I am currently 42 years old and I live a more fulfilling life than I ever did. While strength training isn’t the only reason for my well-being, it plays an important role.
It wasn’t always like this. When I was in my mid-thirties I hated my life. I was a fat, out of shape middle-aged man. I was working a job I hated. I smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day and drank beer every night. I had no hope for the future.
I started strength training with the hope of having a fit, strong body. Strength training started a chain reaction of events, which changed my life forever. The change was gradual but when I look back, I see that my life is nothing like it used to be at 36.
Now at the age of 42, I am thankful for the day I decided to start strength training. I strongly believe that strength training is a must for every man over 40 for the reasons below.
1. Strength training reverses age-related muscle loss and reduction in bone density
One of the ugliest parts of aging is the accompanying muscle loss and the loss of bone density.
Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to put on weight as you age? It happens primarily because of muscle loss.
Muscles are fat-burning machines. When you lose muscle, your metabolism slows down. Even when you eat exactly the same as you did in your 20s, you will still gain weight because your metabolism is no longer able to burn the calories you eat.
Strength training builds muscle. I am more muscular at 42 than I was in my 20s thanks to strength training. People around me are constantly amazed at how much I can eat and stay in great shape.
Loss of bone density is another problem in the waiting for men over 40. Strength training is proven to improve bone strength.
2. Strength training prevents cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and diabetes
None of us are completely immune to deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other less deadly diseases such as diabetes.
Humans have a tendency to value the cure over prevention. All marketers who are worth their salt know this. For example, a person who would care little about a product that prevents cancer would suddenly be willing to pay a fortune for a product that cures cancer, at the moment he gets diagnosed with cancer.
Since most discoveries and innovations are driven by market forces, scientists work on cures for diseases, not prevention.
It’s smarter to have a prevention mindset rather than a cure mindset because if you don’t get sick you will not need a cure in the first place.
Strength training is proven to prevent deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia, along with many other less deadly diseases including diabetes.
Even a non-deadly disease (at least in the short-term) such as high blood pressure or diabetes will diminish the quality of your life because you will have to forego a lot of your favorite foods and you will constantly worry about your health.
It’s not worth gambling with your health when only 1-2 hours of weekly strength training will solve a lot of your health problems before they happen.
3. Strength training keeps you attractive to the opposite sex
The times have changed. Now there are millions of 40+ men who are never married or find themselves divorced.
Having an attractive physique will greatly help these men to find willing sexual or romantic partners rather than going down the ugly route of seeking prostitutes or watching porn. Moreover, it doesn’t hurt married men to keep their attractiveness intact either.
2 years ago, my German neighbor in the Philippines commented that I look terrific for my age. He said that the men of my age in Germany look beat up, fat and weak. I was 40 years old at the time. Now I am 42 and I look even better than I did at 40. I attract more girls than I did when I was 18.
Age-appropriate dating is a lie. Women are attracted to men who are older than them. The game is not over for men at the age of 40. I haven’t experienced my 50s yet but there are plenty of 50+ men who keep dating younger, hotter and tighter women, so I see no reason why I can’t do the same in my 50s.
In addition to building you an attractive body, strength training helps keep your skin vibrant.
The picture above was taken yesterday shortly after a Ripped with Bodyweight strength training session. Note that I don’t have the wrinkles I should normally have at my age. I don’t even use any skincare products other than the good old bathroom soap.
Related: How Men Over 40 Can Attract and Date Younger Women
4. Strength training increases your well-being
Various studies demonstrate that human happiness is the lowest at the ages between 35 and 60.
It’s beyond the scope of this article to discuss why happiness plummets after 35 and increases after 60 but I can relate to the declining happiness after 35.
I was at my unhappiest at the age of 36. I was fat and out of shape. Although I wasn’t broke, I was working at a dead-end job. The future looked bleak.
My happiness started to soar after I started strength training.
