Research
The evidence base.
Plain-language summaries of the science on sarcopenia prevention, resistance training in older adults, and healthy aging in Canada. Written for adults 55–70 and their families. Educational only — not medical advice.
What is sarcopenia, and why does muscle loss accelerate after 50?
Age-related muscle loss is gradual, common, and largely preventable — but most people have never heard the word for it.
Read summary →Why resistance training is the highest-leverage prevention for muscle loss
Decades of randomized trials point to the same conclusion: lifting against resistance, progressively, is what rebuilds aging muscle.
Read summary →Protein and muscle in older adults: what the evidence supports
Aging muscle responds less readily to protein — which is why both how much and how it is paired with training matter.
Read summary →Falls, frailty, and independence: the case for prevention
Strength is not about athletics in later life — it is about staying out of hospital and living on your own terms.
Read summary →Canada's physical-activity guidelines for older adults, explained
The national guidelines already recommend muscle-strengthening twice a week. Most older Canadians do not meet it.
Read summary →Getting started: safe strength training at home after 55
You do not need a gym, equipment, or experience to begin. You need a plan, good form, and a reason to keep showing up.
Read summary →Balance training: simple ways to lower your fall risk
Balance is trainable, like strength. A few minutes of practice a day measurably reduces the odds of a serious fall.
Read summary →It's never too late: starting strength training in your 70s and 80s
Some of the most striking gains in the research come from the oldest participants. Age is not a reason to skip it — it's a reason to start.
Read summary →Foundational references
Our program design and these summaries draw on the published evidence base for resistance training and aging. Key starting points:
- —ACSM Position Stand: Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
- —Cruz-Jentoft et al. — EWGSOP2 Sarcopenia consensus (2019)
- —Stuart Phillips lab publications — McMaster University Exercise Metabolism Research Group
- —Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults aged 65+ (CSEP)