How to Start Resistance Training in Your Forties

The mistakes I made and how to avoid them

I started resistance training when I turned 40, hoping for a physical transformation that would avert a looming mid-life crisis. Resistance training did bring about many benefits that improved my physical and mental health. However, I also made a litany of avoidable mistakes along the way, resulting in wasted time, injury, and illness.

WHY RESISTANCE TRAINING?

Resistance training is an excellent form of exercise for all ages. It is especially valuable as we enter middle-age. Resistance training slows down the loss of lean muscle and bone mineral density that accompanies aging. It supports weight management and fat loss. It improves our muscles’ sensitivity to insulin, preventing and even reversing Type 2 diabetes. Resistance training helps lower the risk factors for many chronic diseases.

Resistance training can also be incredibly fun. It releases endorphins, lifts our mood, and relieves stress. There is a great variety of resistance training options, ranging from bodyweight to free weights, resistance bands to medicine balls, battle ropes to prowler sleds. Everyone should be able to find something they enjoy. Resistance training is also intrinsically rewarding, providing a sense of purpose and achievement as we make progress in our training.

THE RISKS OF IMPROPER RESISTANCE TRAINING

Aging presents certain challenges for resistance training. First, we are more susceptible to injury due to the physiological changes associated with aging. These include reduced muscle mass, decreased bone mineral density, loss of connective tissue elasticity, and slower healing. In my case, a combination of poor form and overuse of the elbow joint resulted in lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) that required months of physiotherapy. A similar failure to observe proper technique in lower body exercises, notably squats and deadlifts, contributed to a recurrence of low-back pain.

Second, we may be at a greater risk of overtraining as our older bodies take longer to recover. Overtraining has many negative effects. It can affect our immune, hormonal, and nervous systems. One of my worst experiences was an outbreak of shingles, the result of elevated levels of work-related stress and an immune system that was weakened by sustained high-intensity resistance training. There were other periods when overtraining affected my mood, emotions, ability to focus, and quality of sleep.

MISTAKES & LESSONS

Whether you are starting resistance training for the first time or after a long break, care should be taken with the preparation, training, and recovery phases.

Phase: Preparation

Mistakes. When I started resistance training, I would show up at the gym without any idea of what to do. I would look around at what people around me were doing or which pieces of equipment were available. Often, I would scroll through my workout tracking app for ideas and cobble something together on the spot. Sometimes, I would check YouTube for tutorials on how to perform certain exercises. This resulted in wasted time as well as sub-optimal gains.

Lessons. Prepare thoroughly by considering the following:

• Goals. Identify your training goals. Your training program should be customized depending on whether the objective is to lose weight, build muscular strength and endurance, grow muscle size (hypertrophy), or all of the above (body recomposition).
• Duration. Stick to one training program for around 8 to 12 weeks. The body, especially a detrained one, needs time to learn the new exercises and make neuromuscular adaptations. Thereafter, performing the same exercises at gradually increasing intensities (heavier weights) or volumes (more sets and repetitions) will enable you to build muscle strength and size. This is known as progressive overload.
• Frequency. Figure out how often you can train. There is no need to be constrained by the lack of access to a gym or certain equipment. Resistance training can be done almost anywhere, including at home or outdoors, and with little or no equipment.
• Training split. Based on the planned training frequency, decide which muscle groups you will train at the different workouts in a week. Research suggests that muscle growth is optimized by training each muscle group at least twice a week, with at least 48 hours of recovery time in between. As such, if you intend to train 2 to 3 days a week, full-body workouts are ideal. Given the larger number of muscle groups to be trained at each session, consider circuit or interval training to save time. If you are planning to work out 4 days a week, an upper and lower body split would be appropriate. If you are able to work out even more frequently, I would recommend a split based on antagonistic muscle pairs, e.g. chest and back, biceps and triceps, and quadriceps and hamstrings. As agonist and antagonist muscles work synergistically — one contracts while the other lengthens — pairing them together will maximize their workloads. I also found that combining pushing and pulling exercises into a single workout leaves my joints less sore than compared to performing only push exercises (chest, shoulders, biceps) or pull exercises (back, triceps). Besides, they make for natural supersets (i.e. 2 sets of different exercises performed back to back without rest), which can help save time spent at the gym.
• Exercise selection. This might be one of the most confusing areas for beginners given the variety of options available. This is not helped by the propagation of novelty exercises by internet fitness personalities. It is best to stick to the basics. Focus on compound exercises such as the bench press, bent-over row, overhead press, squat, deadlift, and lunge. By working more than one muscle at a time, these exercises will help you get the most out of your workouts. Isolation exercises, which help to build strength in specific muscles, can be performed after completing compound exercises. It is also a good idea to include a range of exercise modalities (e.g. barbells, dumbbells, cable stations, resistance bands, bodyweight, etc.) to expose your muscles to different stimuli, contractions, and ranges of motion.
• Training Intensity refers to the effort required to perform a particular exercise. It is usually measured using the weight lifted as well as the rate of perceived exertion. For detrained individuals, it is advisable to start at a lower intensity until you have built a foundation of strength.
• Training volume is measured by the number of sets and repetitions performed. For general fitness, the American College for Sports Medicine recommends performing 8–10 compound exercises for 2–3 sets with 8–12 repetitions. For more specific training goals (such as muscular strength, endurance, or hypertrophy), guidance is provided here by the American Council on Exercise.
• Progressive overload. Do not leave this to chance. It is important to plan progressive overload by gradually increasing both training intensity and training volume. Make it a habit to track workouts by recording the weight, sets, and repetitions performed. For example, if you start by lifting 40 pounds for 2 sets of 8 repetitions on the bench press, try increasing the number of repetitions by 2 per set per session until you hit 12 repetitions per set. Thereafter, add another set, starting from 8 repetitions again if necessary. Once you are able to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions consistently and with good form, you can plan to increase the weight lifted by 5–10% weight. Rinse and repeat.

