Quick-start strength-training program

Work out at home or in your office to improve muscle mass.

Muscle mass tends to diminish with age, so making strength training part of your overall exercise regimen is very important. And while many people assume that effective strength-training programs require joining expensive fitness clubs and lifting heavy weights, there are plenty of strength-building exercises you can do at home and at work with little or no special equipment. "You really can strength train without the big machines and get effective results, without spending a lot of money," says Elissa Huber-Anderson, a physical therapist at Harvard-a-ffiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.