8 Tips for Achieving Fitness Goals After 40
People say that 40 is the new 30 — but things can look a little different on the fitness front as you enter your forties. You can thrive at any age, but you may need to tweak your workout routine to adapt to realities such as hormonal changes and a higher risk of injury.
For example, research shows that testosterone levels tend to decline by about one percent a year as you get older. This can affect your ability to gain muscle or lead to weight gain. The good news is, staying fit can help you offset some of the effects of aging and stay strong and healthy for years to come. So, you should absolutely keep setting and crushing fitness goals regardless of your age.
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Here are eight simple but important tips to help you stay in shape and hit your athletic goals after 40.
8 Principles for Achieving Fitness Success in Middle Age
Use It or Lose It
Austin Treadwell, doctor of physical therapy and telehealth provider, says that “use it or lose it” is a golden life — and fitness — principle that becomes even more important in your forties: “If you’re not staying physically active and constantly putting your muscle to work, they will shrink up. Even worse, the older you are, the more easily you can lose your gains.”
Treadwell adds that the production of important muscle-building and fat-building hormones, such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and testosterone, also decreases as you age, which makes staying consistent with your fitness routine crucial.
“While this may seem cliche, the most important thing a man can do is incorporate exercise into their daily habits and routine. Once this becomes ingrained into your life, it has a significantly higher likelihood of continuing for years,” says Eddie Lester, CEO of Fitness Mentors.
In other words, if you want to achieve fitness goals after 40, being consistent with workouts and healthy habits isn’t a luxury.
Prioritize Strength-Training
Prioritizing strength-training is the second most important thing you can do. “I recommend prioritizing strength training to preserve muscle mass, boost metabolism, and support bone health,” says certified personal trainer and Programme app founder Sean Klein.
As Treadwell puts it, when it comes to reaching your fitness and body composition goals, “there’s no substitute for a good lift.” He recommends working each major muscle group at least twice a week for best results. According to Klein, focusing on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses is key as well, as it improves functional movement and balance, which become increasingly important with time.
Pace Yourself And Stay Patient
According to Lester, one of the big differences between achieving fitness goals after 40 versus when you’re younger is the time it takes to see results: “Most men remember how quick and easy it was to lose weight or gain muscle in their 20s, but decreases in testosterone and other age related hormones decrease the speed of progress significantly.”
This means that staying patient is important. Keep hitting the gym and training for strength. The results will come. Wondering how much to challenge yourself? Just because you’re in your 40s doesn’t mean you should stop lifting heavy — but pacing yourself and focusing on progressive overload (increasing resistance gradually) matters more now than it did before.
“It’s important to think more long-term for your fitness goals. As you’re planning your workouts, keep in mind that you’re at a much higher risk for an injury or over-training than you were when you were in your 20s,” says Treadwell. “Try to keep all of your workouts around an hour or less, and take plenty of breaks. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Shift Your Focus to Holistic Well-Being
Klein notes that many men over 40 shift their focus from training for looks to training for overall health and well-being. Consider doing the same, as it will help keep your motivation high for the rest of your life. “[Set] goals that prioritize strength, cardiovascular health, flexibility, and balance rather than just trying to achieve a certain look or body fat percentage,” recommends Klein.
Set Goals Around Rest and Recovery
Setting goals around rest and recovery instead of playing things by ear on that front makes a lot of sense after 40. Incorporate rest days and recovery techniques such as foam rolling and stretching into your routine, suggests Klein: “It can help prevent overtraining, injury and improve overall movement quality.”
Additionally, make sure you’re getting plenty of high-quality sleep. “Sleep is one of the most important elements to optimize for success in achieving a fitness goal after 40. Its role in hormonal optimization and muscle repair is crucial,” says Lester.
Warm Up and Cool Down Properly
Also, add warming up and cooling down properly to your list of things that are no longer an option after 40. “Your muscles become less pliable as you age and you’re at an increased risk for soft-tissue injuries; starting and finishing your workouts with a nice 10 to 20 minute walk will help prevent those injuries,” says Treadwell.
Eat Enough Protein
As you get older, your body requires roughly 50 percent more protein than a younger adult, according to Health Hub. To avoid letting your workouts go to waste, make sure you’re eating a source of protein at every meal.
While individual needs vary, the minimum recommendation for adults is a daily intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight — and you’ll probably need more if you’re lifting weights. Consider working with a dietitian or nutritionist to optimize your protein intake.
Mind Your Alcohol Consumption
Finally, decreasing your alcohol consumption can go a long way when it comes to reaching fitness goals after 40. Drinking can affect both your sleep and hormones, so it may slow down your progress in the gym. “It is so common to unwind with a drink or a few drinks, but this is counterproductive for almost all health and fitness goals,” says Lester.
This information isn’t meant to make you feel discouraged about the effects of aging on your body, but to empower you to take care of it for decades to come. It’s all about focusing on a long-term, sustainable approach to fitness. Apply the tips above to your routine and you may just feel better and stronger than ever.
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