Phase: Training

Mistakes. My early workouts were undermined by several critical oversights. First, I would forgo a proper warm-up and head straight for the weights. Second, failure to observe proper technique resulted in sub-optimal gains and even injury. Third, cool-downs were usually an after-thought, depending on whether I had time.

Lessons. Devote adequate time for all three phases of a workout, namely warm-up, training, and cool-down.

• Warm-up. The goals of a warm-up are (i) to increase the heart rate and core body temperature, (ii) to increase the mobility of joints to allow for a greater range of motion, and (iii) to increase the elasticity of muscles and tendons. Focus on dynamic warm-up exercises specific to the muscle groups that will be trained that day. Use the warm-up time to focus your mental attention on the workout ahead. Eliminate distractions like phone calls, emails, or social media.
• Proper training technique. Good form and technique are essential to working the targeted muscle and preventing injury. First, ensure that the major body parts (e.g. head, back, hips, feet) are in the correct positions before, during, and after any exercise. For example, a common mistake is the flaring of elbows during “push” exercises like the bench press or the shoulder press. This can result in injury. Second, perform each exercise through the full range of motion to reap the full benefits. For example, are you performing a squat (knees bent at 90 degrees) or a “knee bend” (knees bent at 135 degrees or more)? If you are not able to perform an exercise with the full range of motion, it is better to reduce the weight. Third, maintain proper breathing technique, i.e. exhale when contracting the targeted muscle and inhale when relaxing the muscle. This will help you generate more force for lifting the weight. Finally, listen to your body. If you feel a sharp localized pain, try to identify if it was caused by improper form. Stop the exercise if necessary.
• Exercise tempo. This is related to the concept of time under tension, i.e. the amount of time that a muscle or group of muscles is placed under stress. The tempo at which you lift a weight contributes to muscle growth. For beginner lifters, it is recommended to lift at a tempo of 3:1:1 for the eccentric (relax), concentric (contract), and isometric (hold) phases respectively. For example, when performing a bench press, the eccentric motion refers to the lowering of the barbell until it touches the chest, the concentric motion is the pushing of the barbell away from the chest, and the isometric motion is the squeeze of the chest muscles at the top. As force production capability is greatest during the eccentric phase, we can stimulate greater muscle growth by prolonging this portion of an exercise.
• Cool-down. A proper cool-down is important to bring down your heart rate. Abruptly stopping exercise can cause blood to pool in the extremities and cause dizziness. Static stretching after resistance is also a good opportunity to work on flexibility as the muscles would be warm. Self-myofascial release using a foam roller can help relieve tightness and reduce inflammation.

Phase: Rest & Recovery

Mistakes. My initial understanding of rest and recovery was limited to drinking a protein shake after my workout and going to bed that night. For the first six months, spurred on by the results I was getting from training, I worked out almost every day without taking a break, ignoring the warning signs my body was sending me. Overtraining set in, resulting in injury.

Lessons. Plan to give your body adequate time to rest, repair, and recover. Always listen to your body, especially when it comes to fatigue and pain.

• Nutrition. Ensure that you consume sufficient quantities of the various macronutrients. Protein is particularly important for muscle repair and synthesis. As we age, protein intake is even more important to combat the loss of lean muscle. To build muscle, consume 1.2 to 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram (or 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound) of body weight. Do not neglect carbohydrates and fats, which are the main sources of fuel for our body. Focus on consuming high-quality whole foods. Calcium and Vitamin D are also important to augment the bone-strengthening benefits of resistance training. Finally, remember to hydrate.
• Rest Days. Incorporate designated rest days in your training program to give your muscles sufficient time to repair and recover. Consider active recovery activities, which can help to clear blood lactate from your body after a workout. Options include walking, swimming, yoga, etc. Try to get sufficient sleep.
• Listen to your body. Look out for signs of overtraining, such as decreased performance, excessive fatigue, moodiness (due to hormonal imbalance), insomnia, loss of appetite, etc. Learn to identify good and bad pain. It is normal to feel soreness or stiffness up to 48 hours after training. However, persistent soreness/stiffness or sharp pain may be a sign of an injury. Consider consulting your physician.
• Deload. If you have trained intensely for an extended period, consider taking a deload week. This will allow your muscles to fully repair and recover, hormone levels to return to normal, and the central nervous system to rest. Your body will likely be telling you the same thing. There are many ways to implement a deload. If you still feel like training, try reducing the intensity and volume of the workouts by half. Alternatively, it might be a good time to consider other forms of exercise, e.g. a yoga or spin class, or go for a run or hike outdoors.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have found resistance training to be a game-changer for my physical health and overall well-being. It has helped to make my forties the best decade of my life so far. Here are 7 takeaways from my experience:

1. It is never too late to start resistance training.
2. Work out with intention. Good preparation is half the battle won.
3. Make time for a warm-up and cool-down.
4. Focus 100% on the workout. Remove distractions and observe proper technique.
5. Track your progress and plan progressive overload.
6. Always listen to your body. Look out for signs of overtraining. Consume high-quality protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
7. Above all, have fun with your training!

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