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Is It Possible to Prevent Muscle Loss As You Age?

Some muscle loss is natural with aging, but there are steps you can take to preserve as much of your strength as possible.

By Sarah KleinJanuary 31, 2025

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Change is a fact of life. But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to experience or accept. When it comes to the natural aging process, many people look for steps to take that can help ward off the most uncomfortable of those changes. If you’re a little nervous about what’s to come in your golden years, you might also be wondering how to maintain muscle mass as you get older. 

After you turn 30, you can naturally lose about three to five percent of your muscle mass each decade as you age. And while there are some natural reasons older adults lose muscle, there are also a number of factors at play that you can change, starting today.

How and Why You Lose Muscle Naturally

Just like many older adults experience declines in things like vision and hearing with age, some muscle loss is also common and may even be unavoidable. But there are other causes of muscle loss you may have more control over. 

You’re Getting Older

Some amount of muscle loss is pretty hard to avoid. “With every decade of life, we have some more natural loss of muscle,” says Jennifer Hankenson, MD, a physiatrist and assistant professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation at Yale Medicine, who is also board-certified in lifestyle medicine. This is often referred to as sarcopenia, or simply age-related muscle loss.

The issue is often a “change in innervation to our muscle over time,” Dr. Hankenson says. In other words, our nerves naturally supply our muscles with less energy as we get older, resulting in dips in muscle size.

You’re Not Eating Enough Protein

Your muscles are made of proteins, so eating plenty of protein fuels muscle growth. There are lots of different calculations to help you estimate your protein needs for various fitness goals. But no matter how much you’re currently getting, you’ll likely need more as you age to prevent muscle loss. “Our protein requirements actually go up when we're older,” Dr. Hankenson says. “We think adults over the age of 65 really should be looking at a protein intake of 1.2 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight.” 

You’re Not Exercising Strategically

If some amount of muscle loss is part of the natural aging process, then you may not find the effects as noticeable if you start from a stronger place. Dr. Hankenson says you can almost “bank” your muscle gains for now, setting yourself up to have a reserve in store when your body starts changing.

“If we’re not engaging in regular resistance training, if we're not keeping our cardiovascular system in good shape, then we don't have a great overall reserve when we hit that point of aging,” she says.

That said, there are common (and understandable) reasons why you may be less active as you age: Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with a medical condition like arthritis that makes it uncomfortable to move certain joints, she says. Or maybe you’re no longer commuting by bike to your office. “Once we reach retirement age, there's a real decline in physical activity, not only exercise-related activity, but actually non-exercise-related movement, too,” Dr. Hankenson says. 

You’re Dehydrated

If your “bladder control is not quite as good as it used to be,” you might be tempted to drink less water so you don’t have to sprint to the bathroom on the regular, Dr. Hankenson says. But your muscles need water. “Our muscles are made up of a good amount of water, so if we're not getting enough hydration, that affects our muscle mass as well,” she says.

Your Hormones Are Fluctuating

If you menstruate, the approach of menopause could indirectly lead to some muscle loss, Dr. Hankenson says. The hormonal fluctuations during this time period, which can last years for some people, can make you less motivated to exercise, crave less nutrient-dense foods, and get worse sleep, which can all contribute to changes in your body composition over time, she says.

In people who don’t menstruate, testosterone levels naturally decline with age, too. Dips in testosterone make it harder to build and maintain muscle.

Why Maintaining Muscle Is So Important

Your muscles power your every movement. Without muscle mass and strength, it gets harder to climb stairs, put groceries away, stash your carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment, and even get out of bed. And when those daily habits get more difficult, life in general gets harder. “We’re fighting against sarcopenia,” Dr. Hankenson says. “We worry about people becoming more frail and susceptible to illness. By staying strong and improving your muscle mass, you’re mitigating the effects.”

Maintaining your muscle mass and strength also helps you maintain your balance, which makes you less likely to stumble and fall, she adds. And falls are the biggest cause of injury among older adults, according to the National Council on Aging.

