As we age our body changes, and not for the better. To meet the challenges that this presents, we need to adjust our workouts accordingly. Here are 5 ways that your workout should change after the age of 40.
Focus on Strength Training
By the age of 40, the markers of aging are starting to take effect on your body. Strength training has been shown to be the perfect counter to nearly all of these markers. Studies conducted over the past decade have shown that regular strength training can significantly reduce the symptoms of the following age-related conditions:
- Arthritis
- Poor balance
- Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Obesity
- Back pain
- Breathing problems
- Depression
- Dementia
In addition to making you far less likely to suffer from these and other health conditions, strength training will make you far more functional in your everyday tasks.
If you’ve already been working out with weights, the way you train should change after the age of 40. Rather than focusing on lifting as much weight as possible to get huge, make the switch to a slightly lighter weight with a focus on improved form and function. Do more sets with fewer exercises, with a range of reps between 12 and 30.
Take Stretching Seriously
Most of us don’t really take stretching seriously. But, after the age of 40, you don’t have a choice. Loss of flexibility is a natural part of the aging process. When your flexibility is compromised, everyday tasks, from getting out of bed to tying your shoes, becomes a struggle. As a result, you should stretch both before and after your workout, without fail
Your before-workout stretching should involve dynamic stretches. That is when you move your limbs through a full range of motion, such as when you do arm swings or shoulder rotations. After the workout, you should do static stretches where you hold the extended position for about 15 seconds.
You may also wish to do separate stretching sessions involving yoga and pilates workouts. Check out the classes available at your local gym.
Do HIIT Cardio
After the age of 40, your metabolism slows down. That means that you burn calories at a slower rate and that means that you are more likely to store body fat. You need to counter that weight gain by adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your workout program. HIIT involves doing short bursts of fast cardio followed by even short rest periods.
My favorite form of HIIT involves jumping on the treadmill and doing a 2 minute warm-up at a moderate pace. Build up your speed so that, at the end of minute two, you are sprinting at top speed. Run as fast as you can for 20 seconds. Then jump your feet out to the sides of the running belt for 10 seconds. Now get back to another 20 second sprint. Continue until you have completed 8 rounds of this sprint, rest cycle.
You can also do your HIIT cardio on an elliptical machine or a stationary bike.
Take An Extra Rest Day
As you age, your body needs more time to recover and recuperate. It takes longer for your muscle tissue to recover. That means that you will have more muscle soreness than you may have experienced when you were younger.
Whereas before, you may have been able to workout in the gym every day of the week, you should now cut that back to three sessions on alternative days. That could be Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Engage in Active Recovery
Active recovery involves what you do on the day between your workouts. Research shows that performing active recovery sessions will greatly speed up the recovery process and lessen post exercise muscle soreness.
Active recovery involves doing some light exercise on the days that you are not doing your normal workout.
Here are 5 of my favorite forms of active recovery. . .
- Walking
- Dynamic Stretching
- Restorative Yoga
- Playing Pickleball
- Biking
Whatever you decide to do as your active recovery exercise, make sure that it is low impact and relatively low demanding. It should also be fun. Doing so will help in increasing the blood flow through your muscles as well as reducing the effect of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It has even been shown to reduce post exercise muscle strength loss.
Wrap Up
Making adjustments to your training after the age of 40 will allow you to compensate for the changes that are naturally occurring. By doing more medium intensity strength training, getting more serious about stretching, doing HIIT cardio for fat loss, taking a rest day between workouts and engaging in active recovery, you’ll be able to stay injury free and active well into your later years.