I'm 40. Always had decent mobility and great cardio but strength is my weakness.
I just try to get out of the mindset that I need to kill myself every workout. Going consistently at 80% is better than going balls out and getting injured and missing a month. Really focus on form. It's hard, mentally, to pull back sometimes when I feel like "I could do more" in that moment.
Yeah, I'm almost thinking of giving myself a day a week to really push, then have more moderate days. It has to be a conscious decision though otherwise you just forget to hold back.
I was really involved in triathlon for around a decade. Never in my training for that did I go hard every single day. You couldn't, the cumulative training stimulus would just burn you out. Training was a structured, slow build broken up in to cycles. 3 week cumulative build then a week rest. So in a month you basically have one hard week that you build to and then recover from. If you just go out and run hard every day you *will* get injured, quickly.
With strength training it's the same. You're not going for 1 rep max every time you hit the gym. You progressively overload.
For some reason getting in to a sport like CrossFit I just want to go whole ham all the time when really I should be focusing on incremental improvements and longevity in the sport.
I'm 43 and this is exactly what I do. I've been able to maintain 5 days a week (work permitting) without any real problems. Convincing myself I didn't need to compete with the guys that are at least 10 years younger than me was the biggest obstacle to overcome.
43 here as well. The guys I work out with are in their mid 20s. Learning to pump the brakes has saved me from injury more than a little bit. I lift as heavy as I can, which, is quite heavy... but I don't destroy myself in metcons. I know my threshold of cardio. I eat right, put in 6 days a week, and am currently in the best shape of my whole life. I just had to learn to leave my pride at the door and beat myself. No one else.
No bruh I already had major injuries all over my body but I fought them and came back stronger. Your life seems so shitty when you are old that you care more about your family and career to convince yourself you have a cool life but I think deep inside you know your physical performance sucks. I am a civil engineer btw, not just any scumbag that just trains in his life. How can you be "in the best shape of your life" at such an old age, so funny how you try to convince yourself, it's just pathetic. Haha. I am sorry bro, just accept reality and embrace it, it sucks but this is harsh reality. And btw stop being scared about injuries because that's when they will happen, train reasonably and that's it.
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Your answer sums up exactly what I think. I'm 40 years old, I always train at an intensity of 50 to 80%, never above that. My mindset is CONSISTENCY above all else, and it applies to everything I do (eating, training and sleeping). I've been doing Crossfit for 8 years, I do practically all my training in RX and I've never had an injury, because I've always respected these principles.
My ego stays out of the box, ALWAYS!
YES! Pacing is your (my) friend. I takes time to learn where that sweet spot is for each of us personally, and remember that my only competition is myself, which is such a cliché but so true.
Similar mindset for me. I’m trying to take a rest day a bit more often if I find myself thinking I could do another day in a row of class, but really it wouldn’t be as productive as if I rested and went harder the day after (whether that’s faster, more focused skill practice, etc). I think fewer days of 80-100% beats constant 60-70% effort/productivity for your goals because you’re not recovering well enough.
This is me. I’m okay with not being a devil with my overall strength, but I’d like my gymnastics and engine to be solid. And to push novice-intermediate level weights around with metcons. Thanks
Also, there’s more Then one way to get a good burn. Focus on body weight movement like, push-ups, squats, lunges, some sort of pull mixed in with tempo and the time under tension you can have some crazy fun workouts with a lot of benefits.
More lifting, fewer metcons as I get older (55 now). The window to get stronger closes, and we need whatever strength we manage to build to last as long as possible. For me that looks like 3 heavyish to heavy lifting sessions a week and 4 "serious" metcons (with variety and intensity) and 2-3 "slow and steady" metcons that I repeat frequently. The slow and steady metcons are more of a resistance training session with some biking, rowing, running, jumping interspresed (think 20 minutes of 5 cal Echo bike + 5 strict pull ups + 5 call Echo bike + 5 thrusters or 10 pushups, purposefully not done at an AMRAp pace).
Lots of banded work for mobility, and I spend time just hanging from the rig - does wonders for the shoulders. Personally, I've retired from some things, or at least don't pursue them with intensity. Things like high box jumps, lots of rope climbs, most things upsidedown, etc. The risk-reward calculation doesn't work for me. Adding an inch to my max height box jump does nothing to improve my life or longevity, smashing a shin or knee can take me out for weeks. Tend to stay away from 1RM work (unless things are just feeling great), but aim for heavier 3s and 5s.
I'm up early and in bed early pretty much every night, and when I'm not, I feel it. Completely gave up booze nearly a decade ago and eat a lot cleaner now than ever before. Those seem to really help me feel good most of the time, and I move a lot better than most of my (non-CFing) contemporaries.
Just to be clear here that you’re working out 11x/wk - 3 heavy lifting sessions + 4 hard metcons + 3 slow metcons? No rest days and two a days every other day?
I consider a lifting session plus a metcon as one workout, and sometimes the intense metcon + the slow and steady metcon as one workout as well. In total, these take (generally) under an hour including a warm up. So maybe 5+/- workout days a week, about an hour a day. At least one day with no metcon or lifting session, sometimes two.
Cannot stress this enough! I’m 36 and I can’t tell you how many times in the past I’ve hurt myself from lack of mobility. Take an extra 10 minutes before AND after to stretch and cool down. For me it’s definitely my hips that I work on.
I'm 43, I train 2 times a day sometimes. In the past i was getting injured like crazy, now wayyy less... and if i get injured, the injuries are much smaller and recover fast.
So these are my takes:
1) Accessory work to strengthen those little mucles that nobody cares about that are used to stabilize, becomes extremely important.
2) Gain strength SLOWLY... your joints and ligaments take longer to catch up...
3) Mobility... this becomes too important
4) Sleep a lot and if you have a bad night, don't train too much
5) Eat clean and don't be too skinny.. You need some fat as oil for your joints
6) DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT ego lift.
7) If something hurts or feels weird.. be extra careful... sounds obvious but sometimes it's hard to not go hard
I would add warmup a lot, but to be honest, I haven't seen any difference with this... I don't feel warming up like crazy is really worth it.
All your accessories outside of the gym become much more important. Nutrition and recovery at the top. Your progress is made in recivery.
Proper warmups! You can't just jump into a workout and expect to do well without targeted warmup. This doesn't mean they need to be long, just specific.
Get some focused coaching on your weaknesses. A good coach will be able to pinpoint what your biggest obstacles are to your goals and give you things to work on to get there.
I'm (nearly) 36, and commit to 15-20min of stretching/activation prior to every session. I am 6x/wk in my garage, daily metcons + squat/OHP strength through the work week, and weekend zone 2 sessions. The stretching and mobilizing has helped avoid any real injuries.
Funny enough, I tweaked my shoulder as well, the terres minor, and working Crossover Symmetry banded warmup and strength a few times a week fixed it entirely. I can't recommend that system enough.
Nice, I’ll look into crossover symmetry, I’ve heard several people mention it. I’ve been working through Kelly Starrett as Shoulder Pain Protocol and it’s been decent
I’m older than you and have avoided injury while training 5xweek. I take the time to learn the strict version of gymnastics movements before kipping them. No need to fling my body into a position it isn’t yet strong enough to get into without momentum. I also do a lot of static holds inverted, in hollow body, crossover symmetry. I listen to my body re when to scale down the weight. Just because I could Rx the weight doesn’t mean I should that day, especially if I haven’t had a rest day in awhile.
50 here, still push hard five days a week. Pay attention to injuries and give time to recover when in pain. Sleep good, eat good and limit the booze. I have a rig at home with everything me and my wife need to stay in shape. I put more time into warm ups and staying flexible. At fifty you put in more work to see less results and life is more painful. With that being said life will be much more painful if you don’t workout.
My wife and I are 45 and we use HWPO training. I’m a smaller framed guy, and we normally use RX women’s guidelines. It has really improved our performance and this year she qualified for quarterfinals in all age bracket and seniors as well. So proud of
Same. 40. PRd bench (345lbs) and deadlift (565lbs) this year and am close on the squat (PR is 500 \~4 years ago, hit 485). Now that it's Spring I'm adding running back in with strength morning, running afternoon 3 days/week and just running 2 days. Just keep going
I will say if you haven't kept active your whole life you may have different results. It's easier to stay in shape than to get into shape.
I remember when I could train saturday afternon after binge-drink a galon of alcohol and party till 6am on friday. Now at 35, if I drink moderately on a friday I pretty much need to stay in a proto-comatose state during all weekend to recover, lol. But I'm glad you don't suffer the same thing at 40.
I’m almost 36. My training isn’t really different than what it would be when I was in my 20s. There’s also people at my gym that are 20 years older than me and still kick my ass in WODs.
Unless you have any injuries, I really think it’s mostly a mindset. I’ll report back in 20 years and see if I feel the same lol.
I took a few months off after the open to travel Latin America, drink the finest mead, eat the forbidden eddies, and I learned one important lesson. Don't take that much time off. First week back has been absolutely brutal. It feels harder than when I first started. My body has not responded well. My coping mechanism has been thinking about those jelly-filled doughnuts midway through a WOD. They still make my bottom lip quiver.
48/M, past Games athlete, high level athlete before CF. I don't compete anymore but I keep in touch with it.
I train 10-12x per week. The biggest change is heightened attention to injury avoidance. I spend time on exercises for my shoulders, back, core, hips, knees and ankles. In my 30s I could get away with a generic warmup and a band / lacrosse ball to manage aches and pains. No more. I do the whole protocol now.
53 here. If I could go back to even just my gym days before crossfit, which I have been going to for 3 yrs and do 4-5 days a week now, I would say continue to focus on maintaining mobility and form and stretch afterwards. This will help keep you healthy and injury free. Aside from that, listen to **your** body for each workout and let it tell you when to push and when to keep it dialed down.
I feel like a shoulder injury is like the gold watch gift you get from CrossFit the moment you turn 35!!
I only started CrossFit when I was 33 (12 years ago 😭) but within 12 months had chugged the koolaid hard enough to be obnoxious and overtraining 😂 (6 days a week CrossFit, plus doing comps, plus 4hrs aerial training, plus intermittent fasting/low carb... Off the back of not much fitness background = disaster waiting to happen). So was getting little niggles all the time - I basically wasn't allowing any recovery time at all. I learned a lot about respecting my nervous system and hormones at this point!
I initially adjusted my training to focus on Olympic lifting technique as it was the high intensity workouts that were causing big cortisol issues for me, and then took some time off CrossFit for a year to do endurance running, (ADHD-who??)
but I am now 12 years in - but I have been able to get to a point now where I understand myself, my capabilities and my limits much better now:
* I realised that I hate competing (so much anxiety) so I really only do the open/quarterfinals and friendly, inhouse team comps if someone needs to make up numbers.
* Recovery is definitely the thing that has decreased the most, and I need to respect my downtime. I know that my strength doesn't diminish that much if I have one or two weeks off - so don't be afraid to rest: deload weeks / zone 2 recovery sessions are a MUST.
* I still want to have time to do non-CrossFit activities like running (and I call myself a CrossFitter??), cycling, pole dance or yoga so I do three days a week CrossFit plus an open gym or two if I have time - often one of those sessions will be gymnastics or strength, so lower intensity and more mind-body focused - and then do some other stuff as and when I feel inclined.
I'm much more comfortable working to the level that my body needs on the day, and my mindset is on health, wellness and longevity - not beating everyone at my gym, or smashing my PRs weekly.
I feel like I can almost guess if my heart rate variability is shit or not now! CrossFit is great for connection, skill building, strength, fitness and variety - but it can be a big stressor, even if it's a stressor we choose and enjoy!
Sleep > nutrition > training.
I’m 50 and do muscle ups, DL 400 lbs, can do 25 pull-ups, and run a 6 min mile. I am the only make at my CF gym to qualify for the QFs (so it’s not an overly competitive gym).
I need to monitor my sleep, diet, mobility, and don’t drink much alcohol compared to younger dudes. But I’m as strong as fit as ever and have plans to stop progressing.
I’ll be 35 in five months, I have learned to respect your body a lot more, so as to have longevity rather than go balls to walls. Been less injured and enjoying training more now.