3 Ways to Help Maintain Your Muscle Mass

While some age-related muscle loss is likely inevitable, it’s not an entirely lost cause. “Just because that process does happen, it doesn't mean we can't do things to help attenuate the expected age-related decline,” says Leanna Ross, PhD, assistant professor at Duke University of Medicine and a member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, where she researches the effects of exercise on cardiometabolic health and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Here are a handful of steps you can take at any age to build up your strength and mass reserves to protect yourself as much as possible in your later years.

Get Enough Sleep

Easier said than done, we know—especially as we age and our sleep cycles change, Dr. Hankenson says. But try your best to establish healthy bedtime and morning habits that set you up for quality rest. “Sleep is really important, especially for our recovery after workouts, because that's when the body, at the cellular level, is repairing and restoring,” Ross says. “That’s really where the growth of skeletal muscle comes from, the ability to undergo that stress and then recover and rebuild and come back stronger for the next time that muscle encounters that type of stress.”

Plus, sleep (and rest days) helps you feel rejuvenated before your next workout. “Without that rest, we're probably not at peak performance,” Dr. Hankenson says.

Up until age 65, aim for about seven to nine hours of sleep each night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After 65, you may only need seven to eight hours of nightly rest.

Strength Train

It’s important to strength train regularly at any age, but continuing to lift weights—especially ones that are heavy enough to really challenge you, is crucial as you get older, Dr. Hankenson says.

Generally, major health organizations recommend all healthy adults get at least two resistance training workouts a week, but three may be even better, she says. “Work your upper and lower extremities at least two to three times per week, where you're really exhausting those muscles, because that's really what leads to long-lasting effects.”

If you’ve never lifted weights before, no matter your age, “it is never too late to start,” Ross says. “Any type of physical activity or exercise is better than none.” Not familiar with strength training? The Peloton App has loads of engaging, beginner-friendly routines you can follow along with at home.

But also keep in mind that a lot of your daily activities can be considered muscle-strengthening movements too, she adds. If, for example, your mobility makes it challenging to stand up from the couch, you can practice standing up from a chair a few times every day, she says. “We don't always have to focus on the growth of the muscle mass or the strength itself.” Instead, focus on “how we function throughout our life,” she suggests.

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Eat Plenty of Protein

If you’re not already eating at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight, aim higher. To calculate that number for yourself, take your body weight in pounds, and divide it by 2.2 (that’s how many kilograms are in a pound). Multiply that number by 1.2 to get the low end of your protein intake range. Multiply it by 2 to get the high end of your protein intake range. 

Then, make some diet changes as needed with high-protein snacks and other muscle-supporting options. Keep in mind you don’t have to load up on meat to get more protein. “Plant-based protein options are incredibly healthy,” Dr. Hankenson says. Consider eating more beans, legumes, and nuts in addition to lean animal proteins, she says.

Make sure you’re getting enough total calories, too. “As we age, the hunger drive [may not be] as strong as it used to be or things [may not] taste as appealing as they used to,” Dr. Hankenson says. That can mean older adults simply don’t eat enough to maintain muscle mass and end up losing muscle unintentionally, she says. Calorie needs do decline as we get older, but you still need plenty for energy. Depending on your age, sex, and physical activity, you likely need between 1,600 and 2,600 a day, per the FDA. It may help to consult a qualified registered dietician, doctor, or other healthcare provider to help you figure out your nutritional needs.

Takeaway 

Some muscle loss with age is natural. But if you’re not eating enough protein, getting enough sleep, or exercising strategically, you may be more at risk for more dramatic muscle loss as you get older. Maintaining your muscle mass is important to healthy aging because it allows you to remain active and carry out your daily activities with more ease, less pain, and a lower risk of falls or injuries. To maintain as much of your muscle mass as possible, try to fit in at least two strength-training workouts a week, get around seven to nine hours of sleep a night, and eat 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight each day.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.

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