After 35, you shouldn't be training for next summer. You should be training to arrive at 70 strong.
That's according to José Ruiz, a coach and expert in physical transformations, who believes the way we think about exercise should change as we get older.
‘For many years, we've been sold a very specific idea of exercise,’ he says. ‘Training to define your abs. Training to fill out your T-shirt. Training to look good on the beach. As if your body only matters during the summer months.
‘But something changes when you get past 35 or 40.’
You start thinking less about impressing someone on holiday and more about having energy 30 years from now. Getting yourself off the floor without difficulty. Carrying a suitcase without pain. Playing with your children or grandchildren. Travelling, walking for miles or climbing a mountain without your body becoming the limiting factor.
‘After 35, you're no longer training for this summer,’ says Ruiz. ‘You start training for the person you want to be at 70.’
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Ageing Starts Earlier Than You Think
Many people assume the physical effects of ageing suddenly arrive when you reach your 60s or 70s. In reality, some age-related changes begin much earlier.
From around our 30s, muscle mass can gradually decline, particularly if we aren't doing anything to maintain it. Strength and power can also decrease with age, alongside changes in mobility, bone density and recovery.
It doesn't happen overnight. The changes can occur so gradually that you may not notice them until physical limitations begin creeping into everyday life.
That's why Ruiz sees strength as an investment in your future.
When you're younger, wanting to look better may be the reason you first walk into a gym. But as you get older, maintaining muscle and strength can take on a much broader importance.
Muscle isn't only useful for lifting heavier weights. Maintaining it can support physical function, bone health and your ability to remain independent as you age.
Train So That Life Feels Easier
We often associate strength with sporting performance or numbers in the gym. But its value becomes obvious in much more mundane situations.
Carrying the shopping. Moving furniture. Picking up a child. Climbing stairs. Travelling with a heavy bag. Playing on the floor. Or simply getting out of a chair comfortably.
When you strength train, you're not only preparing yourself for your next gym session. You're preparing your body for hundreds of small physical demands that will be repeated throughout your life.
And looking healthy isn't necessarily the same as being physically capable.
We're surrounded by images that equate a healthy body with having very low body fat. But health extends far beyond what you see in the mirror. You can have visible abs while sleeping poorly, feeling constantly stressed, barely moving outside the gym or following habits you couldn't realistically sustain for years.
By contrast, consistently strength training, walking regularly, sleeping well and maintaining muscle can all contribute towards staying physically capable as you get older.
The best physique isn't necessarily the one that attracts the most attention on the beach. It's the one that allows you to keep doing the things you want to do for decades.
It's Never Too Late to Start Strength Training
We increasingly talk about lifespan, but Ruiz argues that we should also be thinking about how well we're able to move during those extra years.
Reaching 80 is one thing. How do you want to arrive there?
Do you want to remain independent? Have enough energy to travel? Continue playing sport? Keep doing the activities you enjoy?
The habits you repeat over decades can have a significant influence on those outcomes.
And if you didn't start exercising in your 20s, that doesn't mean you've missed your chance.
‘I've seen people start at 45, 55 and even over 60,’ Ruiz says. ‘And improve their strength. Their mobility. Their balance. Their body composition. Their self-esteem. And, above all, their quality of life.’
The body retains the ability to adapt to training as you get older. Starting earlier may give you more years in which to build and maintain those physical qualities, but there's no arbitrary age at which strength training stops being worthwhile.
Train for the Person You'll Be in 30 Years
Before deciding whether to train today, Ruiz suggests asking yourself a different question.
Don't think only about how you want to look this summer. Think about how you want to feel 30 years from now.
Every training session adds up. So does every walk, balanced meal and good night's sleep. Small decisions accumulate into the habits that will influence the body you live in for the rest of your life.
After 35, training doesn't have to be a race towards the perfect physique. It can become an investment you'll appreciate considerably more later.
You're not training only to lift more weight. Or drop a clothing size. Or look better this summer.
You're training to preserve your strength, independence and ability to keep doing the things you enjoy as you get older.
As Ruiz puts it, the real achievement isn't simply being strong at 40. It's still being strong decades later.
Roberto Cabezas es especialista en fitness, CrossFit, culturismo, material de entrenamiento, nutrición y suplementación deportiva en Men's Health España. Licenciado en Periodismo por la Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, en Madrid, siempre me ha gustado el deporte. Jugué al fútbol, practiqué karate, tenis y ahora soy un apasionado del pádel y entrenar en el gimnasio. Creo firmemente en que llevar una vida saludable, comiendo bien y haciendo ejercicio a diario, es fundamental tanto para el cuerpo como para nuestra salud mental. Y animo a combatir el estrés con el entrenamiento fitness mediante rutinas de ejercicios.
Uno de mis hobbies es comprar comida porque me encanta comer, sobre todo carne, pero también la fruta y los postres healthy. No me falta mi batido de proteínas diario y puestos a recomendar, prueba la crema de cacahuete con plátano, esta es una de muchas de las recomendaciones que puedes encontrar entre los contenidos de nutrición en los que escribo y trato temas como, la creatina, proteína whey entre otros.
En lo profesional, antes de formar parte de la Healthy Unit de Hearst Magazines, estuve casi 20 años en las revistas Teleindiscreta, TP y Supertele, de la misma compañía, donde aprendí a ser periodista. Antes pasé por una consultora económica y una web femenina. ¿Más aficiones? La lectura, la música, el cine, las series y jugar con mis hijos. ¡Vive y deja vivir!
