r/fitness40plus

I've working weekly with a personal trainer since March. Its been interesting and helpful experience. I can now ADHD body double with my homework plan instead of having to always put on YouTube video to motivate myself.

However, I've run into progression issues. Its time to progress some of compound moves, but its giving me insane anxiety. So instead Im now learning additional smaller moves. Hopefully once mastering smaller isolation moves, I can go back to try progress my push ups and squats in September​.

I am a woman in my 40s who was never fit. My 7 yo son is very athletic and is one of my motivation to be fit.

If anybody else struggled with anxiety around exercise, what helped.

I'm 43 now. Around my 42 birthday, I decided to start taking fitness seriously again. I committed to lifting 3-4 days a week, started walking at least two miles on my off days, and gave up drinking for 6 months (I've since cut back drastically from my previous consumption).

I dropped around 13 pounds while putting on a pretty decent amount of muscle. All my lifts are up, even though I'm lighter than I've been since I was 28. I take creatine and recently added a multivitamin and fish oil. About halfway through, I started tracking macros with a phone app.

People will tell you that you can't get in shape in your 40s but, while it definitely isn't as easy it is when you're young, it's completely achievable. You don't need TRT/growth hormone/whatever. Just stick it to. I'm in a calorie deficit now, trying to drop around 7 more pounds, then I have some strength goals I want to hit, probably in a small surplus.

Hey,

Not sure if I’m posting this in the correct place, if not please correct me and I’ll repost elsewhere 🙏

Over the last few years I’ve taken myself from 196lbs to 312lbs 🤦‍♂️. No excuses, I have done it to myself due to becoming inactive, unhealthy eating habits and consuming too much alcohol.

Changes made;

Given up alcohol.
Started RETA 2mg
Wanting to eat healthier and track macros.

At home I have a walking machine (work long hours so this is convenient when home) and also dumbbells 5KG-25KG.

What type of weight lifting could I do? Where do I start? What weights? What type of lifts? Sets etc? No idea!

Walking machine? What’s advisable?

Any help is greatly appreciate!

My elbow started flaring up with pain a few months ago at least. I'm assuming tendonitis because it came on so gradual. It's not so bad I can't workout, but definitely limits me.

I got my wisdom teeth pulled a couple weeks ago, took a week off from the gym and the elbow was feeling normal again...until my 1st workout when I returned. Couple weeks later and it's back to the pain it was.

Pullups and dips seem to hurt most, the pain is outside the elbow and not related to the bicep.

I'm thinking of either focusing on legs only for 2-3 weeks and giving the elbow rest or I'll lower my weights even more and try to heal it on my own. I had shoulder pain for over a year that I was able to fix by lowering my weights and going real slow. (After i had an x-ray and mri to confirm no damage)

I am icing it after workouts. Seeing this is over 40s, I assume others have dealt with this...

I just saw a video that holds/holding a position strengthen joints. Besides planks, do you do holds regularly? Other tips on joint strengthening?

Hi folks

I want to add something more “active” to my training so was considering Muay Thai or BJJ. There are good gyms for both in my area. I have zero martial arts training. Has anyone else picked these up in their 30s or 40s? Any suggestions on which might be more accessible for a newbie?

Stats:

48 yo male, 6’ 195 lbs.

I’ve been doing hypertrophy focused resistance training for about 3 years and have managed to stay consistent with decent progress.

No major injuries just the usual aches; pains, and soft tissue issues we all experience.

Thanks!

Well… first day, I saw myself as the fittest dad in the park. Come day 2 and day 3, I see a few dads who are better shape. We plan to go again in October at another state when visiting my sister. This is good motivation and there’s a good short term goal.

Edit: I finally got home, and reading through the comments has been interesting. Didn’t expect the backlash, but it’s given me something to think about.

I think any health conscious person, especially over 40, would still take stock of their surroundings in that kind of environment. I figured this would be even more true for me since family is the whole reason I care about staying healthy in the first place.

For context, I wasn’t walking around with six pack abs judging dads who didn’t have them (I hover around 20-22% body fat myself). But it’s hard not to notice that a lot of younger dads could probably stand to rethink some choices.

I get how my original post read like I was proud to be fitter than other dads. That’s not it. I was proud that it was obvious I’d prioritized health for my family’s sake. At a family water park, it’s a little sad seeing so many overweight parents and kids. Maybe that reaction is maladaptive, like some of you pointed out, but I’m not trying to judge anyone. I just know that without making health a priority, I’d probably be in the same spot.

