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It’s natural to lose muscle and strength as you age — a gradual process known as sarcopenia. But lose too much, and it can pave the way for functional declines and loss of independence.
The good news: There’s a lot you can do to improve your muscle health, prevent falls and preserve mobility at 50-plus. Here’s what you need to know about keeping your muscles healthy as you age.
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What is sarcopenia?
Starting in our mid-30s, we start to lose muscle mass and strength each year, says Roger Fielding, a professor and senior scientist with the Metabolism and Basic Biology of Aging directive at Tufts University. (Muscle mass is the amount of muscle tissue in your body; muscle strength is the amount of force your muscles can exert.)
When the loss reaches a certain threshold so that it interferes with your ability to go about everyday tasks — maybe climbing the stairs becomes more difficult, or walking with friends is off the table — it’s defined as sarcopenia.
A 2025 analysis in Gerontology estimates that nearly 19 percent of older adults globally have sarcopenia, with numbers even higher among those in hospitals and nursing homes.
“Sarcopenia happens to everybody as we get older,” says Keith Baar, a professor of molecular exercise physiology at the UC Davis School of Medicine. That said, you can do a lot to slow the progression of muscle degradation and possibly reverse it.
Causes of sarcopenia
Most often, sarcopenia is caused by growing older. Age-related hormone changes and reduced protein production can decrease the amount and size of muscle fibers. Losing more than 5 percent of your body weight in less than six months and more than 10 percent in more than six months can also raise your risk.
These factors lead to muscle thinning, or atrophy, along with weakness and slower movement. Sarcopenia progression can be amplified if you’re not training with weights or resistance regularly. Physically active older adults tend not to experience the same degree of muscle mass loss, Baar notes.
Sarcopenia risk factors and symptoms
Your risk for sarcopenia may be higher if you:
- Don’t exercise much or at all
- Experience lower levels of muscle-building hormones, which can decrease during menopause
- Don’t absorb and utilize protein effectively
- Are underweight, overweight or have obesity
- Smoke tobacco or drink alcohol
- Have chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis or osteoarthritis
- Are unmarried, live alone or have low income
You may have sarcopenia if you:
- Walk slower than you did in the past
- Have difficulty completing daily activities, including climbing stairs
- Fall regularly
- Have poor balance
- Have reduced muscle size
- Experience less endurance
Without intervention, sarcopenia can lead to falls, fractures, loss of infections, health care-related infections and a higher risk of complications after surgery.
What to do if you think you have sarcopenia
If you feel like your strength has waned, talk to a health care provider, who can offer guidance on how to recoup it.
Fielding says not all primary care doctors understand sarcopenia or are comfortable diagnosing it, but some internal medicine doctors are trained in it. Rehabilitation specialists and geriatricians are also more likely to be knowledgeable about sarcopenia and muscle health in older adults, he adds.
How sarcopenia is diagnosed
Your doctor may ask you to fill out a questionnaire that assesses your strength, your risk of falling, and your ability to walk, rise from a chair and climb stairs. They may also conduct a physical exam and test your muscle health.
Specifically, they may measure your handgrip, walking speed, ability to sit and stand, along with the time it takes to rise from sitting, walk away from the chair, walk back to the chair, and study how you sit back down in the chair. Other tests, like a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA) scan, can measure muscle and fat mass and bone density; a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a cheaper way to assess body fat and mass.
Treating — and preventing — sarcopenia
There’s no magic pill to treat sarcopenia, Fielding says. After a diagnosis, your health care provider may prescribe exercises or send you to physical therapy, especially if you have other health issues. For lasting improvements, you need to continue exercising. Taking classes at your local senior center or joining a YMCA or local gym are smart ways to keep moving, Fielding says.
“Exercise is going to prevent or decrease the rate at which we experience sarcopenia,” Baar adds.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, plus strength training twice a week. This should include balance training about three times a week and some stretching, according to the International Life Sciences Institute.
Older adults can regain strength by lifting weights or working with resistance bands, Baar says. Start at a manageable level, then do enough repetitions until you feel like you can’t lift the weight anymore.
To build muscle, you don’t have to lift the heaviest weight; you just have to get to the point where you can’t lift anymore, Baar says, citing a 2023 report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that found people can build muscle if they lift lighter loads instead of heavy weights to the point of exhaustion.
Even as little as 10 minutes of strength training can be valuable to stave off sarcopenia, Baar says. Try moves that work multiple muscles at once rather than isolated exercises that target a single muscle. Pushing weights overhead, pulling up with your chest or doing squats are exercises that work multiple muscles at a time.
Isometric movements, like planks, are good too. Just don’t do too much too soon if you haven’t tried it before, because an injury can make you less likely to stick with workouts, Baar adds.
We may never be as strong as we were when we were younger, Baar says, but we can be strong for our age.
“The reality is that as we get older, we’re actually more dependent on our exercise than we were when we were young,” Baar says.
30-Day Couch-to-Fit Challenge
Build healthy habits from home with AARP’s Couch-to-Fit Challenge. The monthlong video series takes less than 15 minutes each day. It was curated by Peter Ronai, an exercise science professor, to improve strength, cardiovascular fitness and flexibility. And each video you complete earns you AARP Rewards points you can redeem for gift cards or other perks.
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