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Despite what scrolling through GymTok might have you think, exercise doesn’t need to be complex or fancy to be effective. Sure, there are hundreds of options out there for different moves or modalities, but sticking to the tried-and-true basics will get you the best results—and that’s especially true as you get older, reaching your 30s and beyond.
Not that we’re calling 30 old. For tons of folks, that’s when life really just starts to get good! But the decade is also somewhat of a health-and-fitness tipping point for many. “Once people hit their 30s, they start to notice aches and pains and imbalances that they may not have felt in their 20s,” Joe Meier, CPT, personal training leader at Life Time and author of Lift for Life, tells SELF. (If you felt like you woke up on your 30th birthday and suddenly had lower back pain, same). It’s true that there are some big changes happening in your muscles around this time (more on that later) and, realistically, your joints and their supporting tissues endure more wear and tear the older you get.
And then there’s the fact that lifestyle factors may slow you down and make it harder to stay as active as you once were, leaving you less conditioned and more prone to little tweaks and injuries. Take your 20s: Then, you may have had the time and disposable income to try the newest workout fads—and hit the classes on the regular. But in your 30s, certain factors can force you to put physical activity on the back burner, Pete McCall, MS, CSCS, exercise science expert and author of Ageless Intensity: Effective Workouts to Slow the Aging Process, tells SELF. “Your career starts to take off, so you likely get more responsibilities at work and more opportunities to travel; you may also be growing your family,” he says. “Overall, your responsibilities change.” As a result, it can be easy to let exercise fall far down on your list of priorities.
Below, experts share why it’s so important to prioritize strength training as you get older and some of the simplest ways to work it into your routine so that it’s a non-negotiable part of your life.
Once you hit your 30s, consistent exercise becomes even more important—for the present and for the long haul.
In fact, it’s arguably the time in your life when you need a well-rounded routine the most. “The 30s are when people can really solidify habits that they’re going to keep in their 40s, 50s, and beyond,” says Meier. “If you have your habits—say, you go to yoga three times a week or have a favorite fitness studio and classes you take regularly—it’s a part of your life. It isn’t even a second thought,” McCall says.