Strength Gains at Any Age
It's never too late to start lifting like your health depends on it
Can I air a grievance here? Okay, maybe it’s less of a grievance and more of a professional concern.
If you’re an active adult over the age of 65, please stop self-limiting your gym and fitness-related activities simply because you’re in a certain age bracket.
If you can do one or more of the following: complete all your activities of daily living on your own, carry your groceries into the house, walk to the mailbox, climb a flight of stairs, work in the yard, walk your dog, or any other activity that involves full body movement, I’m talking to you.
While quality training is critical for everyone, it’s especially important in an aging adult, when risks of osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and falls all increase. While likely unintentional, opting for an easier training session because it’s labeled as “senior fitness” may not offer the degree of overload necessary to match an older adult’s current fitness level.
Yet, many senior adults reconcile themselves to senior classes when they are capable of much, much more. There’s a two part explanation for this: fear of injury and fear of pushing too hard. These are absolutely valid concerns, however, they’re only tempered by exposure to varying levels of fitness. In the same way that folks with anxiety disorders are treated with exposure therapy, participating in a variety of formats at a variety of intensities allows one to see how their body performs and feels at sub-maximal and near-maximal efforts.
For other older adults, senior classes are a perfect fit. Individuals with poor balance, low fitness stamina, and those lacking muscular strength are candidates for chair-based exercise. Group settings offer social support and camaraderie with supervised instruction that may put participants at ease. Once an individual progresses past the exercises offered in their class, then it’s important to utilize progressive overload and increase the exercise intensity. Those who fail to do so then fail to improve their musculoskeletal health.
While there is no such thing as a “bad” workout, the reality is that most senior fitness classes don’t elicit the physiologic demands necessary to enhance muscular and aerobic fitness in active older adults.
Here’s the good news: It’s never too late to start. Whether you’re 65 or 85, you can expect to improve your lean muscle mass through resistance training. If you’ve already begun but have just been going through the motions, it’s never too late to up the ante.
Also, if you’re someone between the ages of 20-35 thinking this doesn’t really apply to you, think again. The base that you build now through your training, along with the habits and consistency you also develop through your training, will dictate how you live and train into older adulthood.
Both strength gains and the ability to care for yourself peak around 30. Any decline after that will be declining from the peak that you’ve reached in your younger years. This isn’t meant to intimidate, discourage, or overwhelm you, but rather implore you to take advantage of these benefits while in the prime of your health.
You have the capacity to chart a new course for the future of your health and fitness (i.e. your quality of life) as you age, starting now.
Effects on Overall Health and Quality of Life
A progressive strength training program that offers gradual, systematic increases to overload the body is a valuable tool in the prevention of many adverse health outcomes, including osteoarthritis. This condition is limiting for two reasons: 1) Pain in the joints limits movement, causing stiffness in the body. 2) With limited movement, a person is at increased risk of muscular atrophy.
Even in well-trained individuals, strength gains decline precipitously by the age of 80. Furthermore, it’s not just a loss of strength that’s problematic. Research indicates that the loss of power (i.e. force production within the muscle) is an even greater predictor of fall risk. It is recommended that older adults incorporate at least 1 day per week of power-specific training into their resistance program.
The ability of an older adult to care for themselves by effectively completing activities of daily living (ADL) in addition to fall avoidance, are directly related to one’s strength. While everyone on the planet, even elite athletes, experience age-related declines in function and performance, the greatest declines are noted in those with the lowest levels of strength and mobility.
Secondary to the loss of function is the loss of metabolic efficacy. Muscle is an active tissue that plays a vital role in our metabolic health. The more muscle that an individual has, the more calories they are burning in a passive state, resulting in a more optimal body composition. The role of energy balance within the body affects function into adulthood. Individuals with greater fat mass exhibit decreased function and overall activity levels.
Energy expenditure decreases roughly 10% across the lifespan (from 20 to 90). This effect on overall weight maintenance requires a shift in the way that training is addressed, as changes in caloric balance are dependent on accurate assessment of both fat-free and fat mass. Quick gains in muscle are noted in those who are just beginning resistance training. There’s a far greater energy cost for the energy that is stored in fat versus the energy that is gained through the development of new muscle. Total energy expenditure (TEE) is also dependent on how active older adults are in their leisure time. Simply training at higher intensities during training sessions isn’t enough. Daily movement outside of training sessions is also necessary to optimize caloric balance.
Creatine Supplementation
Creatine, which is highly researched and thus considered one of the safest supplements, has gained renewed popularity on social media in the last few months. Creatine works by increasing stores of phosphocreatine within the muscle, which is responsible for ATP (energy) production. ATP is the energy that muscles use when they contract. Higher intensities of exercise demand more ATP from the body. When consumed properly, creatine helps stabilize this demand.
While it’s been widely researched in older adults, a recent meta-analysis, published in Nutrients, examined the effects of creatine and resistance training on men and women under the age of 50. Since I’ve also made a cause for optimizing training in younger adult years, I’m including this study here. Creatine supplementation with resistance training showed greater strength gains compared to resistance training alone. However, in this study, when compared to placebo groups, males showed gains where females did not. This could be due to contributing hormonal factors during a woman’s menstrual cycle.
While these studies examined strength outcomes relative to resistance training, muscular contraction is part of every single movement the body produces. Endurance activities like running and cycling may also benefit from creatine supplementation.
Despite this gender disparity in younger to middle aged adults, older adults have shown promising benefits with creatine supplementation due to the age related declines in muscle mass. Creatine has demonstrated improvements in lean muscle mass, strength gains, and functional ability in older adults.
Furthermore, creatine has been linked to improved cognitive function in older adults. Greater certainty in the outcomes on memory function were shown over processing speed, cognitive function and executive function, but it’s a promising start in the realm of research on creatine supplementation in older adults.
Strength Training Recommendations for Older Adults
If you’re an older adult wanting to adopt a strength training routine, here are some guidelines. If you’re brand new to exercise, I recommend finding a reputable trainer credentialed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) who are trained to work with special populations, like older adults.
Intensity: 60-80% of 1RM (1 repetition maximum)
Sets: 2-4
Repetitions: 8-15
Frequency: 2-3 days per week for each muscle group with 1 of these days incorporating power-focused (high velocity) training
Key Points
The training that you accrue in your 20s and 30s will be the starting point for any age-related declines into older adulthood. Building solid training habits, consistency, and an appreciation for function is incredibly important in your younger adult years.
Adults ranging from 65-85 both experienced similar gains in strength when starting a resistance training program. It’s never too late to start. (Have I convinced you, yet?)
Progressive overload in a resistance training program is not just critical, it’s literally how you become stronger. If you’ve been lifting the same weights for years, you haven’t progressed. Simply going through the motions without overloading the body will not elicit strength gains.
Age is only a number. Do not limit yourself to certain activities solely because of your age. If you don’t feel like you’re working hard enough in the class, program, or routine that you’re in, you’re probably right. Find something that will effectively challenge your current training level.
Movement is a gift. Steward it well.
Simply Fit is a free, weekly newsletter written by me, Dr. Amanda Durall, a Kinesiology professor and ACSM certified fitness professional. My goal is to simplify exercise science and deliver practical recommendations to help you achieve your fitness goals. To support my work and help increase its visibility, consider subscribing and sharing with someone you know. Thanks for reading!