Muscle loss is a common feature of aging.

It’s estimated the body loses 1–2% of its muscle mass per year after the age of 50 and accelerates up to 3% annually after the age of 60.

Resistance training (defined as exercise that requires your muscles to work against a weight or force) may be an effective way to combat this age-related muscle loss.

Interestingly, it’s been demonstrated that even in the oldest of old (85 years old +), resistance training can still build muscle.

On top of this, resistance training is associated with many other health benefits that would likely be a benefit to anyone, regardless of age.

For example, resistance training has been linked to improved sleep, increased bone density, a reduction in depressive symptoms, and reduced risk of falls and fractures.

Now, when it comes to creating a resistance training program geared towards building muscle over the age of 50, scientific studies done on younger subjects may not necessarily be applicable.

Consequently, evaluating resistance training research conducted on individuals above the age of 50 would be necessary to truly identify how this population may optimally build muscle.

In this article, we’ll do just this.

Is Resistance Training Safe for Individuals Over the Age of 50?

Overall, the research supports the idea that resistance training is safe for individuals over the age of 50.

A 2013 systematic review on the effects of resistance training in individuals between the age of 70 and 92 reported only one case of shoulder pain out of 20 studies that included 2,544 subjects.

A more recent 2020 review and meta-analysis found that in 22 studies conducted on individuals between the ages of 75 and 95, there were minimal adverse events. There were only reports of muscle soreness, and in one case, an exacerbation of preexisting osteoarthritis in one individual. The authors concluded: “These results suggest that resistance training can be safe, even for the very elderly”.

Finally, a statement from the American National Strength and Conditioning Association indicates “both research and clinical experience indicate that resistance training is safe for healthy older adults”.

Now, I must mention that this whole article simply outlines the research on how individuals over the age of 50 may optimally build muscle.

If you plan on beginning resistance training, I highly recommend you speak with a health professional beforehand.

Exercise Selection

Exercise selection refers to the exercises you select to perform in your training program.

One of the simplest ways to go about choosing the exercises you perform is to base them on movement patterns.

These movement patterns not only have a carryover to daily life or sporting activities, but they also do a good job of ensuring you train the majority of your musculature.

There are many different ways of classifying movement patterns, below is the one I feel is the simplest and most effective.

Horizontal Push

This movement pattern primarily targets the chest, shoulders, triceps.

As mentioned in a review paper by Ribeiro et al. exploring exercise selection for older individuals, the bench press is likely an effective horizontal push exercise for this population. This exercise can be performed with a barbell or dumbbell.

However, as noted in the Ribero et al. review study, if an individual struggles with the balance and coordination aspect of a barbell or dumbbell bench press, regressing to machine-based horizontal pushing exercises is viable. For instance, you may instead train with a machine chest press.

Horizontal Pull

This movement pattern primarily targets the back muscles (particularly the mid-back) and elbow flexors (the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis).

According to the Ribero et al. review study, a seated cable row exercise may be a near-ideal horizontal pull for individuals over the age of 50.

If an individual possesses or develops the mobility and capacity to perform barbell rows, this may also be viable. Bear in mind, this exercise does heavily load the spine, something that may not be ideal for the oldest of old or those with a history of spinal problems or postural deviations.

Vertical Push

This movement pattern primarily targets the shoulders and triceps.

If an individual possesses the mobility and capacity to perform overhead presses, either with a barbell or dumbbell, this is a viable exercise.

Alternatively, machine-based overhead pressing exercises can work well.

Vertical Pull

This movement pattern primarily targets the back muscles (particularly the latissmus dosi) and elbow flexors (the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis).

As implied in the Riberio et al. review study, the lat-pulldown may a near-ideal vertical pulling exercise for individuals above the age of 50.

Knee Dominant

This movement pattern primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, and adductors.

Squatting motions (a knee dominant movement) are likey extremely beneficial for anyone, including individuals over 50.

For instance, Lima et al. observed significant functional improvements in women over the age of 60 following 7 weeks of exercise including barbell squatting.

If the balance and coordination aspect of the barbell squat is too challenging for an individual, the use of machine-based squat variations (like the smith machine squat or hack squat) is a solution.

