Key TakeawaysMaintaining leg strength could support brain health and reduce the risk of falls as you age.Muscle strength, particularly in the legs, is linked to cognitive function, and regular physical activity can help lower the risk of conditions like dementia.Slow walking speed is associated with reduced social participation, which can increase the risk of cognitive decline and heart disease.If you want to age well, you probably won’t want to skip leg day. Research shows that low muscle strength and leg power might shorten lifespan and reducecognitive functionin older adults.Muscle massstarts to decline when you turn 30.Maintaining muscle strength, especially in your legs, is important for healthy aging and brain function. Studies have linkedsarcopenia—significant muscle loss—to cognitive decline.“The most dynamic [and] the most independent older adult patients I see are those that are active and have stayed active across the lifespan,” saidAmanda McKenna, PT, DPT, a board-certified geriatric clinical specialist and director of the Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute.Staying active and building leg strength can help prevent falls. More than 14 million older adults fall each year, with lower body weakness being a key risk factor.Fallingis a leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults.People who survive often have head trauma, broken bones, or a fear of falling again that keeps them from physical activities.11 Quad-Focused Strengthening ExercisesWhy Is Leg Strength Linked to Cognitive Health?Muscle strength and physical activity also influence brain health. The brain, especially thehippocampus, shrinks with age.The hippocampus is important for memory and cognitive function, and significanthippocampus declineis seen in Alzheimer’s disease.While there is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, regular physical activity can help lower your risk.And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a lot: a 2011 study found that aerobic exercise, likewalking, improved memory and hippocampus size in older adults.“Maintaining strength in the legs through exercise may help protect against conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s, which are conditions that are associated with hippocampus shrinkage, and stronger leg muscles are positively associated with larger hippocampal volumes,” saidMaegan Olivos PT, DPT, MPH, a board-certified specialist in geriatric physical therapy at Denver Health.A 2015 study with identical twins found a strong association between leg power and improved cognitive aging. The researchers used MRIs to study changes in the brain and found improvements throughout the brain, not just the hippocampus.“It’s probably not just affecting areas that might be involved in Alzheimer’s processes—it’s affecting the brain more generally,” saidClaire Steves, PhD, a professor in aging and health at King’s College London and lead author of the 2015 study.Researchers are getting closer to understanding the mechanism that connectsexercise and brain health. More evidence shows that exercise likely improves the body’s communication system and boosts neurogenesis (or the formation of new neurons) in the brain, according to Steves.Weighted High Knees Can Help Improve Balance and Strength as You AgeWalking Speed Matters TooLeg strength can help maintain your walking speed too. A 2016 study found that people with a slowgaitspeed (how fast they walked) were three times more likely to have limited social participation compared to people with a fast gait speed.Muscle weakness, pain,balance issues, neurological conditions, and poor heart health can all contribute to slower gait speed, according to Olivos.People who move slower may find it harder to engage in social activities.Lonelinessand social isolation can increase the risk of cognitive decline, depression, heart disease, and early death.One way to combat a slow gait? Make sure your leg muscles are ready to go. “Strengthening the leg muscles and building power in those muscles will help with gait speed,” Olivos said.What Is the Straight Leg Raise Test Used For?Simple Exercises to Improve Your Leg StrengthIf you want to build leg strength to help you age well, the first step is to talk to your healthcare provider to make sure doing more activity is safe for you. Once you get the green light, start slowly to reduce your risk of injuries.“Once you’re set up safely and cleared for exercise, you can really do a lot of these exercises in your home,” Olivos said.Holding onto the kitchen counter while doing heel raises or marching in place are simple exercises you can practice at home. Try standing up and sitting down from a chair to start. Then, Olivos said you can eventually work up to holding weights or moderately heavy objects you have around the house, like a gallon jug filled with a few cups of water.Finding a way to make exercise convenient for you will make it easier to stick with a new routine. “We just have to change what we initially think of as exercise and just promote activity throughout the day,” Olivos said.What This Means For YouTo support healthy aging, prioritize leg strength and regular physical activity. Building muscle in your legs not only helps prevent falls but also protects brain health and keeps you socially engaged. Start with simple exercises at home, such as heel raises or sitting and standing from a chair, and gradually increase intensity as you become stronger. Always check with a healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine.

Key TakeawaysMaintaining leg strength could support brain health and reduce the risk of falls as you age.Muscle strength, particularly in the legs, is linked to cognitive function, and regular physical activity can help lower the risk of conditions like dementia.Slow walking speed is associated with reduced social participation, which can increase the risk of cognitive decline and heart disease.

Key Takeaways

Maintaining leg strength could support brain health and reduce the risk of falls as you age.Muscle strength, particularly in the legs, is linked to cognitive function, and regular physical activity can help lower the risk of conditions like dementia.Slow walking speed is associated with reduced social participation, which can increase the risk of cognitive decline and heart disease.

If you want to age well, you probably won’t want to skip leg day. Research shows that low muscle strength and leg power might shorten lifespan and reducecognitive functionin older adults.

