How Much Training Do You Actually Need After 40?

One of the questions I get asked quite often is, “How much training do I actually need?”

And the honest answer is probably less than you think.

Not because training doesn't matter. It absolutely does.

But because more training isn't automatically better training.

This is something I've become much more aware of as I've got older and taken on some fairly big challenges myself.

When I was younger, I could get away with doing more.

More sessions. More intensity. More late nights followed by early mornings.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend that approach now.

You don't need to train every day

There seems to be a constant pressure to do more.

• More miles.

• More gym sessions.

• More HIIT.

• More steps.

• More optimisation.

Sometimes I think we forget that training is a stimulus, not a competition to see who can accumulate the most exercise.

For most people, the better question is:

What's the minimum amount of the right training that will move me towards my goal?

That's much more useful.

Start with what matters

• If you're training for a marathon, you need to run.

• If you're trying to get stronger, you need to lift.

• If you're preparing for an ultra, you need to build endurance and spend time on your feet.

The basics don't change because you're over 40.

What changes is how carefully you need to manage the overall load.

Two good strength sessions are better than three mediocre ones.

Three good runs may be better than four that leave you constantly exhausted.

The right amount is the amount you can consistently do and recover from.

Don't forget the rest of your life

This becomes particularly important as we get older.

• Work counts.

• Family counts.

• Poor sleep counts.

• Travel counts.

• Stress counts.

Your body doesn't have a separate stress bucket labelled “training”.

It all goes into the same bucket.

That's why recovery isn't something you do after training.

Recovery is part of training.

Sometimes the sensible decision is to reduce the volume, swap a hard session for an easy one or simply take a rest day.

That isn't losing motivation.

It's managing your training properly.

So when should you do more?

If you're completing your training, recovering well and still progressing, you might not need to change anything.

If you've plateaued, perhaps you need more stimulus.

But that doesn't automatically mean another training session.

• You might need more quality.

• More specificity.

• More load in your strength training.

• Or simply better recovery.

And if you're constantly tired, little niggles are appearing and performance is dropping, that's probably a sign to look at the overall load rather than push harder.

Your programme has to fit your life

This is probably my biggest point.

If you're over 40, you're likely to have a lot going on.

• A demanding career.

• Children.

• Travel.

• Family commitments.

• A business.

• A social life.

I don't want to give someone a training plan that looks fantastic on paper but falls apart every time work gets busy.

I'd rather build something that works most weeks and can be adapted when life inevitably gets in the way.

The best training plan isn't the one that looks most impressive.

It's the one you can consistently execute and recover from.