Research
Hormonal
Aging is associated with a progressive loss of neuromuscular function, specifically a 20-40% decrease in maximal voluntary contractile strength by the seventh and eighth decades, primarily driven by decreased muscle mass rather than reduced neural activation.
If you are in your 70s or 80s, expect your strength to be 20-40% lower than when you were young, mostly because you have less muscle. However, this loss is not permanent or unchangeable. Engaging in resistance training can help you regain strength and maintain independence, even at an advanced age.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
By the seventh and eighth decade of life, maximal voluntary contractile strength is decreased, on average, by 20–40% for both men and women in proximal and distal muscles... the majority of strength loss can be accounted for by decreased muscle mass.
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review of multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with large sample sizes.
Source
Invited Review: Aging and sarcopenia
Timothy J. Doherty · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2003
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00347.2003
narrative_reviewCited 1,766×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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