Now, the Ribero et al. review mentions that despite these squat variations having a myriad of potential benefits, they do load the spine. Again, it may not be ideal for the oldest of old or those with a history of spinal problems or postural deviations.

Exercises like the dumbbell Bulgarian split squat, dumbbell lunges, or machine-based movement like the leg press can be a suitable knee dominant exercise in this scenario.

Hip Dominant

This movement pattern primarily targets the glutes, hamstrings, and in some cases, the spinal erectors.

The barbell deadlift is one of the most popular hip dominant exercises, and for good reason.

Indeed, in addition to the barbell squats, Lima et al. observed significant functional improvements in women over the age of 60 following a 7-week period of exercise including the barbell deadlift.

But, similar to the barbell squat, this exercise loads the spine heavily. It may not be ideal for the oldest of old or those with a history of spinal problems or postural deviations.

Exercises like the hip thrust or glute bridge can be a suitable alternative in this scenario.

Ankle Dominant

This movement pattern targets the calf muscles.

The main ankle dominant movement I’m referring here to is plantar flexion.

Calf raises are the most common ankle dominant exercise in this regard. This exercise can be performed with bodyweight or even overloaded with dumbbells, machines, or a barbell if an individual finds it comfortable and safe.

Practical Recommendations

Selecting one exercise from each of these movements will sufficiently train the large majority of the human musculature.

In each training session, performing only one of each movement pattern is likely sufficient.

All of the exercises derived from movement patterns are termed compound exercises (exercises that train multiple muscle groups as they require motion at two or more joints).

However, an individual may wish to add some isolation exercises (exercises that primarily focus on one muscle group as it requires motion at one joint) to their routine.

Isolation exercises can be useful for targeting muscle groups or regions that you may feel are understimulated.

One particular exercise that may be useful is a knee extension.

The research demonstrates that squatting motions (a knee-dominant movement) does not result in growth in the rectus femoris (one of the quadriceps muscles). On the other hand, knee extensions do result in significant rectus femoris growth. Accordingly, this exercise can be useful for targeting this muscle.

Furthermore, Fiatarone et al. demonstrated that after 8 weeks of knee extension training in individuals aged 90, leg strength increased by 174% and improved gait speed by 48%. Also, 3 of the 10 participants were able to walk without the assistance of their canes.

Feel free to add and experiment with any other isolation exercises you may see fit.

Repetitions

Repetitions (often abbreviated to reps) refer to the number of times you perform a movement. For instance, the below image depicts five reps on the back squat.

So, now that we’ve established what exercises you may perform in a training session, how many repetitions should you perform for each exercise per set? (more on sets in a moment)

A meta-analysis by Cspoa and Algere found that in individuals above the age of 50, there was no difference in muscle growth between training with heavy weights (a weight you could perform 8–10 repetitions with) or light weights (a weight you could perform 15 to 20 reps with).

Interestingly though, at the muscle fiber level, a meta-analysis by Straight et al. found in individuals above the age of 55, lifting heavy weights was associated with less growth in fast-twitch muscle fibers. This was not the case with lifting lighter weights.

Furthermore, some evidence indicates heavier weights may be more injurious than lighter weights.

Based on all the information, using lighter weights, and therefore higher repetitions, perhaps around 15 or more repetitions, is probably the most sensible way to build muscle in individuals above the age of 50.

As an extra note, the research seems to suggest that these repetitions do not need to be carried out to muscular failure (the point at which you cannot perform any more repetitions with a given load on an exercise) to optimally build muscle in individuals above the age of 50.

Performing 50% of the maximum repetitions you can with a given weight for your exercise sets may be sufficient. As a general rule of thumb, I think performing 50–70% of the maximum repetitions you can with a given load should be sufficient for inducing muscle growth.

Number of sets

Number of sets refers to how many times you perform a cycle of repetitions for an exercise.

For example, 3 sets of 15 reps on the back squat would suggest you first perform 15 reps, take some rest (more on how long you should rest between sets later), then perform another 15 reps, take another rest interval, and then perform the final 15 reps.

In total, the research demonstrates that performing 2–3 sets for each exercise is near-ideal for muscle growth in individuals above the age of 50.

