (like a deadlift or kettlebell swing). Together, these hit all major muscle groups.
- Move in daily life. Don’t skip the stairs; it’s a real-life skill. Walk to where you’re going when possible. It all adds up.
- Track your progress. Improvement is the best motivator: more reps, less huffing and puffing, and a stronger you.
- Start now (or keep going). Whether you’re 50 or 90, it’s never too late to start or continue strength training.
Strength Training After 60: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Research, including this study, shows that people in their 60s and 70s gain strength and muscle when they lift weights ≥ 2 days per week. Progress may be a little slower than in your 20s, but it’s absolutely doable.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, two to three non-consecutive sessions are enough for health and function. Each workout should cover all major muscle groups with 8–10 exercises for 8–12 reps.
Start with machine or body-weight versions of the four basic patterns: leg press, seated row, chest press, and hip hinge like a kettlebell swing. Machines guide your range of motion and limit balance demands while you learn the movement.
Generally, yes. According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, you should be able to do resistance training even without seeing a physiotherapist unless you aren’t supposed to exercise because of other medical conditions or have spinal fractures that cause you pain. In those cases, you want to ask a doctor for a referral first.
Most adults see measurable strength gains within 3–4 weeks, and everyday undertakings feel easier within a month or two. Visible muscle changes can take another month or so, provided you also eat enough protein and calories and stay consistent with your training.
The Best Strength Training Programs for Seniors
In our workout log app, StrengthLog, you’ll find many great training programs for help you stay strong and active.
It’s also the best way to track your workouts and your progress.
You can download StrengthLog for free for iOS or Android.
The app is completely free to use, forever, with no ads, as are our senior programs.
Download StrengthLog for your device:
Final Rep
Getting older is inevitable, but weakness doesn’t have to be.
Make strength training a part of your lifestyle, and you’ll do more than maintain or build muscle.
You’ll stay independent, boost your quality of life, and confidently face whatever life throws your way.
Age might be just a number, but strength? That’s a choice.
Last reviewed: 2025-08-07
References
- Translational Journal of the ACSM 10(3):e000312, Summer 2025. Resistance Training Preserves Physical Function in Older Community-Dwelling Adults.
- StatPears, July 4, 2023. Sarcopenia.
- Age and Ageing, Volume 51, Issue 2, February 2022. Resistance exercise as a treatment for sarcopenia: prescription and delivery.
- Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009 Mar;41(3):687-708. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults.
