Are You Ever Too Old to Start Strength Training?

An 88-year-old grandfather from Lancashire has recently become an unlikely fitness star.

Mick Wadge began exercising at home after losing his wife, using a broom handle and milk containers because that was what he had available.

He later began training properly with a personal trainer. Now, at 88, he can deadlift 100kg, bench press 60kg and squat 60kg.

Videos of Mick training attracted thousands of followers and eventually caught the attention of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who sent him a personal message:

“Love what you are doing. Keep pumping!”

It is a great story, but the most important part is not how much Mick can lift.

It is that he started.

Am I too old to start strength training?

For most people, the answer is no.

You do not need to have exercised throughout your life. You do not need any experience with weights. You certainly do not need to be able to lift anything close to 100kg.

Strength training can be adapted to your current ability, whether you are 40, 60, 80 or beyond.

The place you start will be different from someone else’s. That is exactly how it should be.

Someone might begin with a bodyweight squat to a bench. Someone else might use a light dumbbell or resistance band. Another person might already be ready to learn a deadlift.

The exercise is only appropriate if it is appropriate for the person doing it.

Why does strength training become more important as you age?

As we get older, we gradually lose muscle mass and strength unless we do something to maintain them.

That can affect much more than how much weight you can lift in a gym. It can influence your ability to:

• Get up from a chair or the floor

• Carry shopping

• Climb stairs

• Play with your children or grandchildren

• Maintain your balance

• Recover from illness or injury

• Continue living independently

Strength training is not simply about building bigger muscles. It is about preserving your ability to do everyday things comfortably and confidently.

The NHS recommends that adults complete muscle-strengthening activities involving all the major muscle groups on at least two days each week.

However, a significant proportion of adults are not currently doing that.

Could strength training help you live longer?

A large study published in 2026 followed nearly 150,000 adults using data collected over approximately 30 years.

Researchers found that people completing around 90 to 120 minutes of resistance training each week had a 13% lower risk of premature death than people who did none.

The people who combined strength training with aerobic exercise, such as walking, swimming, cycling or running, experienced the strongest association with lower mortality risk.

This was an observational study, so it cannot prove that strength training directly caused people to live longer. But it adds to an already substantial body of evidence supporting the health benefits of maintaining strength.

The useful part is that 90 to 120 minutes is not an enormous amount of exercise.

It could be two or three focused sessions each week.

You do not need to train every day. You do not need to spend hours in the gym. You need a sensible plan that you can follow consistently.

Do older adults need to lift heavy weights?

“Heavy” is relative.

For Mick Wadge, that might mean a 100kg deadlift. For somebody attending their first session, it could mean standing up from a bench while holding a light weight.

Both can be strength training.

The resistance needs to be challenging enough to encourage your body to adapt, but appropriate enough that you can maintain good technique and recover properly.

Over time, the exercises or weights can gradually become more challenging. This is known as progressive overload.

Progress does not have to mean chasing enormous numbers. It might mean:

• Completing an exercise with better control

• Using a slightly greater range of movement

• Performing another repetition

• Moving up to the next weight

• Feeling more stable and confident

• Recovering more comfortably afterwards

The goal is not to prove how strong you are on your first day. It is to become stronger than you were when you started.

Is strength training safe for older beginners?

Strength training can be safe and effective when it is properly coached and matched to the individual.

Problems are more likely to occur when someone does too much too soon, copies a workout that was not designed for them or uses a weight they cannot control.

A good coach should ask about your health, exercise history, injuries and current ability before deciding how you should train.

They should also teach you how to perform each exercise, monitor your technique and adjust the session when necessary.

If you have not exercised for some time, or you have a medical condition or specific health concerns, the NHS recommends speaking to your GP before beginning.

What if I feel intimidated by gyms?

This is one of the biggest barriers for many beginners.

People worry that they will not know what to do, will be noticeably less fit than everyone else or will be judged for using light weights.

The truth is that you are not supposed to know what to do before you have been taught.

You would not avoid taking driving lessons because you could not already drive. Joining a coached gym should work in much the same way.

You should be shown what to do, given a suitable starting point and supported while you learn.

That is particularly important if you have never trained before or are returning after a long break.

How should an older beginner start strength training?

Start with two properly structured sessions each week.

Focus on basic movement patterns that support everyday life, including:

• Squatting or sitting down and standing up

• Pushing

• Pulling

• Bending and lifting

• Carrying

• Stepping or lunging

• Bracing and maintaining balance

You do not need to master everything immediately.

A good beginner programme introduces exercises gradually and allows time for your body to adapt. You should leave your early sessions feeling as though you have exercised, not as though you have been hit by a bus.

Consistency will do far more for you than one heroic workout followed by a week of soreness.

It is not too late, but waiting will not make starting easier

It is easy to assume you have missed your chance.

Perhaps you have never considered yourself sporty. Maybe you have spent decades prioritising your career, children or other people. You might feel embarrassed about how much fitness you have lost.

None of that prevents you from starting now.

Mick Wadge’s story is impressive because of what he can do at 88. But it is also a reminder that your starting point does not determine where you can get to.

You do not have to become a viral weightlifter.

You might simply want to carry your shopping more easily, feel steadier on your feet, reduce the chances of becoming frail or remain capable of doing the things you enjoy.

Those are more than good enough reasons to begin.

At Gather, we specialise in helping people who do not feel comfortable in conventional gyms. Every new member starts with individual support, and our small-group personal training sessions are coached throughout.

You do not need to arrive fit.

You just need to be willing to start.

Book a call with Ian to talk about your goals and whether Gather would be the right place for you.