Research Says This Is the Age You Peak Athletically—but Don’t Let That Stop You Later in Life

7 min readAs a woman nearing my mid-30s, I have a distinct sensation that a clock is ticking—counting down my potential fertile years, for sure, but also the remaining time I have to feel, act, and perform like a healthy, young-ish adult. It’s not exactly a mystery where this pressure is coming from. Look no further than this headline that recently screamed across my Instagram feed: “New data suggests if you aren’t fit by age 35, you likely never will be.”Luckily, they got it (mostly) wrong. The data that post was referencing—a 47-year longitudinal study that followed a few hundred people in Sweden from ages 16 to 63—didn’t find that being inactive earlier in life means you’ll never be fit. What it did find, however, is that certain fitness markers peaked by the mid-30s.Meet the experts: Natalie Ribble, CSCS, is the chief of staff and head coach at Seattle Strength and Performance. Madison Shaw, RDN, is a trainer and registered dietitian for MIORA, a personalized performance and longevity program at Life Time. Mariam Zakhary, DO, is a sports medicine physician, clinical advisor at Ikon Recovery Center, and medical director of rehabilitation and human performance and leader of the women’s sports program at Mt. Sinai.If you’re reading this, though, that doesn’t mean it’s all over for you once you hit 35. Yes, aging eventually slows things down. But, take heart: The experts I spoke to aren’t worried that you’ve passed your prime—and say you shouldn’t be, either. Here’s why we “peak” and, more importantly, how we can keep performing past that point.When Women Tend to Peak Athletically—and Why Athletic peak timing doesn’t only vary from person to person, but also sport to sport—and depending on the abilities required, says Natalie Ribble, CSCS, chief of staff and head coach at Seattle Strength and Performance.“If we look at power, for example—being able to move weight quickly or do explosive things—that tends to peak earlier,” Ribble explains. “Whereas endurance tends to peak quite a bit later.” That’s why you might see top ultrarunners crossing the finish line in their 30s and early 40s, whereas Olympic gymnasts often hit the height of their career in their early 20s or even teens. Generally speaking, though, if you look at the big picture of athleticism, the late 20s and early 30s are when most women reach their peak, she says.Take that Swedish longitudinal study, for example. The researchers found that muscular endurance (measured by bench press repetitions) and estimated absolute aerobic capacity peaked in women at age 34 and 35, respectively. Meanwhile, muscular power (measured by a jump height test) peaked at just 19 years old. A 2015 systematic review of elite athletes found the same broad pattern: peak age ranged from about 20 to 27 in explosive and sprint events and increased with endurance-event duration, reaching about 39 in ultra-distance cycling.“Peak age isn't a fixed destination; it's more like a window you can push wider with the right inputs.”As for why all this happens, research has some ideas about that, too. Several age-related changes can gradually erode your athletic capacity. One is reduced neural drive, or your nervous system’s ability to recruit your muscles, Ribble says. There’s also age-related loss of muscle mass, and a decrease in the function of the type II muscle fibers that are key to generating strength and power.But wait, there’s more. Cardiovascular changes can reduce aerobic capacity, lowering VO2 max. The menopausal transition may also contribute to changes in VO2 max and body composition, both of which can take a hit on athletic performance, adds Madison Shaw, RDN, a trainer and registered dietitian for MIORA, a personalized performance and longevity program at Life Time.However, there’s a lot more that goes into an athletic peak than biology. If you’ve never run a half marathon and decide to train for one at 45, you’re going to run your best half ever in that decade of your life—peak be damned. In women, specifically, social factors also have a huge impact. “Women’s peak ages have been creeping up over the past few decades. Olympic data going back over a century shows this pattern consistently, and men's peak ages haven't budged in that same window,” Shaw says. Why? They're finally getting the training, coaching, and support to do so, she says.So, yes, there are undeniable physiological realities that come with aging—but “peak age isn't a fixed destination; it's more like a window you can push wider with the right inputs,” Shaw says. And knowing that you may have passed your biological peak shouldn’t stop you from finally running that marathon, learning to surf, or becoming the best pickleball player on the court.How to Stay Athletic Past Your Technical Peak Although research has identified average peak ages for different sports and certain fitness markers, those numbers don’t completely dictate your performance trajectory. “An athlete can reach new levels of physical fitness well into her 30s and 40s, even though some physiological attributes naturally begin to decrease with age,” says Mariam Zakhary, DO, a sports medicine physician, clinical advisor at Ikon Recovery Center, and medical director of rehabilitation and human performance and leader of the women’s sports program at Mt. Sinai.Yes, genetics and biology set a ceiling, but “in my experience almost nobody gets close to it,” Shaw says. Other factors like training history, nutrition, and injury management matter enormously too.Here’s what you can do to optimize performance later—and keep that going longer—in life.Prioritize Strength TrainingThis is the number one recommended