How to maintain muscle mass as you age

Published August 2026 | 7 min read
Expert contributor: Tim Douge, accredited exercise physiologist
Words by Sabrina Rogers

Key takeaways

• Sarcopenia is the gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function that can occur with ageing.
• To maintain muscle mass as you age, focus on strength training, protein, recovery, sleep and hydration.
• An accredited exercise physiologist or physio can design a strength training program suited to your age, fitness level and health concerns.

Muscle loss may be a natural part of ageing, but it isn’t inevitable. Discover how to maintain muscle mass with these expert tips.

An estimated one in five Aussies aged 60 and over has sarcopenia, the gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function that can occur with ageing.

While the rate of muscle loss varies from one person to the next, you lose an average of 3 to 8% of muscle mass every decade from your 30s to 40s. The good news is that learning how to maintain muscle mass through the right strategies spanning strength training, nutrition and recovery can help slow, stop or even reverse muscle loss and sarcopenia.

Why muscle matters beyond the gym

Building or maintaining muscle mass as you age may help:

• preserve strength, mobility and flexibility, making everyday activities easier
• support balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls and fractures
• maintain independence and quality of life
• preserve bone density and strength, reducing the risk of osteoporosis
• protect joints, cartilage and ligaments
• support a healthy metabolism and prevent excess weight gain
• improve blood glucose control and decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes
• keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check, reducing the risk of heart disease
• support cognitive function and healthy brain ageing
• reduce chronic pain, including back pain and arthritis
• improve recovery from illness, injury and surgery
• boost mood, body image and self-esteem
• improve sleep quality
• contribute to a longer lifespan and healthspan - the number of years spent in good health.

How to build muscle: The basics that work

When people start strength training, common questions include: How often should I do strength training sessions? How long does it take to build muscle? Is it better to use light or heavy weights? And how many reps are needed to build muscle?

“Strength training as little as once a week can help you maintain existing muscle mass and strength, but I don’t generally recommend doing the bare minimum,” says Tim Douge, an accredited exercise physiologist. “Two to three times a week is ideal and will help stimulate muscle growth.”

As for how heavy you should lift and how many reps you should do, there’s no magic formula.

“You can use heavier weights with fewer reps or lighter weights with more reps,” says Tim. “As long as you’re achieving a similar level of volume and fatigue, you’ll build muscle mass.

“If you do want to lift heavy, make sure to start light and gradually increase the weight over time to prevent injury. When you’re able to complete one to three sets of eight to 12 reps of an exercise without feeling fatigued, that’s a good indication you’re ready to increase the weight.”

If you’re new to strength training or returning to it after illness or injury, you may start to see improvements in a short span of time.

“But the duration and severity of the injury you’re recovering from can introduce some complex factors that might slow you down initially,” notes Tim. “It’s important to take your time to get back into it to avoid getting injured again.”

If you’re managing osteoarthritis, eligible HCF members can access a range of evidence-based joint health programs including our No-Gap GLA:D^® Knees Program, Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life Program and HCF Health Coaching for Knee Osteoarthritis^*. You can also learn simple exercises to strengthen your knees and support joint health while exercising.

HCF Health Coaching for Healthy Ageing also provides eligible members^{^} with personalised support to help improve strength, stability and independence, while focusing on reducing the risk and impact of falls.

Nutrition for muscle: What you need

Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to repair and rebuild muscle tissue after exercise, supporting muscle growth, strength and long-term physical function.

The Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand recommend:

• men aged 19 to 70 eat 0.84g of protein per kg of body weight per day (or an average of 64g a day)
• women aged 19 to 70 eat 0.75g of protein per kg of body weight per day (or an average of 46g a day).

But for athletes and active people who want to build muscle, those daily targets can be as high as 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight. For someone who weighs 75kg, that’s 90 to 120g of protein a day.

While significantly increasing your protein intake may feel daunting at first, spreading it across three main meals and one or two snacks a day can make it more achievable. And choosing a wide variety of protein-rich foods, particularly plant-based options like legumes, nuts and tofu, will support your overall health.

See how much protein different foods contain with this quick guide.

• Lean beef or chicken (100g cooked): 30g
• Fish (100g cooked): 25g
• Canned tuna (95g or one small tin): 21g
• Yoghurt (200g), hard cheese (40g) and tofu (100g): 10g
• Milk or soy milk (250ml): 9g
• Cottage cheese (60g) and raw nuts (30g or one handful): 8g
• Eggs (one medium) and peanut butter (25g or 1 tablespoon): 6g
• Canned chickpeas, cannellini beans or kidney beans (75g or ½ cup): 5g
• Quinoa (½ cup, cooked) and Weet-Bix (2 biscuits): 4g

Need more dietary advice? Eligible HCF members can get discounted access or access at no extra cost to the evidence-based CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet⁺, which combines a high-protein, low-GI eating plan with exercise and proven weight management tools to help improve habits and create lifelong positive behaviours.

Recovery, sleep and the habits that make training sustainable

Prioritising recovery, sleep, training consistency and hydration can reduce your risk of injury and maintain your muscle mass gains over time.

“If you’re new to resistance training, you shouldn’t do more than three sessions a week because you’ll need about 48 hours of recovery between each one,” Tim explains.

“You’ll also need a bit more recovery time than you used to when you’re strength training over 50. It puts stress on connective tissues [joints, ligaments and cartilage] that are less supple and stretchy than they used to be, and the neurotransmitters required to produce muscle contractions take longer to replenish. But you can mix strength training up with cardiovascular and balance exercise if you like to be active most days.”

Taking enough time off between strength sessions is a good start, but getting adequate sleep – 7 to 9 hours a night – is also a crucial part of recovery.

“Sleep plays a vital role in muscle repair, so consistently missing out on it can make it harder to maintain muscle mass and overall health as you age,” says Tim.

And while you’ve probably heard consistency is the key to making progress, did you know it can reduce your risk of injuries too?

“Stopping and starting can leave you more vulnerable to injury, particularly if you try to return to high training loads after a break,” says Tim.

Finally, don’t forget to drink plenty of water, even if you don’t sweat much during training.

“Dehydration can accelerate the loss of stretchiness and suppleness in your connective tissues,” Tim explains.

Need support to reach your goals? The HCF Healthful app can help you track your training progress and manage your health in real time^#.

When to get professional support and what your HCF cover includes

“If you haven’t done strength training before, I’d encourage you to see an exercise physiologist first to get some advice and a training program,” says Tim. “Or you can see your GP to get a clearance to exercise if you’re unsure whether it’s safe for you.”

Depending on which extras cover you have, you can claim on a range of services like physiotherapy and exercise physiology^**. Check your policy or contact us to make sure you’re covered. Exercise physiologists focus on using exercise to improve health, manage chronic conditions and support physical function. Physios diagnose and treat injuries and movement problems.

You can use our Find a Provider tool to find an exercise physiologist or physio in our No-Gap network to reduce your costs.

If your doctor or healthcare professional recommends exercise or a gym program for a health condition like osteoarthritis, diabetes or osteoporosis, you may be able to claim towards the cost with HCF. Ask your doctor, physio or other allied health provider to fill in the exercise and gym benefits form.

Get 100% back on popular extras

Need to book an appointment? You can get 100% back^{^^} on one initial consult per year with a physio, chiro or osteo. Our No-Gap network has over 17,000 participating provider locations, helping you access care with less worry about bills.