Most people struggle to gain muscle after the age of 60. So much so that many are often told confidently that it’s simply not possible anymore.
Yet over the past six months, I’ve helped thousands of people over 60 rebuild strength and muscle inside my online programs. Some of the results have been genuinely incredible – not because these people trained harder than everyone else, but because they made five small, targeted changes that completely transformed their progress.
In this article, I’ll walk you through those five changes and explain why they matter, especially after 60.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this post is not a substitute for individualized medical advice and the exercises are not suitable for every person. Please get checked out before you start any new exercise programme.
First, the Truth No One Likes Hearing
Yes, it is more difficult to build muscle after 60.
Hormonal changes, reduced muscle quality, joint stiffness, and slower recovery all work against you. Together, these lead to something called anabolic resistance, a reduced ability for your body to build muscle in response to training.
A simple way to picture this:
Imagine walking up a steep hill.
Now add a heavy rucksack.
Then weighted shoes.
Then a strong fan at the top blowing you back down.
That’s what muscle building can feel like after 60. Everything seems to be working against you.
But here’s the key point:
You don’t need to remove the hill, you just need to take off the extra weight.
That’s exactly what the next five changes do.
Change #1: Add More Rest, Not More Training
This one surprises people.
Most adults over 60 who struggle to gain muscle aren’t under-training – they’re under-recovering.
What I see again and again is what I call the stop–start cycle:
- Train hard for a few months
- Develop joint aches or niggles
- Push through until injury forces rest
- Rest so long that all progress is lost
- Start again from scratch
It’s frustrating, demoralising, and completely avoidable.
Instead, think of the tortoise and the hare. Slow, consistent progress wins, especially as we age.
Practical guidelines:
- Beginners: 3–4 resistance sessions per week
- Experienced lifters: 4–5 sessions maximum
- Leave 48 hours between working the same muscle group
- If aches creep in, reduce sessions before they become injuries
Consistency beats intensity when recovery capacity is limited.
Change #2: Choose Exercises That Actually Build Muscle
One of the most common mistakes I see in over-60s is relying almost entirely on isolation exercises.
A typical example:
- Bodyweight squats
- Chest flyes
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Knee extensions
- Ab machine
Each exercise targets one muscle which sounds sensible, but is incredibly inefficient.
Isolation exercises:
- Stimulate less total muscle
- Require more time
- Create more joint stress per unit of benefit
The fix?
Prioritise compound movements, exercises that work multiple muscles at once.
Simple swaps can make a huge difference:
- Bodyweight squats → supported machine or hack squats
- Chest flyes → presses
- Bicep curls → rows
- Tricep extensions → close-grip presses
You don’t need to overhaul everything, just choose movements that give you more return for your effort.
Change #3: Use a Proper Range of Motion
This isn’t just what you do, it’s how you do it.
Research consistently shows that short, partial reps (especially tiny squeezes at the top) are the least effective way to grow muscle.
In contrast:
- Full-range movements grow more muscle
- Controlled stretches under load may grow even more
In one study on calf training:
- Small top-range reps → ~3% growth
- Full range reps → ~6% growth
- Stretch-focused reps → ~15% growth
While newer research suggests stretch training isn’t magic, the takeaway is clear: Most people don’t use enough range of motion, especially after 60.
What to do:
- Reduce your weight by ~25%
- Increase the range of motion
- Spend more time in the stretched position
- Move slowly and with control
Less weight, better stimulus, more muscle.
Change #4: Stop Chasing Two Goals at Once
Trying to lose fat and build muscle at the same time is like trying to catch two rabbits with your bare hands.
It can work for:
- Complete beginners
- People with significant weight to lose
- Rare genetic outliers
For everyone else, especially over 60, it usually leads to no progress in either direction.
Here’s why:
- Protein provides building blocks
- But calories provide the energy to build muscle
- Calories are prioritised to the brain and organs
- Muscles get what’s left, only if there’s enough
If you’re in a calorie deficit to lose fat, muscle growth becomes extremely difficult.
A better approach:
- Pick one goal at a time
- For muscle gain, eat 100–200 calories above maintenance
- Track bodyweight and adjust gradually
- Focus on strength, not the scale
You can always diet later, muscle becomes harder to rebuild with age.
Change #5: Train With Enough Intensity (But Not Too Much)
This is the piece that ties everything together.
If training intensity is too low, nothing happens. If it’s too high, recovery breaks down.
After 60, the margin for error is smaller, but the sweet spot still exists.
The best guideline for most people is: 1-3 reps in reserve (RIR)
That means:
- Your last rep feels tough
- The bar slows down
- You could do one or two more, but not many
You should feel worked, not destroyed.
A simple check after each set:
“Do I feel tired but ready for the next set or completely exhausted?”
Aim for the first.
Putting It All Together
These five changes alone solve around 90% of the reasons people over 60 struggle to build muscle:
- Adequate recovery
- Smarter exercise selection
- Better range of motion
- One clear nutritional goal
- Appropriate training intensity
Muscle loss is not inevitable, but the approach must change with age.
Author:
Will Harlow, MSc, MCSP
Over-50s Specialist Physiotherapist, HT Physio – Farnham, UK
If you’d like more structured guidance, check out my book Thriving Beyond 50, packed with safe, practical ways to build strength, mobility, and confidence after 50.