REVIEW article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1633835
This article is part of the Research TopicCircadian Rhythms and AgingView all 4 articles
Exercise, Circadian Rhythms, and Muscle Regeneration: A Path to Healthy Aging
Provisionally accepted
Lijuan Xiang1
Zhanguo Su2*- 1Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- 2Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Wuhan University, Enshi, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The circadian system regulates core physiological processes, including muscle regeneration, protein synthesis, and cellular homeostasis. Disruptions in circadian rhythms contribute to impaired muscle function in older adults, with age-related declines in muscle mass and regenerative capacity serving as major contributors to sarcopenia. Emerging evidence indicates that exercise—a powerful modulator of muscle adaptation—can also influence circadian regulation, offering a potential avenue to enhance muscle repair in aging populations. This review examines how physical activity interacts with circadian mechanisms in aged skeletal muscle, emphasizing key molecular and cellular pathways involved in muscle regeneration. Central circadian regulators such as Clock, Bmal1, and Per1 are discussed in the context of muscle protein turnover, satellite cell activity, and mitochondrial function. Aligning exercise timing with circadian rhythms is proposed as a promising strategy to enhance muscle recovery and functional capacity in older individuals. Furthermore, the review highlights the therapeutic potential of chrono-exercise to delay the onset of sarcopenia and promote healthy aging. By integrating insights from chronobiology, geroscience, and exercise physiology, this analysis underscores the importance of chrono-exercise in supporting muscle health during aging.
Keywords: Circadian Rhythm, Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Aging, exercise timing, Sarcopenia
Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 02 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xiang and Su. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhanguo Su, Central Hospital of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Wuhan University, Enshi, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.