Muscle massstarts to decline when you turn 30.Maintaining muscle strength, especially in your legs, is important for healthy aging and brain function. Studies have linkedsarcopenia—significant muscle loss—to cognitive decline.

“The most dynamic [and] the most independent older adult patients I see are those that are active and have stayed active across the lifespan,” saidAmanda McKenna, PT, DPT, a board-certified geriatric clinical specialist and director of the Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Rehabilitation Institute.

Staying active and building leg strength can help prevent falls. More than 14 million older adults fall each year, with lower body weakness being a key risk factor.

Fallingis a leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults.People who survive often have head trauma, broken bones, or a fear of falling again that keeps them from physical activities.

11 Quad-Focused Strengthening Exercises

Why Is Leg Strength Linked to Cognitive Health?

Muscle strength and physical activity also influence brain health. The brain, especially thehippocampus, shrinks with age.The hippocampus is important for memory and cognitive function, and significanthippocampus declineis seen in Alzheimer’s disease.

While there is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, regular physical activity can help lower your risk.And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a lot: a 2011 study found that aerobic exercise, likewalking, improved memory and hippocampus size in older adults.

“Maintaining strength in the legs through exercise may help protect against conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s, which are conditions that are associated with hippocampus shrinkage, and stronger leg muscles are positively associated with larger hippocampal volumes,” saidMaegan Olivos PT, DPT, MPH, a board-certified specialist in geriatric physical therapy at Denver Health.

A 2015 study with identical twins found a strong association between leg power and improved cognitive aging. The researchers used MRIs to study changes in the brain and found improvements throughout the brain, not just the hippocampus.

“It’s probably not just affecting areas that might be involved in Alzheimer’s processes—it’s affecting the brain more generally,” saidClaire Steves, PhD, a professor in aging and health at King’s College London and lead author of the 2015 study.

Researchers are getting closer to understanding the mechanism that connectsexercise and brain health. More evidence shows that exercise likely improves the body’s communication system and boosts neurogenesis (or the formation of new neurons) in the brain, according to Steves.

Weighted High Knees Can Help Improve Balance and Strength as You Age

Walking Speed Matters Too

Leg strength can help maintain your walking speed too. A 2016 study found that people with a slowgaitspeed (how fast they walked) were three times more likely to have limited social participation compared to people with a fast gait speed.

Muscle weakness, pain,balance issues, neurological conditions, and poor heart health can all contribute to slower gait speed, according to Olivos.

People who move slower may find it harder to engage in social activities.Lonelinessand social isolation can increase the risk of cognitive decline, depression, heart disease, and early death.

One way to combat a slow gait? Make sure your leg muscles are ready to go. “Strengthening the leg muscles and building power in those muscles will help with gait speed,” Olivos said.

What Is the Straight Leg Raise Test Used For?

Simple Exercises to Improve Your Leg Strength

If you want to build leg strength to help you age well, the first step is to talk to your healthcare provider to make sure doing more activity is safe for you. Once you get the green light, start slowly to reduce your risk of injuries.

“Once you’re set up safely and cleared for exercise, you can really do a lot of these exercises in your home,” Olivos said.

Holding onto the kitchen counter while doing heel raises or marching in place are simple exercises you can practice at home. Try standing up and sitting down from a chair to start. Then, Olivos said you can eventually work up to holding weights or moderately heavy objects you have around the house, like a gallon jug filled with a few cups of water.

Finding a way to make exercise convenient for you will make it easier to stick with a new routine. “We just have to change what we initially think of as exercise and just promote activity throughout the day,” Olivos said.

What This Means For YouTo support healthy aging, prioritize leg strength and regular physical activity. Building muscle in your legs not only helps prevent falls but also protects brain health and keeps you socially engaged. Start with simple exercises at home, such as heel raises or sitting and standing from a chair, and gradually increase intensity as you become stronger. Always check with a healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine.

What This Means For You

To support healthy aging, prioritize leg strength and regular physical activity. Building muscle in your legs not only helps prevent falls but also protects brain health and keeps you socially engaged. Start with simple exercises at home, such as heel raises or sitting and standing from a chair, and gradually increase intensity as you become stronger. Always check with a healthcare provider before beginning a new exercise routine.

13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Castillo-Rodríguez A, Onetti-Onetti W, Sousa Mendes R, Luis Chinchilla-Minguet J.Relationship between leg strength and balance and lean body mass. Benefits for active aging.Sustainability. 2020;12(6):2380. doi:10.3390/su12062380Steves CJ, Mehta MM, Jackson SHD, Spector TD.Kicking back cognitive ageing: leg power predicts cognitive ageing after ten years in older female twins.Gerontology. 2016;62(2):138-149. doi:10.1159/000441029Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.Sarcopenia.Arosio B, Calvani R, Ferri E, et al.Sarcopenia and cognitive decline in older adults: targeting the muscle–brain axis.Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1853. doi:10.3390/nu15081853Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Older adult falls data.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about falls.Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Changes that occur to the aging brain: what happens when we get older.Rao YL, Ganaraja B, Murlimanju BV, Joy T, Krishnamurthy A, Agrawal A.Hippocampus and its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease: a review.3 Biotech. 2022;12(2):55. doi:10.1007/s13205-022-03123-4Alzheimers.gov.Can I prevent dementia?.Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, et al.Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108(7):3017-3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108Warren M, Ganley KJ, Pohl PS.The association between social participation and lower extremity muscle strength, balance, and gait speed in US adults.Prev Med Rep. 2016;4:142-147. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.005National Institute on Aging.Loneliness and social isolation—tips for staying connected.National Institute on Aging.How older adults can get started with exercise.

