You can be fit at any age
And you could get a six pack at any age! Fitness goals at every age, look different. Just because you are getting older does not mean you need to give into the muscle loss that naturally happens.
You will indeed need to be persistent and consistent..
BUT you do not have to think that your body is any different in its capability as you age. There are less changes than you think. The main difference will not be in your performance, but in how much you can do. This goes for the amount of training, so let’s break it down a little.
In your 20s and 30s
These are the years you can and normally do push the hardest. So many people push their bodies to their limits in these years, but we should be keeping it simple. As any injuries and overtraining can come back to haunt us in our later years. Don’t worry about taking longer to progress. Because this will ensure that everything you gain sticks and isn’t ruined by multiple injuries and time off.
This is the most vital time to build a foundation for the years to come.
It is most honestly the easiest as you may only be cooking for one and have time to sleep and recover. And have time to fit in workouts! Get your lifestyle on track in these younger years.
Best workout focus: Get yourself a trainer because training form is vital for long term muscle and joint health.
Ideal: Weight training, cross training, yoga
In your 40s and 50s
Don’t despair if you haven’t even started training yet at this age, remember your body will do exactly what you allow it to! Get into resistance training to build strength and muscle, it will work but again be consistent and persistent. Your metabolism only slows 1-3% per decade which is tiny in the bigger scheme of things. This is purely due to muscle loss. It is only because people slow down their training massively as they age, which doesn’t need to be the case.
Your lifestyle will dictate your success, and your lifestyle is completely your choice.
You may be more prone to injuries, so recovery is key here. Allow enough rest days and do not over do your workouts within each session. Are you training each muscle group too frequently, are your intensity and volume increasing simultaneously? These are not ideal for recovery.
Best focus: HIIT and resistance training plus always focus on mobility and recovery.
60s and beyond
Fitness goals at every age, even at 60 or 70 years old? Of course!
Well what changes now? Not much, you can still lift heavy and train when you want. But really the main focus should be recovery so no overtraining and no over doing it within your workouts. That way you can keep at it forever!
Best focus: Resistance training, yoga, pilates, walking. Definately include mobitity and recovery potentially with a professional.
I hope some of these tips help you with your workout focus, because the goal, at least what I believe, is for us to have longevity in our fitness journeys. Drop a yes below if this helped at all
Xxx
Izzy
