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Summary
On episode 496 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan breaks down weightlifting progression for people over 40, pulling in questions submitted by listeners in the show’s Facebook group.
He covers what actually drives progression once you are not in your twenties anymore: the three ingredients muscle needs to grow, why slower recovery and lower testosterone change the math after 40, and how to think about strength and muscle mass as tools that serve your vision for yourself rather than an endless numbers game.
He also works through common technique traps in the deadlift and squat, why he is not a fan of circuit training for building real strength, and why sticking with the same lifts (changed periodically through periodization) beats constantly varying your workouts if your goal is to actually feel yourself getting stronger.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Muscle growth needs three things: stimulus, protein and carbs, and rest. Skimp on any one of the three and progress stalls, no matter how hard you train.
- The “30 grams of protein per meal” limit is a myth. The evidence does not support a firm ceiling on how much protein the body can use in one sitting. A better daily target is roughly one gram of protein per pound of goal body weight (or a scaled-down estimate of lean body weight if you are significantly overweight).
- Rest works on two timelines. Sixty seconds to three minutes between sets lets your muscles regenerate the ATP they need for the next set. At least two days before training the same body part again lets the muscle actually recover and grow, which matters more after 40 because recovery slows down.
- Progression after 40 is not about endless personal records. It means steadily building and maintaining the strength, muscle, and bone density your actual life requires, then holding that ground so you stay resilient and avoid injury.
- Circuit training is not ideal for building strength. It splits your focus across body parts, tends to reduce time under tension and load, and adding speed to a loaded movement raises injury risk. It is fine for muscular endurance and getting a fast workout in.
- Workout volume comes from four levers: reps, sets, time under tension, and weight. Increase only one of them at a time as you get stronger. Trying to push all four at once is a fast way to plateau or get hurt.
- Rule number one of weightlifting is do not injure yourself. Progress with gentle nudges and good form, and learn to tell the difference between normal delayed onset muscle soreness and joint pain, which needs medical attention right away.
- “Newbie gains” in the first two to four months come from your brain learning to recruit muscle fibers, not magic. Expect a plateau after that. Periodization, changing your exercises or rep ranges every six to eight weeks, is the best tool to break through it without losing the ability to track real progress.
- The deadlift and squat are safe when the mechanics are right. A deadlift is a hip hinge, not a squat with a bar in your hands, and your shins should stay vertical as the bar drags up your legs. A squat should go to parallel or below so your glutes, not just your knees and quads, take over the lift.
“The number one rule of weight training is do not hurt yourself.”
Coach Allan
