We all know that as we get older things change. Fitness is no exception to this. But what are some of the differences that actually take place? More importantly, what adjustments can and/or should we make to still be as productive as possible while pursuing our goals? I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing over 40 years of consistent hard training. Here are some observations I’ve noticed when I compare “then” versus “now”.
Metabolism – Gone are the days when I could pretty much eat anything I wanted and not gain a pound! Everyone’s metabolism will slow down to some degree as we get older. We can of course try to compensate for this with greater activity, but unless you were fairly inactive in your younger days, chances are you won’t be more active as you get older. The best way to adjust is through an improved diet. Reducing your caloric intake to match your declining metabolic rate can be quite effective. The key is to regularly monitor what your body is doing and what it needs. There’s no reason to feel sorry for yourself, simply make the adjustments you need to make to get the results you want.
Recovery – Another change as we age is the body’s ability to recover from our workouts. This is something I’ve noticed in terms of workout frequency as well as workout duration. No more 2-hours a day, 6 days a week of training! That being said, I’ve long believed that I spent a lot of time (and wasted a lot of gains) over-training back in the day. Now, 4-5 days a week of 60-90 exercise minutes seems to work quite well. As far as training intensity, I’ve found that I’m still able to recover pretty well from an extremely hard session, and reduced overall training volume along with proper nutrition and high-quality supplementation can contribute greatly to that. It is very possible that recovery rates at any age will be individually specific as will the rate of decline. It’s best to be aware of the probability of decline and monitor your body’s responses and adjust accordingly.
Strength – Although there are different types and modes of strength, in general, I think most people will find that their ability to maintain and even increase strength will decline less (and in some cases may even improve) than most other aspects of training and fitness. The negative exception to this would be as related to a specific injury or general “wear and tear” on the body due to years of training. Many people throughout the course of their training life will experience some type of injury or issues with either joints or connective tissues. This obviously can affect your ability to use the desired amount of weight. Barring that, I have seen many people who continued to maintain and even increase their strength levels in many areas and movements.
Flexibility – One area where I’ve noticed that decline is almost directly proportional to the amount of attention we give to it is flexibility. Yes, there will be some degree of an overall decrease in range of motion for most people. But the more you work on improving or at least maintaining maximum flexibility, the better results you will have. I would suggest that outside of injury, the main factor in the decline or lack of decline in our flexibility is the amount of time and focus we give to it.
Warming Up – One huge difference I’ve noticed over the years is an increased need for warming up. Yes, even the younger, in-their-prime trainee should always employ a proper warm-up, but it’s easier to get away with not doing it and therefore get away from doing it when it seems less critical. Back in the day, for me warming up used to be walking from the car into the gym! (I was no genius 😉 ) Now, warming up takes the proper amount of time and focus it should, not only for the best possible workout but also the greatest degree of injury prevention. Having a 5-10 minute general warm-up followed by additional specific warm-up moves and sets with sub-maximal resistance and/or intensity will prepare both mind and body for a better training outcome.
Motivation – One thing that absolutely doesn’t need to change for the worse over time is your motivation. In fact, it can and should improve for many reasons. As we get older we will probably have different and/or additional reasons for being fit. Usually, there is a shift from a focus on appearance and possibly performance to include a greater concern for health and wellness. Time teaches us that fitness has a value far greater than what is initially apparent. The things we get out of dedicating ourselves to a fitness lifestyle are cumulative and additive over the years. This gives us a greater reason to exercise and eat properly and take the best care of ourselves possible. The day-to-day motivation is stronger in that we are constantly reminded of what fitness can do for us and how important it is in so many aspects of life.
Goals – In fitness as in life, our goals can, and probably should change. This is a positive thing and can give a greater sense of purpose and direction. Having clear-cut fitness goals will go a long way towards helping you achieving success. Many of our specific goals will of course be the same; losing or gaining weight, improving appearance, increasing strength, improving athletic performance, etc. In addition to these, growing older creates greater interest and focus on health and wellness and doing things in a way to maintain and/or improve those things. That’s a great addition to the purpose and value of following a fitness lifestyle and can be a key factor in keeping our dedication strong!
Of course, we will all age and this will affect a variety of things (like our endocrine system and horomone production – an article for another time!) Following a fitness lifestyle will not make us immune to the effects of growing older. But it will give us a greater amount of control over the degree to which those effects are negative. Many people will find that to a great degree they are able to re-define what aging typically means in terms of health, wellness, and fitness.
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