Training guide
You can build muscle at 50, 60, 70 and beyond. In trials, adults over 50 gained about a quarter to a third in strength and about a kilo of muscle in five months, and people in their 90s more than doubled their leg strength. What changes with age is mostly how fast strength and power fade if you don't train, and how much the training needs to build up.
This guide covers what changes after 50, strength training over 50 (how often, how heavy and how many sets), power and balance, protein, joints, the menopause, testosterone and health conditions, a 12-week starting plan with 3D demos, and how long it takes. If you've had a fall, are frail or are over 65 and less steady on your feet, start with our older adults guide.
Adults over 50 gained 24 to 33% in strength across 47 studies, and about 1.1 kg of lean mass in about 20 weeks across 49 studies. People aged 75 and over gained strength and muscle in 22 trials, and nursing-home residents aged about 90 gained 174% in strength in 8 weeks.
In 287 untrained people aged 19 to 78 on the same programmes, age didn't change the response, though people varied hugely. Absolute gains are a little smaller at older ages, and gains fade faster when you stop.
Muscle shrinks slowly through adult life, and strength falls 2 to 5 times faster than muscle size. The UK guidelines date the natural decline in muscle and bone from around 50, and say strength training helps delay it.
Two or three full-body sessions a week, the big moves first, building over a month or so from a moderate effort to hard sets of about 6 to 12 reps, 2 to 3 sets, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure. Add power and balance work, and walk on other days.
Expert groups advise at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day from 65, and 1.2 g or more if you're active. Our protein calculator works out your range. With kidney disease, ask your doctor first.
Exercise didn't raise serious harm in trials with more than 38,000 people, over 11,000 of them older adults. Check with your GP first if you have heart disease, take diabetes medicines, have osteoporosis with fractures, or have had a recent fall or operation.
See your GP first if you get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness when you are active, if you have a heart condition and want to exercise harder, or if you have had a fall.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before heavy lifting or hard straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists. After a recent shoulder dislocation or shoulder surgery, follow our shoulder dislocation guide or your surgical team first.
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If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
Most people can start walking without a check-up first. Plan with your team first if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, which can cause hypos, or have eye, foot, kidney or heart problems. With numb feet, wear good shoes and check your feet every day. With advanced eye disease (proliferative retinopathy), avoid straining, jumping and head-down positions.
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With osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, avoid repeated or loaded deep rounding of the back, and bend from the hips. The osteoporosis guide covers impact and lifting.
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Muscle shrinks slowly through adult life, by roughly half a percent a year on average, and faster after about 70 to 75. The UK guidelines say strength activities help delay the natural decline in muscle mass and bone density that starts from around 50.
Strength falls 2 to 5 times faster than muscle size: at 75, by about 3 to 4% a year in men and 2.5 to 3% in women. The NSCA (the US National Strength and Conditioning Association) puts the loss at 0.8 to 3.6% a year in healthy older adults. Power, strength produced quickly, falls faster still, which is why lifting briskly matters.
In 49 trials, the extra muscle from protein supplements was smaller with age, and responses to exercise or protein may be blunted in older women. More protein, spread through the day, helps make up for it.
The NHS says men's testosterone falls steadily, by about 1% a year from around 30 to 40, which is unlikely to cause any problems in itself. Around the menopause, women's lean mass tends to be a little lower, though high-quality evidence linking the menopause with sarcopenia is lacking.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle strength and mass that becomes a disorder. It's defined first by low strength (a grip under 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women, or more than 15 seconds for 5 chair rises) and confirmed by low muscle mass. It can begin earlier in life. Our sarcopenia guide covers it.
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In 47 studies of 1,079 people aged 50 to 92, training on about 2 or 3 days a week at about 70% of their one-rep max raised strength by 24 to 33% on the lifts tested. Harder training gave bigger gains.
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In 49 studies of 1,328 people aged 50 to 83, about 20 weeks of training added 1.1 kg of lean mass. More sets added more, and older age a little less.