technique for maintaining not only athleticism, but also better everyday function, according to the experts. Starting at about age 30, women lose an estimated 3 to 5 percent of their muscle mass per decade. Around menopause, bone loss temporarily accelerates, reducing bone density by an average of 1 to 2 percent per year for about five years, then slowing to a rate of 0.5 to 1 percent per year (on par with men of the same age).To combat both, you don’t need to be a bodybuilder or get a six-pack, but you do need to strength train, no matter your sport of choice, Ribble says. “That’s just a non-negotiable, both from a performance standpoint and an injury-prevention standpoint,” she says.This workout plan is designed specifically to build strength in your 50sAt minimum, aim to target all your major muscle groups twice per week with some sort of strengthening activity. In those sessions, make sure to include lots of single-leg, single-arm, and functional core training, Ribble says. “Most of what you do in sport and, honestly, in everyday life requires high stability and is often performed on one leg, so we want our training to mimic that,” Ribble says. Meanwhile, single-arm work allows you to increase the challenge on your muscles while putting less total load on your spine, and core training builds the strength and coordination necessary to stabilize, rotate, and transfer force—“which is super important in sport and athleticism,” she explains.Tap Into Your PowerBiologically speaking, you may have hit your power peak in young adulthood, but that doesn’t mean your ability disappears. Training power in your workouts—that is, your ability to absorb and produce force quickly—builds strength, helps preserve type II muscle fiber function, and can support bone density.“Make sure you’re jumping, skipping, hopping, sprinting, because that’s a very use-it-or-lose-it type of thing,” Ribble says. Add jumping rope, skips, pogo hops, ladder drills, squat jumps, box jumps, and/or broad jumps to help preserve power and neuromuscular function as you age. You can dedicate a full day to power work, or make it as simple as adding some of these drills to the end of your strength-training warm-ups (think: two to three sets of 15 to 20 seconds per move). “It doesn't take much to maintain these skills, but it is easy to lose,” Ribble says.Take Nutrition Seriously“Nutrition is where I see the biggest gaps, and honestly the biggest opportunity too,” Shaw says. Consistently underfueling your workouts wrecks strength, endurance, recovery, and training adaptation in so many women who don't even realize they're doing it, she says.Dr. Zakhary agrees: “Chronic under-consumption of calories can negatively affect an athlete's ability to adapt to training, negatively affect bone density, adversely affect menstrual cycles, and negatively impact injury recovery instead of assisting in becoming leaner or faster.”Beyond getting a healthy number of calories, Shaw recommends: eating plenty of protein (1.8 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day); ensuring you’re getting enough calcium and vitamin D for bone health (at least 1,000 mg and 15 mcg/600 IU per day, respectively); and replenishing carbs (1.0 to 1.5 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight) post-exercise so the body has the fuel it needs to adapt from your training.Manage Recovery, Training Load, and Injuries MindfullyMany athletes fizzle out at younger ages due to overuse injuries and the psychological toll that athletics can take, Ribble says.Even if you’re participating in athletics recreationally later in life, there’s a lesson to be learned there: You can prolong your competitive window by managing workloads carefully, rehabilitating injuries rather than just pushing through them, and adjusting recovery needs throughout your life, according to Dr. Zakhary. This involves building a well-balanced routine that includes a mix of endurance, strength, power, mobility, and reocovery.Just Don’t Slow DownUltimately, the experts here want you to take the idea of a research-backed average athletic peak and toss it out the window. “Athletes should measure themselves relative to the requirements of their sport and their own training history, not to an arbitrary age chart,” Dr. Zakhary says. “Consistent training habits, adequate fuel, strength, recovery, and identifying pain quickly are often far more important to your abilities than your chronological age.”The most important thing is that you keep moving—in a variety of ways—as you age, rather than assuming age should slow you down. “Whether you're 45 and running recreationally or 35 and getting back into competitive sport after having kids, the research on master athletes is genuinely encouraging,” Shaw says. “Aerobic decline can be meaningfully slowed with consistent training, and women who fuel and train well can perform at a high level well past when their ‘peak’ is supposed to happen.”Find the Perfect Women’s Health Training Program for YouJustin SteeleRona Ahdout//Hearst OwnedLauren Mazzo, CPT, is a writer and editor with over a decade ofexperience covering health, fitness, and wellness. She’s heldeditorial positions at Shape, POPSUGAR, and Peloton, and written forpublications and brands including Self, Glamour, Well+Good, Equinox,and Travel + Leisure. Lauren is also a certified personal trainerthrough the American Council on Exercise with additionalspecializations in behavior change, fitness nutrition, and functionaltraining. After spending four years as a digital nomad and visitingmore than 40 countries, she’s now based in New York City. When she’snot writing or working out, you can catch her hopping on a flight orlearning to surf, ski, or mountain bike.