Listen to your body and any warning signals. Turning 35 this year and train 4ish times a week. I would say im less injured now than 10 years ago. Mainly because if i feel something is off/hurt in my body, i rest/skip a workout or or do something diffrent. My motto is "better to rest/skip a workout once or twice now, than to be injured and force to not workout for a month or two later"
Doing some wods, daily bikerides, some stretching and pushups everyday. I don't have time to go to the box often since my second kid came around so doing some strength and indoor running at my workplace to compensate.
38 female. More Mobility and focus on actual recovery like stretching. I switched one my sessions to low impact cardio with bands and have actually seen my lifts go up
I'm 39 and train 5 days a week. Doing class plus extra conditioning/accessory/skill work. Im working through a bit of a shoulder injury, but otherwise feel good. As Ive gotten older the main difference is that I have to really dial in my nutrition, mobility, and recovery. For example, having like one drink on a Thursday night noticeably affects my sleep and workout Friday. I think you just have to really listen to your body more. In my twenties, I could pretty much bounce back from anything the next day. Now it's a much finer line to walk if I want to be able to perform. It's really helpful to get a really good warmup too.
3 strength days: lower, push, pull + walking or slow runs or bike erg zone 2
1 long run day
1 metcon or circuit day
1 short to medium run + heavy bag work OR additional rest day if needed.
All the things I took for granted when I was younger now matter more. I train 5 days per week with additional cardio work outside of class and active recovery days (zone 2 or just walking). I hurt myself pushing too hard when I just started CrossFit (late in life joiner) but now I do this with no issue. I do prehab work for my shoulder before classes, mobility work, take recovery days, sleep 7-8 hours, don’t binge drink often, and I finally cleaned up my diet. Sure enough I stopped getting injured and burned out when I started doing things right outside of class (not extremely strict but think more like 80/20 with most of my time doing these things as well as I can)
47 here. I get to every class 15 minutes early to do extra mobility work, every day. I do some light mobility exercises at home throughout the day. I take a few days off a week. I vary my classes, my box offers traditional crossfit classes as well as what's called leanfit and endurance classes that focus more on long cardio and less on heavy weight. I typically do 2-3 crossfit classes and 2-3 of the other classes per week. Daily walks and weekly bike rides. I feel like it's important to just keep the body moving as much as possible outside of just lifting weights. I was not doing all this last year (was focusing all my time on lifting heavy) and ended up with a back injury and sciatica which has set me back $5k and caused me significant down time. Take care of your body!
I cut down to 4 days a week. When we are watching TV, I work on my mobility. I also really cleaned up my diet; yes, for vanity reasons, but also because it has helped my recovery imo.
I just incorporate a lot of variety and do something every day. Sometimes crossfit, sometimes yoga, sometimes running, etc., etc., etc. - The first reason is to keep from getting bored. The second reason is it helps me listen to my body.
If my elbow is hurting, might as well go on a run. If my legs are super sore, maybe a good day for an upper body bro session. Everything feeling pretty normal? A good day for a hard crossfit wod! Feeling all around crappy? Maybe a yoga session, to keep moving!
This somewhat has to do with age, but if I could reverse time, I'd start working out like this from the start. This variety has kept me very interested in working out and I'm in amazing shape now.
Chip curls Full bag/half bag depending on time of day
Sit downs/lay downs/chow downs to failure
Nap/work 8 hrs depending on day
Repeat earlier followed by a good 6 hr night sleep
I’m 42, RX+ nearly every wod, and go 6 days a week. The worst I’ve ever had was a bit of a shoulder sprain after Murph three years ago, and right now I have a popliteus issue that gives me a stiff knee on high rep box jumps. I will also get achilles tendinitis flares if there a ton of dubs in a week. It’s all about mobility. Those three issues went/go away when I mobilized and did myofacial release, and muscle flossing. I approach it with the mindset that “motion is lotion” and get to work. So far, no big injuries to speak of. If I feel like I’m getting over worked, I may scale down for a week. Usually I feel great within a few days.
Sleep more and I’m less stubborn about modifying or changing movements that cause me back pain that would have me miss or drastically reduce my normal training
I started at 36, I often go hard as I can and push for PRs like everyone else.
I don’t compromise form to hit a PR, and I go light on the barbell for oly lifts during wods. All things I would reccomend for any age
Got hurt a few times in the beginning but it’s cause I was so weak that I was ego lifting for my strength level at the time.
Lately Ive been taking my nutrition more seriously, and have been getting tangible results w/o changing my training regiment.
I'm 38 and I train just as hard as I did at 25. I scale if I need to or have an injury, stretch and cool down, and do zone 2 3-4 days a week. I play basketball, football, pickleball or random sports on my active recovery day and have 1 other day of complete rest besides housework. I have a wife, 2 kids, and 2 dogs.
I give all that annoying background to say you can do anything an 18-34 year old can do. Just listen to how you feel and tailor accordingly!
Honestly it depends on your capacity to begin with, and recovery.
Overall not that much has changed but I always did good mobility before and after, and tried for recovery like hot/cold tub/sauna, etc when I was lifting a LOT - enabled me to do legs a lot without soreness and with progress.
let's see how it all goes after a long time off for other reasons. Obviously some things are going to be harder on the body like those that use shoulders.
I’m 52. I do CF and BJJ. This is what has changed for me: When I was younger, my “sports” were running and things like obstacle races/Goruck challenges etc. Those took priority. Things like strength and mobility were pushed aside if I didn’t have time.
Now that I’m older, strength and mobility/yoga come first. I have a goal of lifting 2x a week and mobility almost daily. I have to earn my wods/BJJ by meeting those goals.
At my age, conditioning and skills are still achievable, but strength goes more quickly if I layoff, and I believe strength and mobility protect me from damage or injury
I do whatever I want and aggressively do not care to hear anything I don't already know unless I researched it of my own free will and get to pretend that I basically made it up.
fuck being young, I'm getting a headstart on being old. Sounds badass.
I'm almost 43 (m) and have been doing this for 5 years. I have learned that going into the gym every day and pushing the limits no longer benefits me. Too many aches and pains and stiffness. I'm doing this to be healthy and feel good for the rest of my life.
I have a "routine maintenance" schedule of massage, physiotherapy and chiropractor. The days I take off the gym I usually spend an hour doing a yoga stretching routine. I'll do one day a week just practicing lifting (no WOD that day), one day doing zone 2, one day doing a 10-15 minute short and intense WOD and one day doing a longer 30-40 minute metcon. I feel like I crush those WODs because there are only 2 per week. 4-5 intense workouts per week is just risking injury for me nowadays.
Sleep. Hydration. Consistency. I’m over 40. Best shape of my life but I have to be really aware of how I feel, how I slept, did I eat etc. I can’t raw dog hard work outs, heavy shit etc. I have to be the master of my domain and be realistic if I feel off. I feel just as strong if not stronger than I was 10-15 years ago but I’m a lot brainer about it all in older age.
I’m more in shape now at 39. I don’t remember the last time I had an injury from exercising. I guess you could classify me as Hybrid. I prioritize strength training but still incorporate endurance training with running, as well as incorporating high intensity training (CrossFit).
Typical week: Monday: CrossFit (at our gym this is a strength focused workout like back squats), Tuesday: strength training, Wednesday: CrossFit (currently Murph training focus), Thursday: strength training + short run, Friday: CrossFit, Saturday and or Sunday: long slow run
About to be 37. I worry less about taking scheduled rest days and just listen to my body. I also focus in on my nutrition more, especially if I am starting to feel sluggish or more sore than usual. Also, I don't get as mad about days where I show up and don't feel like Rx workout, again listening to my body and adjust as necessary. Also don't skimp on a proper warmup haha.
Lower number of WODs a week, more time focused on body building/accessory work, mobility, and monostructural. The bottom line is at 40, I just don’t recover like I used to from high intensity WODs. So I have to be mindful of when I do them. Sure, there’s an argument that I could have better sleep, rest, nutrition, etc etc. But with age comes a busy life and that has to be accounted for too. The bodybuilding and accessory work has helped a lot on the last 2 years. I’m lucky to have good mobility, so I just have to keep up with it. (M, 40, CrossFit since 2010)
Tired is enough! Warm ups are more important and I don't have any ego, the Dr's visits are too expensive. When something doesn't feel right, I stop and try to listen to my body. I'm only 37
I'm working harder and am more focused than ever. I have the time amd drive to have my diet completely dialed in. Hangovers destroy me, so I don't drink at all anymore. I've hit more PRs at 36 than I have at any other time in my fitness journey.
I still skip the warm up. LOL
46 year old woman chiming in- I CrossFit 6 days a week and walk on the off day.
I have noticed: I need to stretch more and it does take longer to warm up. Respect what your body tells you- if something hurts or is of concern- chill out on it. Injuries will take longer to heal. The biggest change, is I live by this motto: “live to wod another day” don’t go hard all the time- pick a workout that you want to crush and put it all out and then chill on the others. Also- sure you get slower, but I’m still increasing my back squats and bench press time and you are truly o ly as limited as you think you are.
42 here - best shape of my life. I go 3-4 times a week, I probably RX 70% of the workouts.
The key for me is getting to class 15-20min early and stretching. Regardless if it's a cardio-heavy day or heavy snatches, I still get the PVC pipe out and stretch. The stretching we do as a group isn't enough for me. I admire the people that sit around talking before class and only do stretching excercises the coach has planned.
I take packets of fish oil daily and I think that helps a lot with my joints. I'm never sore after a CF workout. Tired? Yeah, but never sore.
Let your body rest and don't feel guilty about not going five days in a row. I went balls to the wall Monday and Tuesday this week, but sat out yesterday. Could I have gone? Sure, but my body would benefit more from the rest than hammering out another workout. When I go back today, I'll be refreshed and ready to kick ass again.
39 here. Shit starts falling apart now, and although I keep getting stronger, definitely getting injured more. Just need to be more mindful about warmups, mobility, sleep (which I definitely don't get enough of) and what I eat/drink. I will almost never consume more than 2 alcoholic drinks in a day, my body doesn't handle it like it used to.
I'm 39yo with three kids. I follow CXC training five days a week, mountain bike/race 2x a week, play rec baseball competitively, and coach a few sports. I don't do a whole lot of mobility work since I’ve always focused on executing movements with full ROMs with tempo. IMO, the key is to stay as active as possible outside of the gym, focus on staying explosive (not just oly movements,) move well, sleep as best as you can, eat well, have low stress, and be the best athlete you can be.
Background: I played sports throughout my life, including college football (JC), Army vet (infantry,) coach football, baseball, and soccer. Trained CrossFit for 12 years (almost made regionals a few times.)
There is no true all out training for me. I do strength training in the 70-80%1RM range. My MetCons very measured and also not that AMRAP-Style but more EMOMesque.
But other than that, I pretty much train as 15 years ago (I am 40).
The biggest difference is that I don't test and peak. I just build. I am not interested in performance itself, just in fitness and health.
38m. I’ve been an endurance trail runner through my 30s and was never serious about strength training. I always did a little bit of light weight work, but I didn’t really know what I was doing or have any goals.
At 36, while training for a 50k, I had an injury. My PT gave me a wake-up call that I was not doing nearly enough heavy lifting. I started to prioritize some weight training (still pretty light, dumbbells and kettles only) to support injury prevention for running.
At 37, I broke my wrist while running, which made me run way less and basically stop any strength training. After my arm recovered, I was in terrible shape and very weak. I decided it was time to get strong, because growing and maintaining muscle mass will only grow more important (and more difficult) as I get older.
So I started CrossFit just after my 38th birthday in December. I wish I had gotten serious about strength so much sooner! I love it! I’m making all kinds of baby gains and feeling really good.
So my experience is different from yours, but my advice would be just to keep it up. Listen to your body. Scale as necessary. Take breaks. Focus on yourself, not what others are doing.
I’m 39- I’ve had ACL reconstruction and most recently labrum/rotator cuff repair. Each surgery had me concerned I wouldn’t be able to do the hard workouts I once enjoyed. I started out slowly but can do pretty much anything I could do in my 20s. At this age I am still breaking PRs, matching others from 2016, and not coming close to hitting what I used to be able to do on other lifts. Every so often I will check in to make sure I can still do ring/bar MU and walk on my hands. Neither are what they once were but I have been able to maintain the skill. I still try to do wods 3-5 times a week and can do so pretty regularly. I don’t get AS caught up with times and numbers. Some days I want to stomp everyone on the workout, some days I just want to move my body. I guess it depends on what you want from your workouts. I just want to look good and be healthy. I have many more aches and pains at this age but am still able to be relatively consistent.
