TRAIN AS YOU AGE
Your guide to continuing to achieve health, performance and aesthetic goals, no matter how many miles you’ve got on the clock
As a Men’s Fitness reader, you won’t need convincing that regularly working out delivers a host of benefits, both physical and mental, whatever your age. What’s not so well known, however, is that recent longevity research has revealed that sticking to strength training well into your twilight years has the potential to help you manage and even arrest the ageing process.
FAST-TWITCH TWENTIES
The hormones responsible for stimulating muscle growth are at their highest in your twenties, so this is the time to lay down as much muscle tissue as possible, before the previously mentioned decline begins (see box, right) – usually from age 30 onwards. For best results, mix it up, using hypertrophy methods such as drop sets, eccentric repetitions (negatives) and maybe even some ‘sarcoplasmic stimulation training’ (more on that below). Your working heart rate is at its maximum, so cardio sessions should be seriously challenging, with sprint interval formats, such as Tabata and other ‘eyeballs out’ protocols, on the menu. It’s worth noting, your body is at its most resilient now and your recovery is as speedy as it’ll ever be, so you can handle a high workload – although one rest or active recovery day a week is recommended. You’re also at your most flexible in your twenties, but don’t be lured into a false sense of security. Build dynamic and static stretching into your routine now, or pay a stiff price down the line.
