In short:
- Training after 70 should combine strength, aerobic activity, balance and mobility, because the ACSM recommends that older adults avoid a sedentary lifestyle and use varied training (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009).
- The WHO recommends that adults do 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, plus regular muscle-strengthening activity (Bull, 2020).
- Balance and functional exercise are especially important for preventing falls: in a systematic review, exercise reduced the rate of falls by 23% (Sherrington, 2020).
Training after 70 doesn’t mean copying a youthful training plan. It means a smartly dosed training load that supports strength, balance and independent movement. Ageing changes recovery, muscle strength and balance reactions, but the ACSM stresses that regular physical activity helps reduce the physiological effects of a sedentary lifestyle and supports functional capacity (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009). The practical goal is simple: move enough, do strength training consistently and choose a training load your body can recover from.
How does training after 70 work?
Training after 70 works mainly through a repeated, controlled stimulus: muscles have to work hard, the nervous system gets better at controlling movement, and the heart and blood vessels receive a moderate training load. In the context of sarcopenia, it’s important to distinguish between muscle mass and muscle strength. The EWGSOP2 consensus emphasizes that low muscle strength is the key feature of sarcopenia, because strength is linked to everyday function and risks better than measuring muscle mass alone (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019).
Strength training doesn’t have to mean maximal weights. In older age, good starting points are sit-to-stand, wall or elevated push-ups, band rows, hip thrusts, presses with a light dumbbell or a water bottle, and heel-and-toe walking. The training load is right when the last repetitions are challenging but your technique doesn’t fall apart and joint pain doesn’t worsen during training or the next day. If you want to link training to everyday movements, the article What is functional training provides useful background.
What kind of training is safe for someone over 70?
Safe training starts with assessing risks, but it shouldn’t become a reason not to move. If you have chest pain, fainting, rapidly worsening shortness of breath, uncontrolled blood pressure, recent surgery or an acute illness, discuss your training plan with a healthcare professional before you start. For a person with a stable chronic condition, it’s often sensible to start at a lower intensity and increase the training load gradually, because the ACSM position stand on older adults supports combining aerobic, strength and mobility training and avoiding inactivity (American College of Sports Medicine, 2009).
In practice, this means a warm-up, simple exercises, calm breathing and a training log. First choose exercises where you can hold on to a support if needed. For the squat pattern, you can start with standing up from a chair rather than a deep squat. For balance, you can start with a tandem stance next to the kitchen counter. When you train outdoors, the surface, visibility and slipperiness become especially important; for further reading, see Winter, sports equipment and safe training.
How much should you train after age 70?
WHO guidelines recommend that adults do 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, plus regular muscle-strengthening activity (Bull, 2020). The same direction applies in older age, but the training load must be adjusted to your health status, previous training experience and recovery. The WHO’s public physical activity recommendations can be found here: WHO physical activity.
A good weekly plan could consist of walking or cycling, two strength training sessions and balance exercises on several days a week; the WHO recommends regular muscle-strengthening activity for all age groups (Bull, 2020). If you have no previous training experience, consistency matters more than high volume at the start. For example, a shorter walk, a set of sit-to-stands and a couple of balance exercises can be a better start than a long workout that takes several days to recover from.
You can gauge intensity with the talk test. At a moderate training load you can speak in short sentences, but singing would be hard. In strength exercises, keep some reserve at first: end the set before the movement becomes unsteady. If your goal is to reduce body weight or waist circumference, keep in mind that fat loss depends primarily on long-term energy balance; practical background is available in Fat burning and training.
How does training help against sarcopenia and fall risk?
Sarcopenia isn’t just cosmetic muscle loss. It’s a condition that can reduce walking speed, grip strength, the ability to stand up and independence. According to EWGSOP2, low muscle strength indicates probable sarcopenia, the diagnosis is confirmed by assessing muscle quantity or quality, and severity is determined by physical performance (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019). That’s why it makes sense for a training plan to train exactly the patterns you need in daily life: standing up, carrying, stepping, turning and recovering your balance.
The evidence on fall prevention is strong. The review by Sherrington and colleagues covered 116 studies and 25,160 participants and found that exercise reduced the rate of falls by 23% (Sherrington, 2020). Balance and functional exercises reduced the rate of falls by 24%, programs combining several types of training by 28%, and interventions including at least 3 hours per week of balance and function training by 42% (Sherrington, 2020). This doesn’t mean every person will get the same result, but it shows why balance exercises aren’t a side topic in older age.
Hormonal changes, including a drop in testosterone, can affect muscles and recovery, but your training plan should center on measurable behaviors: enough sleep, a nutritious diet, progression in strength exercises and recovery days. For background, read Testosterone and training, but medical decisions shouldn’t be made based solely on how you feel during training.
How to start if you haven’t been very active so far
Start with a low barrier to entry. Choose movement you can do even on a day when your motivation is low: walking, strength exercises at home, easy cycling or supervised training with a coach. In the first weeks, the goal is to learn the movements and pay attention to how you feel. Pain that is sharp, getting worse or changing the way you walk is not a sign of a good workout. Muscle fatigue and mild stiffness can be normal, but they should fade.
A simple home framework looks like this: a warm-up walk or joint circles, then sit-to-stands from a chair, band rows, wall presses, hip thrusts, calf raises and a balance stance close to a support. Once this becomes easy, first increase control and range of motion, then repetitions or resistance. Training after 70 is effective when you can keep it up for months and years, not just for one enthusiastic week.
References
- American College of Sports Medicine (2009). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. PMID: 19516148. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c
- Bull (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine. PMID: 33239350. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
- Cruz-Jentoft (2019). Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age and Ageing. PMID: 30312372. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afy169
- Sherrington (2020). Evidence on physical activity and falls prevention for people aged 65+ years: systematic review to inform the WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. PMID: 33239019. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-020-01041-3
Frequently asked questions
Is training after 70 safe if I have a chronic condition?
Often yes, as long as the condition is stable and the training load is adjusted. If you have chest pain, fainting, an acute illness or uncontrolled symptoms, get medical advice before training.
Is strength training necessary in older age?
Yes. In the approach to sarcopenia, muscle strength is a central feature, and strength exercises help maintain everyday capability, such as getting up from a chair, carrying things and climbing stairs (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019).
How quickly can I increase the training load?
Increase the training load when the exercise is technically solid and your recovery is good. In most cases it makes sense to change only one thing at a time: resistance, volume or the difficulty of the exercise.
Is walking enough?
Walking is a good aerobic base, but in older age your plan should also include exercises that strengthen the muscles and develop balance, because the evidence for fall prevention is strong specifically for balance and functional training (Sherrington, 2020).
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