If you’re looking for a guide to exercise at every age, look no further. Our fitness expert is sharing a few workouts and fitness goals you should be focusing on when you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond.

One important factor when getting started or upgrading your fitness routine is understanding your own level of fitness and physical capabilities to optimize results or reduce your risk of injury.

With this in mind, the following guide provides the top-recommended activities based on your age group. According to our fitness expert Byron Blackwood, Director of Fitness at OneSpaWorld, the three things to focus on at every age should be strength, endurance, and recovery. Let’s begin!

 

Fitness In Your Teens & 20s

This is an ideal time in your life to begin building your exercise habits and try new workouts to find out what you really enjoy. Start with the below and work your way towards different styles of workouts. You can even make it a social affair with friends.

To Build Strength: Hypertrophy weight training is a great way to build the foundations of strength and muscle growth. This style of training focuses on increasing muscle size and toning your body.

To Build Endurance: Try high volume sprints (20 x 100 meters) or long steady-state cardio which could include a 1-hour fast-paced walk, or a treadmill walk on an incline. Both are great ways to burn fat and sweat out any cocktails from the weekend revelry.

To Recover: Make sure to stretch daily for about 10 to 15 minutes post-workout, focusing on muscle groups worked on that day. This will increase blood flow and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This is when your muscles hurt two days after a workout.

 

Fitness In Your 30s & 40s

To Build Strength: As you start moving your way through your 30s and 40s, try focusing on Functional Training or HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to build strength. These training methods are ideal for this time in your life as they are efficient workouts that challenge you while not cutting into your time. Think 45-minute workouts that can be done in a group or at home.

To Build Endurance: Cycling is great for building aerobic capacity (the point at which your body is using oxygen efficiently during a workout). Try road cycling for a more scenic activity or simply jump on a spin bike and sweat it out to your favorite playlist. To boot, this form of exercise is easier on the joints.

To Recover: Reach your 'Om' and your flexibility goals with some yoga. Luckily, there are a plethora of yoga sequences that fit both your time, desired space and pace, and flexibility limitations. You will be surprised by how great you feel after a 20-minute yoga session. This is not only a recovery for your body, but for your mind as well.

 

Fitness In Your 50s & Beyond

To Build Strength: Opt for resistance-based mobility training which increases muscle strength through resistance and/or your own body weight. An ideal option to start with is Pilates. If that is not your cup of tea, try kettlebell training to suit your level of fitness.

To Build Endurance: Easy on the joints, swimming is an idea, no-impact aerobic activity that supports the entire body.

To Recover: Take a therapeutic approach to maximize your recovery and allow your body a bit of relaxation. A few options include massages, physiotherapy and osteopathy at least once per month or once every three months.

 

Top Fitness Issues & How To Tackle Them

Lacking Motivation To Workout?

Join a gym that offers a free personal training session as part of your joining perks. Make sure tour the facilities and make sure you like all the gym has to offer - from the look and feel to amenities. This makes a difference when you are contemplating on whether or not to go to the gym each day.

Getting Bored?

Change up your routine by joining group fitness classes for extra motivation and challenges. If you want a complete change of scenery there are great boutique fitness concepts like F45 Training, Orange Theory, Barry’s Bootcamp, CycleBar, etc. If you do not want to be tied to one, try ClassPass.

Don’t Have Time To Workout?

Opt for online classes. There are amazing online platforms with an incredibly diverse workout library. The Peloton App is great for both equipment and equipment-less classes that can be done in your home and on your own time.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to keep your body moving. The benefits of exercise for hormone balance and endorphin production contribute to an unmatched feeling of positivity for our minds, so make sure to keep it moving!

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Tags: wellness, fitness tips, fitness, every age, byron blackwood
 
Categories: Wellness, Fitness & Exercise, How-Tos, Men