top of page

Why We Get Weaker as We Age (And What We Can Do About It)

  • orlithau
  • Sep 6, 2025
  • 4 min read


What Happens to Our Muscles as We Age?


As we get older, we naturally lose muscle. This happens to everyone and starts earlier than most people think—around age 30 to 35 (1,2). At first, we lose about half a percent to 1% of our muscle each year. After age 60, this can speed up to 1-3% per year (1,2).

The muscles that help us move quickly and powerfully (like when catching ourselves from falling) weaken faster than others (3). People who don't do strength exercises lose about 3-8% of their muscle every 10 years (4).


What Else Changes Besides Muscle?


It's not just about losing muscle size. Several things happen as we age:

  • The "power stations" inside our muscle cells (called mitochondria) don't work as well, so we get tired more easily (5)

  • The connection between our brain and muscles gets weaker, making us less coordinated (6)

  • Our bodies become less good at building and repairing muscle (7)


How This Affects Daily Life


These changes can make everyday activities harder. People with significant muscle loss are 1.5 to 4.6 times more likely to have trouble with daily tasks like walking, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries (8).

About 1 in 4 people over 65 fall each year, and weak muscles are a major reason why (9). Falls send over 3 million older adults to the emergency room every year (10).


Is It Just About Getting Older?


Not being active actually causes more muscle loss than aging alone. Studies show that when healthy people stay in bed for just 10 days, they can lose 1-1.5% of their muscle mass each day (11). This shows how much "not using it" makes us "lose it."


The Good News: What We Can Do


Strength Training Works: Lifting weights or doing resistance exercises can increase muscle size by 10-15% and strength by 25-30% in older adults—even those in their 80s and 90s! These improvements can happen in just 8-12 weeks (12,13).

Power Training Helps Too: Exercises that involve quick, explosive movements (like getting up from a chair quickly) are especially good for the muscles we lose fastest (14).

Other Important Things:

  • Eat enough protein (about 25-30 grams at each meal) (15)

  • Get enough vitamin D (ask your doctor about testing) (16)

  • Stay active with walking or other activities you enjoy (17)

  • Get good sleep to help muscles recover (18)


The Bottom Line


While some muscle changes happen naturally with age, most of the problems we worry about—like getting weak, falling, or losing independence—can be prevented or improved with the right activities.


The most important message: It's never too late to start! Even people who begin strength training in their 70s, 80s, or 90s can get stronger and more independent (19).



Stay active with walking or other activities you enjoy
Stay active with walking or other activities you enjoy

References

  1. Lexell J, Taylor CC, Sjöström M. What is the cause of the ageing atrophy? Total number, size and proportion of different fiber types studied in whole vastus lateralis muscle from 15- to 83-year-old men. J Neurol Sci. 1988;84(2-3):275-294.

  2. Mitchell WK, Williams J, Atherton P, et al. Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review. Front Physiol. 2012;3:260.

  3. Nilwik R, Snijders T, Leenders M, et al. The decline in skeletal muscle mass with aging is mainly attributed to a reduction in type II muscle fiber size. Exp Gerontol. 2013;48(5):492-498.

  4. Janssen I, Heymsfield SB, Ross R. Low relative skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) in older persons is associated with functional impairment and physical disability. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2002;50(5):889-896.

  5. Short KR, Bigelow ML, Kahl J, et al. Decline in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function with aging in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005;102(15):5618-5623.

  6. Deschenes MR. Motor unit and neuromuscular junction remodeling with aging. Curr Aging Sci. 2011;4(3):209-220.

  7. Burd NA, Gorissen SH, van Loon LJ. Anabolic resistance of muscle protein synthesis with aging. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2013;41(3):169-173.

  8. Schaap LA, Koster A, Visser M. Adiposity, muscle mass, and muscle strength in relation to functional decline in older persons. Epidemiol Rev. 2013;35:51-65.

  9. Moreland JD, Richardson JA, Goldsmith CH, Clase CM. Muscle weakness and falls in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52(7):1121-1129.

  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2023.

  11. Kortebein P, Ferrando A, Lombeida J, et al. Effect of 10 days of bed rest on skeletal muscle in healthy older adults. JAMA. 2007;297(16):1772-1774.

  12. Peterson MD, Sen A, Gordon PM. Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011;43(2):249-258.

  13. Liu CJ, Latham NK. Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;3:CD002759.

  14. Reid KF, Fielding RA. Skeletal muscle power: a critical determinant of physical functioning in older adults. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2012;40(1):4-12.

  15. Bauer J, Biolo G, Cederholm T, et al. Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14(8):542-559.

  16. Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Dawson-Hughes B, Willett WC, et al. Effect of vitamin D on falls: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2004;291(16):1999-2006.

  17. Paterson DH, Warburton DE. Physical activity and functional limitations in older adults: a systematic review related to Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010;7:38.

  18. Dattilo M, Antunes HK, Medeiros A, et al. Sleep and muscle recovery: endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Med Hypotheses. 2011;77(2):220-222.

  19. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(7):1510-1530.

  20. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(7):1510-1530.

 
 
bottom of page