Healthy Aging Starts With Muscle Mass: How Strength Training After 40 Builds Strength You’ll Still Need at 70, 80, and Beyond | holly baxter| Ep. 101

Sep 29

2 min read

Updated: Sep 29

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Muscle Growth After 40: Why Age Is Not the Limit You Think It Is

A lot of people reach 40 and assume the goal has changed.

Instead of getting stronger, they think the best they can do is slow the decline. But the research discussed in this episode paints a more encouraging picture.

On The Superhuman Blueprint Podcast, Drew Griesel sits down with registered dietitian, renowned coach, and professional bodybuilder Holly Baxter to talk about training, nutrition, aging, and what really drives progress.

One of the biggest takeaways is simple: getting older does not automatically mean your ability to build muscle disappears.

Holly points to research involving adults in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s who still gained muscle through resistance training. In one review covering 68 studies and more than 1,400 participants, older adults continued to respond to training across age groups.

That matters for anyone thinking about healthy aging, especially people who want to stay strong and capable later in life.

What Muscle Growth Really Depends On

Age matters, but it’s only part of the picture.

Training history, volume, recovery, and consistency also matter. Holly explains that someone newer to lifting may respond well to two or three sessions a week, while a more experienced person may need more stimulus to keep progressing.

She also makes an important distinction between maintaining muscle mass and building more of it.

For someone who’s been training for a year or two, fewer than 10 direct sets per muscle group each week may be closer to maintenance. Around 15 direct sets may be more appropriate when the goal is growth. The exact number will vary, but the lesson is clear: working hard does not always mean your program is designed to grow.

For busy leaders, this is useful because the answer is not always “do more.”

Start with what your current season allows. Two consistent sessions may support metabolic health and strength maintenance. If growth becomes the goal, increase volume with intention instead of adding random workouts.

That’s a healthier way to think about strength training after 40. Build what you can now, protect it when life gets busy, and keep adjusting over time.

For the full conversation on training, nutrition, building muscle after 40, and aging well, listen to the full episode of The Superhuman Blueprint Podcast.