Gym Clarence Park Fitness Tip#8 – Training over 40

How Often Should You Strength Train Over the Age of 40?
As I am writing this newsletter, I’m assuming two things about you. You are over 40 and you want to continue getting in better shape despite your age. The really good news is that it’s absolutely, 100% possible! There’s no such thing as an age where your body says, “I’m done getting better, stronger, and healthier”.

First Things First…Training Frequency
How often you train each week depends on a couple of things. Everyone has different “wear and tear” on their body. If you’re very experienced and have been training for decades, the advice differs from someone who is only starting out at 40.

If you have never trained a day in your life, I feel the best plan to start is a 3 day per week full body plan. Start out focusing on the basics – squats, presses, hinges, core strength, and some cardiovascular work.

Even if you have been training for a long time, not much changes with frequency. Three to 4 full body strength training sessions a week is probably the best bet.

But there are some things you need to pay extra attention to-

You Can No Longer Skimp on Your Warm-up
If you don’t take the time to increase your body temperature, blood flow, and perform some mobility/priming movements before your training, you could be asking for an injury. The wear and tear as we age adds up, and we can no longer jump into our training with “cold” muscles and stiff joints. An efficient 10–15-minute dynamic warm-up before training has to be a non-negotiable.

Form Is Even More Important
Form is essential at any age but takes on even more importance as we get older. Maybe you were lucky and got away with some “crappy reps” at a younger age. If you continue to do that as you get older, it’s only a matter of time before you injure yourself. If you can’t get a good quality rep with complete control over the weight, you really have no business training at that intensity.

Do Not Go to Failure
The older we get, the less reason we have taking our training sets to failure. Going to failure is very taxing on the central nervous system. This can make recovering from workouts very challenging or even impossible. The cumulative effects will wear you down and can lead to injury.

I’m not saying to not go heavy. We still have to push the weights, but we must do so with great form and with a smarter approach. If you have to do some crazy contorting to complete the rep, it was not worth it. You likely didn’t work the muscle properly and you flirted with injury.

No matter your age, strength training should be a priority in your life. The over-40 crowd just needs to be a bit more careful. If you’re 40+ and looking to get, or stay, in great shape – aim for 3 or 4 training days each week, warm up properly before each session, maintain great form in all movements, and avoid taking sets to muscle failure.

Gym Clarence Park can help with your goals.

We would love to help you live a healthy strong life. Schedule a  Free Intro Session  at D8 Training in Clarence Gardens today.

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