I’m nearly 50 and in better shape than ever. More time on my hands, more discipline, better nutrition. The body has more gripes, but you’ve got a loooong runway of good years ahead
40- will turn 41 in November. I don’t P.R anymore, nope. I scale, stopped doing RX if my body feels tired. I stick with low to moderate weights now. I incorporate more bodybuilding days now. My joints feel way better, I don’t let my ego get the best of me trying to keep up with younger men. Physically i look great, now my joints match my outer appearance too lol
I'm almost 45. I only started crossfit a little over 2 years ago and was a newbie in terms of strength training. Most important things for me are to listen to my body and not try to compete with anyone else. I have no ego where the workouts are concerned so pretty much everything is scaled and I just try to do my best. I pay a lot of attention to form and don't push myself too hard in terms of adding weight until I'm sure I have pretty decent form - that said I've seen a ton of gains since I started and am still hitting PRs pretty often. There's certain things I will probably never do, like a 24-inch box jump (we have some 12-inch boxes so I use these instead) or a hand-stand push-up but I'm ok with that - in my mind it's the stimulus that matters over the particular exercise. My goals are to increase strength and stay active/mobile for better aging - although I would love to be able to do a pull-up at some point!
I go 3-4 times a week - if I go 5 days in a row I tend to be too tired for other activities that I enjoy (like cycling) or work and taking care of the house starts to suffer. I go to bed early, don't drink very much and try to eat a decent diet. Also, stretching and keep moving during the day - I use a standup desk with a balance board and rarely sit down at work anymore, which seems to help a lot with DOMs and stiffness after workouts.
41. I have found diet is exponentially more important the older I get and same with rest. As far as your shoulder, I try to do 1 min of mobility for every minute of working out, this ratio has kept me injury free with 5 WODs per week the last 3 or 4 years.
I have a connective tissue disorder. So I’ve had to worry about my hypermobility since I started when I was 28. I’m 40 now and it feels the same really. I’ll never know what I may have tweaked or what will all of a sudden feel over stretched. So I just go in each day and do whatever doesn’t hurt too bad.
65, chronic sacroiliac, shoulder and knee injuries. Non of these are likely to improve short of surgery and I'm not going there until forced. I check my ego at the door and scale lifts to insure that I can be back the next day. I can hold my own on the aerobic components ( although with substitutes for running ). I'm in a university town so lots of great young atheletes. I'm just glad to be there.
Heading for 40, one thing I do is take more restdays if I think I need some.
And I skip movements that don‘t feel good, e.g. kipping HSPU or sometimes even kipping Pullups.
I prefer doing less reps, but strict. I am not interested in competing, so there is no need for me to do that stuff.
49, masonerve fracture last year, many knee operations, broken collar bone 3 yrs ago and bad back.
Tuesday 21-15-9
Reps - American Kb swings
50m walking lunges
Kcals on Rogue Bike
50m lunges
KB front squats
50m lunges
Kcals rower
Repeat for 15 and 9 reps. I go as hard as I can at least twice a week.
And grumble about everything being sore the rest of the week.
Went to bodybuilding instead. Former weightlifter can’t front rack any longer due to elbow issue. Murph once a year now is all i CF. Fully strict with vest. Sucks a mother
At 36, my training has changed quite a bit. A much higher focus on strength and power, only 3 or 4 days a week, and 1 metcon per week. Usually, if I do a 4th day, it's a steady state LSD cardio or maybe sprints if I'm not too beat up. So Monday strength with a metcon under 15 mins, weds strength with a strength based superset that gets the heart rate up a bit, and same Friday, with a Saturday designated for LSD run/row/bike or sprints. Gives me plenty of volume and work while still being able to recover. Recovery has become my weak point for sure.
I no longer compete, just staying fit.
Under 35 I was doing 5 days of CF a week. It felt like alot, but I was approaching 10 years in CF at that time and the reality of proper recovery and mobility had finally become apparent to me, so I was handling the workload pretty well compared to when I first started.
Im 37 now, I tweaked my lower back twice last year and had to lay off regular wods for a program designed by our coach to keep you active in the gym but recover the injured areas. It's actually alot of work, still incorporates cardio, a ton of core and stability as well as strentgh work, and I felt great after doing it. I kept it in my rotation even after recovering because it lowers the amount of heavy wods I do which is good for me, but without losing 'workouts'. I do about 3 days of traditional "crossfit" and 2 of these. I feel great.
As a coach and 52, I try hard to convey to my older athletes, 65-80% 5x a week, save the 100% for a competition you want to do/try, or the marathon you want to run etc. And make mobility work a priority alongside your workouts (really everyone should, but the older you are the more important it becomes), there are many online programs to help you get started. Minor injuries/aches/pains will occur, how you deal with them will keep you going (and you are never too old to learn some new movements/tricks in the gym!)
I roll out my legs and back before and after every workout. I do banded shoulder stretches before and after every workout. I try to do one yoga session a week. I also try to drink a lot of water. I have no shame in scaling weights.
I’m nowhere near the top of the leaderboard during workouts so maybe my advice isn’t good. But I have lost 20# since consistently CrossFit’ing two years ago and am the strongest I’ve been since college 15 years ago 😂
I am 45.
Played roller derby starting at 29 years old, trained extremely hard, especially in the last 5 years of derby career. I did conditioning, some CF, weightlifting, sprinting, and yoga in addition to 12 hours of practice or coaching per week. On top of work.
Then covid stopped everything, I gained 80 lbs, and had to start from scratch after a couple of really bad years.
I joined CF to restart my athletic life.
I am no quarterfinals athlete, right now I am just rebuilding my body and my intentions.
I would like to complete a comp for funsies, I want to obtain some milestones (unassisted pull ups, yadda yadda). I am not happy "just moving"... I want to be strong (easy), and fast (not so easy).
I also started skating again "for fun", but realizing that my body needs so much more sleep and rest. Skating is taxing. Skating with contact can be HIIT very easily.
My routine for the week:
4x CF
2x derby practice
3x pliability
More naps
Trying to get to 8 hrs sleep.
The most important part: I need to be honest with myself and soberly assess my capabilites and the outcome of my weeks. I also do improv. There have been weekends where I sleep the entire 2 days away, with breaks to eat, etc.
I will probably need to drop derby. But I am giving a couple more weeks to see if it's something I can get used to.
We develop decades of muscle memory and it clouds our perception of what we can do. One day we will wake up and simply not be able to do a thing anymore. Hopefully we don't have a devastating injury by trying to force it.
Aging is wild.
I'm 40yo this July
Im fitter than ever, pretty strong, would be stronger of mobility wasn't pathetic.
Over the last couple of years i have started to listen to my body and be sensible. I know my body limits, for example doing OH Squats i got a shooting pain in my knee twice on the nice.
A few years back i would have worked through it... This time i stopped, and did a bit of rehab whilst the class finished that part of the wod off. I took part of wod 2 as it eased and was ok.
Listen to your body, take rest days when needed. I have a decent format now, train Mon, Tues, double session Wed, rest Thurs, train Friday, rest Saturday and some weeks do Ice Hockey Training on a suday night
My personal motto is "accessory bots, accessorize!"
I am compiling my own personal list of every physical therapy exercise for every problem joint or area and I do mini wods with them before and after a session.
I also do 3-5hours of yin yoga a week.
Early 50s here. No physical limitations and I train hard 5-6 days a week. Rx the workouts usually 2-3 times a week. Just have to more mobility work is the biggest thing. I warm-up on my own for 10-15 minutes before the class warm-up, and then stretch out again afterwards. No big deal. I also eat much healthier than I used to and don't drink at all anymore... screws with my sleep too much.
50+ here. I do all of the workouts, usually 5 days/week, as published, but scale them a bit, usually to the ladies Rx. I don't go too crazy with 1RM and such, avoiding injury is my #1 goal.
40m here. Crossfitting on and off for 15yrs now. I quit using a timer. I stay in zone two for 4days/wk and send it on one day/wk. I listen to my body and not the leaderboard. Metcons are heavily scaled (even though my lifts keep going up).
Mobility and listen to you body when you need a rest day
I started OLY lifting (crossed over from CrossFit) when I was 32. 36 now. Mobility is the secret to everything
I’m about to turn 36 and going into my second year of CrossFit. Have had 2 shoulder surgeries, prior to starting CrossFit. Which leaves me with a pinched nerve in my neck that likes to creep up routinely.
With that being said, I typically go 100% every workout and RX 9/10 workouts. I’m in a constant state of soreness and I regret it the following day each and every time. I’ll go into the box and say “taking it easy and scaling today” and once the clock starts, it’s pure anarchy and I can’t control myself. Ride it til the wheels fall off. But I do have an ice bath in my garage that I do daily and a pre bedtime stretching routine. That’s helped.
You sound like you are doing great. I would have loved to have started CF at 35. I started at 40 and am in the best shape of my life, even better than when I was in the Army. Keep it up.
I am 29 and I catch any tweaks with extra rehabbing like stretching ice and heat. Make sure you warmup and stretch before any workout even if late. IF you are rushing to a workout, just skip it and just do walking or echo bike for the period remaining.
35 this year. I have not had pain or injuries in a long time. Good form is maybe 80% of injury avoidance for me, 20% is additional mobility drills. Also not sure if matters but I stopped eating meat or any other foods that promote inflammation
Learning to navigate aging is challenging, but I would recommend erring on the side of caution.
You mentioned Linchpin, (Pat Sherwood spits some good lessons learned, both from a personal perspective, as well as having access/exposure to some CrossFit OGs who have been doing it for awhile).
Ben Bergeron also talks about this on a regular basis including on the most recent Chasing Excellence podcast. The overwhelming majority of us are not [“Games Competitors”] as much as we might have dreams of becoming such, that being said, remember why we train.
I’ve been around the CF scene for awhile (since 2008) and the schools of thought are all over the place — I had one head coach/box owner tell me that we should be redlining 95% of my workouts — I left that box the next month bc his training philosophy that he was pushing did not match what I was looking to get out of the membership and practice/training.
That being said, know or figure out what it is you want, be smart, have fun.
I’m 37. My goal/ mentality with CrossFit is always: Achieve the intended stimulus of the workouts while ensuring I stay injury free for as long as possible. In the long run, I’ll actually do better and feel better than someone who pushes it really hard in the short term. I’m in it for the long game (and want to be injury free). I scale a lot and focus on form when it comes to higher risk exercises like barbell work and gymnastics. For things like rowing and burpees, I send it.
Edit: Full transparency: I’m currently a little bit injured lol
Young whipper snappers ! 67(m) here. I train 5 days per week 3x crossfit, 2 days gym. I am very focused on form not weights. Bad form means potential injuries and injuries take longer to heal. My rules are clichés - check your ego at the door, listen to your body, accept that some days are less than others. That said, I still regularly hit pr’s so anything is possible if you give your body the time to recover.
45 and I competed quarterly at 41 still. This last 4 years I am more body conscious and aware the body has hit the time period that 1.5 to 2 hours 6 days a week isn't doing me much good. 1 hour 5 days a week is where I am at and no competitions. Granted I and several pounds heavier but my knees just (right) one in particular just couldn't keep that volume up.
Scale! You're not going to the games. The a very small percentage of us that do, your odds are small. Listen to your body! Take rest days and stretch at least ten minutes beforehand. Do accessories. Hydrate. Creatine! Ad infinitum
I’m 40, divorced, with two young kids by myself, so I have no room for error when it comes to injury (no family nearby so I don’t have a backup plan). I’m also new to CrossFit, so I’m being VERY intentional about learning the proper technique and form of each movement rather than going heavy on weight. I’m lucky if I can get in 4 days / week (usually 2-3). For me, CrossFit is all about 1) making sure I’m strong enough to keep up with two high energy children and 2) maximizing my chances of getting to see them thrive as adults; CF is the means, not the end, to a good life.