Performing more than this may not be necessary, at least initially.

Individuals above the age of 50 may have less recovery capacity compared to younger individuals after a training session. As a result, an excessive amount of sets for your exercises may be counterproductive in that it may be far too taxing.

That said, as you gain more and more training experience, individuals may wish to increase the number of sets they perform for their exercises.

Doing so may be useful to further spur on progress and get past plateaus. But again, recovery and fatigue should be carefully monitored.

Training Frequency

Training frequency, in our case, refers to the number of times you perform a training session per week.

Meta-analytic data in individuals over the age of 50 points towards 2–3 training sessions per week being beneficial for muscle growth.

By the way, these 2–3 sessions are likely best performed on non-consecutive days to ensure sufficient recovery between training bouts.

Similar to the discussion on sets, training more times per week may be unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.

Individuals above the age of 50 generally appear to require longer recovery durations after training sessions compared to younger individuals. Resultingly, training 4 or more times per week may not allow sufficient recovery between sessions.

Rest Intervals

Rest intervals are the duration of passive rest you take between sets on an exercise.

In younger subjects, it appears that 2.5-3 minutes of rest between sets on an exercise produces greater muscle growth than resting for shorter durations.

However, older individuals may be able to experience optimal muscle growth resting less than 2.5 to 3 minutes between sets.

This is because, counterintuitively, research demonstrates that individuals above the age of 50 may recover faster between sets compared to younger subjects.

This seems odd. As we’ve discussed, after a training session, individuals above the age of 50 generally appear to take longer to recover compared to younger individuals, so why can they recovery faster between sets?

Partially, this might be because on average, older individuals are weaker compared to younger subjects. Research demonstrates that the stronger you are, the longer it takes for your performance to recover between sets.

Furthermore, with aging, there is a decrease in the size of fast-twitch muscle fibers and an increase in the proportion of slow-twitch fibers.

Slow-twitch fibers have quicker recovery abilities and are more fatigue resistant compared to fast-twitch fibers. This would be another potential reason behind why older individuals may be able to recover quicker between sets compared to younger individuals.

Therefore, 1 to 2 minutes of rest between sets should be sufficient for individuals above the age of 50.

In fact, some research indicates this might be superior to longer rest intervals. A study by Villanueva et al. found that in subjects with an average age of 68, resting for 1 minute between sets produced greater increases in lean body mass compared to resting 4 minutes between sets.

Additional Information

Using the mentioned broad guidelines for the main variables of a training program, individuals above the age of 50 should be able to construct a training program according to their preferences, schedule, and goals.

Here’s some extra information that you may find informative.

Differences Between Men and Women

The majority of the research outlined in this article included men and women above the age of 50. Hence, all of the recommendations in this article apply to men and women of this population.

Interestingly, men and women above the age of 50 are capable of gaining the same relative muscle mass, but men gain more absolute muscle mass. This same logic actually also seems to apply to younger men and women.

Think of relative gain in terms of percentages and absolute gains in unit of weight.

The reason men seem to experience greater absolute muscle mass gains is probably simply because they typically have more muscle mass to begin with compared to women.

For instance, let’s say a man has 20 kilograms (kg) of muscle mass and a woman 15kg of muscle mass.

After training for some duration, they both might have gained 8% more muscle mass (the same relative gain).

This 8% gain for the man translates into a 1.6kg gain in muscle mass, whereas for the women, this 8% gain translates into a 1.2kg gain.

Therefore, despite the same relative increase in muscle mass between the man and woman, the man experienced greater absolute gains (just because he began with higher muscle mass).

Can Individuals Above the Age of 50 Build Muscle as Effectively as Younger Individuals?

Interestingly, there is some evidence suggesting individuals above the age of 50 may be able to build muscle as effectively as younger individuals (one, two, three, & four).

However, the majority of evidence does not support this (one, two, three, four, five, six, & seven). That is, younger individuals experience greater muscle growth.

Nonetheless, it’s important not to misinterpret this as saying individuals above the age of 50 cannot build muscle. Significant increases in muscle mass can very likely occur. Moreover, as mentioned in the introduction, it’s been demonstrated that even in the oldest of old (85 years old +), resistance training can still build muscle.