Have you ever struggled to lift a bag of groceries? How about getting up from the floor after playing with the grandkids? Or climbing stairs? Many seniors report that they have trouble with one or more daily tasks due to a lack of strength.

Seniors often face challenges with everyday activities that require strength and muscle tone. It comes with the territory of getting older. Along with many other physical changes that occur as we age, there are changes to our muscles that can affect strength, flexibility and physical function.

But there are things you can do to support your body to stay strong as you age, or to build strength if you’ve lost it. Strength training is a fabulous way to maintain muscle mass, along with loads of other benefits. And it’s never too late to get started.

What happens to our muscles as we age?

As we age, our bodies undergo physiological changes that can impact muscle strength, mass and overall function. These changes begin around the age of 30 and become more pronounced as we enter our 60s and beyond.

Loss of muscle mass (Sarcopenia): Starting around the age of 30, muscle mass begins to decrease gradually. This process, known as Sarcopenia accelerates around age 60, leading to a reduction in muscle size and strength.

Up to 13% of adults aged 60-70 years, and up to 50% adults over 80 years are diagnosed with sarcopenia and/or clinically significant strength loss.[1]

Decrease in muscle strength: A decline in muscle strength and power can affect daily activities, such as lifting objects, climbing stairs and maintaining balance.
Changes in muscle composition: Ageing leads to an increase in the proportion of fat and connective tissue within the muscles. This can reduce muscle function and endurance, making it harder to sustain physical activity for longer periods of time.
Slower muscle repair and recovery: The body's ability to repair and regenerate muscle tissue slows down with age, leading to longer recovery times after exercise or injury.
Reduced nerve function: The nerves that control muscle movement (motor neurons) can deteriorate with age, leading to decreased muscle activation and coordination.
Loss of flexibility: Tendons and muscles lose their elasticity over time which reduces flexibility and causes an increased risk of strains and injuries.
Reduced cardiovascular capacity: The cardiovascular system becomes less efficient, which can reduce the ability of muscles to perform sustained physical activities, along with other health concerns.

Use it or lose it: Muscle mass for bones, joints and overall health

We’ve all heard the saying “use it or lose it”. Well it’s the same with our muscles. If you’ve ever stopped doing your usual physical activity for a month while on holidays, you’ll know what we mean. It doesn’t take long until your muscles go on holiday too … you start to lose tone and therefore muscle mass.

It’s a lot more complicated than that when we age, with many more factors at play but use it or lose it still applies.

Muscle mass is the total amount of muscle tissue in the body. It consists of skeletal muscles, which are the muscles attached to bones that help us move. Loss of muscle mass and muscle strength contributes to functional decline, reducing mobility and quality of life and increasing the risk of falls. [2] Lean muscle mass is replaced by body fat if it’s not replaced.[3]

Diet, hormones, genetics, illness and physical activity also impact the amount of muscle mass in our bodies.

Maintaining muscle mass is important for:

Staying strong: This helps with daily activities such as lifting, walking, and/ or climbing stairs which supports independence and reduces the risk of falls and injuries.
Metabolic health: Muscle tissue is what we call “metabolically active”, meaning it burns calories even at rest. Building muscle mass can boost your metabolism, aid weight management and reduce the risk of metabolic disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Bone health: Muscle strength supports and protects our bones. Weight-bearing exercises that build muscle also stimulate bone growth and density, helping to prevent osteoporosis and fractures.
Joint support: Strong muscles provide better support and stability to joints, which can reduce the risk of joint injuries and conditions such as arthritis.

Maintaining muscle mass is associated with increased longevity and a better quality of life as we age. It helps preserve physical function and mobility - that means you’re more likely to stay active for longer.

Two older women on yoga mats doing planks for strength training

Exercises guidelines for adults

Current research shows that when performed regularly (2–3 days per week), and achieving an adequate intensity (70–85% of 1RM) and volume (2–3 sets per exercise), strength training increases muscle strength for both healthy older adults and those with chronic conditions.[4]

For adults (aged 18 to 64 years) the physical activity and exercise guidelines promote being active most days, preferably every day of the week. Ideally this looks like:

2.5 - 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity a week (such as a brisk walk, golf, mowing the lawn or swimming)
Or 1.25 - 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity a week (such as jogging, aerobics, fast cycling, soccer or netball)
Or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities a week.
Include strength training on at least 2 days of the week.

