Why Less Is More For Lifters Over 30

Controversial opinion, I don't believe training in your 30's, 40's and 50's should look very different to training in your 20's. Hell, I've got clients in their 60's hitting squat, bench and deadlift PBs on the platform without a hit of "orthopaedic cost" or "joint friendly" in their training. The reality is that physiologically, the changes decade to decade are a lot more gradual than you think. You don't just suddenly become fragile and delicate because your latest birthday saw you tick over another decade on this planet. And that is even more true for all the people who have consistently trained or stayed active through each decade of their lives. What I DO think changes significantly however are the responsibilities in your life, especially between your mid 20's and mid 30's. These are the years where people traditionally settle down and have kids. And even if you don't, it'll likely be where your career or business sees the biggest progression or both. Your finances change the most, with increasing rents or taking on mortgages. Bigger and more overheads. More dependents. More mouths to feed. These things are MUCH more significant that the 1% drop in your testosterone levels, or the 365 days worth of extra mileage your joints have on them (plot twist, if you're honest your lifestyle is more sedentary now than it ever has been). And it's perfectly encapsulated by the biopsychosocial model.

The biopsychosocial model shows us that there are 3 key areas to consider when it comes to managing your self and your body. Your biology and how your body works:

• Age

• Sex

• Genetics

• Metabolism

• Immunity

• Recovery capacity

• Hormones

• Exercise and activity levels

This is where most people (and coaches for that matter) thoughts start and stop when it comes to planning their training and nutrition approaches. But there's more. Your psychology and mindset:

• Thoughts

• Feeling and perceptions

• Beliefs

• Fears and worries

• Expectations

• Memories

• Values

And your social context:

• Friends and family

• Job, coworkers and boss

• School and education

• Physical environment

• Tribe and community

• Culture and society

These things impact your ability to complete and adapt to training as much as your physiology, and by your mid 30's a lot of these things will be ingrained, sources of stress and demanding of a lot of time, energy and focus. And the biggest thing is that many of them will be non-negotiable. You have to care for your kids. You can leave them to feed themselves while you go to the gym to score the sickest bicep pump of the year for example. The stresses that come with these commitments and responsibilities are non-negotiable. They're going to happen. They're going to knock you back and screw up your day. And they're going to do that same next week (probably at the worst possible moment). And while I believe that training and physicality should be an absolute non-negotiable as well, the context of what that looks like is VERY negotiable. And this is exactly why less is more for lifters over 30. The basic concept of training and getting better in the gym is that stress causes adaptation. You have to stress the system enough for it to take notice, and adapt in a way to be better prepared for that stress next time. Lifting heavy enough for enough reps for your body to gain strength for example. If there's not enough stress, i.e. you lift too light and your session is too easy, you won't get the adaptation. So stress is essential. It is a key part of the process. But in the gym you can pick exactly what stress you want, and how much of it to apply to the system. The Biopsychosocial Model + Minimum Effective Dose = Gains

When stress is already high in life, you're going to want to work closer to the minimum effective dose of training to make progress. This gives you a change of A) finding a workout routine that actually fits, and B) finding a workout routine that actually works because your system can tolerate it and recover from it. Now the reality is that the minimum effective dose isn't exciting for anyone, and because it is the minimum effective dose, while it is effective, it'll be minimally effective. So what we actually want to find is the sweet spot between the minimum effective dose and maximum recoverable volume that works for you, but that will be best done by starting on the low end and working up. The great thing about working with a low dose, which to me is a lower training volume, fewer sets, fewer total reps, and generally shorter and more focussed training sessions, is that you can and need to do them at a higher intensity. Only doing 2 sets of squats? Well they better be worth it. Load up the bar. Only doing 1 top set on the bench? Get up to 1 rep in reserve. This is great news as training intensity is going to be the biggest player when it comes to building strength and changing your physique as a hectic over 30. Give me 2 sets of squats done to 1 rep in reserve over a 15 minute squat AMRAP done with light enough reps to allow you to move for 15 minute EVERY day. So not only is the minimum effective dose the most realistic approach for over 30's when you take the biopsychosocial model into account, it's also the most effective when you take the biopsychosocial model out of the equation. This way you can ignore the nonsense of "training like your 40 when you're 30 so you can train like you're 30 when you're 40". That's absolute bullshit. If you train like you're 40 in your 30's you'll move like a 40 year old even sooner. Keep training like a savage while keeping the biopsychosical model in mind. If life gives you an opportunity, go hard. If life is taking over, adjust your training and don't be a hero. Less is more for lifters over 30, and done right, you can achieve everything you want and more while training less. If you want my expert guidance from 15+ years of working with everyday athletes just like you, just click here.