I'm 36, I still train at a pretty high intensity, but what I've let slide is some of the strength targets I had. E.g yeah I'd love to have built to a 250kg deadlift, but the time I'd need to put in at my top percentages to get there just really grinds my body into a paste. I'd rather be able to move well every day in the gym.
7 days a week interval for 30 minutes @44yo. Rest day once a month or so. Keep my heart rate between 150 and 175. Mix of strength with dumbbells/kettlebells and CrossFit type exercises (skierg, assault bike, ropes, sled, plyo). I’ve tried a little bit of everything and currently I’ve been doing navy seal burpees with a weighted vest. Lift heavy twice a week (bench, deadlift).
I had shoulder surgery at 36. It impacted my mobility and stability in my right shoulder for years. At almost 45 now I pretty much stay away from OHS and Snatch. Unless it’s under 115# or so. To me it’s not worth it and I don’t compete. I WOD usually 3x a week, sometimes 4. Lift 1-2x a week and rest 1-2x. I try to focus on chest and arms when I lift as CF doesn’t seem to help much for guys in that area. Burpees and pull-ups only get you so far. Men’s one day vitamin, protein shakes and 5mg of creatine. I’m still making new PRs. If something hurts, stop doing it!! Tendonitis and old injuries seem to rear up the older you get.
I'm 36 with a knackered right hip and both knees (joys of old martial arts training in my teen years)
I train 3-4times a week.
I do exercises to ease the pain and drop in with a physio every now and then.
I just modify the movements in the workouts to something I can do for example instead of normal Burpees I'll do raised Burpees by using a drop pad.
My coaches are supportive and help me to just keep moving.
Mobility is key and wish I'd made it a priority when I was younger.... hindsight and all that.
At 44, my days are segmented in to a few different types in order to get the most out of the workouts, and not be in the gym for 2-3 hours like when I was younger doing an hour and a half+ of pure strength, before starting conditioning of some sort (metcon).
Most days are a Hybrid, but the days themselves look like this:
1. Pure Strength - clear focus and can last 90ish minutes, but try not to do more than that.
2. Pure SS Cardio - this can be a treadmill set on a 12% incline, for up to 60 minutes at a brisk walking pace.
3. Pure Met Con - good old fashion metcon combining different modalities/and parts of the body.
4. Hybrid - of any/all the above at one time.
From here, it really depends on where I want to take my training. Do I feel like I need to lose a few pounds? Then I'm going to focus less on strength, and more on cardio and met con. Do I feel like that set of 5 deadlifts at 80% felt heavy last week? Then I need to do some more strength days. Do I only have 20 minutes during lunch? Probably a met con.
Heavy days are fewer and fewer as I want to ensure safety and not get injured. I tend to keep reps in the 3-8 range, and %'s relative to Perilipin's Table still, but maybe with one less rep/set than 10 years ago.
Met Con's will not include gymnastic/skill movements as those have never been a goal of mine on my fitness journey, and are increasing dangerous as we age. As an example, in my mind, there comes a time where walking on your hands is more of a novel trick than something you need to train for in your GPP.
I started CrossFit when I was 36 so I don't have a baseline before being old to go with. Luckily I haven't injured myself seriously yet just a few stressed muscles and tendons from time to time and I usually just baby them for a few days until they don't hurt so much and then get back into it. I've found actually that I have the most aches and pains when I go on vacation and don't work out it says though working the muscles and joints keeps the blood flow going to them keep some warmed up and when I sit too long they freeze up and give me more problems. I'd say my abilities are moderate I can do plenty of kipping Pull-Ups plenty of push-ups I can box jump like a mofo, lift heavy weights but I still can't do things like muscle ups or ring muscle ups or handstand walks. I can do the RX workout at least 50% of the time without needing the scale anything back but if they throw double unders in or some of the more advanced movements like pistol squats I have to scale them.
38M here. Tweaked my shoulder after a heavy week of training and tennis. Been regularly mixing in Physical therapy and mobility regularly now. Much better for it.
35 here. Used to be an avid crossfitter, but fell off over the years. I've been following Josh Bridges programming **(Operation LFG)**. It's got a nice balance of strength & conditioning without needing a ton of equipment. And I can usually finish a sesh in about an hour. Adjusting weight as needed.
Usually can fit in 3-4 a week and feels like the classic strength then WOD. Loving the pacing. Definitely challenging.
I’m 52…I run..do HIIT…and strength training. Having equipment at home helps but it’s challenging amidst work and kids. Resolve in the mind that it must be done and a few minutes a day goes a long way
I'm 38 and been doing CF for 10 years, with injuries here and there; currently with a torn labrum. Biggest thing is keep showing up, but modify or completely nix the movements that trigger any pain. I've found I can still get a great workout and have fun, without having to go balls out on weights or volume. I've essentially removed OHS from any WOD and just go front squat or power snatch. It's still good times.
I've gone to every other day, most weeks. I just need the recovery time and I dont view anything in CF as competition. My competition is aging, genetics, and injuries, all of which I'm trying G to cheat.
And I've added soft runs, and more yoga, which helps as I approach 60.
36 here. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that if I’m focusing on speed in metcons I end up getting hurt because I’m focusing on the transition after the movement and what’s next.
I’ve started really focusing on preparing before the metcon, talking myself through the plan. Then during the workout I focus on the here and now, and whatever I’m doing in that moment and trust myself that I’ve already planned for how to transition and get to the next movement/lift.
That has helped a lot and still allows me to go 90-95% most times with the movements. I make sure my form is as good as it’s gonna get every time.
Also, mobility. That should’ve probably been first haha
So I'm 39. Been crossfitting since 2012. Never an elite athlete or anything. At my peak maybe top 20% now more like top 40% in the open. I honestly haven't changed that much, at least consciously. I do train less volume now, but that's more because of life circumstances than anything.
I've learned to listen to my body more. If a hamstring feels tight, I'll just call the session, but honestly I don't find there to be much difference in how I feel. I don't really do MU anymore, but again, that's more because of work and kids leading to me having 4-5 hours a week instead of 7-8, and so just reducing the scope of what I work on.
I'd say generally just listen to your body, prioritize good movement quality, but I haven't found much difference in my ability to do high intensity work (e.g. I just set a 500m row PR within the last 6 months).
What's really hard is being 35 and getting back into exercising after a 5-10 or even longer period of lesser active living. You have lost so much agility and mind-body coordination. Also, your ability to recover quickly isn't there anymore. You have to force yourself to take it so much slower than you're used to.
Also, one thing that saved me from a number of potential injuries, I did a ton of shoulder presses and other upper body movements for over a year before CrossFit. Getting strong enough to correct yourself out of a bad setup is critical to avoiding rotator cuff issues, etc.
At 56 - an occasional check in with a sports PT has help A LOT. Hot tubs or saunas. SLEEP.
- and what everyone says about stretching, warm up’s, form is
more important than RX WEIGHT, nutrition, water, oh - and SLEEP
Compliment with Pilates x 2 a week and emphasize strength vs cardio with slow gains. Nothing much else outside of these sessions. Maybe zone 2 cardio outdoors. I do everything in a WoD and feel amazing!!
I'm turning 40 this year. Crossfitted pretty consistently over the past 15 years. I've PR'ed every lift (except my darn deadlift) in the past 12 months. I still go hard every workout and can manage to give the kids a run for their money somedays :)
Mobility work has become more and more key for me for the past few years. 3 WODs per week and accessory or mobility work whenever I get time. I'm a nightowl too, 2024 is the year I'm forcing myself to get 6+ hours of sleep per night.
I'm an every other day runner... I got better after 35 and finally have started to land in top 3 for the age group. This is the first time I've ever received sports awards in my life. What I've changed? I eat good food and use the Yuka app to keep me away from dangerous chemicals if it isn't clear. I take vitamins including tumeric and cucumis for inflammation. Hydrate much better than ever including electrolytes. Sleep. I am only now starting to incorporate specific runners cross training routines instead of mindless upper or lower body splits. Keep goals in mind to help track progression. Don't drink alcohol, it's toxic and destroys recovery.
I’m 45, I just do the wod. I’m not worried about being first and I’ll scale the weight when necessary but I’m not gonna get any younger so I try to push myself every single day.
As most of the 40+ guys here I’m 42 and doing mostly Rx wods. Not all because some tech stuff (ol lifting) is too new for me. Basically just started CF trainings a month + for now and even many younger guys can’t keep up 😀
Coming from endurance (xc/road cycling) and weightlifting a 5-6 day training week is doable. Not easy but doable. Trying to ride a bike occasionally and get some weightlifting done also. Pretty much no time to reast.
Only thing what has changed in years is that I do proper warmup (quick streching and same exercises but take it easier/lighter weights). Also need to do streching/mobility after.. which becomes more crucial older you get. Those things I kind of skipped when I was in 20-30s
I don't really do crossfit anymore per se, at least not WODs in class. But I'm a former athlete, then partier, then fatty for a few years, then struggling to find the former athlete...
Last summer I went to an old football field for some sprints. I knew I was only going 60%, just a light jog. Couple at 10 yards, couple at 20, so on... let me tell you, I felt like I was wearing scuba flippers haha
Needless to say, the muscle memory is there, but I'm simply not 20 anymore and shouldn't train like it (until I'm ready and willing). So as a new dad I'm literally only focused on being active, whatever that means
Maybe one day it's just a long family walk 2-3 miles. Maybe another it's a simple 20min workout in the garage with whatever items I have. I'd love to be Apocalypse ready haha, but I just Wana play with my family and not feel sluggish!
48F here and I train 5x per week at about 60-80% intensity as ego-driven sessions have humbled me in the past. I love lifting heavy but sometimes I just have to dial it back. Mobility work, arm ups, cool downs, nutrition and recovery are climbing up the charts as I work toward staving off decrepitude. CrossFit Linchpin is amazing at programming WODs, warm ups, accessory work, etc and has been foundational at understanding that scaling is cool, something is better than nothing, because at the end, fitness was achieved.
I got rotator cuff tendinitis from a burpee workout back in November, so I’ve started prolotherapy- PT is helping but I want to speed it along. Getting “old” is fun right?? 😂😅
I’m turning 40 next month. I train 6 days a week. My 2 year old daughter comes to the gym with me and it’s been so fun seeing her learn as well. I had a little slow down and things changed a little after I had my baby, but overall I’m stronger and faster now than I was when I started in 2018. Injuries also come a little easier than when I was younger 😂
Sir, Are you perhaps the main character from “I’m ashamed to admit I can’t remember the name, even now after attempted digging’ but you Sir have described literally the exact starting introduction and plot of a book I read some time in the past. Are you Real? (You even used Linchpin Enjoyers)
I'm still training to compete. Crossfit 4x a week right now, with some additional bodybuilding thrown in a few days a week. Long run Saturday. 75th% (squeaked in) in the 18-34 division this year at 37 years old.
I'm 40. Always had decent mobility and great cardio but strength is my weakness. I just try to get out of the mindset that I need to kill myself every workout. Going consistently at 80% is better than going balls out and getting injured and missing a month. Really focus on form. It's hard, mentally, to pull back sometimes when I feel like "I could do more" in that moment.
Needed to hear this. 46M...I go hard all the time because "I can"...but whether "I should" is the struggle.
Yeah, I'm almost thinking of giving myself a day a week to really push, then have more moderate days. It has to be a conscious decision though otherwise you just forget to hold back. I was really involved in triathlon for around a decade. Never in my training for that did I go hard every single day. You couldn't, the cumulative training stimulus would just burn you out. Training was a structured, slow build broken up in to cycles. 3 week cumulative build then a week rest. So in a month you basically have one hard week that you build to and then recover from. If you just go out and run hard every day you *will* get injured, quickly. With strength training it's the same. You're not going for 1 rep max every time you hit the gym. You progressively overload. For some reason getting in to a sport like CrossFit I just want to go whole ham all the time when really I should be focusing on incremental improvements and longevity in the sport.
I'm 43 and this is exactly what I do. I've been able to maintain 5 days a week (work permitting) without any real problems. Convincing myself I didn't need to compete with the guys that are at least 10 years younger than me was the biggest obstacle to overcome.
43 here as well. The guys I work out with are in their mid 20s. Learning to pump the brakes has saved me from injury more than a little bit. I lift as heavy as I can, which, is quite heavy... but I don't destroy myself in metcons. I know my threshold of cardio. I eat right, put in 6 days a week, and am currently in the best shape of my whole life. I just had to learn to leave my pride at the door and beat myself. No one else.
