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Other/Mixed 40+ year olds: at your age, do you find yourself stop pushing for PRs?

Other strength modalities (e.g., Clubs), mixed strength modalities (e.g., combined kettlebell and barbell), other goals (flexibility)
OliverZ

OliverZ

Level 3 Valued Member
I'm almost 42, I know that's not old, but injuries and joint issues have been piling up as soon as I hit 40 years old (I've only been lifting since my late 20s). Injuries are becoming more frequent and a lot easier to occur. I now find myself halting my pursuit of PRs and now lift for maintainance. Now, this is not to say I'm weaker, in fact I'm the strongest I've ever been, and I know I am still capable of breaking through current PRs and set new ones - it's just I know it will come at a cost if not managed with the level of care that it deserves, and on top of that I think I'm done with trying to break my body in pursuit of new PRs.

My training goals have changed of late, focusing on maintaining strength and improving my conditioning. I still train hard, but I do so within my limits.

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on this and more broadly on continuing training as father time starts knocking at our door.
 
I'm about the same age as you, @OliverZ .

I've had my share of injuries and the like. I think it's just what happens. None of it seem to have stuck, just derailed me time to time.

I'm still eager to hit more PRs. As many as I still can. To paraphrase, I won't go quietly or gently.

I've been to a lot of powerlifting meets and watched more online. I've coached people of all proficiency levels and ages. I think the chance for injury from exercise, even maximal efforts, is far, far overexaggerated.
 
Same here, man. I hit a barbell training wall about six months ago. I walked up to the bar for a deadlift, looked at it, and physically and mentally couldn't execute the lift. I've tried making changes and making things work since then but nothing's worked.

I turned 40 in January. My most recent plan has been c&p, front squats, and pull-ups. I feel really good since I started this template and get a lot of work done without feeling sore like I did three days later after heavy back squats. I'm aiming for increasing these three lifts but plan to take my time getting there.
 
OliverZ said:
I'm almost 42, I know that's not old, but injuries and joint issues have been piling up as soon as I hit 40 years old (I've only been lifting since my late 20s). Injuries are becoming more frequent and a lot easier to occur. I now find myself halting my pursuit of PRs and now lift for maintainance. Now, this is not to say I'm weaker, in fact I'm the strongest I've ever been, and I know I am still capable of breaking through current PRs and set new ones - it's just I know it will come at a cost if not managed with the level of care that it deserves, and on top of that I think I'm done with trying to break my body in pursuit of new PRs.

My training goals have changed of late, focusing on maintaining strength and improving my conditioning. I still train hard, but I do so within my limits.

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on this and more broadly on continuing training as father time starts knocking at our door.
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39 in a few weeks here so not quite 40, and not at my absolute strongest anymore due to a shift in goals and priorities, but I am still pushing for PR's in ways other than max / absolute strength.

When I was at or near those numbers, I was a pretty one dimensional guy - I could go into the gym and lift heavy but that was about it. I was not "in shape" to pursue my prior competitive sport, my HR would spike up going up a flight or two of stairs, and I was not really able to enjoy things other than lifting heavy. It was fun to be that strong, and while I am continuing to maintain a baseline level of strength as I think its important, I am trying to do so while maintaining certain levels of muscular endurance, anaerobic capacity, and aerobic capacity as well. With two boys who are getting more and more into physical activities, I want to be able to set a good example and down the road, just keep up.

That's not to say that I don't believe I could get to those prior absolute strength numbers again; I do believe that if I dropped all pursuits other than max strength, I would be able to get back there. It's just I don't have the desire to, at all.

At the time, I could knock out sets of 5 with +90lbs on weighted pullups. Could I now? Likely not. But then, I did not have the capacity to knock out Murph in under an hour - now, that would be a rather moderate training day at best. Then, a 2 mile run seemed like a slog - now, I don't know that I would bother going out the door for that short of a run.

