JUST HIT THE big 4-0 and worried about your workout longevity? There’s less reason to fret than you might think. You’re not out of your prime—and you still have plenty of time to build your body to look better, become stronger, more athletic as you age.
There are those people who think the day you turn 40 is an automatic downward health spiral. That’s an extreme reaction. But that’s also not to say your body isn’t going through some changes. Your testosterone may be decreasing, and there may be a reduction in your tendon and ligament vascularity as well. You may find you need an extra day or so to recover after a hard workout, too.
“Something about that number freaks [people] out,” says Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. “All of a sudden you think that your training needs to change and that you’re on the downswing in terms of athleticism. It doesn’t need to be that way.”
You don’t have to make massive, dramatic changes to your workouts,—but you will have to be a little smarter about your training. That includes fixing some mistakes and bad habits you might have developed.
4 After-40 Training Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
You Don’t Train for Power
One trap many forty-somethings fall into is to slip into a pattern of mundane workouts, never expanding beyond the old standard of three to four sets of eight to 10 reps, while placing most—maybe too much—of their focus on elements such as time under tension.
From a strength and muscle building standpoint, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, overlooking one exercise essential, training for power, cannot be overlooked no matter your age. It doesn’t have to be crazy or complicated or require endless sets of power cleans, but without maintaining some form explosive training, you will lose it, and quickly.
How to Fix It:
A good start is adding an exercise like kettlebell swings into your routine. Just three sets of eight to 10 reps, a few times a week will help you create and maintain a ton of total body power. You can also incorporate power training in ways like being more forceful with your big lifts, like bench presses, squats, and deadlifts, using lighter weight. Three sets of three to five reps will have feeling powerful at any age.
You’re Training Too Heavy
You may have felt good back in your high school football days through your twenties loading as much weight as possible and going for your bench press max any time you pleased. Now, don’t even think about doing something that does little at this point of your fitness life unless you’re willing to deal with the punishment.
How to Fix It:
Done for too long, all that heavy weight will take its toll on your joints. Your 40s are the time to begin train more comfortably in the six to eight rep range (or even eight to 10). And while creating some TUT is good, you’re still able to move load, and still be joint friendly—a long-term win-win.
You Don’t Do Enough Isolation Exercises
One thing you may have noticed is that modern trends push for a lot of multi-joint lifts than before. That could be a good thing, especially when strength gains are concerned.
But at the same time, it’s wise for your workout to include a few complementary isolation lifts to the plan.
How to Fix It:
Think about adding two iso moves in each workout to help complement the deadlifts and squats and so forth. This gives you a chance to add some additional volume which in turn will help to ellicit hypertrophy.
If it’s leg day, then try leg extensions and curls following your squats. If back day has you doing pullups and rows, add a few preacher curls and standing curls. You get the idea. This will help you pile up volume without crushing your joints.
You Don’t Do Enough Cardio
With all the focus on weights, it becomes convenient to neglect the cardio and conditioning portion of your workouts. Not attacking that energy system isn’t very wise when it comes to longevity. Your metabolism begins slowing down after 40, so it’s critical to burn calories elsewhere. This is why it’s important to elevate your heart rate.
How to Fix It:
Six to eight minutes of activity is a good place to start. Whatever you’re doing doesn’t have to be long and repetitive, and you can slot it toward the end of your workout. Hit the treadmill or row machine or bike and just move at a steady consistent pace. Push it a bit more oomph into it by adding 30 seconds on/off interval training as well. A long run, even picking up the weight training pace are ways to add cardio to your workout.
“Now there’s a lot of stuff when you were under 40 that you could skip.” Samuel says. “You can’t skip [cardio] anymore. As long as you don’t skip it. You’re still going to continue to move toward your goals so avoid those mistakes and let’s keep those gains happening.”
Jeff Tomko is a freelance fitness writer who has written for Muscle and Fitness, Men’s Fitness, and Men’s Health.
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