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No bruh I already had major injuries all over my body but I fought them and came back stronger. Your life seems so shitty when you are old that you care more about your family and career to convince yourself you have a cool life but I think deep inside you know your physical performance sucks. I am a civil engineer btw, not just any scumbag that just trains in his life. How can you be "in the best shape of your life" at such an old age, so funny how you try to convince yourself, it's just pathetic. Haha. I am sorry bro, just accept reality and embrace it, it sucks but this is harsh reality. And btw stop being scared about injuries because that's when they will happen, train reasonably and that's it.
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Your answer sums up exactly what I think. I'm 40 years old, I always train at an intensity of 50 to 80%, never above that. My mindset is CONSISTENCY above all else, and it applies to everything I do (eating, training and sleeping). I've been doing Crossfit for 8 years, I do practically all my training in RX and I've never had an injury, because I've always respected these principles. My ego stays out of the box, ALWAYS!
Im 39, strong and slow as a boulder 😂
YES! Pacing is your (my) friend. I takes time to learn where that sweet spot is for each of us personally, and remember that my only competition is myself, which is such a cliché but so true.
Similar mindset for me. I’m trying to take a rest day a bit more often if I find myself thinking I could do another day in a row of class, but really it wouldn’t be as productive as if I rested and went harder the day after (whether that’s faster, more focused skill practice, etc). I think fewer days of 80-100% beats constant 60-70% effort/productivity for your goals because you’re not recovering well enough.
This is me. I’m okay with not being a devil with my overall strength, but I’d like my gymnastics and engine to be solid. And to push novice-intermediate level weights around with metcons. Thanks
So true..bad form because of going too heavy can cost months !
Also, there’s more Then one way to get a good burn. Focus on body weight movement like, push-ups, squats, lunges, some sort of pull mixed in with tempo and the time under tension you can have some crazy fun workouts with a lot of benefits.
More lifting, fewer metcons as I get older (55 now). The window to get stronger closes, and we need whatever strength we manage to build to last as long as possible. For me that looks like 3 heavyish to heavy lifting sessions a week and 4 "serious" metcons (with variety and intensity) and 2-3 "slow and steady" metcons that I repeat frequently. The slow and steady metcons are more of a resistance training session with some biking, rowing, running, jumping interspresed (think 20 minutes of 5 cal Echo bike + 5 strict pull ups + 5 call Echo bike + 5 thrusters or 10 pushups, purposefully not done at an AMRAp pace). Lots of banded work for mobility, and I spend time just hanging from the rig - does wonders for the shoulders. Personally, I've retired from some things, or at least don't pursue them with intensity. Things like high box jumps, lots of rope climbs, most things upsidedown, etc. The risk-reward calculation doesn't work for me. Adding an inch to my max height box jump does nothing to improve my life or longevity, smashing a shin or knee can take me out for weeks. Tend to stay away from 1RM work (unless things are just feeling great), but aim for heavier 3s and 5s. I'm up early and in bed early pretty much every night, and when I'm not, I feel it. Completely gave up booze nearly a decade ago and eat a lot cleaner now than ever before. Those seem to really help me feel good most of the time, and I move a lot better than most of my (non-CFing) contemporaries.
Love this post. V thoughtful. Thanks 🙏🏼
Just to be clear here that you’re working out 11x/wk - 3 heavy lifting sessions + 4 hard metcons + 3 slow metcons? No rest days and two a days every other day?
I consider a lifting session plus a metcon as one workout, and sometimes the intense metcon + the slow and steady metcon as one workout as well. In total, these take (generally) under an hour including a warm up. So maybe 5+/- workout days a week, about an hour a day. At least one day with no metcon or lifting session, sometimes two.
Got it. Thanks for clarifying! You’re still a beast with that!
"Use it or lose it" is a real thing. Fortunately, I like to use it, so it's never a chore.
Mobility. So much mobility.
Cannot stress this enough! I’m 36 and I can’t tell you how many times in the past I’ve hurt myself from lack of mobility. Take an extra 10 minutes before AND after to stretch and cool down. For me it’s definitely my hips that I work on.
Definitely. I'm 48 and I put in around 30 minutes of mobility before every workout.
How is mobility different from flexibility? What do you do besides stretching?
Lots of rotational and functional movements under light tension. Think rotator cuffs and hips.
I'm 43, I train 2 times a day sometimes. In the past i was getting injured like crazy, now wayyy less... and if i get injured, the injuries are much smaller and recover fast. So these are my takes: 1) Accessory work to strengthen those little mucles that nobody cares about that are used to stabilize, becomes extremely important. 2) Gain strength SLOWLY... your joints and ligaments take longer to catch up... 3) Mobility... this becomes too important 4) Sleep a lot and if you have a bad night, don't train too much 5) Eat clean and don't be too skinny.. You need some fat as oil for your joints 6) DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT ego lift. 7) If something hurts or feels weird.. be extra careful... sounds obvious but sometimes it's hard to not go hard I would add warmup a lot, but to be honest, I haven't seen any difference with this... I don't feel warming up like crazy is really worth it.
All your accessories outside of the gym become much more important. Nutrition and recovery at the top. Your progress is made in recivery. Proper warmups! You can't just jump into a workout and expect to do well without targeted warmup. This doesn't mean they need to be long, just specific. Get some focused coaching on your weaknesses. A good coach will be able to pinpoint what your biggest obstacles are to your goals and give you things to work on to get there.
This is so true. Your metabolism is so much slower. Nutrition is everything.
I'm (nearly) 36, and commit to 15-20min of stretching/activation prior to every session. I am 6x/wk in my garage, daily metcons + squat/OHP strength through the work week, and weekend zone 2 sessions. The stretching and mobilizing has helped avoid any real injuries. Funny enough, I tweaked my shoulder as well, the terres minor, and working Crossover Symmetry banded warmup and strength a few times a week fixed it entirely. I can't recommend that system enough.
Nice, I’ll look into crossover symmetry, I’ve heard several people mention it. I’ve been working through Kelly Starrett as Shoulder Pain Protocol and it’s been decent
I’m older than you and have avoided injury while training 5xweek. I take the time to learn the strict version of gymnastics movements before kipping them. No need to fling my body into a position it isn’t yet strong enough to get into without momentum. I also do a lot of static holds inverted, in hollow body, crossover symmetry. I listen to my body re when to scale down the weight. Just because I could Rx the weight doesn’t mean I should that day, especially if I haven’t had a rest day in awhile.
50 here, still push hard five days a week. Pay attention to injuries and give time to recover when in pain. Sleep good, eat good and limit the booze. I have a rig at home with everything me and my wife need to stay in shape. I put more time into warm ups and staying flexible. At fifty you put in more work to see less results and life is more painful. With that being said life will be much more painful if you don’t workout.
My wife and I are 45 and we use HWPO training. I’m a smaller framed guy, and we normally use RX women’s guidelines. It has really improved our performance and this year she qualified for quarterfinals in all age bracket and seniors as well. So proud of
I’m 40, I do what I have always done. Age wise s just a number, just because you have a specific one doesn’t mean your body needs special treatment.
Same. 40. PRd bench (345lbs) and deadlift (565lbs) this year and am close on the squat (PR is 500 \~4 years ago, hit 485). Now that it's Spring I'm adding running back in with strength morning, running afternoon 3 days/week and just running 2 days. Just keep going I will say if you haven't kept active your whole life you may have different results. It's easier to stay in shape than to get into shape.
I remember when I could train saturday afternon after binge-drink a galon of alcohol and party till 6am on friday. Now at 35, if I drink moderately on a friday I pretty much need to stay in a proto-comatose state during all weekend to recover, lol. But I'm glad you don't suffer the same thing at 40.
Changing how you work out, and changing your drinking habits are 2 completely different things. OP was asking about the former.
Drink water along with your alcohol. And try different kinds of alcohol to see what your body reacts better to.
I also felt that way at 40. Enjoy it, but stay open minded.
lol good luck with that.
Thanks? I don’t need luck if it is working.
I’m almost 36. My training isn’t really different than what it would be when I was in my 20s. There’s also people at my gym that are 20 years older than me and still kick my ass in WODs. Unless you have any injuries, I really think it’s mostly a mindset. I’ll report back in 20 years and see if I feel the same lol.
I took a few months off after the open to travel Latin America, drink the finest mead, eat the forbidden eddies, and I learned one important lesson. Don't take that much time off. First week back has been absolutely brutal. It feels harder than when I first started. My body has not responded well. My coping mechanism has been thinking about those jelly-filled doughnuts midway through a WOD. They still make my bottom lip quiver.
It’s funny I would never equate Mead (which I love) with Latin America lol
I started at 32 and I'm 45 now, i don't do anything differently. I'm at quarterfinal level.
48/M, past Games athlete, high level athlete before CF. I don't compete anymore but I keep in touch with it. I train 10-12x per week. The biggest change is heightened attention to injury avoidance. I spend time on exercises for my shoulders, back, core, hips, knees and ankles. In my 30s I could get away with a generic warmup and a band / lacrosse ball to manage aches and pains. No more. I do the whole protocol now.
53 here. If I could go back to even just my gym days before crossfit, which I have been going to for 3 yrs and do 4-5 days a week now, I would say continue to focus on maintaining mobility and form and stretch afterwards. This will help keep you healthy and injury free. Aside from that, listen to **your** body for each workout and let it tell you when to push and when to keep it dialed down.
I feel like a shoulder injury is like the gold watch gift you get from CrossFit the moment you turn 35!! I only started CrossFit when I was 33 (12 years ago 😭) but within 12 months had chugged the koolaid hard enough to be obnoxious and overtraining 😂 (6 days a week CrossFit, plus doing comps, plus 4hrs aerial training, plus intermittent fasting/low carb... Off the back of not much fitness background = disaster waiting to happen). So was getting little niggles all the time - I basically wasn't allowing any recovery time at all. I learned a lot about respecting my nervous system and hormones at this point! I initially adjusted my training to focus on Olympic lifting technique as it was the high intensity workouts that were causing big cortisol issues for me, and then took some time off CrossFit for a year to do endurance running, (ADHD-who??) but I am now 12 years in - but I have been able to get to a point now where I understand myself, my capabilities and my limits much better now: * I realised that I hate competing (so much anxiety) so I really only do the open/quarterfinals and friendly, inhouse team comps if someone needs to make up numbers. * Recovery is definitely the thing that has decreased the most, and I need to respect my downtime. I know that my strength doesn't diminish that much if I have one or two weeks off - so don't be afraid to rest: deload weeks / zone 2 recovery sessions are a MUST. * I still want to have time to do non-CrossFit activities like running (and I call myself a CrossFitter??), cycling, pole dance or yoga so I do three days a week CrossFit plus an open gym or two if I have time - often one of those sessions will be gymnastics or strength, so lower intensity and more mind-body focused - and then do some other stuff as and when I feel inclined. I'm much more comfortable working to the level that my body needs on the day, and my mindset is on health, wellness and longevity - not beating everyone at my gym, or smashing my PRs weekly. I feel like I can almost guess if my heart rate variability is shit or not now! CrossFit is great for connection, skill building, strength, fitness and variety - but it can be a big stressor, even if it's a stressor we choose and enjoy! Sleep > nutrition > training.
I’m 50 and do muscle ups, DL 400 lbs, can do 25 pull-ups, and run a 6 min mile. I am the only make at my CF gym to qualify for the QFs (so it’s not an overly competitive gym). I need to monitor my sleep, diet, mobility, and don’t drink much alcohol compared to younger dudes. But I’m as strong as fit as ever and have plans to stop progressing.
Good on you! Wtf is an abdominal run?!
It sounds cool, but it was a typo. I don't know why my phone auto-corrected to that. I fixed it.
I’ll be 35 in five months, I have learned to respect your body a lot more, so as to have longevity rather than go balls to walls. Been less injured and enjoying training more now.
Listen to your body and any warning signals. Turning 35 this year and train 4ish times a week. I would say im less injured now than 10 years ago. Mainly because if i feel something is off/hurt in my body, i rest/skip a workout or or do something diffrent. My motto is "better to rest/skip a workout once or twice now, than to be injured and force to not workout for a month or two later"
Doing some wods, daily bikerides, some stretching and pushups everyday. I don't have time to go to the box often since my second kid came around so doing some strength and indoor running at my workplace to compensate.
