No, it isn’t too late.
People in their 70s, 80s, and 90s get meaningfully stronger when they start strength training, and beginners tend to see the biggest response to training.
You also need far less than you’d guess: 30 to 60 minutes of lifting spread across a week is a great starting point.
Here’s the science, three ways to begin, and a client who started at 57 and is still going at 77.
A reader wrote me this week. Her whole email was one sentence:
“Is it too late if you’re a 71-year-old woman?”
That hits deep. That fear of: have I missed my window?
I want to share with you what I shared with her, because the science behind this is actually super cool and empowering.
Heck no, it isn’t too late! 💪
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What happens when you start strength training later in life
Your body doesn’t have a cutoff age.
People in their 70s, 80s, and 90s still get stronger when they start lifting. And it meaningfully improves how they move through their lives.
And if you’re someone who hasn’t trained before, or hasn’t trained in a while, I have even better news.
As a beginner, your body is even more sensitive to training. Translation: you get even more reward for your effort!
In the first few weeks, most people feel stronger before they look any different.
That’s because a lot of early strength is actually your muscles and brain learning to coordinate. The movement gets smoother. Standing up from a chair feels a little easier. Etc.
Over a few months, muscle starts to build.
Your bones respond to the load too (strength training is one of the best-supported ways to support bone health as we age.)
Balance gets better.
You’ll start to feel some muscle in your arms that you didn’t notice there before, like this reader who’s been doing workouts 3x/week and kicking butt with it:
“Sometimes I’ll scratch my arm and be shocked because it doesn’t feel like my arm. My arm is flabby, what is this muscle that I’m feeling?”
🔥 💪 🙌
Is every body different? Yes. Does it also depend on sleep, nutrition, and what else life is throwing at you? Also yes.
But the direction is the same for everyone. No matter your age, you can make a meaningful impact in your overall health, fitness, and quality of life!
How to start strength training after 70: three ideas to get you going
1) Don’t start with workouts. Start with practice.
Take a few minutes each day to learn and practice a couple of strength moves.
You’re not training yet. You’re getting acquainted.
Try some push-ups off of the wall or the countertop.
Sit down in a chair, slow and controlled, and practice keeping your weight evenly spread across your feet (that’s a squat right there!)
Grab a gallon jug, some light dumbbells or canned goods or whatever you have on hand, and practice a one-arm row. See if you can feel it in your upper back as you pull the weight up.
Work within whatever your ability level is, what feels safe and approachable to start.
You’re collecting information about what your body is ready for, and learning exercises like you’re learning a new skill.
2) It takes way less than you think.
30-60 minutes of strength training in TOTAL across the week goes a surprisingly long way.
You can break that up however works best for you. A short 5-10min session most days of the week, inserting some “movement snacks” throughout the day, or a couple of longer sessions 2x/week, etc.
It doesn’t require hours of your day to make serious progress.
3) It’s easier to level up than to cut down
Because your body is more sensitive to strength training, you’ll likely feel more sore in the beginning.
So in general, I recommend you err on the side of less is more.
If you do a few short sessions during the week, and wake up the next day feeling great with little to no soreness, great! You can add a bit more the next week.
Mentally, I’ve also just found it’s way easier to be “leveling up” than having to cut back, which really helps with building that early momentum.
Becky started at 57. She’s 77 now.
Becky, a Nerd Fitness coaching client, is someone I immediately thought of when I read that initial email. She’s 77, and didn’t start going to the gym until she was 57. Here’s what she had to say:
“I have been in the (Nerd Fitness) coaching program for 3-1/2 years. I love this program, and my coach.”
“I believe fitness success is all about finding movement that I LOVE! I love to walk outside, (and inside in bad weather), row, strength train, and swim. NF also does a great job in helping me modify workouts, especially when I’ve had injuries (I’ve had total knee replacement and physical therapy for knees and shoulders.)”“Learning more about what makes me tick from NF has lead to success in my decision to keep moving as I age. You’re never too old to exercise.”
I couldn’t have said it any better myself, Becky. 😊
No matter your age or where you’re starting from…YOU GOT THIS! 💪
-Matt
Whenever you’re ready, here are more ways we can help
1) Here’s an article with a bunch of different bodyweight exercises and progressions you can do at home.
2) Our coaches build programs specific to you and your needs. Here’s the exact system we use.