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A Cochrane review of 121 trials of 6,700 older people, mostly training 2 or 3 times a week at high effort, found large strength gains, easier chair rising, slightly faster walking and a little less osteoarthritis pain. Serious harms were rare, though they were poorly reported.
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In 22 trials of people aged 75 and over, training raised strength and muscle size, with few reported harms. Ten frail nursing-home residents aged about 90 gained 174% in strength, 9% in thigh muscle and 48% in walking speed in 8 weeks.
In 287 untrained people aged 19 to 78 training twice a week for 20 to 24 weeks, age and sex didn't affect the response: muscle size changed by anything from minus 11% to plus 30%, and strength by minus 8% to plus 60%. In another trial, older adults gained 28% in one-rep max against 34% in young adults.
The NSCA works towards 2 to 3 sets of 1 or 2 big moves per muscle group at 70 to 85% of your one-rep max, 2 or 3 times a week, plus power work at 40 to 60%. A UK prescription for sarcopenia uses 2 full-body sessions a week, 1 to 3 sets of 6 to 12, building from a moderate to a hard effort. International guidance starts at 1 or 2 sets and builds to 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12. A pooled analysis of 25 trials found 2 sessions a week, 2 or 3 sets of 7 to 9 reps at 70 to 79% of one-rep max worked best for strength, though the trials were of poor quality.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found that training to failure made no consistent difference, and that it may be inadvisable for older people. Heavier loads built the most strength, and 10 or more sets per muscle a week built more muscle.
In 20 trials of 566 older adults, lifting fast improved everyday function a little more than standard strength training, but the evidence is of low certainty. Minor problems were about 3 per 1,000 sessions against 2, and none were serious.
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In 108 trials of 23,407 older people, exercise cut the rate of falls by 23%, and programmes combining balance work with strength training probably by about a third.
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In 74 trials, eating more protein during strength training added a little more lean mass. In people 65 and over, the benefit showed at 1.2 to 1.59 g per kg a day, but that finding is of low certainty. Across ages, protein gains levelled off at about 1.6 g per kg.
Across more than 38,000 trial participants, over 11,000 of them older adults, exercise didn't raise serious harm. The NSCA calls a well-designed programme with good instruction safe for healthy older adults; injuries came mainly from heavy, repetitive loads, poor positions or the wrong exercise.
Two full-body sessions a week, at least 2 days apart, or 3 if you enjoy it. Once a week still built strength in a large study of gym records, and is a reasonable start if you're very weak.
A squat or leg press, a hinge, a push, a pull, a calf move and a carry. The UK prescription uses 7 machines: leg press, knee extension, leg curl, calf raise, chest press, seated row and pulldown. Free weights work too, and the NHS's gentle home routine starts with 5 sit-to-stands and 3 sets of 5 to 10 wall press-ups, at least twice a week.
Weeks 1 to 4: 1 or 2 sets of 10 to 12 at a moderate effort, about 3 to 5 out of 10. Then hard, about 6 to 8 out of 10: 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping about 2 reps short of failure. That learning month is longer than our plans' 2 weeks, as our gym workout for seniors does; fitter people over 50 can use the plans' 2 weeks (our suggestion).
Two or three hard sets of a main move per session gives each muscle about 4 to 6 a week over two sessions, more with a third session or a second move. Muscle growth was greater at 10 or more sets a week, so our plans for over-50s start below that on purpose and build.
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Rest 1 to 2 minutes between sets, longer on heavy lifts. Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then the smallest weight step.
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Once a move is learned, stand up or press briskly and lower over 2 to 3 seconds. Guidelines suggest power work at moderate loads, 40 to 60% of your one-rep max. The benefit is modest.
A few minutes of balance work after each session and on another day, next to a counter. Build up to 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as brisk walking.
Our editorial starting point, built on the UK prescription for sarcopenia, the NSCA position statement, international guidance for older adults and our plans' shared notes.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Leg press
Twice a week, at least 2 days apart. Our gym workout for seniors puts the machines in order with their doses; the free-weight lifts are in our strength and balance and full-body gym workouts.
