6 Tips for Lifters Over 30
Want to keep kicking butt after 30? Here's what you need to know.
1. Train for Reps
You’ll grow faster, get unreal pumps, and your joints will thank you.
2. Go Heavy, But Not Year-Round
Use 1 or 2-month blocks of heavy, strength-specific training. You’ll be more muscular, leaner, and feel waaaay better than the guy who chases a 600lb max deadlift for 12 straight months, guaranteed.
The 1 rep max is a vanity lift. Skip ‘em and work on your 3 rep maxes. You’ll see greater strength gains and you’ll be vastly less likely to get injured. Nothing undoes progress like getting hurt.
3. Be Ready to Train Around Injuries
Unless you’ve been lifting pink dumbbells wrapped in bubble wrap, you’ve probably earned a shoulder, neck, back, or knee that flares up from time to time.
Experiment, find substitutes that don’t aggravate your injuries, and keep moving.
If you keep getting hurt squatting, check the ego and give that leg press a whirl. Try dumbbells or cables instead of bench pressing.
Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods.
4. Get Your Zzz’s
Men who sleep 5 hours a night produce only half the testosterone of men who sleep 8 hours a night, according to a University of Chicago study.
After studying the sleep habits of over 500 men, endocrinologists at the National University of Singapore found just 1 extra hour of sleep boosts testosterone 12%, overnight.
It’s free. We all do it anyway. Make time for quality zzz’s and reap the rewards.
5. Don’t “Bulk”
Eating everything in sight might work when you’re 17.
Hard truth: Bulking as an adult will make you a tiny bit stronger and a whole lot fatter. As fun as it may be to eat whatever you want, it’s rarely worth it.
Instead, gain muscle by gradually increasing food intake (especially protein). For an extra edge, increase training intensity with methods like Negatives, Partial Reps, and Supersets, choose more effective lifts (try this for chest, this for back, and this for biceps), and add smart supplementation.
6. Be Consistent
Especially after 30, commitment is king and consistency is key. If nothing else, remember the following:
- Never go 3 days without training.
- Train at least 3 days a week.
- Never miss a Monday.
- Never give up.
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