Strength Training in Your 40s and Beyond

Masters athletes, and general fitness enthusiasts, need to learn specific techniques for staying productive and healthy.

Photo Credit: Becca Heuer

Introduction

My goal is to keep my athletes healthy for as long as possible for sport and life.

Whether I'm coaching an elite powerlifter or a beginner runner, we're thinking about decades.

That means making intelligent programming and training decisions for master athletes. Below are my non-negotiables for building muscle and strength as you enter your 40s.

use block Periodization

Periodization refers to the process of organizing training into discrete, logical phases. It can take many forms depending on the sport, the individual, and the goal.

The training for an experienced marathon runner will look different from that of a high school football player. But they share the same principles: a thoughtful progression in which the athlete peaks in time for competition.

Periodization plays a crucial role in longevity for those strength training over 40. Specifically, you can use this process to cycle through training blocks with different styles and intensities. You can stay healthy and motivated long-term by cycling through movement types and effort.

A runner, for example, may spend a large portion of the year accumulating mileage at a relatively easy pace. They will build their aerobic engine before adding speed work as a race approaches.

Likewise, a well-designed beginner powerlifting program should start with some higher-volume development blocks. The lifter can then potentiate that work capacity and muscle as higher-end strength in subsequent blocks.

Below is an example of a 12-month periodization plan as part of a beginner powerlifting routine for a 40-something. Note that periodization also allows for an easy structure for progressive overload. Increases in the number of reps or the amount of weight can occur weekly or monthly.

Jan-March	April-June	July-Dec
General Physical Prepareness Block	Hybrid Block	Strength Block
Improve work capacity, mobility, and technique	Add explosiveness, power, and joint resilience	Build top end strength
• Two sessions of steady-state cardio per week • One session of aerobic plyometrics and high resistance intervals per week • Three heavier sessions with compound movements topping out at 80% and 2-3 accessory lifts with sets of 4 and rep range from 8-20.	•Two sessions of steady-state cardio per week •One session of High-Intensity Continuous Training and plyometrics per week •Three heavier sessions, with compound lifts topping out at 85% and 2-3 accessory lifts in sets of 3 and rep ranges from 8-15.	•Three sessions of steady-state cardio •One session of aerobic plyometrics •Three heavier sessions, with compound lifts topping out at 90% and 2-3 accessory lifts in sets of 3 and rep ranges from 8-12

Perfect Lifting Technique

As a young lifter, you can get away with form issues. Although you may rob yourself of valuable gains, your recovery rate will remain high, and your injury rate will remain low.

Aging gives you (hopefully) the wisdom and maturity to master technique, which accelerates performance.

An example of hip shift in the squat. The slight twist toward the right leg creates unnecessary fatigue, and limits the muscle growth of the quads. Even the back muscles suffer, as the left traps are forced to adjust to the bar moving under load, leading to potential injury.

Let's break this down to explain why:

• Mastering the barbell lifts allows you to use energy more efficiently. An example of inefficient movement will make this clear. Assume you have a slight hip shift toward the right in your barbell squat. This extra movement requires more effort from the brain and muscles.  

• As a result, each rep will generate additional fatigue, and you'll get more gassed during your workout. You're now compromising the quality of your subsequent lifts and the session. You may also lengthen your recovery time. Instead of four quality sessions per week, you might have two solid and two mediocre sessions as your body struggles with the extra stress.

• An inefficient technique detracts from the stimulus in the targeted muscle. Instead of feeling a peak contraction in the quads and glutes during the squat, your adductors and spinal will handle a more significant portion of the weight as you shift under a heavy load.

• Poor form tends to cause similar issues with assistance lifts, although in a different way. For example, using your entire body to perform a tricep extension fails to isolate the muscle with an isolation movement. You're wasting time and limiting the growth of a muscle that drives your bench press to lockout.

• Over time, performance will suffer as you compromise recovery and muscle growth.

• You also increase your risk of injury by chronically loading tissues with unnecessary fatigue for an extended period.

Embrace Smaller and Implicit Muscle Groups

Lifting barbells builds strength in a relatively short amount of time. This is one reason they work so well for people managing families and careers. Just a few barbell lifts can hit most major muscle groups. 

For example, a session featuring the bench press and deadlift will work the pectorals, triceps, front delts, glutes, and hamstrings.

But physiological changes in your 40s require a few extra minutes per session on smaller movements. You'll achieve a full-body workout while shoring up weak spots and reducing the risk of injury.

Here are a few of my go-to's I typically include in my strength training programs. They're an ideal complement to lifting heavy weights.

1. Upside-down kettlebell presses for improved rotator cuff stability. This translates to high-end strength on the bench press and overhead press.
   

2. Internal rotations for shoring up the low traps. Nearly all my clients come to me with issues in the low traps. This movement strengthens a muscle that provides back stability in low bar squats and power on pressing movements.
   

3. Banded step-ups for improving adductor strength and hip extension. These add significant control to the bottom of the squat while targeting the glute med.
   

4. Single-leg landmine Romanian deadlifts. Beefing up the glute med develops more muscle mass to use during the hip hinge movements.
   

5. Weight plate overhead carry for dynamic core control. Combining forward and lateral walks teaches you to maintain posture and gracing under heavy loads with extra conditioning.

Build Recovery into Your Lifestyle

When we're younger, recovery often takes care of itself. Some of you might remember staying out too late for multiple nights and still hitting PRs in the gym the next days.

As we age, we often have more stress and fewer physical resources for recovery.  You're workouts are competing for your energy with concerns about kids, finances, and jobs.

The good news is that you can incorporate recovery methods with minimal time and money. 

Fitness influencers might lead you to believe you must install a sauna and a cold tub in your backyard while meditating for 60 minutes a day.

The science is more straightforward. Any combination of these is likely to improve the quality of your physical activity:

1. Try to get some natural sunlight in the morning when you wake up

2. Eat balanced meals or use any diet that gets you plenty of protein, veggies, and fruit

3. Drink caffeine to support your workouts, but limit overall intake to the morning

4. Maintain a regular sleep schedule, but don't worry if you have a couple late nights

5. Find ways to relax, whether that's watching TV at night or going for a long walk at lunch

6. Prioritize time with friends and family, and generally try to maintain a sound support system

Know When to Contact Experts

The health, fitness, and wellness field has advanced significantly in the past decade.  You now have the option to partner with a range of specialists to keep you in the game for as long as possible. Here are some possibilities to consider as part of your care team:

1. Sports-oriented physical therapists. If nagging injuries are hampering you, research PTs focusing on athletes in your area. Many now work independently of health care systems while participating in sports, such as weightlifting.
   

2. Dieticians and nutritionists. Working with a practitioner can help in a variety of ways. You may be looking for the best way to eat based on your lifestyle. Or you may struggle with nutrient necessary nutrients. These experts can provide practical recommendations based on years of training and experience.
   

3. Personal trainers are an excellent option if you're seeking more creativity in your workouts or if you'd like additional accountability.
   

4. Strength and conditioning coaches. Many coaches work remotely, which gives you access to expert programming with the flexibility to train on your own. In addition, you can typically hire experts in specific domains (endurance sports, Olympic weightlifting, MMA) on a short-term basis to refine your program.