3D demoLeg pressBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoLeg extensionBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoMachine leg curlBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoChest press machineBeginner · Strength machine
3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoTrap bar (hex bar) deadliftIntermediate · Other / check instructions
3D demoSeated dumbbell shoulder pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or boxEvery move has an easier version. Add load as reps get easy: a higher step, a stronger band, dumbbells. The NHS starts with 5 sit-to-stands and 3 sets of 5 to 10 wall press-ups, at least twice a week.
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoWall push-upBeginner · A wall
3D demoIncline push-upBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoSupported single-arm dumbbell rowIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSlow calf raiseBeginner · A wall
3D demoSeated knee extension (chair)Beginner · A bench or box + Something with weight
3D demoFarmer's carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebellOnce a move is learned, lift it briskly and lower it slowly, as in our power and balance workout. Do balance work next to a counter.
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoKettlebell swingIntermediate · A kettlebell
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall
3D demoTandem stance and heel-to-toe walkBeginner · A wall
3D demoSide-stepping (sideways walking)Beginner · A wall
3D demoHeel drop (impact for bone)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoGet up and down from the floorBeginner · No equipmentFrom 65, expert groups advise at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for health, 1.2 g or more if you're active, and 1.2 to 1.5 g with an illness. Between 50 and 64, our protein calculator's building-muscle setting (about 1.6 g per kg) applies, as for younger adults.
With training, eating more protein added a little more lean mass in people over 65 at 1.2 to 1.59 g per kg a day. That's a small effect, and the certainty is low. Our protein calculator gives a range of 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg from 65 when you're building muscle.
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Food first: meat, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils and tofu all count. Include some protein at breakfast and lunch as well as your evening meal (our suggestion).
If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before raising your protein or taking creatine; the safety studies were in healthy people.
The PROT-AGE expert group makes the same exception for severe kidney disease.
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You don't need any. In 22 trials of 721 older adults, creatine taken during strength training added more lean tissue than a placebo. No guideline for sarcopenia recommends it, and our sarcopenia guide covers a newer review that found a small extra strength gain but no clear extra muscle. Ask your doctor first if you have kidney disease.
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Strength training eased osteoarthritis pain a little in trials. Joints may ache a little at first, as our older adults guide says; if a joint is hot and swollen, or pain keeps getting worse, get it checked.
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In 101 postmenopausal women with low bone mass, 8 months of supervised heavy lifting and impact work raised spine bone density by 2.9%, against a 1.2% fall with gentle home exercise, with one minor back spasm. It was closely supervised, so learn heavier lifts with a physiotherapist or qualified coach first. Our osteoporosis guide covers which moves to change.
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Strength training keeps muscle and strength through the menopause, and strength and impact work help bone. High-quality evidence that the menopause itself causes sarcopenia is lacking. Hot flushes and HRT are for your GP; our menopause guide has the exercise side.
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You don't need to chase it. The NHS calls the "male menopause" a misleading label: testosterone falls steadily and slowly. If you have symptoms such as low sex drive, erection problems or low mood, see your GP; our testosterone guide covers what exercise does.
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Follow your cardiac or diabetes team's advice (see "Check first"). With high blood pressure, breathe out through every effort rather than holding your breath, as our breathing guide explains.
In pooled trials, age and sex made little difference to the average response. Our plan for women over 50 adds bone-loading and pelvic floor work; our plan for men over 50 adds power, heart fitness and notes on the prostate.
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You'll usually feel stronger within a few weeks, and fitness rose within 3 weeks of training in older men in a small trial. Lean mass rose about 1.1 kg over about 20 weeks in pooled trials. People vary a lot, so compare yourself with your own log.
In 14,690 adults training once a week, strength rose by about 30 to 50% in the first year and levelled off by 1 to 2 years, with age making little difference. That study was observational.
