In my career I’ve done it all. I’ve wrestled at an extremely high level, I’ve been ranked second in the World for Kickboxing, I’ve been a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion, and I’ve fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Did I also mention that I’ve worked out religiously twice a day for the past 25 years? That’s over 18,000 workouts. In my current condition, I stand 6’3”, weigh 240 pounds, and am under 10 percent body fat.
Why am I telling you this? It’s because I’ve been able to overcome every obstacle that’s been put in my way—except growing older.
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Why wouldn’t I smile? At 40 I’m the best version of me that I’ve ever been… #everydamnday
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I don’t want this article to be about how great you can be later in life and how every man over 40 can look and feel like they’re 20 years old. That’s bullshit.
I’d love to tell you I am as fit today as I was when I was 20. But that would be a lie. I’d also love to tell you my training hasn’t had to change. That would also be a lie. I haven’t found the fountain of youth, I haven’t figured out how to defeat Father Time—he’s never lost, by the way—and I haven’t been able to extend my peak.
There’s a lot of stuff out there promising men they can tap into their youthful energies as they age. There’s a never-ending list of dishonest programs, book, infomercials, and supplements. The reality is this, though: Do you see many 40 year old athletes who are just hitting their prime? Doesn’t happen. If an athlete does compete into their forties they are usually just trying to hang on.
I’m not trying to bring you down or rain on your parade. You can be extremely fit at 40 years old. You can look and feel relatively good—but it’s not free, it’s not easy, and there’s a real cost.
Here are three of the main areas I have noticed have changed as I have gotten older and how I try to cope with those changes.
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Training Volume And Intensity
As you age, you must adjust your training volume and intensity. As a general rule, both need to decrease.
When I was younger I could go hard all the time. I could sprint in the morning, do HIIT-style training at lunch, and lift weights at night. I had a seemingly limitless supply of energy and never had an issue with overtraining.
The older I have gotten the more that has had to change. I can’t go hard every single session. Now I have to pick my spots.
These days I train twice daily. Once in the morning and once in the evening. To facilitate that kind of work volume I cannot go hard for both sessions. I’d fall apart. I need to alternate between hard and easy sessions.
So if I go hard in the morning I go easy at night and if I go easy in the morning I go hard at night.
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I didn’t get like this by taking weekends off. Especially at the age of 40. While most are “resting” (I put that in quotation marks because they haven’t worked hard enough a day in their lives to earn their rest) or partying, I’m doing what I’m always doing. Working my damned ass off. Every day is another chance to get a step closer to my goals. On the other hand every day wasted is a lost opportunity. Let’s say you took every weekend off for a year. That’s a 104 days. Almost a third of your year. If you’ve ever sat around wondering why you’re just not as fit as you’d like to be, desperate for a solution, I’d suggest you start there. It’s really pretty easy. So make your choice. If you’re looking to hop on the Bobby Maximus fountain of youth train then here’s your answer: Show up every damn day. If not and you’re happy with your “Dad Bod” then I guess just keep on doing what you’ve been doing. No shame in letting yourself go right? #realtalk #everydamnday
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What do I mean by hard and easy?
My hard workouts would be when I lift heavy (or to failure), or when I breath hard. These workouts could be my weekly strength workouts, hypertrophy workouts, or interval workouts. My easy workouts are usually focused on practicing technique or doing easy paced cardiovascular work or doing mobility work.
During the course of the week I aim to hit a 50/50 split between hard workouts and easy/restorative workouts. Regardless of how many sessions I hit, I maintain this ratio. This is essential to stay injury free and also combat the effects of aging.
No More Stupid Sh*t
There used to be a day when I tried to compete with everyone. I’d see someone doing a workout and I would have to try it too. I’d hear of some “savage” workout challenge and I would want to test myself and see if I could do it too. If my friend was deadlifting a weight, I would try to deadlift more.
At my age that is a surefire way to get hurt. I have learned this lesson the hard way too. I can’t compete with some 20 year-old. There are only two outcomes when I try: I get hurt. Or I complete the workout, maybe I even “win”, but then am sore or off my training program for the next few days.
Remember this simple phrase: “No one wins the workout”. My goal is to improve, not competing in a game nobody cares about.
The next time you see some kid on the internet doing 1,000 burpees for time or lifting a big-ass weight, ask yourself if you really need to do it too. Ask yourself if you are even capable of doing it. Everything is “risk vs. reward” and as you get older, the risk goes through the roof.
The best advice I could give an aging athlete is to stay in your lane.
Recovery Practices
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Everything has a cost and everyone has to pay.
A younger athlete doesn’t need as much sleep and doesn’t need to pay much attention to recovery and restorative work. As you get older that changes dramatically. It has for me.
When I was younger I rarely needed to go for massages, get in ice baths, or be on a foam roller. Lately those things are all I do.
In fact if you were to ask me today (and I told you honestly) I would tell you I probably spend more time in a spa then in the gym. I try to hit a 2:1 ratio of restorative work to training. That means for every time I train, I try to incorporate two recovery practices. I use the sauna, ice baths, contrast showers, recovery walks, air compression boots, stretching, foam roller sessions, and massage.
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Before you get all in your feelings about how you don’t have enough time or money for all of those things—I get it. I really do. I am fortunate to have a career in the fitness industry that allows me the freedom to recover this much. I’m well aware most people don’t have that time. Most people don’t train 10 times a week either, and may not need that much recovery.
Here is a simple rule: Choose a recovery practice once a day and do it. You can choose from the list above. You don’t have to be excessive with your choice either—devoting just 20 minutes a day to one practice will pay incredible dividends.
What Does It All Mean?
Can you be fit at 40? Yup. Can you look good and feel good and perform well? Yup. It just costs a hell of a lot more than did when you were 20.
And even if you pay the cost you still are just fighting to hang on. So prepare to make a few changes to your training schedule. Double down on sleep, then triple down on recovery. And don’t be stupid about stuff in the gym. Stay in your lane, be aware of your limitations, and get ready to do the work.
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