If You Can Do This Many Squats After 55, Your Leg Endurance Is Elite

By Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS

February 6, 2026

Leg strength gets plenty of attention as we age, but leg endurance often tells the more important story. Muscle endurance reflects how long your legs can repeatedly produce force without breaking down in form or control. That matters for real life, where movement rarely happens once and stops. From climbing stairs to carrying groceries to staying steady on long walks, endurance is what keeps you moving confidently throughout the day.

Strength and endurance work together, but they’re not the same thing. Strength shows up in how much force you can generate in a single effort. Endurance shows up in how well you can repeat that effort again and again. After 55, endurance often becomes the limiting factor, not because your muscles disappear, but because they lose efficiency and fatigue faster when they’re under-trained.

That’s where squats come in. Squats load your legs through a natural movement pattern that mirrors daily life. When you can perform high-quality squats for repeated reps, you’re showing that your legs can support your body, absorb force, and recover between efforts.

Ahead, you’ll learn why squats matter so much, how to perform them properly, how to test your leg endurance, and what the results say about your fitness level.

Why Squats Are a Functional Movement

Squats sit at the center of human movement because they reflect how your body is designed to move up and down. Every time you stand up from a chair, pick something off the floor, or descend a set of stairs, you’re performing a version of a squat. Training this pattern keeps those everyday movements strong, smooth, and coordinated.

From a muscular standpoint, squats train the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves while demanding coordination from your core and upper body. That combination builds endurance across multiple muscle groups at once, which better reflects how the body works outside the gym. Your muscles don’t operate in isolation during daily tasks, and squats reinforce that teamwork.

Squats also challenge joint control and balance. Each repetition asks your hips, knees, and ankles to move through a controlled range of motion. Maintaining that control over many reps shows that your legs can manage fatigue without collapsing into poor positions, which plays a huge role in injury prevention and long-term mobility.

How to Perform the Best Squat Technique

Squat technique matters because endurance only counts when your reps stay clean. Solid form keeps stress where it belongs, on your muscles, instead of dumping it into your knees, hips, or lower back. It also makes your score meaningful. When every rep follows the same pattern, you’re measuring how well your legs resist fatigue, not how creatively your body can compensate. Locking in a repeatable setup before the test helps you move efficiently and stay strong deeper into the set.

How to Do It:

1. Stand tall with your feet about shoulder-width apart, and your toes slightly turned out.
2. Brace your core by tightening your midsection as if you’re preparing to cough.
3. Sit your hips back and down while bending your knees under control.
4. Lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, or to your deepest, most comfortable depth.
5. Press through your heels and midfoot to stand back up while keeping your chest tall.
6. Repeat each rep with the same depth, speed, and posture until your form breaks down.

Squat Endurance Score Rankings After 55

This test measures how many bodyweight squats you can perform continuously with solid form. Use a comfortable, steady pace and stop when form breaks down or you need to rest. The goal is honest assessment, not survival.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

• Under 15 reps: Needs Improvement: This range suggests limited lower-body endurance. Daily tasks may feel more fatiguing, especially when they require repeated effort, such as climbing stairs or standing for long periods.
• 15 to 25 reps: Average: You’ve built a reasonable base. Your legs can handle everyday demands, but endurance likely fades during longer or more demanding activities.
• 26 to 40 reps: Above Average: This score reflects solid muscular endurance. Your legs can repeat effort efficiently and maintain control under fatigue.
• 41+ reps: Elite: This level shows exceptional leg endurance for your age. Your muscles recover quickly between reps, your joints stay stable, and your movement quality holds strong even as fatigue builds.

The Best Tips for Building Elite Leg Endurance After 55

Building leg endurance comes from consistent, intelligent training rather than pushing to the point of exhaustion. These strategies help improve your squat score while supporting long-term joint health.

• Train squats two to three times per week: Regular exposure builds endurance without overwhelming recovery. Keep at least one rest day between sessions.
• Use moderate rep ranges often: Sets of 12 to 20 reps build fatigue resistance more effectively than very low or very high reps.
• Control your tempo: Slower, controlled reps increase time under tension and reinforce proper movement patterns.
• Strengthen supporting muscles: Exercises like step-ups, glute bridges, and split squats improve balance and reduce weak links that limit endurance.
• Respect recovery signals: Mild muscle fatigue is normal. Joint discomfort or lingering soreness means volume needs adjustment.

Leg endurance doesn’t just show how strong you are. It reflects how well your body moves, repeats effort, and stays reliable under real-world demands. Improve your squat capacity, and you’re investing directly in how confidently you move through life after 55.

References

1. Hughes, David C et al. “Adaptations to Endurance and Strength Training.” Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine vol. 8,6 a029769. 1 Jun. 2018, doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a029769
2. Bunnell, E., and M. T. Stratton. “The Impact of Functional Training on Balance and Vestibular Function: A Narrative Review.” Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, vol. 9, no. 4, 2024, p. 251, https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040251. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.