Most training programmes fail not because they don’t work, but because people don’t stick to them. And the best way to build consistency is to manage intensity, prioritise recovery and keep things simple. In a recent solo podcast, strength coach Judd Lienhard lays out a stripped-back framework for getting strong and conditioned, without obsessing over perfect programming.

Lienhard reduces everything to a handful of rules built around key movement patterns and the minimum effective dose needed to see progress after 40.

7 Rules for Training After 40

1. The 6-3 Rule

‘Start with the 6-3 rule. The six movement patterns three times a week,’ says Lienhard. Those patterns are:

‘If you do those basic patterns, you're going to be pretty good,’ he says. For the purposes of these patterns, he includes lunges under squats.

2. Train Those Patterns 2–3 Times per Week

When it comes to frequency, twice a week is the bare minimum. In Lienhard’s experience, clients who trained three times a week made much faster progress. If sessions are missed and frequency drops, progress quickly stalls. At one session per week, you may maintain for a while, but you won’t keep improving.

3. Do Enough Work at the Right Intensity

‘We need to be doing 10 to 15 sets above 70% of our one-rep max,’ he says. Within that, most of your training should sit in a moderate range. ‘The majority of your strength training should be somewhere in the 70 to 80% range, somewhere between 8 to 12 reps,’ with only a small amount of heavier work layered in – around 2–4 sets above 80%.

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4. Add Isolation Work Each Week

While compound moves are key, isolation exercises should also be included. ‘You should target each muscle group with one isolation exercise at least once a week.’ Because, ‘at least one muscle is not worked optimally, even with compound movement,’ says Lienhard.

5. Include Unilateral Training

Unilateral, or single-limb, movements can support strength while exposing weak links. ‘One compound movement per week should be unilateral in nature,’ he says. ‘These are muscles that maybe don’t get trained adequately if we only do bilateral lifts.’ This could include lunges, step-ups, Bulgarian split squats, single-arm rows and single-arm presses.

6. Use Variable Resistance or Power Work

Strength alone isn’t enough, especially as you age, says Lienhard. ‘One movement per pattern per week should include some type of variable resistance.’ That means accelerating through the lift. ‘Something where you're trying to accelerate the load through the entire range of motion,’ he says. ‘When we get older, what we really need is power.’ This could mean adding bands or chains to a lift, or incorporating explosive movements like medicine ball throws or jump squats.

7. Start Some Lifts from a Dead Stop and Control Tempo

‘One lower-body and one upper-body push movement should start from a dead stop position every week,’ recommends Lienhard. This could include a deadlift from the floor, a squat from pins, or hand-release push-ups, where each rep starts without momentum. ‘It increases your rate of force development, which will help to increase your power and your strength,’ he explains.

‘Three sets per pattern per week should have a slow eccentric with a pause,’ he adds. ‘This helps with tissue quality, rebuilding movement patterns and working on mobility.’