How to Build Strength Over 40
Old man strength. It's real.
If you've ever shaken hands with an older man and felt your hand get crushed, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's surprising how strong someone can be without looking like they spend hours in a gym.
So how does that happen? It's simple: hard work over many years.
Most of the strong older men I know didn't spend decades lifting weights in a gym. They spent years working manual labor or living on a farm. The repeated gripping and using tools built their grip strength to that of a vice. The lifting and moving of heavy, awkward objects like hay bales. 10 hours a day, 365 days a year, for over 50 years. That builds strength.
I've heard people get frustrated about not getting stronger fast enough after just a couple years of working out three days a week. Some perspective helps here.
Here's the truth: building strength works the same at any age. The principles don't change whether you're 25 or 55. Your body responds to lifting uncomfortably heavy things.
What does change? People over 40 often worry about injury, feeling brittle, or whether it's too late to start. It's not too late. The same process that built old man strength over decades works no matter when you begin.
The Mechanism: How Strength Actually Builds
Strength is an adaptation to stimulus, but not all adaptations work the same way.
When it comes to lifting heavy loads, your central nervous system plays a huge role. Your CNS (your brain and spinal cord) sends signals through nerves to tell your muscles to work. If you're picking up a penny, you need very few muscles. If you're picking up 700 pounds, you need nearly everything firing at once, even if the movement pattern looks the same.
With proper technique and staying uncomfortable, you can relatively quickly get your CNS operating efficiently. You'll be able to recruit all the necessary muscles to lift the weight. But what happens if you take two weeks off? Your CNS settles down. If you tried to lift that same weight when you got back, it might not feel as easy or you may not be able to do it at all.
Did you lose strength? Not really. Your body just wasn't ready to use all the muscle you have. This is an oversimplified explanation of CNS adaptation. There's much more to it, and it changes over time. But if you train regularly your CNS will be in good shape for building strength.
Then to get stronger, you'll need to actually increase the number of muscle fibers your body has to lift heavier weight. This is the process that takes years. It doesn't have to be the same style of training over all those years, but it takes time. As long as you're lifting heavy weights (for you) and generally increase either the number of reps or the amount of weight, you'll get stronger.
Depending on training style and genetics, muscle growth differs from person to person. Some people see obvious growth in the size of their muscles. Another adaptation is that muscle fibers become denser. More fibers packed into the same space. This would explain why some people are incredibly strong but don't look like it.
Density does have a limit, though. To see continued strength gains, you'll eventually need to increase muscle size. But you don't have to look like a bodybuilder to be as strong as one.
What Actually Changes After 40
The mechanism for building strength is the same. What's different is how your body handles the work.
Your body at 45 isn't as resilient as it was at 25. Recovery takes longer. Old injuries flare up more easily. You can't bounce back from poor form the way you used to.
Here's what to keep in mind when you're starting out:
Go slower than you think you need to. Your ego will tell you to load the bar heavier. Your joints need more time to adapt than your muscles do. Start lighter and add weight gradually.
Warm up properly. This isn't optional anymore. Ten minutes of movement prep before you lift will save you weeks of nagging pain later.
Recovery matters more. You might need an extra day between sessions. Listen to your body. Soreness that lingers more than 48 hours means you pushed too hard or didn't recover enough.
Form is everything. Sloppy reps might not hurt you immediately, but they will eventually. Get coaching. Learn to move well before you move heavy.
Be patient. Strength builds the same way at any age, but if you're starting over 40, you're likely playing catch-up on years of not training. That takes time. Don't rush it.
Just Take Your Time
For most of us, we don’t need to get strong as fast as possible. We just need to get stronger a little at a time.
Here's what works:
Perform compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses
Add in heavy carries from time to time
Keep pushing yourself a little more
Keep showing up.
Strength training is about consistency and effort. Each workout is a deposit into your fitness bank account. You wouldn't expect to retire on sporadic savings. Fitness works the same way. Small, consistent deposits compound over time.
If you want to get stronger and don't know where to start, we'd be happy to help you reach those goals. Settle in and enjoy the lifelong journey of building strength.
