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Old Forum Why the topic of "training after 40" is significant

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Rob Lawrence

Rob Lawrence

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Training after 40 is significant because:

- Human beings have five fingers on each hand

- They have two hands

- They therefore count using the decimal system

- The use of the decimal system makes 40 a milestone

Do you have to slow down, allow for additional recovery, etc. as you get older? Yes absolutely. But pseudo-milestones like "over 40" have nothing to do with that and create needless mental obstacles you don't need.

That is all.

Rob
 
At 42 I recognize the importance of gaining as much strength as possible.  I'm looking at my 40's as the last chance to increase my basic platform of strength and hope to spend my 50's and up maintaining it. I do believe that strength gains can be made in your 50's but I think maintaining strength and ducking injuries will be way more important.  I made the mistake of looking at the world records for powerlifting, oly lifting etc.  Very few open-class records are set by people in their 40's (late 30's seems prime though!) and none that I could find in their 50's.

 
 
hahaha nice Rob. Age is an EXCUSE that I counter with the photo of pavel's dad deadlifting or a challenge to do chins with my dad.
 
"Very few open-class records are set by people in their 40′s (late 30′s seems prime though!) and none that I could find in their 50′s."

True, but consider those common human beings that haven't had an extraordinary sports career, but who teach themselves to do handstands or pistols, or to swing the Beast at over 50, or the case of Pavel's dad with chins,..Do you know that grip masters reach their maturity over 50 and many do incredible stunts at sixty and older
 
I'm not a trainer but I'm pretty sure there are more people my age than any other single age group, peak births were '59 my year and '60...so we're a cohort that should be marketed too. I agree that age is an excuse most of the time but based on my experience it really does take longer to recover from hard training and injury. In _Intervention_ Dan John lists 6 things that, if you can do them, you are strong and then there is a level called game changer. I can do 15 pull ups, squat and bench my body weight 15 reps.  I do loaded carries with 90lbs dumbells instead of 100's for 1min each, not sure how far I go but 1min is very difficult and I haven't tried to TGU a dixie cup of water yet but think I will be able to with a bit of practice....however, I've been working toward 2x body weight DL and last week I banged 355 into the hooks on the squat rack on my second lift...now I'm "resting" my back. It only hurts after sitting a while but my point is I am sure in my 20s I'd have recovered from a little strain like that much faster but now I have the patience and lack of ego to recover in however long it takes and not push it too fast which is way different from the way I used to be. Oh and I couldn't have done any of those things prior to discovering KB 3 years ago.
 
Well said, Rob. Do not be sissies, ladies and gents.  Even if you are jacked up, you can always find strength events in which you can excel.
 
I thought the magic age was 35? Everything I've read says "over 35." You've shattered my worldview, Rob.

I recall reading somewhere that the reason older folks take longer to recover isn't so much physical decline due to age, although that is certainly a factor, it's that, generally speaking, older folks have more responsibilities, more stress, less time to sleep or nap, less time to prepare healthy meals (although some would say this is a cop out because you should make time for healthy eating), than the 20-something living at home whose major accomplishment of the day is getting a high score on Call of Duty.
 
I am stronger now at 48, than I was at 30.  I can press more than ever, and I am not slowing down!
 
I was 40 yesterday so this thread is particularly relevant to me.

I started working out when I was 38 because I was out of shape and overweight by about 50lbs. I figured I need to get in shape by the time I'm 40, because if I don't I'm in a very bad group statistically speaking. After pushing hard in the gym, but with no real direction, for about a year I discovered "Enter The Kettlebell", got serious about training and haven't looked back since.

I'm 40. I'm stronger, more flexible and move better than I did when I was 20. Instead of seeing 40 as some arbitrary cut off point, I'm seeing it as more of a launching pad. I'm looking forward to getting stronger in my 40's than I ever thought possible.

Half bodyweight (36Kg) kettlebell press and passing the snatch test with 24Kg here I come :)

 
 
i reached my Strength peak in my mid 40s. Have seen some decline as i move into my 50s but some of that is level of interest related. If i trained with the same methods, focus, and volume would probably be pretty close. The huge difference is not strength or even recovery, but in margin of error. My workout to workout recovery is more related to my level of GPP and methods of SPP than my age, but there is no doubt an injury takes a longer time to heal. Mobility, foam rolling, lacrosse ball work(i use a rubber batting machine ball), and massage are all important now as part of the plan. More important is to use the benefit of age and experience to avoid doing stupid things. And get some bllodwork done at 50s. Metabolic profile to include lipids and thyroid function, and test levels. Then consider it all.

 

jmo
 
Elite athletes peak at different ages in different sports. Gymnastics is over by the late teens. Tennis stars are great and then lose a microsecond and are forgotten. Boxers age overnight after a tough fight. Powerlifters peak fairly late but still peak. These appear to be iron laws. If someone flouts them (Agassi's late comeback, Bernard Hopkins' current success at 48) it is really noteworthy and tends to be craftiness triumphing over strength and speed.

