Speed Matters: Muscle Power, Aging, and Longevity

For years, cardiorespiratory fitness has been recognized as one of the strongest predictors of longevity. Measures such as peak oxygen consumption are closely tied to cardiovascular disease risk and all-cause mortality. At the same time, non-aerobic components of fitness, including muscle strength, balance, and mobility, also play an important role in long term health and survival. You have seen all this before in my prior blog posts.

In a recent paper published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers examined whether muscle power or muscle strength was the stronger predictor of mortality in middle aged and older adults. Their findings suggest that muscle power, the ability to generate force quickly, may be an even more important indicator of longevity than strength alone.

Strength and power are not the same thing

Muscle strength refers to the maximum force a muscle can produce, such as lifting a heavy weight under control. Muscle power reflects how quickly that force can be generated. In simple terms, strength answers the question of how much force you can produce, while power answers the question of how fast you can produce it. Many everyday activities rely far more on power than on strength. Standing up quickly from a chair, climbing stairs, catching yourself during a stumble, or reacting to uneven terrain all require rapid force production. These movements become increasingly important for maintaining independence with age.

Muscle power as a predictor of survival

A study by Araújo et al (2025) followed nearly 3,900 adults aged 46 to 75 years from the CLINIMEX Exercise cohort for more than a decade. Muscle strength was assessed using handgrip strength relative to body weight. Muscle power was measured using a dynamic upper body rowing movement, also normalized to body weight. After adjusting for age, sex, body composition, and multiple health conditions, relative muscle power emerged as a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than relative muscle strength. Individuals with lower muscle power had a significantly higher risk of death, even when their strength levels were relatively preserved. This association was observed in both men and women, with particularly strong predictive value in men. These findings suggest that the ability to generate force quickly may be more closely tied to long term survival than the ability to generate force slowly.

How strength and power decline with age

Aging is associated with declines in both muscle strength and muscle power, but the rate of decline differs substantially. Muscle strength tends to decline gradually, while muscle power declines earlier and more steeply due to losses in movement speed, neuromuscular coordination, and fast twitch muscle fibers.

Based on longitudinal and cross-sectional research, muscle strength typically declines by approximately 5 to 10 percent per decade beginning in midlife, with faster losses occurring later in life. Muscle power, by contrast, declines at a faster rate of approximately 10 to 15 percent per decade, with measurable reductions often beginning earlier than strength. The chart below illustrates this commonly observed pattern.

In early adulthood, strength and power track closely together. Beginning in midlife, power starts to fall more rapidly. With each passing decade, the gap widens. By old age, many individuals retain moderate strength but experience substantial losses in speed, reactivity, and explosive capacity.

Why loss of power has a bigger impact on daily function

Loss of muscle power has direct consequences for daily life. Power influences balance, walking speed, stair climbing, the ability to rise from the floor, and the capacity to recover from a loss of balance. As power declines, functional reserve shrinks, increasing the risk of falls, injury, and loss of independence. The Mayo Clinic editorial highlights that muscle power may serve as an earlier and more sensitive indicator of functional decline than strength alone. Because power reflects both force and velocity, it more closely mirrors the physical demands of real-world movement. From a longevity perspective, preserving power is essential for maintaining independence, confidence in movement, and long-term physical activity.

Power training for longevity

Traditional fitness and clinical approaches have focused heavily on strength, in part because it is easy to measure. While strength remains important, the emerging evidence suggests that focusing on strength alone may overlook a critical dimension of physical function. Training programs designed for long term health should intentionally include power focused movements. This does not mean high risk or uncontrolled exercises. In a longevity focused approach, power training is scaled, deliberate, and safe. Examples include medicine ball slams, controlled rotational throws, faster sit to stand movements, step ups performed with intent, and lighter resistance exercises performed with purposeful speed. When combined with strength training, aerobic conditioning, and mobility work, power training helps preserve the physical qualities most closely linked to independence.

The bottom line 

Strength supports capacity. Power preserves speed, reactivity, and function.

The research highlighted in Mayo Clinic Proceedings makes a compelling case that muscle power is not simply a performance metric, but a meaningful predictor of longevity. Training for healthy aging should reflect this reality by including intentional power work alongside strength, cardiovascular training, and mobility. Maintaining power is not about training like a young athlete. It is about preserving the ability to move quickly, respond effectively, and remain independent throughout life.