Study finds peak physical shape age
A long-term Swedish study found that people hit their top physical shape between ages 26 and 36.
After that, strength and endurance start to dip—slowly at first, then faster as you get older.
Researchers tracked several hundred people for nearly 50 years
Researchers tracked several hundred people for nearly 50 years.
After age 35, physical abilities like endurance and muscle power drop by about half a percent each year at first, speeding up to over 2% per year later.
By age 63, most had lost up to almost half of their peak strength.
Good news for older adults
Elite athletes hold onto more of their fitness as they age compared to the general population.
But here's some good news: even starting exercise later in life improved physical capacity by about 5-10%.
As lead researcher Maria Westerstahl put it, "physical activity can slow the decline in performance, even if it cannot completely stop it."
So staying active really does pay off at any age.