Today I want to walk you through the five biggest workout – training mistakes I see men over 40 make, mistakes most men aren’t aware they exist.
And training mistakes that quietly sabotage results even when you’re doing everything “right.”
If you recognize yourself in even one of these, this video will save you years of frustration.
MISTAKE #1 — Training Like You’re Still 23
The first mistake is obvious once you see it, but almost nobody adjusts for it.
Men over 40 keep training like they’re still 23.
Same volume.
Same workload.
Same intensity.
Same recovery expectations.
But your physiology isn’t the same anymore and pretending it is doesn’t make you tougher, it just makes you sore and inconsistent.
What worked when you had fewer responsibilities, less stress, and more recovery capacity doesn’t automatically work now.
The goal isn’t to train less because you’re “older.”
The goal is to train appropriately for where you are now.
Training that way ignores reality always breaks down.
MISTAKE #2 — Measuring a “Good Workout” by How Wrecked You Feel
This one causes more problems than most guys realize.
A lot of men still believe that if they’re not sore, exhausted, or limping the next day, the workout “was no good” and didn’t count.
That mindset is one of the fastest ways to stall progress after check here 40 – and worse – get injured.
Soreness is not a performance metric.
Fatigue is not a success signal.
In fact, if your workouts routinely leave you feeling beaten down, you’re borrowing recovery you don’t have.
The men who make progress long-term aren’t chasing exhaustion — they’re chasing repeatability.
And the simplest way to do that is by making a mindset shift:You’re no longer “working out” – you’re TRAINING.
The difference?“Working out” is like routinely getting sunburnt from overexposure to the sun.
Training is like getting a nice, even tan – the right dose gets you there faster…
The first is painful – stupid even.
The second is the smarter, easier, less painful way.
At the end of the day, the outcome – the GOAL – is the tan.
21st century research confirms late 20th century Eastern Bloc training methods:For best results, don’t destroy yourself to get stronger, regardless of what Joe Weider or Arnold said.
MISTAKE #3 — Doing Too Many Exercises Instead of the Right Ones
Another big mistake I see is exercise overload.
More variety.
More complexity.
More “options.”
The problem is that strength isn’t built from novelty, it’s built from practicing the right patterns consistently.
You don’t need 3 to 5 exercises per body part.
You need a select number of “Big Bang For Your Buck” movements that drive maximum adaptation for you in minimal time with less effort.
When men simplify their training and focus on these “Big Bang For Your Buck” movements that build strength, power, and coordination together, results – a stronger, leaner, more muscular body – show up faster and they last longer.
Sure, Complexity feels productive.
But Simplicity actually works.
MISTAKE #4 — Ignoring Power and Only Focusing Maximum Strength or Muscle Mass
This one flies under the radar.
Power is one of the first physical qualities to decline as we age and one of the most important to keep.
A lot of men keep lifting slowly, grinding reps, training to momentary muscular failure, and accumulating boatloads of fatigue like a badge of honor — but never train explosiveness.
The problem is that power isn’t just athletic, it’s protective.
It teaches your body to absorb and produce force efficiently.* – so that you don’t twist your knee or blow out your achilles tendon running around the park with your kids or grandkids.
It keeps your nervous system – your brain and your reflexes – razor sharp – so if you slip and fall, you have a better chance of either catching yourself, or surviving the fall without a major injury.*
It supports joint health and coordination – so that you stave off common “aging ailments” like major joint replacements.*
Ignoring power training doesn’t just limit performance, it increases your injury risk
MISTAKE #5 — Trying to “Outwork” Poor Recovery
This is the quiet killer of progress
More stress at work
Less sleep
More responsibility
And the solution many men choose is… more training
That’s backwards
Here’s why:Training doesn’t make you stronger, recovery does
Training is the stimulus. Recovery is the adaptation
Recovery drives results
It’s not how hard you work. It’s how much you recover from the work you’ve done
If you keep stacking intensity on top of stress without respecting recovery, your body eventually pushes back, through pain, fatigue, or inconsistency
Smart training works with your life, not against it
If you step back and look at these mistakes, a pattern shows up
None of them are about laziness.
None of them are about willpower.
None of them are about “wanting it more.”
They’re about lack of knowledge which results in misapplied effort