A few years ago, sitting at my desk in a dark London office, I happened upon Quora. For those of you who don’t know it, it’s essentially a collective Q&A, a human-powered search engine. Someone asks a question, another person, hopefully someone with specific experience, answers it. Others chime in. There are some real gems out there and a few duds.
One of the fitness-related themes that frequently crops up is people asking whether a specified age is too late to build muscle, get strong, become more flexible, start running, etc. Sometimes, the age in question is 80 or 70. Equally as often (that’s my impression as I have not run any numbers), the age is 30 or 40. Can a 30-year-old office worker build muscle? The question seems ludicrous. Because yes that person can, and so too can people much older than that.
Check out Joan MacDonald, who started resistance training at 70. It’s inspiring stuff. You can read more about her in this article that reveals how Joan’s poor health required that she adjust her lifestyle. She made changes and now she’s helping others to do the same. You can make changes too.
If you’re in your 30s and 40s, even better because it will be easier physically and you will reap the benefits for many more years.
Very brief muscle building explainer
I won’t go into the science of muscle building here – but a simplistic summary is that you need to eat sufficient amounts of food including protein, train with resistance whether that’s weights, bands or my preferred method of bodyweight strength, and you need to progressively overload the stimulus, which just means make the exercises harder over time so your muscles have to get stronger (and a little bigger) to manage the load/weight.
Mobility training is similar. Make the movements more challenging over time so your body is forced to adapt to the new stimulus. With proper programming and consistent effort, you will increase your mobility (and you can do the same for strength and cardiovascular health).
You can improve your physicality no matter your age. If we have learned anything in the last decade, it’s that our perceptions of an older demographic are pretty inaccurate. Things slow down, yes, but I know an 80 year old who just got back from an e-biking tour and who works harder in the garden than I could.
It’s time to take action
Maybe you haven’t exercised for a while; maybe you’re tired of feeling tired and weak; maybe you’re bored of lethargy and want a new challenge; maybe all that sitting at your computer stressing about work is taking its toll and you can feel it – so just start doing something.
There are so many free resources out there such as Reddit’s bodyweight strength sub, which provides the effective, easy to follow Recommended Routine requiring minimal equipment.
GMB’s Elements, you need to pay for, but it’s a fantastic way to develop strength, flexibility and control in fun and challenging new ways. And you don’t need any equipment, just a little floor space.
Hire a trainer. Join a gym. Start walking up hills. The point is to start now. It may not be too late to start in 30 years, but wouldn’t you rather be dashing into your 70s carrying your grandkids, groceries or barbell with ease?
It’s a hard sell trying to convince someone in their 30s and 40s that what we do now echoes for all eternity – no wait, sorry that’s from Gladiator. But what we do now is very much an investment in our older selves. Investing in our physical health now is one of the most powerful and impactful decisions we can make. Let’s get strong to move.