Old people with absolutely no lifting experience have the same ability to build muscle as those of a similar age with a long history of strength training. That’s according to research conducted by the University of Birmingham, which found ‘master athletes’ – people over the age of 70 who had lifted weights all their life – and healthy people of the same age who had never followed a structured training plan were able to build muscle mass at similar rates.
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Dr. Leigh Breen, one of the chief scientists involved, said: "Our study clearly shows that it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been a regular exerciser throughout your life, you can still derive benefit from exercise whenever you start.