More than anything, my "thoughts on this and more broadly on continuing training as father time starts knocking at our door" comes down to a shift in priorities which I think is rather natural. Do I want to be strong? 100%. Do I want to be strong at the expense of other things which might make me more "fit" as a whole? Nope. I would rather be able to deadlift 500lbs and run a sub :60 400m or sub 6:00 mile and row a sub 7:00 2k than deadlift 600lbs and be the guy who can't do the rest.
 
This article by Marty Gallagher changed a lot for me once I realized the body gets just as strong from light things as heavy things (while building the capacity to lift heavy things):

www.ironcompany.com

Making Light Barbells and Dumbbells Heavy | RAW with Marty Gallagher

There is a lot to recommend about a strategy of progressive resistance training that uses tricks of the trade to make light weights heavy. This is a careful, safe and extremely effective approach. Rea
www.ironcompany.com www.ironcompany.com
 
I’m 45 and a relatively novice lifter. I am constantly working around niggling injuries and some movements seem to be a no-go for me. So I focus on what I can.

I am absolutely looking to push my boundaries, but I think there is a lot of easy room to grow and I feel that there is real world value for me in getting stronger.

If I had a 500 lb deadlift, I would say there probably wouldn’t be much point in trying to push that up, from a purely real life carryover. But for now I can see how far I can improve before progress slows down and risk exceeds rewards.

In parallel, I find myself focusing on athleticism and mobility much more than ever before. Hill sprints, burpees, crawling, etc. have become staples in my routine.

It’s all part of a greater pursuit to live the best life possible as I “mature.” Not JUST to get strong.
 
oukeith1 said:
If I had a 500 lb deadlift, I would say there probably wouldn’t be much point in trying to push that up, from a purely real life carryover. But for now I can see how far I can improve before progress slows down and risk exceeds rewards.

In parallel, I find myself focusing on athleticism and mobility much more than ever before. Hill sprints, burpees, crawling, etc. have become staples in my routine.
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Everyone has their own preferences but I think you nailed it here. There comes a point of diminishing returns on just about everything - how far can I take one aspect of fitness before it comes at the expense of other valuable aspects of fitness. Those actual numbers completely depend on the individual but once you find what they are, it gives a great baseline or benchmark to try and maintain or even improve upon without negatively impacting others.
 
I'm 46 (getting closer to 47) and I am absolutely still pushing for PRs. I'm VERY close to finally hitting a 500 squat goal I've been shooting for since forever, and recently tied my squat PR from when I was 33. Not that far off on deadlift either. I may not hit my all-time numbers but I'll be damned if I'll stop trying until I'm just absolutely not making any further progress (and that day will come I know).

That said, the way I train now is much different. I'm more deliberate in my program and take recovery much more into account than I used to. I only lift 2 days per week, full body, but that gives me 3 1/2 days of recovery time in between training sessions. I also pay very close attention to form and really make sure my body feels good before going into my heaviest work sets. I don't max out nearly as often as I used to (maybe every few months) and focus more on hitting more reps with a given weight not often going over 85% of my max.

I started training seriously at 27, so started later than some, and have had my share of injuries in the past, but *knock on wood* I'll be able to keep going at it past 50 before I plateau completely and then I'll rage, rage against the dying of the light.
 
When I was in my early 40's I would still push for maxes. Now that I'm in my fifties I find that I train for longevity, both training longevity and health wise. I will do some type of sprint work twice a week using an assault bike, ski erg or rower. I keep everything around 85% of max effort, mostly so I can get all the3 work in that I want and to also be able to train the next day. Learning when to back off and coast a bit helps, took a long time to learn that one.
 
At 42 I was my largest and strongest me. I was the biggest, ugliest, scariest, most swole I've ever been.
That was age 42 and I peaked out. My workouts were simple and intense with barbells.
Now I'm 50 and its all different. I got rid off all my benches, racks, bars.
I only use Kettlebells, Clubs and Maces. Injuries are more difficult to deal with and I focus on learning new movements.
I am still big and strong, but I cannot do the intensity anymore.

