The Small Adjustments That Keep You Training After 40
How a few small adjustments kept things moving without turning into a bigger problem
Coaching for the 40+ lifestyle lifters
Earlier this week I mentioned my shoulder starting to act up again. That wasn’t random. It showed up because of how I was training — and how things had been building for a while.
That’s something I’ve learned over time — things usually don’t just “happen” out of nowhere. There’s almost always a lead-up. Most guys just don’t notice it until something forces them to.
For me, it was some solid progress in strength. I was feeling good. And when that happens, it’s easy to start pushing a little harder… chasing a little more.
A bit more intensity.
A bit more load.
Just enough to slowly tip things in the wrong direction.
Years ago, I wouldn’t have paid much attention to that. I would’ve just kept going and dealt with it later.
Most of the time, that doesn’t end well.
So this time, I made a few adjustments. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to keep things moving without letting it turn into something bigger.
The first thing I changed was letting go of a couple movements that didn’t feel right anymore — not permanently, just for now. That used to be harder for me than it should’ve been. You get attached to certain lifts and convince yourself they’re necessary.
They’re not. Most of the time, it’s just habit.
There’s always another way to train the same thing without fighting your own body.
I also slowed things down before I started loading anything. That’s probably one of the biggest differences from how I used to train. I used to move into working sets pretty quickly.
Now I take my time getting there.
More warm-up sets.
More attention to how things feel that day.
Some days everything feels solid. Some days it doesn’t. That matters more than most people want it to.
Another shift was backing off the need to push everything. Not in a lazy way — just being more selective about when to push.
There’s a difference between training hard and pushing through something your body is clearly pushing back on. That’s taken me a while to figure out. Most people don’t realize they’ve crossed that line until something forces them to.
And the biggest one, honestly, is just paying attention sooner. Not waiting until something becomes a problem — just noticing when something feels a little off and adjusting before it gets worse.
That alone has probably saved me more setbacks than anything else.
None of this is complicated. But it’s the kind of stuff you only really start to appreciate after you’ve had to deal with it a few times.
IIf your training has felt a little off lately, there’s a reason.
It’s rarely effort.
It’s usually something small that’s just been overlooked.
If you want a clearer picture of where your setup might be working against you, that’s exactly what the Iron After 40 diagnostic is designed to show. It takes a couple minutes and will show you where your training is likely working against you.
— Rob
Coach
Iron After 40