Are you too old to build muscle?

Does strength training build muscle even in your mid-80s?

Researchers enrolled two groups of people—aged 65 to 75 or older than 85— in the same training program three times a week. Each training session included leg presses, leg extensions, chest presses, and other exercises.

After 12 weeks, quadriceps (thigh) muscle mass rose by about 10 percent, and leg and upper body (arms, chest, back) strength rose by roughly 20 to 50 percent, with no difference between groups.

What to do

Think you’re too old to build strength? You just lost that excuse.