So 42 is good, but its all downhill from there.
 
Neuro-Bob said:
Herman Goerner was noted in his biography for never pushing for a max lift, yet still had notable strength records attached to his name. So there’s that data point.
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Throw Big Z into that pile too
Very rarely looked like he was actually maxing and was dominate for the better part of a decade.
 
OliverZ said:
I'm almost 42, I know that's not old, but injuries and joint issues have been piling up as soon as I hit 40 years old (I've only been lifting since my late 20s). Injuries are becoming more frequent and a lot easier to occur. I now find myself halting my pursuit of PRs
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"Pursuit" can mean many things. For me, it means competing twice a year. If you're used to pursuing PR's more often than that, scaling back how often you attempt a PR might be a good next step.

Skroll said:
Same here, man. I hit a barbell training wall about six months ago. I walked up to the bar for a deadlift, looked at it, and physically and mentally couldn't execute the lift. I've tried making changes and making things work since then but nothing's worked.
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I just looked at some of my numbers - when I'm deadlifting and not peaking for a competition, the three weights I use most often are 74%, 79%, and 85% 1RM, and it's mostly the lower two weights if I'm doing sets of 5. When I read things like this, it makes me think maybe you're just going too heavy too often.

ShawnM said:
Now that I'm in my fifties I find that I train for longevity, both training longevity and health wise. I will do some type of sprint work twice a week using an assault bike, ski erg or rower. I keep everything around 85% of max effort,
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For me, that would be too heavy as a steady diet.

By way of background, I started lifting in my mid-40's and am 69 years old.

-S-
 
Now I'm training for max carryover to stuff I don't train. This doesn't mean I don't keep track of my loading, but I'm changing training strategies often. I would have to change a bunch of variables and run a separate training block to do 1 to 1 max testing of my older numbers. Eg I'm not going to just crank off a bunch of single leg squats with a max load if I don't get back into training single leg squats again, even if overall I have gotten stronger.
 
Steve Freides said:
I just looked at some of my numbers - when I'm deadlifting and not peaking for a competition, the three weights I use most often are 74%, 79%, and 85% 1RM, and it's mostly the lower two weights if I'm doing sets of 5. When I read things like this, it makes me think maybe you're just going too heavy too often.
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I am not looking to train for peak strength right now either, just maintaining a base of strength, but the majority of my volume in the deadlift has been sets of 5 at roughly 59%, 64%, and 68%, with 2-3 heavier sets per week.

I agree with your point re. going heavy - there's certainly a time and place for it, especially if you're training for maximal strength, but if you're executing reps with good form and intent / purpose, I think people can train a bit lighter if they're in a base phase or if they're training for general strength as opposed to solely maximal strength.
 
Steve Freides said:
"Pursuit" can mean many things. For me, it means competing twice a year. If you're used to pursuing PR's more often than that, scaling back how often you attempt a PR might be a good next step.


I just looked at some of my numbers - when I'm deadlifting and not peaking for a competition, the three weights I use most often are 74%, 79%, and 85% 1RM, and it's mostly the lower two weights if I'm doing sets of 5. When I read things like this, it makes me think maybe you're just going too heavy too often.


For me, that would be too heavy as a steady diet.

By way of background, I started lifting in my mid-40's and am 69 years old.

-S-
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That's the thing—I was running a program that uses sub maximal training maxes in addition to lowering the numbers. I don't know if it's my schedule right now or something else. I might just need the change of pace right now. Thanks for the advice nonetheless.
 
Well... I will be 40 in two years. I don't really pursue PR's as much as I'm setting goals to where I want to be i the future. I experience PR's and I hope that as I get older I can continue to do so. I would prefer to challenge myself with things whether it is a competition or taking on a challenge in my own backyard. From my perspective, when you say "pushing for PR's", it makes it sound like attempting to always increase like the AMRAP or die motto. I think it is smart to set some realistic goals and work towards them. I certainly hope I don't become the type of person who thinks I'm too old to set some realistic goals for myself.
 
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