Strength should be the beginning and the end, not muscle.

Strength is fitness you can still build well into your 50s, 60s and beyond, but many men quietly stop training. 

This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. - Winston Churchill. 

In my book Halftime, I explore this in more detail. We have skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle and smooth muscle (organs). We can train and control the skeletal muscle, and on average, 36-40% of body weight is muscle.

If you're a man over 50 or even over 60, read on, it's not about going to gym, anyone can do that, it's about building strength, which requires two things, one of which is muscle, and then knowing why muscle mass and strength are important.

Always keep in mind your muscles don't know how old you are.

Keep challenging them. The fight starts when the shift moves from easy muscle maintenance to involuntary muscle loss. When one goes, another moves in. Muscle loss or reduction is often paired with increased fat storage, especially around the midsection. Muscle isn’t just about strength; it’s also a metabolic engine that helps regulate blood sugar, store energy, support joint health, and plays a key role in overall resilience.

Muscle SIZE is NOT the sole driver of strength. More muscle has a higher potential for force production, but strength is part muscular and part neurological.

The Good

Muscle responds directly to stimulus, meaning they adapt to how you use them, not your birthday. Load them up, and they strengthen. Ignore them, and they decline. In simple terms, muscles reflect everyday habits. They are key to how well your body performs overall. 

The Bad

Lose muscle, and your risk of falls, fractures, and the loss of independence can increase. If you want to be kicking ass at seventy, you'd better be above average in the muscle and strength stakes at fifty because well-maintained muscle supports multiple systems across the body, and your future self is counting on the muscle you build now. When muscle is neglected, everything gets harder: movement, energy, recovery, and metabolic health.

When you look at typical longevity measures, they are around factors like weight, waist size, and then physical capabilities like balance, sit-to-stand, grip strength or push-ups, none include muscle size. Think about it, they relate to strength.

The ugly 

Sarcopenia and osteoporosis are age-related conditions and relate to the loss of muscle and bone mass and strength. Combined, they're known as osteosarcopenia. Both can be slowed, maybe even partially reversed; the biggest modifiable driver is inactivity, but hormonal decline, nutrition, and genetics also play a role. Strength training, weights, adequate protein intake, staying mobile and recovering properly are key.

If you’re going to undertrain, under-eat protein, and avoid lifting weights, then don't blame it on your birthday.

Strength. Give me strength!

Strength is one of the most reliable predictors of longevity and independence. Less muscle means fewer calories burned at rest, making a caloric surplus easier. As muscle decreases, belly or visceral fat is stored, which is also the most dangerous type of fat. This leads to less activity, which drives the cycle of increasing fat mass and reducing muscle mass, further exacerbated by reduced testosterone and growth hormone. Visceral fat also drives low-grade chronic inflammation, which is linked to a higher risk of chronic disease and death.

Got your attention yet?

Strength, however, is what stops you from falling and keeps you moving. Muscle size (hypertrophy) and muscle strength do not always correlate directly because force production depends on the nervous system and internal mechanics rather than just physical bulk alone.

Think motor unit recruitment (how many muscle fibers your brain can recruit at once), firing frequency (how fast your brain signals those fibers to contract), and coordination (fiber synchronization) as the second part of strength. Like a V8 engine with one cylinder not firing correctly, you have a V8, just not a powerful as a V8. 

The first couple of weeks of weights, most of your strength gains come from your nervous system learning to use muscle you already have. Think about that for a minute.

After 50, give your muscle a reason to stay. 

This is general information only, not medical advice. Talk to your GP before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a health condition, an injury or take medication.

What happens to muscle after 50

Strength falls faster than muscle size, and that gap is why training matters. A quantitative review of the research on ageing muscle pulled together the studies that measured it. Its main findings included:

1. Muscle size: Men lose a median of about 4.7% of peak muscle mass per decade, though results vary a lot by study and by how muscle was measured. After 70, the loss averages roughly 0.5 to 1% a year.
2. The loss of strength predicts disability and death more consistently than loss of muscle size does. Everyday jobs such as standing up from a chair, climbing stairs or carrying the shopping rely on strength, so it is the quality worth protecting. Studies, however, can disagree on when the decline starts, with estimates ranging from the late 20s to age 60. The average trend heads down, but your own path depends on how you live.

