Strength Training Can Give Your Brain a Lift

Losing muscle tone can be a normal part of aging — but it doesn’t have to be. Strength training exercises can help slow muscle loss and keep body fat in check.

And there’s another good reason to make muscle-building exercises part of your regular exercise routine: They may help support healthier brain aging.

The impact of muscle loss on the brain

Starting in your 30s, your muscle mass can decline an estimated 3 to 8 percent or more per decade. Then, once you hit 60, the pace picks up, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The spaces the muscles filled become filled instead with fat, in particular visceral fat, which can accumulate around your abdominal organs. Visceral fat may contribute to the development of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease and has been associated with an increased risk of dementia, too.

In a study of 1,164 healthy adults, average age 55, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia in 2026, researchers used whole-body MRI technology to examine participants’ brains, muscle volume and visceral fat accumulation. They found that people with the most muscle mass and the least visceral fat had the youngest-looking brains. Brain aging is often measured by studying the connection between brain cells and changes in brain volume.

A study of 674 dementia-free 70-year-olds published in eBioMedicine in 2025 reached similar conclusions. Participants took cognitive tests and received whole-body scans to evaluate brain structure, total body fat, visceral fat and muscle mass.

Participants who had sarcopenia — muscle loss that has progressed to the point that it causes weakness and makes daily activities difficult — had the lowest cognitive test scores, the researchers found. In addition, participants with greater visceral fat were more likely to have evidence of brain shrinkage.

And a study of 65 mostly inactive women ages 45 and older, published in Maturitas in 2023, found that those who did 15 weeks of strength training significantly reduced their visceral fat levels compared with women in the control group.

Push back muscle loss with strength training

If you get the recommended amount of physical activity each week — two or three sessions of strength training plus 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — you can help keep your body spry and your mind engaged.

Strength training, also known as resistance training, includes any type of exercise in which your muscles contract to lift or move a weight, like bicep curls or squats. You can use weightlifting machines; dumbbells; resistance bands; other types of equipment, such as kettlebells, or simply your own body weight.

If you’re new to strength training, try our videos with fitness expert Denise Austin, where you’ll learn how to do double arm rows and other upper body exercises, lunges, planks and more. Once you have the basics down, check out AARP’s 30-minute muscle-strengthening workout. Or look for in-person classes through your local parks and recreation department, senior center, YMCA or a sports complex.