Strength training is not solely about your body. The body and the mind are connected. The better your bodily well-being, the better your mental well-being. Strength training improved my health, self-esteem, confidence, mental toughness, and attractiveness which helped increase my well-being in every imaginable way.
When you take up a good habit, it helps to get other good habits. One good habit begets another. It’s like a chain reaction. After I started strength training, I started to eat better because I didn’t want to waste the efforts I put into my training. I started drinking less beer (I eventually quit drinking altogether) because drinking would mess up with my sleep. As I got in better shape, I approached more women and my sex life improved. Strength training helped me build mental toughness to have the courage to quit my job and build my own business.
I personally never fell into depression but I know that there are many men in their 40s who are depressed. Strength training is proven to fight depression.
At the age of 42, I am happier than I was in my 20s. Don’t let the circumstances to define your well-being. Instead, create new circumstances that increase your happiness.
5. Strength training helps you become the masculine role model the world severely lacks
Our world is changing at record speed. Evolution will find a way to cope with modern-day problems but the solution will not be pretty. Evolution works by exterminating the individuals who fail to adapt.
Related: 8 Ways to Overcome Your Outdated Genetic Conditioning Before They Overcome You
Modern men are struggling to adapt to the fast-changing world. Masculinity is constantly under attack.
In times of distress, it’s natural for young men and women to look up to masculine, strong and wise older men.
Unfortunately, when I look around, I don’t see many masculine role models which younger generations will look up to. The majority of modern men are weak, indecisive, and effeminate.
In addition, modern women are doing all that they can to replace their men with the government. The governments are gleefully taking away the resources from men and handing them to women to receive votes. As a result, lots of modern women boast that they don’t need a man. Feminists take it to a whole another level and claim that children don’t need fathers. Their insanity is supported by the universities, the government, and the mainstream media.
In this climate, strong men are more needed than at any other time in history.
Men need to be needed. It’s in our nature. When you are a strong, confident and solvent man, other people will look up to you.
I love that I am a good role model for the people around me. My family, my friends and the women in my life eagerly seek my life advice because they can clearly see whatever I am doing is working.
Strength training will help you become a masculine role model which the world is starving for.
Start strength training if you haven’t already. The world needs you.
6. Strength training increases your testosterone
Testosterone is the hormone that makes a man. It’s responsible for your energy levels, muscle mass, mental sharpness, erections, bone strength, cardiovascular health, confidence, and well-being.
Unfortunately, testosterone levels decline with age. Moreover, there is a global decline in testosterone levels which speeds up the decline in your testosterone levels after the age of 40.
Low testosterone levels result in low sex drive, fatigue, muscular weakness, insulin resistance, and depression.
Luckily, strength training is proven to increase testosterone. It’s not your destiny to slowly wither and die.
A high testosterone level is the fountain of youth. Increase your testosterone levels and the quality of your life will soar.
7. Strength training helps you get to the top
The life of an average man sucks. The world is a competitive place. Men constantly compete with each other to gain access to scarce resources.
Most men in the world are not aware of the benefits they will get from strength training. Now you know what strength training can do for you, you can start to train and see your competition vanish.
Conclusion
The benefits of strength training are too important to ignore for men of all ages, especially for men over 40.
Life expectancy is pushing 90 years in the modern world. When you are 40 years old, you have 50 more years to live. It’s up to you to live these 50 years in constant worry about your health and with declining quality of life or confident, healthy and fulfilled. Strength training can give you that.
I see men of my age letting it go when they have the potential to live a great life with years in the waiting. Remember, it’s never too late to start.
If you are over 40 and have never trained for strength, I recommend starting with bodyweight training. After you build a muscular foundation, you can start lifting weights.
Once you begin to reap the benefits, you will not want to give it up. I regularly train for strength and I don’t plan to stop as long as I live.
Related: 40 Pieces of Unconventional Life Advice For Every 40 Year Old Man