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Summary
On episode 459 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan breaks down what it actually takes to get strong after 40, pulling from a blog post he wrote and questions listeners sent in on Facebook.
His core argument: most people over 40 chase weight loss first and treat strength training as an afterthought, and that approach works against them. Strength training does not turn you into a bodybuilder, it protects the muscle mass you are losing every year to sarcopenia, and it is the difference between staying independent later in life and not.
He walks through warm up and mobility, why control matters more than speed on a lift, protein and hydration needs, rest between sets versus recovery between workouts, and the three P’s, patience, persistence, and progression, that make strength training actually work over time.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Sarcopenia makes strength training non-negotiable after 40. You lose about 1% of your muscle per year, and that loss accelerates after 65. If you are not strength training, you are losing muscle and strength, and often bone density too.
- Strength training will not make you look like a bodybuilder. Bodybuilders train for muscle mass, not strength, eat and train differently, and many use performance-enhancing drugs to get that size. Muscle is also far denser than fat, so you are not going to suddenly get “big” from lifting.
- Early scale changes from lifting are water weight, not fat gain. Stressing a muscle creates metabolic waste that draws water into the tissue temporarily. That is not your actual body weight and it settles out once you are training regularly.
- Warm up and fix mobility restrictions before you load a lift. A cold muscle is more likely to get pulled, and tight areas like calves can throw off your squat form. Use dynamic stretching to warm up and static stretching only on the specific muscles that are limiting your range of motion, since static stretching right before lifting reduces strength.
- Control of the eccentric (lowering) portion of a lift is where you actually build strength. Dropping or rushing weight down builds power, not strength. Slowing the lowering phase is what makes the muscle adapt.
- Protein and rest fuel the rebuild. Allan targets roughly half a gram of protein per pound of body weight, stays hydrated with electrolytes, and gives his body 48 to 72 hours to recover between sessions on the same muscle group so the stimulus can actually turn into strength.
- Consistency comes from patience, persistence, and progression. Results are not linear, so you need patience through off days, persistence to keep showing up, and progression, adding no more than about 10% more weight at a time, or you will plateau instead of getting stronger.
- Compound movements and periodization drive real strength gains. A squat, hinge or deadlift, push, pull, and overhead press cover most of what you need. Changing up exercise variations roughly every 4 to 8 weeks (like switching from a back squat to a front squat) keeps you from stalling once the initial neuromuscular gains flatten out.
- Get help, especially early. Use a spotter or safety rack on exercises like the squat, bench press, and overhead press, and consider hiring a coach, not just a personal trainer, since a coach looks at your nutrition, sleep, and stress alongside your lifts to help you train safely and get stronger.
“I want to be able to wipe my own butt when I’m 105, but I also want to be able to stand up from that toilet without assistance.”
Coach Allan Misner
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