After age 30, you begin to lose as much as 3% to 5% per decade. Most men will lose about 30% of their muscle mass during their lifetimes. Less muscle means greater weakness and less mobility, both of which may increase your risk of falls and fractures.
Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60 [4,5]. This involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is a fundamental cause of and contributor to disability in older people.
After you turn 40 or so, your muscle strength and function start to decline, even if you exercise regularly. A new study by University of Guelph researchers suggests why it happens and may point to ways to stem the losses.
The cause is age-related sarcopenia or sarcopenia with aging. Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you'll still have some muscle loss. There's no test or specific level of muscle mass that will diagnose sarcopenia.
According to experts, it varies depending on age and fitness levels, but it may be quicker than you think. “Every person is different… but it typically takes takes two to three weeks to [lose strength],” said Sergio Pedemonte, a Toronto-based certified personal trainer and founder of Your House Fitness.
For most people, strength loss occurs after two to three weeks of inactivity, says Molly Galbraith, a certified strength and conditioning specialist. But it depends on why you take the break. “If you are sick, your body is overstressed, so you'll start to lose strength after two to three weeks,” she says.
Strength peaks at age 25.
Your muscles are at their strongest when you're 25, although for the next 10 or 15 years they stay almost as hefty - and this is one of the traits that can be most easily improved, thanks to resistance exercise.
Your muscles are their strongest at age 25. At 25, your physical strength is at its peak, and stays this way for the following 10 to 15 years. This trait is among the ones you can improve easiest, with the help of the right workout.
Numerous experts recommend resistance and weight training as the best ways to rebuild muscle. And in addition to building muscle mass, this type of exercise increases bone mass, which is another key to remaining mobile as you age.
According to the research, the average American starts feeling old at the age of 47. Similarly, the average respondent starts to really worry about age-related bodily changes around 50 years old.
Three things tend to happen to our muscles as we age, Professor Reaburn says. "The first is muscle strength and power decline linearly from around 30 or 35 to 50 years, then faster between 50 and 60 or 65, then drop off after 65." You see a similar pattern with muscle mass, he adds.
Ageing, an inevitable process, is commonly measured by chronological age and, as a convention, a person aged 65 years or more is often referred to as 'elderly'.
Muscle. After you turn 50, you start to lose muscle at a faster rate. Your physical strength can get weaker, too. The best way to stop this slide is to lift weights or do strength training exercises like lunges and squats 2 to 3 times a week.
It's never too late to build muscle and strength. You can build muscle no matter your age. A proven strength training program for building muscle after 50 is to lift two or three days per week, doing 10 sets per muscle and week, with about 8–15 reps per set. Eat a healthy high-protein diet.
It's common to lose muscle mass as you get older. But by exercising, choosing the right foods, solving nutrition challenges and controlling your diseases, you can stave off the loss and stay strong.
By many metrics, men in their 30s have a lot going for them and could be considered in their prime. Why? They've usually found a comfortable place in life, often including: A good career or a job they love and have been at for a long time.
- In the study, men's desirability peaks at age 50. But women's desirability starts high at age 18 and falls throughout their lifespan.
Tip. Men and women typically reach their physical peak in their late 20's to early 30's. After this time, muscle mass, strength and flexibility begin to decline.
🔸 The average age of World's Strongest Man medalists is 29 years and seven months. The youngest W.S.M. champion was 24, the oldest was 38.
Older Guys Can Still Make Gains
They found that guys between 35 and 50 years old built just as much muscle as those between 18 and 22 years old. DEXA (duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry) scans showed that the college-aged men gained around two pounds of muscle, while the middle-aged men put on 2.5 pounds of muscle.
Aging process leads to a distinct muscle mass and strength loss. The decline of the muscle strength of people, who were younger than 40 years, in comparison to those, who were older than 40 years was ranged between 16.6% and 40.9%.
“It takes about one-third to one-half as long to regain strength and muscle as to lose strength and muscle,” Nuckols explains. “So, if you were out of the gym for six months, you should be able to regain the vast majority of the strength and muscle you lost within two to three months.”
Although it's hard to offer a concrete timeframe, you may be able to regain the strength lost from three months of detraining in just a couple of months. One study found elderly men who paused their training for 12 weeks were able to rebuild the strength they'd lost (roughly 35%) in just eight weeks.