Imagine you had access to a list of everyone who ever had a crush on you.
Would you want to see the list?
I think most people would get curious and say “yes” so let’s take this a step further.
What if you only had access to this list for any single hour of your entire life. But in that hour you could see anyone who wanted to be your boo or your bae or whatever the young people are saying these days from that point backwards.
Would you look at the list when you are 16 so you could, perhaps, better decipher what some of these signals coming from the other kids walking down the hallways meant and actually give you an edge in navigating the chaos that are your teenage years?
Would you look at the list when you are 30 in the hopes of finding a life partner?
Would you look at the list at 60 in an effort to feel viral and vital and maybe a bit regretful or nostalgic?
Would you look at it at 80 when the list is at its longest?
Would you choose not to look at all? Valuing mystery over knowledge on something that might not be actionable at all.
This is a weird thought experiment. I apologize. I’m having a strange morning.
When it comes to knowledge of unrequited love, I don’t think that any answer or timeline can be seen as superior to any other. It's a matter of personal taste.
However, when it comes to developing fitness qualities, the timeline or “what to train when” does, in fact, have a root in scientific facts and logic.
Now, in an effort to save our postal carrier’s back from having to carry sacks and sacks full of hate mail up to my mezzanine office, what I am about to propose is also rooted in opinion and is biased towards what is optimal, not what is possible.
You can improve nearly any strength quality and energy system through a vast majority of your life, particularly if you never had an elite capability to begin with.
For example, if you’ve never strength trained with much intent or progression, you absolutely can get the strongest you’ve ever been in your life at 58 years old. Conversely, if you were an Olympic-level 5k runner the chances of you hitting a lifetime best in the 5k at 58 years old is about zero.
But this caveat does somewhat prove the point. We don’t just improve in a linear fashion throughout our lives even if our training is sound and appropriately intense. External factors are only part of the equation. Things such as how age naturally impacts your hormonal, skeletal and nervous systems are a completely normal and expected part of the human process.
You can “Bryan Johnson” yourself all you want. Your chances of living to 100 are much better than they are of PR’ing your bench press in the nursing home. So slow your roll, Methusala.
OK, let’s get down to it. As a reward for your continued patience I’ve created this list of what to prioritize if you want to get the most out of training as you progress through the seasons of your life.
0 - 14 years old. Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Research continues to emerge that disproves the myth that strength training is harmful and should be avoided by children. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Children tend to actually gain various benefits from a strength training routine so there is no need to discourage your deadlift-loving kid from hitting the gym. What you want to prioritize at this age is:
* Quality of movement. Kids’ brains aren’t the only things that are sponges at this age, their bodies are also very receptive to input. This is the perfect opportunity to learn to perform movements correctly with really great technique and range of motion. It will set them up for the maximal effects of training for the rest of their lives. Not having to unlearn thousands of bad reps like most of us ultimately do when we sacrifice technique for weight is really, really valuable. This is the chance for them to get off on the right foot. * Do not specialize. As much as you may want to turn your kid into the next centerfielder for the Yankees or the next shot putter on Team USA, you actually have no idea what your child is going to excel at during this stage of their lives. Plus almost every athletic endeavor benefits from developing a broad spectrum of qualities early on in life. It’s very rare that the scholarship athlete played one and only one sport their entire career. * Make it play. You can say this about training at any age but kids in particular benefit when training in the gym feels more like play than a strict regime with stringent parameters. If you want anyone to instantly hate anything, strip out the fun and make it feel like a job. This is doubly true for children.
15 - 25 years old. Puberty is the closest thing to a natural steroid cycle you’ll ever experience. Your hormonal profile primes you for skeletal and muscular growth and the seemingly unending cycle of hunger makes you anabolic as hell (if you’ve ever raised or lived with a teenage boy you’ve probably noticed the remarkable amount of food they can consume). And given all these factors, this is the time you want to prioritize muscle growth. Teens can typically handle more training volume so the number of weekly sets can be high. Recovery is almost a non-issue at this age and the risk of overtraining is very low.
Obviously if you are looking to perform any sport at a high level at this age, sport-specific training and qualities should be taken into consideration. Particularly if a scholarship or professional position are on the line. But if this doesn’t describe you, this is still a good time to avoid specialization and prioritize muscle growth. It’s the best chance you’ll have to get the gains that stay with you for the next decades. So get in the gym and get growing.
25-40 years old. All things are still possible in this age range. It’s hilarious to me hearing the 32 year-old lifter who has only been training seriously for eight to ten years thinking that he is over-the-hill and can no longer improve. You can certainly still add muscle mass at this age and you should have enough reps in the tank and enough technique dialed in that you can truly add strength. Most lifetime PRs will happen in this age range. It’s also a good time to get involved in weekend warrior/recreation competitions like powerlifting, weightlifting or endurance running.
Recovery and injury prevention certainly become more of an issue at this age so you need to monitor your program and volume more closely. If you’ve listened to the previous advice and got involved in many different training modalities this is a good time to find what you like, get good at a couple of specific things and use your time in the gym to enhance those activities.
40-60 years old. This is the age where consistency and maintaining your capabilities becomes the priority. Most strength qualities and energy systems will begin to deteriorate if you don’t train them regularly - particularly neurologically demanding qualities such as power and speed.
You can still get stronger and improve movement at this age but it’s going to take diligence and a smart approach. Injury-prevention becomes a real priority here and your training program must reflect these priorities. Consistency and intelligence are absolutely key at this phase of training. If you do not maintain a regular routine of training things can deteriorate quickly and this can become regrettable later in life. Recovery factors such as sleep and stress-management become increasingly important. The goal here is to be the fittest person at your 30 year high school reunion.
60 years+. The game here is very simple: maintain movement quality and standard of living as much as possible. You want to prioritize body composition for both health and functionality. You’d be wise to maintain as much muscle mass as possible as nature is working against you here. The main goal is being able to move well. As you get into your 70s and beyond things like being able to survive a fall and take care of daily needs becomes the game.
Does this sound depressing? Perhaps when you are 40. But when you hit this age and you can go grocery shopping and load up your trunk or you are able to bend over and tie your own shoes you are going to feel like a superhero compared to others in your age bracket who can’t get out of bed in the morning.
As I mentioned, these are just general guidelines. I’ve been at weightlifting meets where 65 year old guys are slinging impressive weights over their head. We’ve also all seen 25 year olds who get winded walking up a set of stairs.
But the one universal truth here is that you should never stop training. It may not always look the same. You shouldn’t expect the same outcomes. But it should and will enhance your life. And along with establishing financial security, maintaining mental health and creating solid relationships will be the best thing you can do for yourself.
And as far as that crush list goes, don’t worry about it.
Everybody’s got the hots for you.
How could they not?
You’re reading this blog.
Clearly, you’re awesome.