Pilates Fitness Friday: Strength Training After 60

Active woman over sixty smiling while lifting light dumbbells during a strength training session.

This subject has become increasingly important to me personally because I am now over sixty myself. Once you cross that line you start to think differently about strength, mobility, and maintaining the ability to do the things you enjoy.

Even if you are not over sixty, many of your clients will be. In most Pilates studios this age group forms a large part of the community. Understanding how the body changes with age is essential if we want to keep our clients moving well.

One of the main issues we face as we get older is something called sarcopenia. This is the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength that happens with ageing. It does not arrive suddenly one morning, but it does slowly creep in. Research shows that adults can lose around three to eight percent of muscle mass per decade, and the rate increases after sixty.

The problem is not just about losing muscle size. Strength and coordination also decline because the nervous system becomes less efficient at recruiting muscle fibres. This affects balance, posture, and the ability to perform everyday activities.

The encouraging news is that resistance training can slow down or even reverse many of these changes. Studies consistently show that people in their sixties, seventies, and even eighties can increase strength significantly when they train regularly.

From a Pilates perspective, we already have a wonderful system for building strength safely.

The apparatus allows us to use resistance in a very controlled and progressive way.

Springs give us resistance without forcing joints into positions that may feel unstable. The Reformer, Cadillac, and Tower allow clients to work through a full range of movement while still feeling supported.

One thing I often emphasise is the lowering phase of a movement. When a muscle controls the return of a movement it is working eccentrically. This type of work is extremely valuable for maintaining strength and tendon health. Pilates naturally encourages this kind of control.

Lower body strength is particularly important as we age. Exercises such as Reformer footwork, supported squats on the Cadillac, and controlled standing work help maintain the strength needed for walking, climbing stairs, and simply getting up from a chair.

Standing work is another key element. It challenges balance and coordination and encourages the body to stabilise itself in a more functional position.

At the same time, we should not forget mobility. Preparing the joints before loading them makes movement more comfortable and helps maintain range of motion, which often declines with age.

Strength training after sixty is not about pushing harder and harder. It is about maintaining independence, confidence, and the ability to move freely.

For me personally, this has become a very real reminder that the work we teach is not just exercise. Pilates gives us a way to keep the body strong, coordinated, and resilient as we move through the different stages of life.

References

European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Sarcopenia: Revised European Consensus on Definition and Diagnosis. Age and Ageing. 2019.https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/48/1/16/5126243

American College of Sports Medicine. Resistance Training for Older Adults. ACSM Position Stand. 2009.https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/resistance-training-for-older-adults.pdf

World Health Organization. Ageing and Health. 2023.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health

American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 11th Edition. 2021.https://www.acsm.org