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Older adults needed about 2 sessions a week to keep the muscle they had built, while strength held up on less. If you stop, older adults lose strength faster than younger ones.
Training too gently for too long; only walking, which doesn't build much strength; skipping legs; going to failure on every set; too little protein at breakfast and lunch; and stopping after 12 weeks (our suggestions).
Our gym workout for seniors uses the UK sarcopenia prescription's 7 machines. The strength and balance, bone-strengthening and power and balance workouts cover home and the free weights.
A 50-minute gym session for older adults and sarcopenia: 7 machines for the legs, chest and back from the UK prescription, then a short balance finish.
50 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxStrength and balance in one session: squats, Romanian deadlifts, push-ups, rows, step-ups, back extensions, carries and single-leg balance.
45 minBeginner14 movesA wall, A dumbbellImpact, strength and balance for stronger bones, following UK osteoporosis consensus advice, with options for every level.
40 minBeginner14 movesA kettlebell, Other / check instructionsA 40-minute session of fast sit-to-stands, step-ups and medicine-ball pushes for power, then balance holds and steps beside a counter.
40 minBeginner17 movesA wall, A bench or boxA beginner full-body gym workout: goblet squats, dumbbell bench press, lat pulldowns, Romanian deadlifts and dead bugs, with sets, reps and rest.
45 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, A bandFull-body gym workout B: trap bar deadlifts, cable rows, seated dumbbell press, step-ups, leg curls, push-ups and a Pallof press.
50 minBeginner13 movesCardio machine, Other / check instructionsA 35-minute full-body strength workout with dumbbells: goblet squats, presses, rows, Romanian deadlifts and carries.
35 minIntermediate9 movesA band, A dumbbellA 40-minute strength and balance session for over-65s, built from the Otago home programme and NHS exercises, using a chair, a counter and a step.
40 minBeginner18 movesA bench or box, Something with weightBalance practice in 10 minutes: tandem stance, single-leg stands, marches, heel walks, tree pose and floor transfers.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 20-minute seated workout for older adults who cannot stand for long: marching, leg and arm strength, posture, and sit-to-stands that lead back to standing.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, Something with weightA steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallThe plans for women over 50 and men over 50 put the training, balance and cardio into a week. Over 65 or less steady on your feet, start with the seniors plan.
A weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week workout plan for men over 50: three strength days with power and balance work, cardio and recovery, at the gym or at home, with a 4-day option.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 3-day strength plan for men over 40 with power and bone work, two cardio days and mobility, built on research on ageing muscle.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week plan for women over 40: three strength days, impact for bone, cardio and recovery through the perimenopause, in a gym or at home, with a 4-day option.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginner3 days a weekA 3-day workout plan: three full-body gym sessions a week, alternating workouts A and B, with sets, reps, rest and an 8-week progression.
3 training days45 minBeginnerIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Signs of a stroke: the face drooping, weakness in an arm, or speech problems. Call even if the signs stop.
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Call 999 (911 in the US) if you or someone else has fallen and may have hurt their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up. Keep them comfortable and warm, and don't try to lift them yourself. Get help from NHS 111 if someone has fallen and may be in pain, injured or unwell.
NICE asks for a full falls assessment for people who have fallen in the past year and are frail, were injured, could not get up on their own, lost consciousness, or have fallen twice or more. A falls service can offer a supervised programme such as Otago.
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Get advice soon for any of these:
Muscle weakness you can't explain, or that's getting worse (our suggestion).
Our suggestion: trouble gripping, or a foot that catches, that is getting worse over months is a reason to see a GP rather than to train harder.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
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See a GP if pain spreading down a leg hasn't improved after a few weeks of home treatment, is getting worse or stops your normal activities. Sciatica on both sides, or weakness or numbness in both legs that's severe or getting worse, is a 999 call or a trip to A&E.
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See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
A pop or tearing at the front of the armpit or chest during a lift, followed by bruising into the chest or upper arm, a change in the shape of the chest or armpit, or weakness pushing, can be a torn chest tendon. Don't wait for it to settle: get help the same day from NHS 111 or an urgent treatment centre, as our pec strain guide explains.