For older adults (aged 65 years and over) the guidelines promote being doing:

At least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical every day.
If you find 30 minutes difficult right now, start with 10 minutes once or twice a day and increase to 15 minutes twice a day after two weeks.
Older adults should incorporate different types of physical activity including strength exercises.

Embody Movement Exercise Physiologists can work with you to build a routine of exercises and activities to meet the guidelines and stay as fit and strong as possible as you age.

Older man seated doing bicep curls with a 6kg weight

The benefits of strength training for seniors

Regular strength training helps preserve and increase muscle mass, improve balance, support joint health, aid in weight management and enhance cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels.

Build strength
Maintain bone density, which helps to prevent and manage osteoporosis and frailty by stimulating the growth of muscle and bone.
Improve balance, coordination, and mobility
Reduce the risk of falls
Maintain independence in performing activities of daily life

Strength training can also reduce the signs and symptoms of many diseases and chronic conditions in the following ways:

Arthritis - reduces pain and stiffness, and increases strength and flexibility.
Diabetes - improves glycemic control.
Osteoporosis - builds and maintains bone density, and reduces risk of falls.
Heart disease - reduces cardiovascular risk by improving lipid profile and overall fitness.
Obesity - increases metabolism, which helps burn more calories and helps with long-term weight control.
Back pain - strengthens back and abdominal muscles to reduce stress on the spine.[5]

Build core strength for stability and support

Having a strong core can make day to day tasks easier. The core muscles include abdominals, obliques, lower back, and pelvic muscles. They are like a big cylinder of muscles supporting to stabilise the spine, pelvis and torso during movement.

Building core strength offers many benefits. A strong core provides stability and support for the spine and pelvis, improving posture and reducing the risk of back pain and injury.

Core strength also enhances balance and stability, aiding in everyday activities and reducing the likelihood of falls, particularly as we age. Our core is always working without us knowing, including during strength training!

Types of exercise that can strengthen muscles

Strengthening muscles involves doing exercises that challenge the muscles to work against resistance. This can be achieved by several different methodss.

Resistance training: Uses external resistance such as dumbbells, resistance bands or weight machines to work against the force of the muscles.
Bodyweight exercises: Using your own body weight is a great way to get the body moving and build muscle mass in the comfort of your own home, such as push ups, planks and squats.
Isometric exercises: Holding a position where the muscle is contracted without changing its length, such as wall sits, plank holds and static bicep curls.
Progressive loading: To continue strengthening muscles, it's important to progressively increase the resistance or intensity over time by adding more weight, increasing repetitions or sets, or adjusting the difficulty level.
Rest and recovery: It is important to allow muscles adequate time to rest and recover between workouts. Muscles need time to repair and grow stronger after being challenged during exercise.

Join a strength training class to get stronger

Strength training is ideal for older adults who want to grow stronger, healthier, more active and more independent! Strength training is easy to learn with some support from your local allied health practitioner and is safe and effective for all levels of fitness and ability.

Embody Movement Strength Training Classes

Strength classes provide a dynamic and effective approach to improving overall fitness and well-being. Classes are individualised to your needs and tailored to you and your goals.

At Embody Movement, we offer a variety of strength training classes including:

Strength and functional fitness classes: Run in a circuit style, this class utilises an assortment of strength and cardio equipment such as the rower, jumpbox, steps, weights, kettlebells, battle rope and squat rack to ensure you get a good workout.

Group strength training (semi-private training): Focusing on strength and functional fitness, these classes are kept small and client-specific.

Seniors strength and fitness classes: Run in a circuit style. Each set of exercises is designed to improve base strength to help with everyday tasks.

Different routines and exercises are included to challenge participants of all fitness levels and allow for continuous progression so you get stronger over time. All classes are run by qualified Exercise Physiologists who will ensure you safely complete your exercises and offer guidance and education to any questions or concerns you have.

View our timetable for more details or book a class online.

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