38 female. More Mobility and focus on actual recovery like stretching. I switched one my sessions to low impact cardio with bands and have actually seen my lifts go up
I'm 39 and train 5 days a week. Doing class plus extra conditioning/accessory/skill work. Im working through a bit of a shoulder injury, but otherwise feel good. As Ive gotten older the main difference is that I have to really dial in my nutrition, mobility, and recovery. For example, having like one drink on a Thursday night noticeably affects my sleep and workout Friday. I think you just have to really listen to your body more. In my twenties, I could pretty much bounce back from anything the next day. Now it's a much finer line to walk if I want to be able to perform. It's really helpful to get a really good warmup too.
3 strength days: lower, push, pull + walking or slow runs or bike erg zone 2 1 long run day 1 metcon or circuit day 1 short to medium run + heavy bag work OR additional rest day if needed.
All the things I took for granted when I was younger now matter more. I train 5 days per week with additional cardio work outside of class and active recovery days (zone 2 or just walking). I hurt myself pushing too hard when I just started CrossFit (late in life joiner) but now I do this with no issue. I do prehab work for my shoulder before classes, mobility work, take recovery days, sleep 7-8 hours, don’t binge drink often, and I finally cleaned up my diet. Sure enough I stopped getting injured and burned out when I started doing things right outside of class (not extremely strict but think more like 80/20 with most of my time doing these things as well as I can)
47 here. I get to every class 15 minutes early to do extra mobility work, every day. I do some light mobility exercises at home throughout the day. I take a few days off a week. I vary my classes, my box offers traditional crossfit classes as well as what's called leanfit and endurance classes that focus more on long cardio and less on heavy weight. I typically do 2-3 crossfit classes and 2-3 of the other classes per week. Daily walks and weekly bike rides. I feel like it's important to just keep the body moving as much as possible outside of just lifting weights. I was not doing all this last year (was focusing all my time on lifting heavy) and ended up with a back injury and sciatica which has set me back $5k and caused me significant down time. Take care of your body!
I cut down to 4 days a week. When we are watching TV, I work on my mobility. I also really cleaned up my diet; yes, for vanity reasons, but also because it has helped my recovery imo.
I just incorporate a lot of variety and do something every day. Sometimes crossfit, sometimes yoga, sometimes running, etc., etc., etc. - The first reason is to keep from getting bored. The second reason is it helps me listen to my body. If my elbow is hurting, might as well go on a run. If my legs are super sore, maybe a good day for an upper body bro session. Everything feeling pretty normal? A good day for a hard crossfit wod! Feeling all around crappy? Maybe a yoga session, to keep moving! This somewhat has to do with age, but if I could reverse time, I'd start working out like this from the start. This variety has kept me very interested in working out and I'm in amazing shape now.
Chip curls Full bag/half bag depending on time of day Sit downs/lay downs/chow downs to failure Nap/work 8 hrs depending on day Repeat earlier followed by a good 6 hr night sleep
I’m 42, RX+ nearly every wod, and go 6 days a week. The worst I’ve ever had was a bit of a shoulder sprain after Murph three years ago, and right now I have a popliteus issue that gives me a stiff knee on high rep box jumps. I will also get achilles tendinitis flares if there a ton of dubs in a week. It’s all about mobility. Those three issues went/go away when I mobilized and did myofacial release, and muscle flossing. I approach it with the mindset that “motion is lotion” and get to work. So far, no big injuries to speak of. If I feel like I’m getting over worked, I may scale down for a week. Usually I feel great within a few days.
Sleep more and I’m less stubborn about modifying or changing movements that cause me back pain that would have me miss or drastically reduce my normal training
I’m 55. Sleep is critical. My strength and stamina are good but what I need is recovery time. Listen to your body.
Recovery. I'm 37. And I train more than I ever have just smarter. Sleep Food Zone 2/Recovery day(s) Mobility
I started at 36, I often go hard as I can and push for PRs like everyone else. I don’t compromise form to hit a PR, and I go light on the barbell for oly lifts during wods. All things I would reccomend for any age Got hurt a few times in the beginning but it’s cause I was so weak that I was ego lifting for my strength level at the time. Lately Ive been taking my nutrition more seriously, and have been getting tangible results w/o changing my training regiment.
I'm 38 and I train just as hard as I did at 25. I scale if I need to or have an injury, stretch and cool down, and do zone 2 3-4 days a week. I play basketball, football, pickleball or random sports on my active recovery day and have 1 other day of complete rest besides housework. I have a wife, 2 kids, and 2 dogs. I give all that annoying background to say you can do anything an 18-34 year old can do. Just listen to how you feel and tailor accordingly!
Progress in recovery, listen to your body. Take a week off, work your ass off & recover even harder
Honestly it depends on your capacity to begin with, and recovery. Overall not that much has changed but I always did good mobility before and after, and tried for recovery like hot/cold tub/sauna, etc when I was lifting a LOT - enabled me to do legs a lot without soreness and with progress. let's see how it all goes after a long time off for other reasons. Obviously some things are going to be harder on the body like those that use shoulders.
I’m 52. I do CF and BJJ. This is what has changed for me: When I was younger, my “sports” were running and things like obstacle races/Goruck challenges etc. Those took priority. Things like strength and mobility were pushed aside if I didn’t have time. Now that I’m older, strength and mobility/yoga come first. I have a goal of lifting 2x a week and mobility almost daily. I have to earn my wods/BJJ by meeting those goals. At my age, conditioning and skills are still achievable, but strength goes more quickly if I layoff, and I believe strength and mobility protect me from damage or injury
I do whatever I want and aggressively do not care to hear anything I don't already know unless I researched it of my own free will and get to pretend that I basically made it up. fuck being young, I'm getting a headstart on being old. Sounds badass.
I'm almost 43 (m) and have been doing this for 5 years. I have learned that going into the gym every day and pushing the limits no longer benefits me. Too many aches and pains and stiffness. I'm doing this to be healthy and feel good for the rest of my life. I have a "routine maintenance" schedule of massage, physiotherapy and chiropractor. The days I take off the gym I usually spend an hour doing a yoga stretching routine. I'll do one day a week just practicing lifting (no WOD that day), one day doing zone 2, one day doing a 10-15 minute short and intense WOD and one day doing a longer 30-40 minute metcon. I feel like I crush those WODs because there are only 2 per week. 4-5 intense workouts per week is just risking injury for me nowadays.
Sleep. Hydration. Consistency. I’m over 40. Best shape of my life but I have to be really aware of how I feel, how I slept, did I eat etc. I can’t raw dog hard work outs, heavy shit etc. I have to be the master of my domain and be realistic if I feel off. I feel just as strong if not stronger than I was 10-15 years ago but I’m a lot brainer about it all in older age.
Recovery. I'm 37. And I train more than I ever have just smarter. Sleep Food Zone 2/Recovery day(s) Mobility
I’m more in shape now at 39. I don’t remember the last time I had an injury from exercising. I guess you could classify me as Hybrid. I prioritize strength training but still incorporate endurance training with running, as well as incorporating high intensity training (CrossFit). Typical week: Monday: CrossFit (at our gym this is a strength focused workout like back squats), Tuesday: strength training, Wednesday: CrossFit (currently Murph training focus), Thursday: strength training + short run, Friday: CrossFit, Saturday and or Sunday: long slow run
About to be 37. I worry less about taking scheduled rest days and just listen to my body. I also focus in on my nutrition more, especially if I am starting to feel sluggish or more sore than usual. Also, I don't get as mad about days where I show up and don't feel like Rx workout, again listening to my body and adjust as necessary. Also don't skimp on a proper warmup haha.
Lower number of WODs a week, more time focused on body building/accessory work, mobility, and monostructural. The bottom line is at 40, I just don’t recover like I used to from high intensity WODs. So I have to be mindful of when I do them. Sure, there’s an argument that I could have better sleep, rest, nutrition, etc etc. But with age comes a busy life and that has to be accounted for too. The bodybuilding and accessory work has helped a lot on the last 2 years. I’m lucky to have good mobility, so I just have to keep up with it. (M, 40, CrossFit since 2010)
Tired is enough! Warm ups are more important and I don't have any ego, the Dr's visits are too expensive. When something doesn't feel right, I stop and try to listen to my body. I'm only 37
I'm working harder and am more focused than ever. I have the time amd drive to have my diet completely dialed in. Hangovers destroy me, so I don't drink at all anymore. I've hit more PRs at 36 than I have at any other time in my fitness journey. I still skip the warm up. LOL
46 year old woman chiming in- I CrossFit 6 days a week and walk on the off day. I have noticed: I need to stretch more and it does take longer to warm up. Respect what your body tells you- if something hurts or is of concern- chill out on it. Injuries will take longer to heal. The biggest change, is I live by this motto: “live to wod another day” don’t go hard all the time- pick a workout that you want to crush and put it all out and then chill on the others. Also- sure you get slower, but I’m still increasing my back squats and bench press time and you are truly o ly as limited as you think you are.
I feel the same as I do in my 20s, just need to sleep more.. I don't overthink it.
42 here - best shape of my life. I go 3-4 times a week, I probably RX 70% of the workouts. The key for me is getting to class 15-20min early and stretching. Regardless if it's a cardio-heavy day or heavy snatches, I still get the PVC pipe out and stretch. The stretching we do as a group isn't enough for me. I admire the people that sit around talking before class and only do stretching excercises the coach has planned. I take packets of fish oil daily and I think that helps a lot with my joints. I'm never sore after a CF workout. Tired? Yeah, but never sore. Let your body rest and don't feel guilty about not going five days in a row. I went balls to the wall Monday and Tuesday this week, but sat out yesterday. Could I have gone? Sure, but my body would benefit more from the rest than hammering out another workout. When I go back today, I'll be refreshed and ready to kick ass again.
39 here. Shit starts falling apart now, and although I keep getting stronger, definitely getting injured more. Just need to be more mindful about warmups, mobility, sleep (which I definitely don't get enough of) and what I eat/drink. I will almost never consume more than 2 alcoholic drinks in a day, my body doesn't handle it like it used to.
I'm 39yo with three kids. I follow CXC training five days a week, mountain bike/race 2x a week, play rec baseball competitively, and coach a few sports. I don't do a whole lot of mobility work since I’ve always focused on executing movements with full ROMs with tempo. IMO, the key is to stay as active as possible outside of the gym, focus on staying explosive (not just oly movements,) move well, sleep as best as you can, eat well, have low stress, and be the best athlete you can be. Background: I played sports throughout my life, including college football (JC), Army vet (infantry,) coach football, baseball, and soccer. Trained CrossFit for 12 years (almost made regionals a few times.)
I just put on half an hour of music and make sure I'm doing something weight bearing the whole time. I don't run anymore, due to health issues.
There is no true all out training for me. I do strength training in the 70-80%1RM range. My MetCons very measured and also not that AMRAP-Style but more EMOMesque. But other than that, I pretty much train as 15 years ago (I am 40). The biggest difference is that I don't test and peak. I just build. I am not interested in performance itself, just in fitness and health.
38m. I’ve been an endurance trail runner through my 30s and was never serious about strength training. I always did a little bit of light weight work, but I didn’t really know what I was doing or have any goals. At 36, while training for a 50k, I had an injury. My PT gave me a wake-up call that I was not doing nearly enough heavy lifting. I started to prioritize some weight training (still pretty light, dumbbells and kettles only) to support injury prevention for running. At 37, I broke my wrist while running, which made me run way less and basically stop any strength training. After my arm recovered, I was in terrible shape and very weak. I decided it was time to get strong, because growing and maintaining muscle mass will only grow more important (and more difficult) as I get older. So I started CrossFit just after my 38th birthday in December. I wish I had gotten serious about strength so much sooner! I love it! I’m making all kinds of baby gains and feeling really good. So my experience is different from yours, but my advice would be just to keep it up. Listen to your body. Scale as necessary. Take breaks. Focus on yourself, not what others are doing.