A sudden pop at the front of the elbow during a heavy pull, with bruising, a gap at the front of the elbow or a bulge in the upper arm, can be a torn biceps tendon. Go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E (in the US, urgent care or the emergency department), and don't wait for it to settle: repair is best done within the first 2 to 3 weeks.
After heart surgery through the breastbone, or a heart or lung transplant, follow your surgeon's advice before pushing, pulling or lifting with your arms.
Adults over 50 gained about 1.1 kg of lean mass and 24 to 33% in strength in pooled trials, and people over 75 and in their 90s gained too.
Serious harm wasn't raised in over 11,000 older trial participants, and serious problems were rare in 121 trials. The real risks are poor technique, heavy repetitive loads and the wrong exercise, which good instruction prevents.
Most trials used high effort, the NSCA works towards 70 to 85% of your one-rep max, and international guidance calls hard training feasible and effective even in people who are severely frail. Start moderate and build.
Walking is good for your heart, but it doesn't build much strength, as our older adults guide says, and walking programmes haven't been shown to prevent falls. Strength and balance work do the job.
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A little more, not huge amounts: at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg a day over 65, or 1.2 g or more if active, and extra protein added only a little muscle in trials.
The NHS says testosterone falls by about 1% a year, which is unlikely to cause problems by itself, and men over 50 gain muscle and strength with training.
High-quality evidence linking the menopause with sarcopenia is lacking, and in pooled trials women and men gained alike, relative to where they started.
Yes. In pooled trials, adults over 50 gained about 1.1 kg of lean mass in about 20 weeks and 24 to 33% in strength, and people over 75 gained strength and muscle too.
A little. Relative gains were similar from 19 to 78 in one large pooled study, but older adults gain slightly less in absolute terms and lose it faster if they stop. Keeping 2 sessions a week holds on to it.
Two or three full-body strength sessions a week, building over a month from a moderate effort to hard sets of 6 to 12 reps that stop a couple of reps short of failure, plus balance work and enough protein. Our plans for women and men over 50 put it into a week.
Twice a week is the core of the UK prescription for muscle loss, and up to 3 times suits many people. Once a week still builds strength, and keeping two sessions a week helps you keep the muscle you build.
Build up to fairly heavy: the NSCA works towards loads of 70 to 85% of your one-rep max, about 6 to 12 reps. Start at a moderate effort while you learn the moves, and you don't need to go to failure.
From 65, at least 1.0 to 1.2 g per kg of body weight a day for health, and 1.2 g or more if you're active; under 65, the usual building-muscle amount of about 1.6 g per kg. Our protein calculator gives your range. With kidney disease, ask your doctor first.
Yes. Trials in people aged 75 and over found gains in strength and muscle size, and frail people aged about 90 gained 174% in strength in 8 weeks. Our seniors plan and gym workout for seniors start gently.
Yes. Women gained strength and muscle with training in the same trials as men, relative to where they started, and high-quality evidence that the menopause itself causes sarcopenia is lacking. Strength and impact work also help bone; our menopause guide has more.
No. The NHS says testosterone falls by about 1% a year from around 30 to 40, which is unlikely to cause problems by itself, and training builds muscle at any age. Symptoms such as low sex drive or erection problems are for your GP.
For most people, yes, with the right moves. Strength training eased osteoarthritis pain a little in trials, and supervised heavy lifting raised spine bone density in women with low bone mass. With osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, avoid loaded deep rounding of your back and get advice before heavy lifting.
You don't need either. Creatine added some lean tissue in trials of older adults, but no sarcopenia guideline recommends it, and food can cover your protein. Ask your doctor first if you have kidney disease.
You'll usually feel stronger within a few weeks, and in trials lean mass rose about 1.1 kg over about 20 weeks. Strength rose 30 to 50% in the first year of once-weekly training in a large study. People vary a lot, so compare yourself with your own log.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
