Unfortunately, muscle mass peaks long before wisdom does. After age 40, we lose about 3% to 8% of it per decade, and after 50 the losses accelerate. Known as sarcopenia, this decline means our muscles don’t respond to exercise the way they once did. For many women, perimenopause makes the uphill climb even steeper, making it tougher to build strength and recover after workouts.
That doesn’t mean it’s pointless to exercise later in life – in fact, it’s fully the opposite. You may not get abs, but your health improves across the board when you strength train: “Regular aerobic and resistance training cuts the risk of almost every noncommunicable disease – type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s,” Leigh Breen, an expert in skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism at Birmingham University, previously told the Guardian.
