Sports after 40: how to train hard and without health risks

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

After 40, there is no sport? Sheer nonsense. This article will show you how to stay physically active when your body is no longer the same.

It is human nature to think about the future. Although personally I am still far from 40, but sometimes the question comes to mind: can I practice in the gym, having exchanged my fifties? And if so, what adjustments need to be made to your training program so that gradually, but inevitably, the wearing out body does not burn out? Andrew Reid is a man who successfully goes in for sports despite all the horrors that are prophesied to people who did not give up sports in time. He has some tips.

You can maintain the intensity of your workouts by lengthening the time between workouts

The widespread belief that after 40 you need to quit sports was formed for a reason. Since the second half of the last century, doctors have been saying that it is dangerous to be friends with sports in the twenties. The load on the heart is too high. Simply put, after reaching this age, you can only humbly wait for old age and death.

Indeed, there are not so many professional athletes in the world over 40, but among this age group there are many examples of people who successfully maintain proper physical activity. There are those who begin to use hormonal drugs, but not everyone wants to follow this path.

An important realization for you may be the fact that in your soul you are still young and the problem is only in your body. You wake up the day after your workout, but now the effects of activity are stronger and longer. In such a state, it will no longer work out hard, and the best solution would be to reduce the number of intense workouts to two or three per week. Moreover, the training itself should become more gentle. You simply will not be able to maintain the same regime, because your body is recovering more and more.

Recovery

After every hard workout, regardless of age, the body needs to bring itself back to normal, recover. The main mechanisms here are food and sleep. Most people exercise either in the early morning before work or in the evening after work. In both cases, it is important to give the body material (food) for recovery after exercise. You will not die if you do not do this, but over time, a high-quality refueling of the body after training will give its bonuses.

There are thousands of studies that support the benefits of post-workout meals. Aim to eat within 30 minutes after class ends. Don't be afraid to include carbs in these meals as your body needs to replenish its energy reserves.

As you get older, one of two things will happen to you: either you realize that bad decisions do not lead you to anything good, and the fast food hamburger eaten causes unpleasant sensations for several days, or you come to the conclusion that the cubes on your stomach are no longer so important like a glass of wine and a delicious dinner. Only you can decide what is right for you, but for successful sports after 40 you will have to make a choice in favor of the first option much more often.

Time, food and sleep monitoring

Food is gasoline for our body. The higher the quality of the fuel, the better the engine will perform. Sleep is maintenance. Giving up enough sleep in favor of watching TV or sitting out late is more impacting on you than you might think. One of the problems here is work. Often, older people have quite serious jobs that require, among other things, working overtime. And also children. Or work and children.

Most people do not know how to manage their time at all. They spend it on irrelevant and spend too much time on TV instead of going to bed early.

Life is never perfect, and very often we have to change our plans literally on the go (especially for those who have children), but getting others to reckon with your daily schedule is critical.

For example, all of Andrew's friends and acquaintances know for sure that they will not receive a reply to their messages from him after 20:30. At these hours, preparations are already underway for the next day. Maybe it gives off something peculiar to old people, but without normal sleep you will not have the strength for an intense workout tomorrow. In order to have enough strength not only for training, but also for work, you need to sleep at least 8 hours.

Another important point is to take a nap during the day. Although this sounds even more "old-fashioned", but for a person who continues to practice twice a day, this break is important. In total, Andrew sleeps 8 hours at night and 1 hour during the day.

Workout balance

Once nutrition and sleep are normalized, you need to balance the intense and gentle periods in your training program.

Andrew's Tough Day includes a 70-minute morning cross-country run, as well as an evening workout (power lifting and barbell squats) followed by a 60-minute interval workout.

The next morning you will feel very tired, which means that this day will be easy. In this case, "light" means only that the load on that day is less than on a hard day.

The light day program includes a 40-minute light run followed immediately by snack and rest. Next comes strength training with an emphasis on the upper body. The evening activity is a calm sailing.

The division between hard and easy days is now clearer. A light, calm run will refresh the body after a grueling cross-country run. A workout with an upper focus is not that hard and is clearly easier than interval training. Swimming gives the body lighter aerobic exercise, while cool water will soften the effects of intense exercise.

Outcome

Age is not a reason to quit intense training. You just need to approach physical activity more thoughtfully. Pay more attention to food and sleep for better recovery. Replace your daily intense workouts with alternating hard and light days. You can do it after 40 if you do it wisely.