How to Build and Maintain Muscle After 40 — and Why It Matters

Turning 40 does not switch off your ability to build muscle. The useful question is not whether you are 'too old' to lift, but whether your training is consistent, appropriately challenging and sustainable. Age-related changes in muscle tend to matter more over time, particularly alongside inactivity or illness, but people do not all follow the same trajectory.

Why does muscle matter? Strength helps with ordinary tasks: getting up from a chair, carrying shopping, climbing stairs and keeping up with the activities you enjoy. In older adults, a Cochrane review of progressive resistance training found improvements in strength and some measures of physical function. That evidence is largely from older populations, so it should not be read as a guaranteed outcome for every person in their forties.

Your bones matter too. The Royal Osteoporosis Society explains that suitable strength exercise can help maintain or improve bone strength. Resistance exercise is part of a wider bone-health picture, not a guarantee against osteoporosis or a replacement for assessment and treatment when needed.

The simplest starting point is two whole-body strength sessions each week. The NHS guidance for adults aged 19 to 64 recommends strengthening activities for all major muscle groups on at least two days. For adults aged 65 and over, NHS guidance also emphasises balance and flexibility on at least two days. Strength work complements rather than replaces aerobic activity.

A practical session might combine a sit-to-stand or squat variation, a hip hinge or bridge, a push, a pull and a carry. Bodyweight, resistance bands, machines and free weights are all options. Choose versions you can control, begin with a manageable number of sets and repetitions, and allow time to practise. A coach can help adapt movements to your experience and comfort; there is no single set of exercises everyone must do.

To keep progressing, make the work gradually more challenging when it feels appropriate. That might mean a little more resistance, another repetition with good control or a more demanding exercise variation. Record what you do so you can notice changes over weeks and months, but do not force a heavier weight every session. Progress is not linear, and soreness is not a measure of whether a session worked.

Food supports the work you do in the gym. The British Dietetic Association's sport nutrition guidance explains that building muscle requires resistance training alongside enough energy and protein, and that many people can meet their needs through a balanced diet rather than supplements. Include protein-containing foods across meals, eat enough to support your activity and avoid treating a single protein number as universal. If you have kidney disease or other medical dietary needs, seek advice from a GP or registered dietitian before increasing protein substantially.

Recovery is part of a repeatable programme. Leave room for easier days, sleep as well as you can and adjust training when work, stress or illness makes recovery harder. You do not need a supplement stack, punishing sessions or a strict transformation deadline. Building strength can be a long-term practice at 42, 62 or 82, with the right starting point for your circumstances.

If you are returning after a long break, have osteoporosis, a recent fracture, persistent pain, a heart condition or another health concern, ask your GP or an appropriate clinician what activity is suitable before increasing training. Stop and seek advice if an exercise causes concerning pain, dizziness or chest symptoms. This article is general information, not individual medical advice.

At Labs Fitness in Shoreditch, we can help you choose a realistic starting point and build a plan you can keep following. Read our beginner's strength-training guide, explore personal training, or book a consultation to talk through your goals.