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Take the case of Charles Eugster, a retired dentist who was sedentary for most of his adult life. In his 80s, he found that his body had deteriorated: his muscles had slackened, he had lost most of his strength, and he had a “pancake butt,” as he puts it. “I looked in the mirror one morning, and I didn’t like what I saw.”

That spurred Charles to take up strength training for the first time in his life, at 87 years old. To his surprise, he soon noticed changes and completely rebuilt his body within a few years. Feeling healthier and stronger than ever, he decided to take up running in his 90s, and in 2015, aged 95, he broke the 200-meter world record for his age group at the British Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Eugster wrote, “People have been brainwashed to think that after you’re 65, you’re finished. We’re told that old age is a continuous state of decline and that we should stop working, slow down and prepare to die. I disagree.” 1

Of course, the human body does change as we age, and often in ways we don’t like. As we get older, we begin to lose lean muscle mass and strength. Age-related muscle loss is medically referred to as sarcopenia, a term derived from the Latin words “sarco” for muscle and “penia” for wasting. We naturally lose 3–5 percent of our muscle mass every decade after the age of 30 if we don’t take steps to prevent it. This process accelerates after age 50 when we start to lose about 1–2 percent of our muscles every year! Over time, this loss of muscle and strength can lead to frailty, disability, and decreased function. It also increases the risk of falls, one of the most common reasons older adults end up in the hospital.

In the past, scientists believed that it was impossible to improve bodily functions in the elderly and we were destined to decline in function as we grew older. Some of these beliefs are still commonly held today. But recent studies find these assumptions to be untrue; in fact, they couldn’t be further from the truth. No matter your age, you can increase strength and lean muscle mass through strength training.

Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise analyzed data from 49 studies, representing 1,328 adults over the age of 50 whose muscle mass was shown to increase by an average of nearly a half pound per month with strength exercises. 2 Not only did the exercise reverse muscle loss in older adults, it actually built a lot of new muscle!

Related research found that the intensity of strengthening programs dramatically influenced outcomes. Older adults who participated in higher-intensity programs have been shown to boost their strength by nearly a third more compared to lower-intensity programs. 3

According to Dr. Marcas Bamman, PhD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Exercise Medicine, scientific studies have repeatedly shown that older muscles can grow and strengthen. In his studies, men and women in their 60s and 70s who began strength training developed muscles that were as large and strong as those of the average 40-year-old. 4

Clearly, the time in which we say that older adults can’t improve is long gone. The story of Charles Eugster and dozens of new research studies make it clear that you can rebuild your body at any age. But the benefits of exercise go far beyond improving strength and physical function. Research shows that exercise can actually slow the aging process and optimize health.