Research co-authored by Andrew Hearn (Lecturer at Hartpury University) suggests that older adults experience less muscle soreness following exercise, which is contrary to the belief that ageing muscles are less resilient.
The study entitled “Advancing age is not associated with greater exercise-induced muscle damage” is published in the Journal of Ageing and Physical Activity (JAPA).
The research provides a comprehensive analysis of how ageing affects muscle function, soreness, and biochemical markers of muscle damage after exercise. By pooling data from 36 studies, researchers found that older adults do not experience greater muscle function loss after exercise compared with younger individuals. Younger adults were categorised as between 18 to 25 and older adults more than 35 years old.
One striking discovery was that muscle soreness was consistently lower in older adults, with reductions of around 34% at 48 hours and 62% at 72 hours compared with younger individuals. Creatine kinase levels, an indicator of muscle damage, were approximately 28% lower in older adults at 24 hours post-exercise.
The findings suggest that, despite physiological changes with age, muscle resilience remains relatively stable, allowing older individuals to continue engaging in regular physical activity without increased concern for prolonged weakness or loss of function.
Interestingly, males showed slightly greater decreases in muscle function after exercise than females. There was no observed impact of upper- or lower-body or exercise type (resistance training or endurance training) on muscle damage markers.
Andrew Hearn said: “This research is important as it contradicts the common assumption that ageing muscles heal more slowly or are more susceptible to damage from exercise. This misunderstanding can deter older individuals from staying active, as they may worry about extended recovery times or increased risk of injury. Exercise has so many benefits not just for our physical health, but also our mental health, something that’s particularly important to raise awareness of during Mental Health Awareness Month.”
If older individuals experience less muscle damage symptoms than previously thought, recovery strategies, training programmes, and post-exercise care could be adjusted accordingly. For example, older adults may not require significantly prolonged recovery periods compared with younger individuals, potentially allowing for more frequent or intense training sessions, leading to better long-term health outcomes.
Overall, this study reinforces the importance of staying active throughout life and dispels myths that ageing equates to frailty or impaired recovery. These findings could contribute to greater participation in fitness activities among older adults, improving overall health, mobility, and quality of life in ageing populations.
The other authors included Dr John Fernandes from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Dr Laura Wilson from London Sport Institute, Middlesex University, Ms Amelia Dingley from Brunel University, Dr Kelsie Johnson and Professor Craig Twist from Liverpool John Moores University, and Dr Kirsty Hicks from Washington Spirit professional soccer team/Northumbria University.
Research is an integral part of life at Hartpury University. Staff and students have extensive opportunities to contribute to knowledge exchange across a variety of industries and topics. Research carried out by Hartpury University, submitted as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 process, has been recognised as ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’, placing Hartpury amongst a prestigious group of well-established institutions.
Hartpury also ranks 4th out of 86 UK universities for Sports Science according to the Guardian University Guide 2025.
