You can still build muscle after 40. You just have to train smarter.

There are two misconceptions I hear constantly from adults over 40 about strength training. The first: that they can't build muscle anymore. The second: that if they just push hard enough, they can get back to what they were in college — even Division I shape. Neither one is true. But the second one is the more dangerous myth.

Yes, you can still build muscle. Two of my clients, Jim and Eric, are both in their mid-40s, and both have packed on muscle while dropping body fat and getting stronger heading into 50. Age isn't the obstacle people think it is.

It isn't your ability to build strength — it's how intuitive you have to become with your body. In your 20s, as a Division I athlete, you can train twice a day, eat whatever you want, hammer heavy squats and deadlifts, and bounce back the next day. That doesn't last forever. As you age, you have to listen to your body, train smarter, and factor in sleep and nutrition to actually see results.

When Eric first started training with us, he looked like someone who'd barely touched a weight. A beer belly was forming. His motivation was low. He felt sluggish.

We started him on a simple two-day-a-week program built around compound movements — progressing steadily, without piling on unnecessary volume or overly strenuous lifts. He focused on his hex bar deadlift, rows, presses, some supporting accessory work, and squats.

Within six months, Eric had doubled his strength and was pulling over 400 pounds on the deadlift — in his mid-40s. Four years later, he's still training, has gradually increased his volume to a level his body can actually recover from, and adds active cardio on the days he's not lifting. He now trains four to five days a week and is in the best shape of his life.

Eric's success came down to mindset. He never approached training trying to keep up with his high school or college self. He started small — two days a week — and let it build.

The biggest risk for people over 40 isn't a lack of ability — it's injury from trying to be who they used to be. I see it constantly: someone in their 40s or 50s talking about repping 315 on the bench in college, then blowing out a shoulder trying to force 275 today. As you age, the goal isn't to compare yourself to a younger self, or to a magazine cover. It's to become the best version of yourself at the age you actually are.

The core principles of training don't change with age — but movement selection often should. Goblet squats instead of barbell squats. Hex bar deadlifts instead of barbell deadlifts. Chest-supported rows instead of barbell rows. These small shifts lower your injury risk while still letting you build real strength.

Starting small has massive compounding effects. Five years sounds like a long time — but think about how fast the last five went. If you started today, what would your life look like one year from now?