I think about my own family too. I’m over a decade older than my cousins, and every one of us struggles with weight. I’m just the only one who’s actually worked at managing it. I used to carry some of them on my shoulders as a teenager, and now they’re all bigger than me. For their health and their families’ sake, I want to encourage them to eat better and move more. But it’s tough to push change when there’s no desire on their end. The second I bring it up, they assume I’m judging them.

I have weightlifted most of my life and over the years have had popping, clicking and shifting sensations in both shoulders. It is worse on my left side, and I got an MRI recently. The MRI confirmed a moderate to severe tearing of my labrum and I get surgery in 2 weeks to repair it. I’m terrified that my right side is also going to need it very soon. I’m also terrified what this means for the future of my ability to lift weights. The recovery is very long for this piece of cartilage before weights can be reintroduced. I am 40 years old.

Has anyone else on this sub been through this injury before? And if so, what has it done to your fitness abilities?

It sometimes seems like the stock response when people see a guy who's jacked is to say that he's on steroids. Sometimes I'm sure that's true, but sometimes it feels like a lazy way for guys who either don't work out much or weren't blessed with the ability to build lots of muscle naturally to pour scorn on those that do.

But can you actually tell?

Kaya pa kaya?hehehe.... 74 kilos, 5'5 lang tapos medjo may tyan

6 sessions palang ako sa AF pero parang nahihiya pa din ako kasi di ko nakukuha ang mga form na tinuturo ni coach.

ano kaya best kong gagawin para mawala ang tyan kahit slowly and magka-form ang katawan like biceps,chest,back and shoulder. Nagwawalking din ako ng atleast 10k steps 4 to 5x a week depende kung di uulan hehehe

I Miss How Fit I Was Before, And Now Older, WIthout Being So Jacked, I Feel Like I'm Missing A Big Part In My Identity Of Being Athletic.

I’m a 48 year old 260lb man, I’ve been dealing with weight problems for the past 20 something years, basically just a gut, I quit drinking 10 years ago between that and snacking cause I’m bored, it’s been a struggle the older I get the harder it is to stay motivated. How do you stay motivated and not lose interest?

I’m mid 40s, lifted a lot in high school, stopped for a few decades and started back up about 2 years ago. I’m 6’ tall, dropped from nearly 220 to as low as 182, stable around 188-193 for the last year. In high school I once benched 3 plates but immediately after realized it was on the girls bar (35 pounds) so it was a 305 lift, still impressive but it’s always been a point of personal contention that I didn’t get to 315.

2 years ago when I started back into lifting, I maxed bench around 185, I got 225 once within a few months. I’ve had the goal of 315 for a long time. Well hard work, consistency, and progressive overload paid off because earlier today I put 3 plates on a 45 pound bar and did a good rep, struggled a bit on the top half but it was a solid steady rep pausing on my chest.

I’m ecstatic that I’ve achieved my personal goal that’s been there for all my adult life.

Now that my ego has been satisfied, I’m backing down on the weight and will continue to lift heavy but no more PRs for me I think, the risk of injury is greater than the satisfaction my ego would feel :)

I’m not posting to brag about the number, just excited about achieving a long time goal that a few years ago I thought was permanently out of my reach. Consistent training with good effort is what I attribute my improvement to, it’s not about a perfect program just a sound program that I’ll actually work and reasonable diet.

Thanks for listening to my TED talk haha!

I’m 48M, 5’11, 230 lbs, 30% body fat. My muscle mass is 152 lbs. I have strong legs, but way too much fat around my glutes, hips, stomach, love handles, and lower back.

Will doing the following workout Cycle every 3 days (A B C rotating), walking briskly 3x per week, core 2x per week and 500-600 calorie deficit daily with 190g+ of protein get me where I want to be?

