Over 40 Training Frequency

Training Over 35 Lifter
1

Hi guys

Looking for some input here… seems I’ve very poor tolerance to training more than once a week.

Always been that way. I have been lifting for some years now, off and on, but didn’t properly start until I was over 30.
Currently about 90kg at 5’9". I seem to put the muscle on pretty easy, but can’t handle regular volume.

I enjoy going all out on most sessions, under an hour, and get DOMS pretty bad for 3-5 days. Though upping magnesium and potassium seem to helps.

When I hit the next session too early even after DOMS has subsided it just feels flat, and I’ll not be able to equal the last session. Say if I hit a session every 5 days I’ll be stale after three weeks and need a fortnight off. I did some genetic testing once that suggested I was prone to DOMS but the genetic variations mentioned (TNF & IL6) are common enough.

I eat reasonably well, and have a decent pre/post workout nutrition.

As it’s always been like this I’m quite used to a weekly routine, but it would be awesome to be able to accelerate results and progress with a 2x weekly session. 3x weekly is near unimaginable.

I’ve tried holding back a little on sessions, and recovery isn’t much quicker, and certainly isn’t as satisfying.

Most routines and recommendations seem to be 2x or 3x week which I just can’t back up.

Anybody else had this?

2

See Confusion’s One Workout Per Week log. He’s on the 1x/week frequency bandwagon.

3

[quote]mudslinga wrote:
Hi guys

Looking for some input here… seems I’ve very poor tolerance to training more than once a week.

Always been that way. I have been lifting for some years now, off and on, but didn’t properly start until I was over 30.
Currently about 90kg at 5’9". I seem to put the muscle on pretty easy, but can’t handle regular volume.

I enjoy going all out on most sessions, under an hour, and get DOMS pretty bad for 3-5 days. Though upping magnesium and potassium seem to helps.

When I hit the next session too early even after DOMS has subsided it just feels flat, and I’ll not be able to equal the last session. Say if I hit a session every 5 days I’ll be stale after three weeks and need a fortnight off. I did some genetic testing once that suggested I was prone to DOMS but the genetic variations mentioned (TNF & IL6) are common enough.

I eat reasonably well, and have a decent pre/post workout nutrition.

As it’s always been like this I’m quite used to a weekly routine, but it would be awesome to be able to accelerate results and progress with a 2x weekly session. 3x weekly is near unimaginable.

I’ve tried holding back a little on sessions, and recovery isn’t much quicker, and certainly isn’t as satisfying.

Most routines and recommendations seem to be 2x or 3x week which I just can’t back up.

Anybody else had this? [/quote]

Work capacity in the gym increases over time, and consistency is key in that regard … You mentioned working out “for years, OFF and ON”

Diet is conservatively 50% (some would argue much more) of the battle, and crucial to recovery … You mentioned eating “reasonably well” - I would ask reasonably well as compared to whom? The average person? Track your intake with a journal and count your calories and macros for a week - it can be an eye opening experience, and you might realize that what you thought was “reasonable” might be better than most, but not optimal for weight training. The first time I did that, I found I was grossly over exaggerating my daily protein intake and was routinely 40-60 grams shy of where I wanted to be

How much sleep are you getting? Along with a diet that sustains and compliments your training, sleep is essential to recovery … Most people these days don’t get enough. Shoot for 8 hours (if you aren’t already) and see if you don’t recover better

If you want to do “more” in the gym there are many factors you can adjust besides simple workout frequency … Consistency, diet, and sleep are three “easy” ones off the top of my head

4

How hard are you training?

5

In my younger days when we had extreme DOMs we were just back the other day and going through the same exercises with little or no weight at all. That helped. Consider active recovery. Swimming is a good one, foam rolling and mobility. Just keep moving.

6

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
See Confusion’s One Workout Per Week log. He’s on the 1x/week frequency bandwagon.[/quote]

I,m looking forward to some company on the bandwagon too. It,s lonely on here! lol. Seriously though,what was your last workout? sets,reps,intensity,etc…

7

What is wrong with lifting every 5 days for a while and then every week for a while.

Try every 6 days.

I lift every 4-5 days but will take an extra rest day sometimes.

8

I’m 41 and find if I keep my sets to no more than 5 per muscle group I can push it hard and still hit them 3 times a week. This is why I like the upper body/lower body split. But as someone else pointed out, work capacity is something that also must be trained for.