Can very old people still build muscle with exercise?
Muscle Mass and Strength Gains Following Resistance Exercise Training in Older Adults 65-75 Years and Older Adults Above 85 Years.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The oldest adults (over 85) gained slightly more muscle and significantly more strength than the younger group, though not significantly different.
It’s commonly believed that biological aging sharply reduces muscle-building capacity after 80, but here, the oldest group matched or even outperformed the younger seniors.
Practical Takeaways
Start or maintain a full-body resistance training program three times per week, even if you're over 85.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The oldest adults (over 85) gained slightly more muscle and significantly more strength than the younger group, though not significantly different.
It’s commonly believed that biological aging sharply reduces muscle-building capacity after 80, but here, the oldest group matched or even outperformed the younger seniors.
Practical Takeaways
Start or maintain a full-body resistance training program three times per week, even if you're over 85.
Publication
Journal
International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism
Year
2023
Authors
G. Marzuca-Nassr, Andrea Alegría-Molina, Yuri SanMartín-Calísto, Macarena Artigas-Arias, Nolberto Huard, Jorge Sapunar, Luis A Salazar, L. Verdijk, Luc J. C. van Loon
Related Content
Claims (4)
Everyone can build muscle with consistent strength training over time — if you didn’t gain muscle once, it’s probably not your genes, just that specific training phase didn’t work for you.
Doing full-body strength training three times a week for three months can boost thigh muscle size by about 10–11% in older adults, even for those over 85 — showing that very old age doesn’t stop muscles from growing with exercise.
Older adults, even those over 85, can gain just as much leg strength as younger seniors from 12 weeks of regular weight training — and some even gain a bit more!
Doing full-body strength training three times a week for three months helps older adults, even those over 85, gain about 2% more muscle — and it works just as well for the very elderly as it does for the 'younger' elderly.