My ultimate goal is 190 lbs, but I’d like to get there with some muscle, not skinny fat! 💪

WORKOUT A
Goblet Squat (45 lb KB) – 3×10–15
KB Overhead Press (45 lb KB) – 3×6–10/arm
KB Row (45 lb KB) – 3×10–12/arm
KB Lateral Raise (15 lb KB) – 3×12–20
Band Pull-Aparts – 3×20
Incline Pushups – 3 sets, 1–2 reps shy of failure

WORKOUT B
KB RDL (45 lb KB) – 3×12–15
KB Floor Press (45 lb KB) – 3×8–12/arm
KB Row (45 lb KB) – 3×10–12/arm
Hammer Curl (25 lb DB) – 3×8–12
Band Pull-Aparts – 3×20
Incline Pushups – 3 sets, 1–2 reps shy of failure

WORKOUT C
Goblet Squat (45 lb KB) – 3×10–15
KB Row (45 lb KB) – 3×10–12/arm
KB Lateral Raise (15 lb KB) – 3×12–20
Single-Arm Overhead Triceps Extension (35 lb KB) – 3×8–15/arm
Band Pull-Aparts – 3×20
Pushups on Handles – 3 sets, 1–2 reps shy of failure

As we age, it seems like some of our goals center around maintaining the ability to move well as we age while maintaining the ability to be active and keep up with kids, grandkids, etc.

I am curious why more functional fitness approaches involving things like sandbags and kettlebells aren’t talked about more here.

Does science favor the more traditional barbell, dumbbell, machine approaches found in more traditional full-body routines/splits?

Or, is it just the latter are more commonly found in corporate gyms?

Date 06/08/2026 Total Mass244.1 lbs Lean Mass195.8 lbs

Body Fat16.5% Visceral Fat1.42 lbs FFMI27.6 kg/m²

ALMI13.0 kg/m² T-Score2.00

​Since childhood the pursuit in the gym is governed by a single word, more. More weight on the bar, more volume, more calories, more tissue. Hypertrophy provides a relentless, easily quantifiable purpose.

But now at 45...a simple measured competition with my brother has shown me there is no more (naturally)

The end is not more, the end is less... somehow?

The managed decline of a sytem built over a lifetime of effort. The game now? Minimum efective effort for preservation.

How little is anyone getting away with these days? 1hr 2 times a week? 3 times?

I am 41f, been in the gym lifting for 8years. In the last 6 months I have noticed my performance is slipping, and the last 3 months have been the hardest.

I just cant do my workouts anymore? As soon as I start an exercise within 2 or 3 reps I feel so fatigued. Its like i have become incapable of lifting the weights I have done for so long?

My diet has slipped a little in that there is a little more junk calories in there but not hugely as i am only trying to maintain anyway and after 8yrs its more of a long term hobby so I have a balance with food.

Life has been stressful, lost my dad dec 2022 and my mum October 2025 after a sudden illness. Not sure if this is impacting anything but I would say life has been a lot more stressful in the last few years. However, i still continued with the gym.

Now I am struggling hugely, is it my age? I feel my body is just not cooperating anymore which is getting me down and making me dread going to the gym when I previously loved it.

I am now at the stage where I feel self conscious in the gym, not capable of previous lifts and seeing newbies start and surpass me easily is getting into my head.

How on earth can I get back on track?!

So I've been FINALLY consistent for the past 8 months of working out and dialing in diet. Just now realizing that summer is the actual hard part.

During the winter months in the Midwest it was surprisingly easy to stick to my early am (430am) schedule of working out. Even with kids basketball and cheer schedules after work. Now I'm finding it harder and harder to stick to that. Kids have less sports, but get to hang out with them and obviously sundown is WAY later.

Any tricks or ideas to keep to a good schedule? It always seems the neighbors are inviting us over for drinks/ dinner after baseball practice or games. But also harder to stick to 830-9 bedtime since daylight still.

Do you push through summer or do you back off a bit and enjoy life? Thanks

46m trying to shed a few pounds. 5ft7, 166 lbs. Hit the gym every other day for compound lifts consisting mostly of bench, squats, press, dl, rows, dips. Goal is building muscle and maintaining strength but now realize I eat more than I can burn mostly to maintain muscle growth. I want to keep the heart healthy too though as I'm on statins and prediabetic. Also have some joint issues like gout and bunions...aging quickly!

I want to get back to running again but don't think it's efficient way to burn calories. How about adding stationary bike or rowing? Any good workout routines for my goals? Am I better off switching to HIIT? Worried I won't maintain strength by using lighter weights. I've found I need to lift fairly heavy (for my body type).

Do HIIT workouts about 4 times a week and I give myself a lot of rest and healthy foods and sleep. But this past year I just feel like I’m missing that energy I had a few years ago. My legs feel heavy all the time. And they are strong and can handle as heavy a load as before but it’s always line dragging tree trunks around. I know getting older comes with this, but it’s so apparent. I had a friend who ended up on peptides called Wolverine or something so idk maybe it’s that. Idk just venting here I guess.