13 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Castillo-Rodríguez A, Onetti-Onetti W, Sousa Mendes R, Luis Chinchilla-Minguet J.Relationship between leg strength and balance and lean body mass. Benefits for active aging.Sustainability. 2020;12(6):2380. doi:10.3390/su12062380Steves CJ, Mehta MM, Jackson SHD, Spector TD.Kicking back cognitive ageing: leg power predicts cognitive ageing after ten years in older female twins.Gerontology. 2016;62(2):138-149. doi:10.1159/000441029Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.Sarcopenia.Arosio B, Calvani R, Ferri E, et al.Sarcopenia and cognitive decline in older adults: targeting the muscle–brain axis.Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1853. doi:10.3390/nu15081853Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Older adult falls data.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about falls.Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Changes that occur to the aging brain: what happens when we get older.Rao YL, Ganaraja B, Murlimanju BV, Joy T, Krishnamurthy A, Agrawal A.Hippocampus and its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease: a review.3 Biotech. 2022;12(2):55. doi:10.1007/s13205-022-03123-4Alzheimers.gov.Can I prevent dementia?.Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, et al.Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108(7):3017-3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108Warren M, Ganley KJ, Pohl PS.The association between social participation and lower extremity muscle strength, balance, and gait speed in US adults.Prev Med Rep. 2016;4:142-147. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.005National Institute on Aging.Loneliness and social isolation—tips for staying connected.National Institute on Aging.How older adults can get started with exercise.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Castillo-Rodríguez A, Onetti-Onetti W, Sousa Mendes R, Luis Chinchilla-Minguet J.Relationship between leg strength and balance and lean body mass. Benefits for active aging.Sustainability. 2020;12(6):2380. doi:10.3390/su12062380Steves CJ, Mehta MM, Jackson SHD, Spector TD.Kicking back cognitive ageing: leg power predicts cognitive ageing after ten years in older female twins.Gerontology. 2016;62(2):138-149. doi:10.1159/000441029Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.Sarcopenia.Arosio B, Calvani R, Ferri E, et al.Sarcopenia and cognitive decline in older adults: targeting the muscle–brain axis.Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1853. doi:10.3390/nu15081853Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Older adult falls data.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about falls.Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Changes that occur to the aging brain: what happens when we get older.Rao YL, Ganaraja B, Murlimanju BV, Joy T, Krishnamurthy A, Agrawal A.Hippocampus and its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease: a review.3 Biotech. 2022;12(2):55. doi:10.1007/s13205-022-03123-4Alzheimers.gov.Can I prevent dementia?.Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, et al.Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108(7):3017-3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108Warren M, Ganley KJ, Pohl PS.The association between social participation and lower extremity muscle strength, balance, and gait speed in US adults.Prev Med Rep. 2016;4:142-147. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.005National Institute on Aging.Loneliness and social isolation—tips for staying connected.National Institute on Aging.How older adults can get started with exercise.

Castillo-Rodríguez A, Onetti-Onetti W, Sousa Mendes R, Luis Chinchilla-Minguet J.Relationship between leg strength and balance and lean body mass. Benefits for active aging.Sustainability. 2020;12(6):2380. doi:10.3390/su12062380

Steves CJ, Mehta MM, Jackson SHD, Spector TD.Kicking back cognitive ageing: leg power predicts cognitive ageing after ten years in older female twins.Gerontology. 2016;62(2):138-149. doi:10.1159/000441029

Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.Sarcopenia.

Arosio B, Calvani R, Ferri E, et al.Sarcopenia and cognitive decline in older adults: targeting the muscle–brain axis.Nutrients. 2023;15(8):1853. doi:10.3390/nu15081853

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Older adult falls data.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about falls.

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.Changes that occur to the aging brain: what happens when we get older.

Rao YL, Ganaraja B, Murlimanju BV, Joy T, Krishnamurthy A, Agrawal A.Hippocampus and its involvement in Alzheimer’s disease: a review.3 Biotech. 2022;12(2):55. doi:10.1007/s13205-022-03123-4

Alzheimers.gov.Can I prevent dementia?.

Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, et al.Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011;108(7):3017-3022. doi:10.1073/pnas.1015950108

Warren M, Ganley KJ, Pohl PS.The association between social participation and lower extremity muscle strength, balance, and gait speed in US adults.Prev Med Rep. 2016;4:142-147. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.005

National Institute on Aging.Loneliness and social isolation—tips for staying connected.

National Institute on Aging.How older adults can get started with exercise.

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