Power, Not Just Strength: What a 2025 Mayo Clinic Study Means If You Train After 45
The short answer: In a 2025 study of 3,889 adults aged 46 to 75, upper-body muscle power (force multiplied by speed) predicted the risk of dying over about a decade better than handgrip strength did. Strength still matters. But if all your training is slow and heavy, adding some controlled speed is worth a conversation with your physio.
- Power is how quickly you can produce force. It is what gets you out of a low chair fast, or lets you catch yourself after a trip.
- In the Mayo study, people in the lowest power group had a much higher death rate than those in the highest. Grip strength alone did not show a statistically clear gap.
- The study shows an association. It does not prove that training power adds years.
- A 2025 global expert consensus supports fast, controlled power work for older adults where it is safe to do.
Two people can lift the same weight. One stands from a low chair in a single smooth movement. The other pushes up through both hands. A strength test often cannot tell them apart. A power test can.
What is muscle power, and how is it different from strength?
Strength is how much force a muscle can produce. Power is force multiplied by speed, so it is how much force you can produce quickly.
Daily life leans on power more than most of us notice: standing up fast, taking the stairs, stepping out to stop a fall. Expert groups now single it out because muscle power is lost with age.
What did the 2025 Mayo Clinic study actually find?
Researchers followed 3,889 people aged 46 to 75 for a median of 10.8 years. They measured upper-body power in watts on a pulley row, and strength with a handgrip dynamometer. Both were adjusted for body weight.
Comparing the lowest and highest power groups, the hazard ratio for death was 5.88 in men and 6.90 in women. In plain terms, death rates in the lowest group were several times higher over the follow-up. For grip strength the figures were 1.62 and 1.71, and neither was statistically clear.
Read it as a direction, not a forecast. The ranges around those power figures are wide (2.28 to 15.17 in men, 1.61 to 29.58 in women), and this was an observational study. It cannot say that training power will change your own odds.
Does this mean strength training does not matter?
No. Power is built on strength. You cannot produce force quickly if you cannot produce much force at all. Our posts on grip strength and the two-hour rule cover why strength still earns its place.
The Mayo team compared two single tests. That is a reason to train both qualities, not to swap one for the other.
What does power training actually look like?
The 2025 ICFSR global consensus describes power training as rapid, forceful lifting at 60 to 80% of your one-rep max, done “whenever possible” for older adults. It also admits the best dose is not yet fully defined.
In practice it is often the lifts you already do, with the lifting phase done briskly and the lowering phase controlled. Think a quick sit-to-stand or a fast step-up, not a jerky heave. The same consensus recommends 2 to 3 days a week of resistance training.
Fast does not mean reckless. The consensus warns against sudden, jerky movements. Control first, then speed.
Is fast lifting safe for me?
For many people it can be, built up gradually. But if you have a painful joint, a joint replacement, osteoporosis, a heart or blood pressure condition, or you are new to lifting, get checked first.
Slow, heavy work may be the right place to start, with speed added later. A physio can check your joints, balance and technique before you add pace.
Can muscle power be measured?
Yes. Force plates measure how hard and how fast you push into the ground, for example in a jump or a stand-up, and can show left-right differences that are hard to judge by eye.
We own VALD force plates and draw on them when the result would change what we recommend. Most people do not need testing to get started.
How can we help?
Building strength and power safely is the kind of work our team does in gym-based rehab and one-on-one appointments, matched to your joints, history and goals. It also sits alongside the five numbers that predict how well you age.
Ready to build this properly? Book an appointment online or call reception on 07 3209 2000 and tell them what you are trying to get back to. Daisy Hill Physio is at U4 11–13 Allamanda Dr, Daisy Hill QLD 4127, in Logan, Queensland, south of Brisbane (not Logan, Utah). Email: info@daisyhillphysio.com.au. See also physio in Logan.
If you get chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or sudden severe joint pain while exercising, stop and seek medical help. This article is general information, not a diagnosis or personal advice.
Related: if a stubborn injury is part of your picture, see why injuries linger in your 40s.
Reviewed by Teya Williams, physiotherapist at Daisy Hill Physio.
Sources: Araújo et al. Muscle power versus strength as a predictor of mortality in middle-aged and older men and women. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2025 (article S0025-6196(25)00100-4). Izquierdo M, de Souto Barreto P, Arai H, et al. Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR). J Nutr Health Aging. 2025;29(1):100401.