But there's a big difference between declining from an elite level and giving up on athletics and fitness altogether. Picking a number and deciding it's all over for you is an obvious cop-out. Giving up because you have adult responsibilities is also a cop-out.

It's a funny time we live in. Just like there's extreme wealth and extreme poverty, there seems to be extreme fitness wealth and extreme fitness poverty. There are probably more people in their 40s and 50s in good shape in wealthy countries than there ever has been. But the population in bad health is in exceptionally bad health, and is not taking advantage of the society's obvious advantages.

Preaching to the choir obviously, but keep at it!

Rob
 
Rob,

Great post. I confess that I am intimidated by all of the elite and almost elite athletes that post here. I am far from either. Heck, I didn't even start strength training until I was 52 and then I about killed myself trying to become an HIT Jedi. It was not pretty.

As a note of encouragement to "just folks" who lurk here and feel intimidated, I am living truth that the principles you find here are at least as valuable for us former couch potatoes as for the elites, especially as we age.

15 months ago I was a 62 year almost retired guy who weighed 275 pounds, 105 of which were fat. All I wanted to do was age gracefully.

Today I am carrying 44 pounds less fat. I am stronger than I have ever been. Still a long way to go but on my way.  My goal is to be "elite" at being an old guy. I am not competing against anyone except my old self. I haven't "peaked" yet and don't know when I ever will. Am I enjoying my journey? You bet.

I think there are a lot of people out there like me and they represent a huge market for those of you who are SFG certified. The challenge for you with them is help them discover the amazing effectiveness of Pavel's way of training. It is really radical in a culture that often worships comformity. Their motives need, IMHO, to go much deeper than winning in competition.

Sorry for the philosophical rant. It comes with looking back over a lifetime of mistakes. :)

Jim
 
It all comes down to ones Belief. A Belief gets deeply engrained in the subconscious mind and soon enough it becomes a reality.

At 30 years old, but with a soul thats lived a thousand incarnations, im far older than most who walk this planet. When the bodies battered and torn, through broken bones and ripped flesh, it matters not. As what lives underneath the flesh and the skin is will. An unshakeable will. A will and source that was mighty from the get go and will prevail mighty for another thousand years. Thus the number of years on this planet becomes insignificant in the grand cycle of things!
 
Good post, and somehthing I find myself thinking about more and more as the years go by.

I'm 59 and for me it's gotten to be more of a quality of life issue.  As I see more of my friends and family with bad knees, bad backs, bad hips, limited mobility, strength, endurance, etc I've started thinking: "I don't want that to be me".

For the past 3 or 4 years I've been working to regain lost mobility and increase my strength.  I don't remember how strong I was at 30, but I know I'm stronger than I was 3 years ago.

The main thing I've noticed is how easy it is to pull a muscle, and how long it takes to recover from a pulled muscle.  It seems like if I tense a muscle (any muscle) and twist - that's all it takes.

From a 30,000 ft view, just think how much money our gov't could save in medicare payments if us older citizens can retain our health for even a couple of extra years...

 

 

Wood
 
Another aspect of this discussion, for me, is that as I have gotten older I have really lost interest in competition. When I was younger I thought people lost interest because they could no longer compete. Now I realize that a lot of it has to do with perspective. You compete, you win, so what? I have been in situations where I "won" but actually underperformed, and where I lost but actually gave a lifetime-best effort.

So - brace for cliche - from my perspective the only person you're ever competing with is yourself. I seriously believe this.

The implication for competing is, ironically, to get and stay involved even when you are no longer interested in winning, or "winning."

For those who still love competition -- I get it. I have been there.

Rob
 
I think society as a whole see elite athletes retire at a young age because they are no longer "elite" and think that being over that age, whatever it is, means there's no point training any more and so cop out. Most fitness magazines are geared towards the younger market (sub 40) and this perpetuates the belief.

You don't often see or hear of older guys training, which is why Pavels article about his dad was timely and inspiring. I'd like to see or hear about some older guys training with kettlebells if anyone has any stories about that.

Personally, I'm in this for the long haul. I have short term and mid term goals, but my long term goal is to be lifting and to be strong well into my old age. I'm inspired by Caleb from The Bible who says in Joshua 14:10-11
Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.
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When I'm 85, I want to be able to say that I'm as strong as I was when I was 45. That would be awesome.
 
@Rob - I still love competition for the sense of urgency. I tend to complete any project much faster when I have a deadline. I only kind of care about winning--I want to perform better than I ever have, but I also like to see others set PRs and the bar for everyone move up. Oddly enough, in TEAM competition, this changes a bit--I want to win, even if it's just a pick up soccer game at the park with a bunch of people I'd never met...

@john - good stuff man!
 
Rob, well said, as usual, sir.

A lot of this applies to performing music, by the way.  A musical performance is essentially the same thing as an athletic competition for me.  I am there to see what I can do on someone else's clock and with no second chance.  Although I am a music teacher for most of my living, I still take the opportunity to perform when I can because it keeps me honest about my own capabilities under pressure, much like lifting in a meet does.

-S-
 
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