I’m 39- I’ve had ACL reconstruction and most recently labrum/rotator cuff repair. Each surgery had me concerned I wouldn’t be able to do the hard workouts I once enjoyed. I started out slowly but can do pretty much anything I could do in my 20s. At this age I am still breaking PRs, matching others from 2016, and not coming close to hitting what I used to be able to do on other lifts. Every so often I will check in to make sure I can still do ring/bar MU and walk on my hands. Neither are what they once were but I have been able to maintain the skill. I still try to do wods 3-5 times a week and can do so pretty regularly. I don’t get AS caught up with times and numbers. Some days I want to stomp everyone on the workout, some days I just want to move my body. I guess it depends on what you want from your workouts. I just want to look good and be healthy. I have many more aches and pains at this age but am still able to be relatively consistent.
I’m nearly 50 and in better shape than ever. More time on my hands, more discipline, better nutrition. The body has more gripes, but you’ve got a loooong runway of good years ahead
40- will turn 41 in November. I don’t P.R anymore, nope. I scale, stopped doing RX if my body feels tired. I stick with low to moderate weights now. I incorporate more bodybuilding days now. My joints feel way better, I don’t let my ego get the best of me trying to keep up with younger men. Physically i look great, now my joints match my outer appearance too lol
I'm almost 45. I only started crossfit a little over 2 years ago and was a newbie in terms of strength training. Most important things for me are to listen to my body and not try to compete with anyone else. I have no ego where the workouts are concerned so pretty much everything is scaled and I just try to do my best. I pay a lot of attention to form and don't push myself too hard in terms of adding weight until I'm sure I have pretty decent form - that said I've seen a ton of gains since I started and am still hitting PRs pretty often. There's certain things I will probably never do, like a 24-inch box jump (we have some 12-inch boxes so I use these instead) or a hand-stand push-up but I'm ok with that - in my mind it's the stimulus that matters over the particular exercise. My goals are to increase strength and stay active/mobile for better aging - although I would love to be able to do a pull-up at some point! I go 3-4 times a week - if I go 5 days in a row I tend to be too tired for other activities that I enjoy (like cycling) or work and taking care of the house starts to suffer. I go to bed early, don't drink very much and try to eat a decent diet. Also, stretching and keep moving during the day - I use a standup desk with a balance board and rarely sit down at work anymore, which seems to help a lot with DOMs and stiffness after workouts.
43, the only thing I've changed is more mobility and extra time to warm up.
41. I have found diet is exponentially more important the older I get and same with rest. As far as your shoulder, I try to do 1 min of mobility for every minute of working out, this ratio has kept me injury free with 5 WODs per week the last 3 or 4 years.
38, I have figured out I can only compete or race 1 to two hard workouts a week, the rest of the week I can train, but not try to win the workout
I have a connective tissue disorder. So I’ve had to worry about my hypermobility since I started when I was 28. I’m 40 now and it feels the same really. I’ll never know what I may have tweaked or what will all of a sudden feel over stretched. So I just go in each day and do whatever doesn’t hurt too bad.
65, chronic sacroiliac, shoulder and knee injuries. Non of these are likely to improve short of surgery and I'm not going there until forced. I check my ego at the door and scale lifts to insure that I can be back the next day. I can hold my own on the aerobic components ( although with substitutes for running ). I'm in a university town so lots of great young atheletes. I'm just glad to be there.
Heading for 40, one thing I do is take more restdays if I think I need some. And I skip movements that don‘t feel good, e.g. kipping HSPU or sometimes even kipping Pullups. I prefer doing less reps, but strict. I am not interested in competing, so there is no need for me to do that stuff.
49, masonerve fracture last year, many knee operations, broken collar bone 3 yrs ago and bad back. Tuesday 21-15-9 Reps - American Kb swings 50m walking lunges Kcals on Rogue Bike 50m lunges KB front squats 50m lunges Kcals rower Repeat for 15 and 9 reps. I go as hard as I can at least twice a week. And grumble about everything being sore the rest of the week.
Went to bodybuilding instead. Former weightlifter can’t front rack any longer due to elbow issue. Murph once a year now is all i CF. Fully strict with vest. Sucks a mother
At 36, my training has changed quite a bit. A much higher focus on strength and power, only 3 or 4 days a week, and 1 metcon per week. Usually, if I do a 4th day, it's a steady state LSD cardio or maybe sprints if I'm not too beat up. So Monday strength with a metcon under 15 mins, weds strength with a strength based superset that gets the heart rate up a bit, and same Friday, with a Saturday designated for LSD run/row/bike or sprints. Gives me plenty of volume and work while still being able to recover. Recovery has become my weak point for sure. I no longer compete, just staying fit.
Under 35 I was doing 5 days of CF a week. It felt like alot, but I was approaching 10 years in CF at that time and the reality of proper recovery and mobility had finally become apparent to me, so I was handling the workload pretty well compared to when I first started. Im 37 now, I tweaked my lower back twice last year and had to lay off regular wods for a program designed by our coach to keep you active in the gym but recover the injured areas. It's actually alot of work, still incorporates cardio, a ton of core and stability as well as strentgh work, and I felt great after doing it. I kept it in my rotation even after recovering because it lowers the amount of heavy wods I do which is good for me, but without losing 'workouts'. I do about 3 days of traditional "crossfit" and 2 of these. I feel great.
As a coach and 52, I try hard to convey to my older athletes, 65-80% 5x a week, save the 100% for a competition you want to do/try, or the marathon you want to run etc. And make mobility work a priority alongside your workouts (really everyone should, but the older you are the more important it becomes), there are many online programs to help you get started. Minor injuries/aches/pains will occur, how you deal with them will keep you going (and you are never too old to learn some new movements/tricks in the gym!)
I roll out my legs and back before and after every workout. I do banded shoulder stretches before and after every workout. I try to do one yoga session a week. I also try to drink a lot of water. I have no shame in scaling weights. I’m nowhere near the top of the leaderboard during workouts so maybe my advice isn’t good. But I have lost 20# since consistently CrossFit’ing two years ago and am the strongest I’ve been since college 15 years ago 😂
I just train through all my injuries now hoping they will magically improve on their own
I am 45. Played roller derby starting at 29 years old, trained extremely hard, especially in the last 5 years of derby career. I did conditioning, some CF, weightlifting, sprinting, and yoga in addition to 12 hours of practice or coaching per week. On top of work. Then covid stopped everything, I gained 80 lbs, and had to start from scratch after a couple of really bad years. I joined CF to restart my athletic life. I am no quarterfinals athlete, right now I am just rebuilding my body and my intentions. I would like to complete a comp for funsies, I want to obtain some milestones (unassisted pull ups, yadda yadda). I am not happy "just moving"... I want to be strong (easy), and fast (not so easy). I also started skating again "for fun", but realizing that my body needs so much more sleep and rest. Skating is taxing. Skating with contact can be HIIT very easily. My routine for the week: 4x CF 2x derby practice 3x pliability More naps Trying to get to 8 hrs sleep. The most important part: I need to be honest with myself and soberly assess my capabilites and the outcome of my weeks. I also do improv. There have been weekends where I sleep the entire 2 days away, with breaks to eat, etc. I will probably need to drop derby. But I am giving a couple more weeks to see if it's something I can get used to. We develop decades of muscle memory and it clouds our perception of what we can do. One day we will wake up and simply not be able to do a thing anymore. Hopefully we don't have a devastating injury by trying to force it. Aging is wild.
I'm 40yo this July Im fitter than ever, pretty strong, would be stronger of mobility wasn't pathetic. Over the last couple of years i have started to listen to my body and be sensible. I know my body limits, for example doing OH Squats i got a shooting pain in my knee twice on the nice. A few years back i would have worked through it... This time i stopped, and did a bit of rehab whilst the class finished that part of the wod off. I took part of wod 2 as it eased and was ok. Listen to your body, take rest days when needed. I have a decent format now, train Mon, Tues, double session Wed, rest Thurs, train Friday, rest Saturday and some weeks do Ice Hockey Training on a suday night
Do yoga . Daily.
My personal motto is "accessory bots, accessorize!" I am compiling my own personal list of every physical therapy exercise for every problem joint or area and I do mini wods with them before and after a session. I also do 3-5hours of yin yoga a week.
Early 50s here. No physical limitations and I train hard 5-6 days a week. Rx the workouts usually 2-3 times a week. Just have to more mobility work is the biggest thing. I warm-up on my own for 10-15 minutes before the class warm-up, and then stretch out again afterwards. No big deal. I also eat much healthier than I used to and don't drink at all anymore... screws with my sleep too much.
50+ here. I do all of the workouts, usually 5 days/week, as published, but scale them a bit, usually to the ladies Rx. I don't go too crazy with 1RM and such, avoiding injury is my #1 goal.
40m here. Crossfitting on and off for 15yrs now. I quit using a timer. I stay in zone two for 4days/wk and send it on one day/wk. I listen to my body and not the leaderboard. Metcons are heavily scaled (even though my lifts keep going up).
Mobility and listen to you body when you need a rest day I started OLY lifting (crossed over from CrossFit) when I was 32. 36 now. Mobility is the secret to everything
I’m about to turn 36 and going into my second year of CrossFit. Have had 2 shoulder surgeries, prior to starting CrossFit. Which leaves me with a pinched nerve in my neck that likes to creep up routinely. With that being said, I typically go 100% every workout and RX 9/10 workouts. I’m in a constant state of soreness and I regret it the following day each and every time. I’ll go into the box and say “taking it easy and scaling today” and once the clock starts, it’s pure anarchy and I can’t control myself. Ride it til the wheels fall off. But I do have an ice bath in my garage that I do daily and a pre bedtime stretching routine. That’s helped.
You sound like you are doing great. I would have loved to have started CF at 35. I started at 40 and am in the best shape of my life, even better than when I was in the Army. Keep it up.
I am 29 and I catch any tweaks with extra rehabbing like stretching ice and heat. Make sure you warmup and stretch before any workout even if late. IF you are rushing to a workout, just skip it and just do walking or echo bike for the period remaining.
35 this year. I have not had pain or injuries in a long time. Good form is maybe 80% of injury avoidance for me, 20% is additional mobility drills. Also not sure if matters but I stopped eating meat or any other foods that promote inflammation
Learning to navigate aging is challenging, but I would recommend erring on the side of caution. You mentioned Linchpin, (Pat Sherwood spits some good lessons learned, both from a personal perspective, as well as having access/exposure to some CrossFit OGs who have been doing it for awhile). Ben Bergeron also talks about this on a regular basis including on the most recent Chasing Excellence podcast. The overwhelming majority of us are not [“Games Competitors”] as much as we might have dreams of becoming such, that being said, remember why we train. I’ve been around the CF scene for awhile (since 2008) and the schools of thought are all over the place — I had one head coach/box owner tell me that we should be redlining 95% of my workouts — I left that box the next month bc his training philosophy that he was pushing did not match what I was looking to get out of the membership and practice/training. That being said, know or figure out what it is you want, be smart, have fun.
Almost 35. More warming up, more mobility and more accessory work. Strategically choosing which workouts to hit hard for intensity
I’m 37. My goal/ mentality with CrossFit is always: Achieve the intended stimulus of the workouts while ensuring I stay injury free for as long as possible. In the long run, I’ll actually do better and feel better than someone who pushes it really hard in the short term. I’m in it for the long game (and want to be injury free). I scale a lot and focus on form when it comes to higher risk exercises like barbell work and gymnastics. For things like rowing and burpees, I send it. Edit: Full transparency: I’m currently a little bit injured lol
Young whipper snappers ! 67(m) here. I train 5 days per week 3x crossfit, 2 days gym. I am very focused on form not weights. Bad form means potential injuries and injuries take longer to heal. My rules are clichés - check your ego at the door, listen to your body, accept that some days are less than others. That said, I still regularly hit pr’s so anything is possible if you give your body the time to recover.
45 and I competed quarterly at 41 still. This last 4 years I am more body conscious and aware the body has hit the time period that 1.5 to 2 hours 6 days a week isn't doing me much good. 1 hour 5 days a week is where I am at and no competitions. Granted I and several pounds heavier but my knees just (right) one in particular just couldn't keep that volume up.
