Should You Start Olympic Weightlifting In Your 30's?
Every week I answer questions submitted by you on my podcast, The Last Set Best Podcast which you can find on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts! This weeks question comes from @csnopalitos!
“I started weightlifting at 35, am I too old to be weightlifting, should I just give up?”
First of all, this is a great question because I’m sure every weightlifter who started learning in their thirties has asked themselves this at one time or another.
Now for some rough news - 35 isn’t old. At least not that old.
You’ve still got plenty of years ahead of you, and the time will pass regardless. Would you prefer to stay weak and incapable as the time passes, or get stronger, build muscle, and improve mobility? It really is as simple as those two choices.
Benefits of Starting Weightlifting in Your 30’s
Starting weightlifting in your thirties is one of the best things you can do for your health.
There will be some frustrations and growing pains that comes along with it, no different than starting any other hobby though, but the benefits are huge.
Benefit #1: Guaranteed Gains
If you’ve never lifted before, then you are going to experience what’s called “newbie gains”. This is serious progress that happens really quickly whenever you first start lifting, and can last sometimes as long as 18 months before they start to slow down. This means that every single time you step in the gym, you’re getting stronger, building more muscle, and generally improving every week. There’s very few things in life that are this easy, so take advantage of it now.
Benefit #2: Increased Mobility
Lifting weights obviously has a ton of benefits. We all know that it will help build muscle and strength, but olympic weightlifting has some of it’s own unique benefits.
The increase in mobility is perhaps one of the most important ones. Weightlifting is a mobility intensive sport, often requiring more than you may have when you first get started. But as you continue to practice the movements, you’ll find it easier to bend your knees into a full squat, bend over and touch your toes, and move your shoulders in every direction without disgusting crunchy noises that make you sound like a box of rice crispies.
It may seem like mobility is holding you back from making progress, if this is the case, then check out my free Mobility101: Guide for Weightlifters. It’s got everything you need to improve the tough parts of weightlifting like…
Squat Depth
Front Rack Postition
Overhead Shoulder Mobility
You can pick up a free copy here!
Benefit #3: Increased Capability
I’m consistently surprised by how incapable of normal activities some people are compared to others.
Picking up a bag of dog food isn’t something I have to think about for even a second, but it absolutely is for some other people my own age. If this doesn’t make you afraid, it should. I never want to be in a position where I am not reasonably able to take care of myself, whether this means moving without needing to hire movers, or simply being able to keep up with my future kid, capability is incredibly important to me.
While it doesn’t seem like weightlifting would have much carry over to these parts of your life, you’ll find that even after a few weeks or months of training, the same things that used to be hard aren’t. This is because you’re exposing yourself to heavy lifts multiple times a week, adapting to it, and getting stronger. Normal life get easier when you train harder than your life is.
Tips For Starting Weightlifting In Your 30’s
Starting weightlifting won’t be easy, no thing worth doing is.
But if you’re starting out, here’s a few pieces of advice.
Tip #1: You’ll Experience Pain and Possibly Injury
It’s normal part of weightlifting, but it’s not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Most of the time you’ll have a few aches in the knees, back, or shoulders. Listen to these aches as a warning sign that you are doing too much weight or volume, and dial it back a bit. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself, but it’s also easy to pull back especially if you do so earlier rather than later.
Despite these aches and pains, you’ll still be more capable than most people your age. Don’t be afraid of them, but don’t ignore them either.
Tip #2: Check Your Ego
Weightlifting won’t get you hurt, but trying to keep up with lifters in their teens and twenties will. These kids have nothing else going on in their life. They can eat, sleep, and breath weightlifting. You probably have a tough job, a relationship, and maybe even kids to deal with. This doesn’t leave much time for recovery or training comparatively.
Keep your ego in check and make sure you are tunnel vison focused on improving yourself, not on being better than someone else.
Tip #3: Less Is More
You probably don’t need to train as much as other lifters. Especially if you’re just starting out, you probably only need 2-3 days a week of training. While it’s easy to compare to high level lifters, or even just the younger athletes in your gym who may be training 5+ times a week, it’s not necessary and potentially harmful to your progress. Start with the minimum amount of training needed to see progress every week, and only add an extra day when you’re schedule and recovery permits it. Make sure you're following the best program for you and not something designed for a full time athlete. Apply here for 1-1 coaching and get a custom program designed for your goals, and no one else's.
Tip #4: Try a Competition
Competing doesn't mean you need to train any differently, and competing is a fun way to connect with others in the sport. The masters weightlifting community (35+) is one of the tightest communities in weightlifting. The environment is relaxed (even if it does smell like tiger balm), and the competition is friendly. Go try a meet if you can and see if you enjoy it!
Hopefully you found this article useful! You can find the full episode of the podcast linked below as well as on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. If you have a question you’d like to submit for the podcast, click here!
If you’re new to the olympic lifts, then check out my free Weightlifting101: Beginner Guide + 6-Week Program here.
And check out one of my three brand new training programs below!