04/02/2026
The older we get, the more expensive our mistakes become.
One impatient jump in training volume.
One extra session before full recovery.
What once cost a few days at 25 can cost weeks — sometimes months — at 55.
But it’s not just about being “MORE FRAGILE.”
Research shows older adults often feel *less* soreness after training — but recover more slowly at a physiological level. The systems that repair and adapt don’t respond as efficiently.
So the real limiter isn’t how you feel; it’s how well you’ve actually recovered ➡️ We still adapt. It just takes more time.
And the benefits of training don’t happen during the workout — they happen during recovery.
That creates a common pattern:
Build fitness for months → push too hard → get injured → lose progress → rebuild slower than before.
An injury-free year of consistent, moderate training will outperform an aggressive year interrupted by rehab. Every time.
A more sustainable approach:
▶️ Hard efforts: 1x/week
▶️ Strength: 2–3x/week per muscle group
▶️ Aerobic work: mostly low intensity
The hard part isn’t physical — it’s mental. At 30, more feels like the answer. At 65, that mindset can break you.
➡️ Rest days aren’t lost days. They’re adaptation days.
High intensity still has value. But used too often, it leads to a cycle: push → injury → time off → lost fitness → repeat.
➡️ The irony? That cycle erodes the very capacity you’re trying to build.
A better approach is simpler:
▶️ More low-intensity volume.
▶️ Less frequent, more sustainable intensity.
Intensity isn’t the enemy.
Impatience is.
Follow us for me at
Leaps and Bounds: Performance Rehabilitation
Oakville, ON