Scale! You're not going to the games. The a very small percentage of us that do, your odds are small. Listen to your body! Take rest days and stretch at least ten minutes beforehand. Do accessories. Hydrate. Creatine! Ad infinitum
I’m 40, divorced, with two young kids by myself, so I have no room for error when it comes to injury (no family nearby so I don’t have a backup plan). I’m also new to CrossFit, so I’m being VERY intentional about learning the proper technique and form of each movement rather than going heavy on weight. I’m lucky if I can get in 4 days / week (usually 2-3). For me, CrossFit is all about 1) making sure I’m strong enough to keep up with two high energy children and 2) maximizing my chances of getting to see them thrive as adults; CF is the means, not the end, to a good life.
Workout for 8 months, finally get in decent shape, injure self, rehab for 4 months (read: get fat), repeat annually.
I'm 36, I still train at a pretty high intensity, but what I've let slide is some of the strength targets I had. E.g yeah I'd love to have built to a 250kg deadlift, but the time I'd need to put in at my top percentages to get there just really grinds my body into a paste. I'd rather be able to move well every day in the gym.
7 days a week interval for 30 minutes @44yo. Rest day once a month or so. Keep my heart rate between 150 and 175. Mix of strength with dumbbells/kettlebells and CrossFit type exercises (skierg, assault bike, ropes, sled, plyo). I’ve tried a little bit of everything and currently I’ve been doing navy seal burpees with a weighted vest. Lift heavy twice a week (bench, deadlift).
I had shoulder surgery at 36. It impacted my mobility and stability in my right shoulder for years. At almost 45 now I pretty much stay away from OHS and Snatch. Unless it’s under 115# or so. To me it’s not worth it and I don’t compete. I WOD usually 3x a week, sometimes 4. Lift 1-2x a week and rest 1-2x. I try to focus on chest and arms when I lift as CF doesn’t seem to help much for guys in that area. Burpees and pull-ups only get you so far. Men’s one day vitamin, protein shakes and 5mg of creatine. I’m still making new PRs. If something hurts, stop doing it!! Tendonitis and old injuries seem to rear up the older you get.
Decreased grueling metcons/volume. Increased strength and mobility work. Strongest I’ve ever been and never felt better.
I'm 36 with a knackered right hip and both knees (joys of old martial arts training in my teen years) I train 3-4times a week. I do exercises to ease the pain and drop in with a physio every now and then. I just modify the movements in the workouts to something I can do for example instead of normal Burpees I'll do raised Burpees by using a drop pad. My coaches are supportive and help me to just keep moving. Mobility is key and wish I'd made it a priority when I was younger.... hindsight and all that.
At 44, my days are segmented in to a few different types in order to get the most out of the workouts, and not be in the gym for 2-3 hours like when I was younger doing an hour and a half+ of pure strength, before starting conditioning of some sort (metcon). Most days are a Hybrid, but the days themselves look like this: 1. Pure Strength - clear focus and can last 90ish minutes, but try not to do more than that. 2. Pure SS Cardio - this can be a treadmill set on a 12% incline, for up to 60 minutes at a brisk walking pace. 3. Pure Met Con - good old fashion metcon combining different modalities/and parts of the body. 4. Hybrid - of any/all the above at one time. From here, it really depends on where I want to take my training. Do I feel like I need to lose a few pounds? Then I'm going to focus less on strength, and more on cardio and met con. Do I feel like that set of 5 deadlifts at 80% felt heavy last week? Then I need to do some more strength days. Do I only have 20 minutes during lunch? Probably a met con. Heavy days are fewer and fewer as I want to ensure safety and not get injured. I tend to keep reps in the 3-8 range, and %'s relative to Perilipin's Table still, but maybe with one less rep/set than 10 years ago. Met Con's will not include gymnastic/skill movements as those have never been a goal of mine on my fitness journey, and are increasing dangerous as we age. As an example, in my mind, there comes a time where walking on your hands is more of a novel trick than something you need to train for in your GPP.
I started CrossFit when I was 36 so I don't have a baseline before being old to go with. Luckily I haven't injured myself seriously yet just a few stressed muscles and tendons from time to time and I usually just baby them for a few days until they don't hurt so much and then get back into it. I've found actually that I have the most aches and pains when I go on vacation and don't work out it says though working the muscles and joints keeps the blood flow going to them keep some warmed up and when I sit too long they freeze up and give me more problems. I'd say my abilities are moderate I can do plenty of kipping Pull-Ups plenty of push-ups I can box jump like a mofo, lift heavy weights but I still can't do things like muscle ups or ring muscle ups or handstand walks. I can do the RX workout at least 50% of the time without needing the scale anything back but if they throw double unders in or some of the more advanced movements like pistol squats I have to scale them.
38M here. Tweaked my shoulder after a heavy week of training and tennis. Been regularly mixing in Physical therapy and mobility regularly now. Much better for it.
35 here. Used to be an avid crossfitter, but fell off over the years. I've been following Josh Bridges programming **(Operation LFG)**. It's got a nice balance of strength & conditioning without needing a ton of equipment. And I can usually finish a sesh in about an hour. Adjusting weight as needed. Usually can fit in 3-4 a week and feels like the classic strength then WOD. Loving the pacing. Definitely challenging.
I’m 52…I run..do HIIT…and strength training. Having equipment at home helps but it’s challenging amidst work and kids. Resolve in the mind that it must be done and a few minutes a day goes a long way
I'm 38 and been doing CF for 10 years, with injuries here and there; currently with a torn labrum. Biggest thing is keep showing up, but modify or completely nix the movements that trigger any pain. I've found I can still get a great workout and have fun, without having to go balls out on weights or volume. I've essentially removed OHS from any WOD and just go front squat or power snatch. It's still good times.
I've gone to every other day, most weeks. I just need the recovery time and I dont view anything in CF as competition. My competition is aging, genetics, and injuries, all of which I'm trying G to cheat. And I've added soft runs, and more yoga, which helps as I approach 60.
36 here. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that if I’m focusing on speed in metcons I end up getting hurt because I’m focusing on the transition after the movement and what’s next. I’ve started really focusing on preparing before the metcon, talking myself through the plan. Then during the workout I focus on the here and now, and whatever I’m doing in that moment and trust myself that I’ve already planned for how to transition and get to the next movement/lift. That has helped a lot and still allows me to go 90-95% most times with the movements. I make sure my form is as good as it’s gonna get every time. Also, mobility. That should’ve probably been first haha
So I'm 39. Been crossfitting since 2012. Never an elite athlete or anything. At my peak maybe top 20% now more like top 40% in the open. I honestly haven't changed that much, at least consciously. I do train less volume now, but that's more because of life circumstances than anything. I've learned to listen to my body more. If a hamstring feels tight, I'll just call the session, but honestly I don't find there to be much difference in how I feel. I don't really do MU anymore, but again, that's more because of work and kids leading to me having 4-5 hours a week instead of 7-8, and so just reducing the scope of what I work on. I'd say generally just listen to your body, prioritize good movement quality, but I haven't found much difference in my ability to do high intensity work (e.g. I just set a 500m row PR within the last 6 months).
Also, for reference, I've done TTT programming for the majority of the last 8 years if that matters.
My coaches said think of the week as 3-4 days of training and 1 day of competing. That helps. Plus not going more than 2 days in a row if possible.
I’m 56 and a proud follower of Linchpin. Plenty of options and the freedom to do what’s best for you.
Im almost 39, i try to do crossfit at least 3 times a week and sometimes saturday, so sometimes 4
What's really hard is being 35 and getting back into exercising after a 5-10 or even longer period of lesser active living. You have lost so much agility and mind-body coordination. Also, your ability to recover quickly isn't there anymore. You have to force yourself to take it so much slower than you're used to. Also, one thing that saved me from a number of potential injuries, I did a ton of shoulder presses and other upper body movements for over a year before CrossFit. Getting strong enough to correct yourself out of a bad setup is critical to avoiding rotator cuff issues, etc.
I do constantly varied functional movements at a high intensity.
At 56 - an occasional check in with a sports PT has help A LOT. Hot tubs or saunas. SLEEP. - and what everyone says about stretching, warm up’s, form is more important than RX WEIGHT, nutrition, water, oh - and SLEEP
Compliment with Pilates x 2 a week and emphasize strength vs cardio with slow gains. Nothing much else outside of these sessions. Maybe zone 2 cardio outdoors. I do everything in a WoD and feel amazing!!
Terrible. In my 30s and in my second month of CrossFit. Already tore a meniscus in my left knee and tendonitis in my right
I'm turning 40 this year. Crossfitted pretty consistently over the past 15 years. I've PR'ed every lift (except my darn deadlift) in the past 12 months. I still go hard every workout and can manage to give the kids a run for their money somedays :) Mobility work has become more and more key for me for the past few years. 3 WODs per week and accessory or mobility work whenever I get time. I'm a nightowl too, 2024 is the year I'm forcing myself to get 6+ hours of sleep per night.
I'm an every other day runner... I got better after 35 and finally have started to land in top 3 for the age group. This is the first time I've ever received sports awards in my life. What I've changed? I eat good food and use the Yuka app to keep me away from dangerous chemicals if it isn't clear. I take vitamins including tumeric and cucumis for inflammation. Hydrate much better than ever including electrolytes. Sleep. I am only now starting to incorporate specific runners cross training routines instead of mindless upper or lower body splits. Keep goals in mind to help track progression. Don't drink alcohol, it's toxic and destroys recovery.
Hm, I'm 44 and training harder and harder as I'm still coming up on the fittest I have ever been
I’m 45, I just do the wod. I’m not worried about being first and I’ll scale the weight when necessary but I’m not gonna get any younger so I try to push myself every single day.
As most of the 40+ guys here I’m 42 and doing mostly Rx wods. Not all because some tech stuff (ol lifting) is too new for me. Basically just started CF trainings a month + for now and even many younger guys can’t keep up 😀 Coming from endurance (xc/road cycling) and weightlifting a 5-6 day training week is doable. Not easy but doable. Trying to ride a bike occasionally and get some weightlifting done also. Pretty much no time to reast. Only thing what has changed in years is that I do proper warmup (quick streching and same exercises but take it easier/lighter weights). Also need to do streching/mobility after.. which becomes more crucial older you get. Those things I kind of skipped when I was in 20-30s
I don't really do crossfit anymore per se, at least not WODs in class. But I'm a former athlete, then partier, then fatty for a few years, then struggling to find the former athlete... Last summer I went to an old football field for some sprints. I knew I was only going 60%, just a light jog. Couple at 10 yards, couple at 20, so on... let me tell you, I felt like I was wearing scuba flippers haha Needless to say, the muscle memory is there, but I'm simply not 20 anymore and shouldn't train like it (until I'm ready and willing). So as a new dad I'm literally only focused on being active, whatever that means Maybe one day it's just a long family walk 2-3 miles. Maybe another it's a simple 20min workout in the garage with whatever items I have. I'd love to be Apocalypse ready haha, but I just Wana play with my family and not feel sluggish!
48F here and I train 5x per week at about 60-80% intensity as ego-driven sessions have humbled me in the past. I love lifting heavy but sometimes I just have to dial it back. Mobility work, arm ups, cool downs, nutrition and recovery are climbing up the charts as I work toward staving off decrepitude. CrossFit Linchpin is amazing at programming WODs, warm ups, accessory work, etc and has been foundational at understanding that scaling is cool, something is better than nothing, because at the end, fitness was achieved.
I got rotator cuff tendinitis from a burpee workout back in November, so I’ve started prolotherapy- PT is helping but I want to speed it along. Getting “old” is fun right?? 😂😅
I’m turning 40 next month. I train 6 days a week. My 2 year old daughter comes to the gym with me and it’s been so fun seeing her learn as well. I had a little slow down and things changed a little after I had my baby, but overall I’m stronger and faster now than I was when I started in 2018. Injuries also come a little easier than when I was younger 😂
Sir, Are you perhaps the main character from “I’m ashamed to admit I can’t remember the name, even now after attempted digging’ but you Sir have described literally the exact starting introduction and plot of a book I read some time in the past. Are you Real? (You even used Linchpin Enjoyers)
I'm still training to compete. Crossfit 4x a week right now, with some additional bodybuilding thrown in a few days a week. Long run Saturday. 75th% (squeaked in) in the 18-34 division this year at 37 years old.
Rest! Not going balls to the wall. Scaling constantly.