What the research says

Two large reviews point the same way:

1. Strength training works for older adults, and a modest amount goes a long way. It builds strength and helps everyday function. A Cochrane review of 121 randomised trials with 6,700 older people found that progressive resistance training had a large effect on muscle strength. Function improved too, people walked faster (about 0.08 metres per second) and got up from chairs more easily. People with osteoarthritis reported less pain. The authors noted that side effects were poorly recorded and that long-term risks are not well studied. Muscle soreness and joint niggles were common, which is one more reason to start light.
2. A 2022 review and meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 16 long-term studies of adults. Muscle-strengthening activity was associated with a 10 to 17% lower risk of death from any cause, cardiovascular disease, cancer overall and diabetes, as well as lung cancer. The benefit peaked at around 30 to 60 minutes a week. People who combined strength and aerobic activity had a lower risk than people who did neither.

That second finding comes with a caveat. These were observational studies, so they show an association, not proof that lifting weights caused the benefit. Men who train may also differ in other healthy ways.

What the official guidelines say: In Australia, guidelines for 18 - 64-year-olds are to do muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days each week, alongside 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity. This is similar to the USA, which also has a focus on moving more and sitting less during the day. Funnily enough, it's similar in the UK. 

Where to start?

Train the whole body twice a week, keep every set a few reps short of failure, and add weight slowly. That meets the guideline and is enough to get going.

1. Check first. See your GP before you begin if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, joint problems, an injury, or take regular medication.
2. Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. Walk briskly, then do a few easy reps of the movements you are about to lift. This is important and helps to avoid injury. 
3. Cover six movements. Squat or sit-to-stand, hip hinge (bending at the hips with a flat back), push, pull, carry, and a core exercise. Pattern beats machine: any gear can do these.
4. Do 2 to 3 sets of timed or 8 to 12 reps. Pick a weight where the last 2 or 3 reps are hard, but your form holds. Rest a minute between sets.
5. Learn before you load. Spend the first 2 to 3 weeks on technique with light weights. A trainer or physio session early on is money well spent.
6. Progress slowly. When you complete every set at the top of the rep range with good form, add a small amount of weight or one more rep next time.
7. Leave 48 hours between sessions that train the same muscles, and protect your sleep.

Gear. Dumbbells, resistance bands and a sturdy chair cover almost everything at home. A gym adds machines and heavier weights when you are ready. Gyms have all these.

Check out our TTGR structured sessions in the App Store. No subscriptions, download and use ongoing. This is what they're built for, and we use them.

Protein

Protein intake is key, and guidance is usually in grams per kg of body weight, and higher for those who exercise. See our protein intake chart here and remember this is throughout the day, not in a single shake. A protein calculator is also included in our ReSET 30-day App.

Mistakes and myths

Most men over 50 still make these errors:

1. Starting too heavy, with the weights you once used at twenty.
2. Skipping the warm-up.
3. Only doing cardio. Walking and cycling are good, but they don't train strength.
4. Never progressing. The same weights for six months teach your body nothing new.
5. Treating soreness as the goal. Some soreness in the first weeks is normal. Sharp or joint pain is a signal to stop and get it checked.
6. Waiting until you're fitter. Strength is how you get fitter. Begin where you are.

Myth: it is too late to build strength? 
The Cochrane review above found a large strength gain in older people, so it is not too late.

Myth: you need hours.
The mortality review found the benefit peaked at around 30 to 60 minutes a week. Two short sessions can count.

To stay consistent: book the sessions like appointments, keep them short, write down your weights and reps, and aim to beat last week by a little. Get organized.

Stay safe

This article is general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your GP, physiotherapist or accredited exercise physiologist.

• Talk to your GP before you start if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, a hernia, joint problems or an injury, or if you take medication.
• Breathe steadily through each rep. Don't hold your breath. Might cause a pot belly or fainting.
• Stop and get advice if you feel chest pain, dizziness, unusual shortness of breath or sharp joint pain.
• Soreness that eases in a day or two is common. Pain that lingers or gets worse is not normal, so have it checked.

Your bottom line might need the gym

• Strength tends to fall faster than muscle size as you age, and it's the quality that keeps everyday life easy.
• Training works: Older people can gain real strength and function from progressive resistance training.
• Two sessions a week, even short ones, meet the guidelines and are a sound place to start.
• Start light, progress slowly, and check with your GP.

ReSET App

Want to know more? The ReSET App is our 30-day transformation and covers resistance training, movement, nutrition and soft skills like sleep and mindset. A great place to start, no matter where you are. No ads, no subscription and no in-app tracking.

Want a plan to follow? Our TTGR app is built to help you build and keep muscle, our Reset 30-day app can help, and Halftime by Jem Bolt is the handbook for the second half.