Even one strength training session a week could make a difference

Healthy aging is about staying independent, maintaining mobility and continuing to enjoy everyday activities as you get older. For many people, what matters most is being able to get out of a chair without help, carry shopping home, climb the stairs and recover quickly after illness.

One of the most important and well-established factors in healthy aging is muscle strength. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, leads to reduced physical function and mobility.

Over time, muscles become smaller and weaker. This matters because muscle does more than move our limbs: it stabilises joints, supports balance and acts as a reserve during illness or injury.

As muscle strength declines, the risk of falls and fractures increases, particularly in later life. Estimates suggest that sarcopenia affects a substantial proportion of older adults, particularly those over the age of 70.

Sarcopenia is also more widespread in certain groups. Work conducted by my colleagues and I has shown that adults living with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) are at an increased risk of sarcopenia. The good news is that the most effective treatment for sarcopenia is exercise training.

Most people know that physical activity benefits health. However, different types of activity have different effects on the body. Activities such as walking or cycling mainly improve heart and lung fitness. Others are better at strengthening muscles.

Research shows that not all types of activity are equally effective for improving muscle strength and physical function. Because muscle plays such a central role in movement, balance and recovery from illness, maintaining it becomes a key target for healthy aging.

Strength training, also known as resistance exercise, involves working muscles against a force. This can include lifting weights such as dumbbells, using gym machines or resistance bands, or using your own body weight in exercises such as squats, step-ups or press-ups.

Strength training is the most effective way to maintain or improve muscle strength as we age, so should be the foundation of any program aimed at healthy aging. It also improves everyday physical abilities such as walking speed, standing up from a chair and overall mobility.

Effective strength training routines can take many forms. The most important step is getting started and continuing consistently.

Exercises that target the lower body, such as squats or the leg press, are especially important because these muscles allow us to get out of a chair, climb stairs and move confidently. But upper body muscles including the chest, back and arms are also important. They help us carry shopping, lift objects and maintain posture, all of which support independence.

Strength training does not just mean lifting the heaviest weights in the gym. What matters most is that the exercise feels challenging. By the end of a set, your muscles should feel tense and fatigued.