How To Prevent Sarcopenia & Retain Muscle As You Age

On the left side of the screen, a young woman pushes through a set of dead lifts, her arms sweating under the weight of heavy dumbbells. On the right, an older woman bends over to lift a pair of grocery bags with ease. "I do this when I'm younger," reads the on-screen text, "so I can do this when I'm older."

Sarcopenia (from the Greek sarx, "flesh," and penia, "poverty") describes the rapid loss of muscle mass and function.

Studies estimate that between 5%1 and 16% of people over the age of 65 have sarcopenia, though board-certified obesity medicine physician Ali Novitsky, M.D., thinks it may be even more common than research suggests. "By the age of 60, I would say on average, it affects 20% of people. By the time we hit 80, it's about 50%," she tells mindbodygreen.

It's difficult to know sarcopenia's true prevalence, Novitsky notes, since most people don't regularly test their muscle health. (You can't tell just by looking at someone how much muscle they have; different body types will store muscle differently.)

If you want to track changes in musculature, you'll have to shell out for a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan at the doctor or at-home body composition scale like INBODY. Experts note that we need more accessible tools, and some are working to develop an affordable standardized test for muscle health—but this is likely years away.

In the meantime, all of us (particularly women) need to be cognizant of how much muscle we have, as sarcopenia puts us at increased risk of cognitive decline2, increased susceptibility to infection3, and metabolic syndrome4.

"Under-musculature also affects your balance so much, and that can lead to falls," Maria Williams, M.S., R.D., L.D., a sports nutritionist at the University of Georgia (UGA), adds. Sarcopenia is correlated with osteoporosis5, which can also predispose people to potentially devastating falls.

Williams predicts that sarcopenia will only become more common in the future as people are increasingly sedentary and tethered to technology. The rise of GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic could also indirectly contribute to declines in muscle mass. Novitsky, who often works with patients on GLP-1s, notes that up to 25% of every pound of weight lost can be lean mass if the medications aren't paired with a healthy lifestyle.

While cardio comes with tons of benefits, strength training is essential for muscle protein synthesis (the growth of new muscle).

Resistance training (with or without weights) three days a week is more than enough to improve muscle strength and function, notes personal trainer and athlete Angela Gargano. She prefers splitting up workouts into one upper-body day, one lower-body day, and one full-body day—each one incorporating simple moves that can gradually be leveled up over time.

For example, you might start with a standard squat with no weights. Over the course of a few weeks, you can introduce light weights, increase your number of reps, or try more challenging variations like a kickstand squat, sumo squat, or pause squat. You can test how many squats you can do in one minute every six weeks or so to track your progress and stay motivated to keep advancing.

This is just one approach, and at the end of the day, Gargano says, "You need to do something you're excited to show up and do." Play around to find a resistance training routine you enjoy—and don't feel like you need to spend hours in the gym doing it.

You can't build muscle without protein. While your protein requirements will vary depending on your age, activity level, etc., Williams says that most people should aim to eat 25-30 grams at each meal and 15 grams with each snack to promote muscle health.

Spacing out your protein—versus eating most of it at dinner, as many Americans do—ensures that your body gets a steady source of the amino acids it needs to rebuild muscle following exercise. Meat, dairy, and animal proteins tend to be better at stimulating muscle growth7, she notes, but tofu, quinoa, and pea protein are considered high-quality plant-based sources.

Though we may be able to bounce from tough workout to tough workout when we're young, as we age, our recovery becomes just as important as our exercise.