Fitness Levels Significantly Decline After Age 35, Study Says

They say that youth is wasted on the young and when it comes to fitness, the phrase hits hard. Most people don’t think much about their inevitable physical decline when they’re in their teens or early twenties. It’s only years later, when recovery slows and daily activities feel harder, that we begin to have a firsthand grasp of what it means to peak in high school. Now, a 47-year-long Swedish study suggests the physical decline many people associate with "old age" actually begins as early as 35.

Researchers followed over 400 people from ages 16 to 63. Participants completed repeated tests of aerobic fitness, muscular endurance, and power, providing insight into how physical performance truly changes throughout adulthood.

Maximal aerobic capacity and muscular endurance peaked between the ages of 26 and 36 for both men and women. After that, performance began a gradual decline of about 0.3 to 0.6 percent per year, which later accelerated to roughly 2 to 2.5 percent per year with advancing age.

Muscle power, measured using a vertical jump test, peaked around age 27 in men and 19 in women before following a similar pattern of slow early decline that sped up later in life.

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By age 63, overall physical capacity had dropped between 30 and 48 percent from peak levels. The rate of decline was similar for men and women, but differences between individuals widened dramatically with age. Some people maintained relatively high fitness levels, while others experienced significant losses.

Of course, we can't control aging. But it's not all bad news. Researchers say that exercising at any age significantly improves physical performance. So even if you've been sedentary, now is as good a time as ever to start exercising.

"It is never too late to start moving. Our study shows that physical activity can slow the decline in performance, even if it cannot completely stop it," says Maria Westerstahl, lecturer at the Department of Laboratory Medicine and lead author of the study, per Medical Xpress.

Physical decline begins well before it becomes obvious to you. Staying active early and consistently may be one of the most powerful tools for preserving strength, endurance, and independence later in life. Exercise remains the best medicine.

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