An conversation about strength training, aging, injury prevention, and the importance of continuing to learn.
First, I want to give a big shoutout to my dad.
My dad has always been a lifelong learner. He’s someone who taught himself how to navigate an industry and professional landscape he never originally intended to work in, and he’s never been afraid to challenge himself or learn something new. He’s also been a lifelong athlete, even if some people might not immediately recognize him as one. He grew up skateboarding, played hockey, competed in triathlons, and continues to cycle and strength train today.
A lot of what I know about cycling came directly from him. How to maintain my bike, prepare for a long ride, what equipment to bring, how to plan for the miles ahead, and how to be self-sufficient on the road. He’s been a tremendous source of knowledge throughout my life, and I don’t think I’ve ever properly given him enough credit for that. So, Dad, this one’s for you.
A Conversation That Got Me Thinking
Yesterday, my dad and I had a brief conversation about strength training and aging. He mentioned listening to an Andrew Huberman podcast and suggested that I might want to reconsider lifting as heavy as I do. His concern was that as we get older, our bodies begin to deteriorate, and continuing to challenge ourselves with heavier loads could increase our risk of injury.
My wife immediately nodded in agreement.
That didn’t surprise me. She’s watched me push myself through rugby, jiu-jitsu, and years of strength training. She’s also seen me navigate some significant physical challenges, including rhabdomyolysis during my military service and continuing to train while battling severe ulcerative colitis.
And to be fair, she’s not entirely wrong to be concerned. I’ve pushed myself beyond what was probably reasonable at different points in my life. I’ve also learned a tremendous amount from those experiences, both personally and professionally.
But I digress.
That brief conversation with my dad stayed with me. I started revisiting some research, reflecting on what I’ve learned through years of coaching, and considering the differences between muscular strength, hypertrophy, power development, and the physical demands we place on our bodies as we age.
And ultimately, I came to a conclusion.
I think my dad is right about some things. But I don’t think the answer is to stop lifting heavy.
What Does the Research Actually Tell Us?
One of the first resources I revisited was the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 position stand, Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults.
This was a substantial review of the available literature, synthesizing 137 systematic reviews involving more than 30,000 participants.
The findings reinforce something I’ve believed and coached for years: resistance training is essential for maintaining physical capability.
The review found that resistance training improves muscular strength, hypertrophy, power, endurance, and several measures of physical performance.
Interestingly, heavier loading, generally 80% or more of an individual’s one-repetition maximum, was particularly effective for developing maximal strength. Meanwhile, muscle growth can be achieved across a broader range of loading strategies, and power development benefits from training that emphasizes rapid force production.
That’s an important distinction.
Strength, hypertrophy, and power are related, but they aren’t the same physical qualities.
And if our goal is to maintain long-term physical capability, we should be considering all three.
Another interesting publication from 2025, Heavy Strength Training in Older Adults: Implications for Health, Disease and Physical Performance, examined the role of heavy and very heavy resistance training in older populations.
The review highlighted how appropriately prescribed heavy resistance training can improve maximal strength, rate of force development, and physical performance, even among older adults.
Think about that for a moment.
We’re examining the benefits of heavy resistance training in older populations, yet there’s still a common perception that people should automatically start lifting lighter weights as they get older.
That doesn’t necessarily align with the evidence.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone should be deadlifting 405 pounds or squatting 315 pounds. Those numbers are relative to the individual, their experience, and their physical capacity.
But it does suggest that avoiding challenging resistance simply because we’re aging may not be the best approach.
Where My Dad Has a Point
I also wanted to examine the other side of the conversation.
A 2024 systematic review examining injuries in weightlifting and powerlifting reported injury incidence estimates of approximately 2.4–3.3 injuries per 1,000 training hours in weightlifting and 1.0–4.4 injuries per 1,000 training hours in powerlifting.
Commonly reported injury locations included the lower back, shoulders, knees, and elbows.
Now, those findings don’t mean heavy lifting is inherently dangerous. They also don’t mean that lifting heavy is without risk.
What they demonstrate is that injuries occur, even among experienced strength athletes, and that we need to take factors such as training volume, loading, technique, recovery, and previous injuries seriously.
And this is where I agree with my dad.
As we age, we need to become increasingly aware of our physical limitations, our recovery capacity, and the cumulative stress we’re placing on our bodies.
But I would argue that this is a reason to train more intelligently, not necessarily less intensely.
Heavy Lifting Isn’t the Same as Maximal Lifting
I think this is one of the biggest misunderstandings surrounding strength training.
Someone sees a 405-pound hex bar deadlift or a 315-pound back squat and immediately assumes the person performing it is placing themselves at unnecessary risk.
But a number on a barbell doesn’t tell the whole story.
What percentage of that person’s maximum is the load? How frequently are they performing the movement? What does their total weekly training volume look like? Are they adequately recovering? What kind of supplemental work are they doing?
These are all important questions.
For example, my personal training isn’t centered around constantly testing my one-repetition maximum.
Most of my strength work falls somewhere around 70–80% of my capacity. Occasionally, I’ll work closer to 80–90%, but those exposures are relatively infrequent.
When I perform heavier hex bar deadlifts or back squats, I’m generally working through sets of three to five repetitions. And I might only perform those heavier barbell movements once or twice in a month.
The majority of my training is built around supplemental strength work, unilateral exercises, mobility, balance, conditioning, and athletic development.
I’m not trying to prove how strong I am every time I walk into the gym.
I’m trying to maintain and develop the physical qualities that allow me to continue training at a high level.
And that’s a significant difference.
The Importance of Supporting the Load
One of the principles I emphasize at Tribe Fitness Exclusive Training is that strength doesn’t exist in isolation.
Being able to move a heavy weight is valuable, but so is having the mobility, coordination, stability, and conditioning necessary to support your physical performance.
That’s why I incorporate unilateral training to address strength differences between limbs, mobility work to maintain usable ranges of motion, power development to preserve explosiveness, and cardiovascular conditioning to support overall fitness.
These components don’t eliminate injury risk. No amount of mobility or supplemental work can guarantee that someone won’t get hurt.
But they help develop a more complete athlete and provide opportunities to manage training stress without constantly relying on maximal compound lifts.
We also have to recognize that recovery isn’t just about how sore we feel the following morning. It’s about how well our muscles, connective tissues, nervous system, and overall physical capacity are responding to the demands of training.
And those demands need to be managed over time.
So, Should We Stop Lifting Heavy as We Get Older?
My answer is no. Not simply because we’re getting older.
But I also don’t believe everyone should continue lifting the same way they did at 20.
We should adjust our programming based on our training history, current physical capacity, injury history, goals, and ability to recover.
For some people, that might mean reducing the frequency of heavier lifting. For others, it might mean changing exercise selection, reducing total volume, or emphasizing different physical qualities.
And for others, appropriately programmed heavy resistance training may remain a valuable part of their routine well into their 60s, 70s, and beyond.
The objective isn’t to chase personal records indefinitely.
The objective is to preserve the ability to do difficult things for as long as possible.
I want to continue riding my bike, hiking, carrying heavy objects, playing with my kids and eventually my grandchildren, and getting up off the floor without assistance.
I want to maintain my strength, mobility, cardiovascular fitness, and independence for as long as I can.
And I don’t believe the best way to accomplish that is to gradually surrender physical capabilities simply because another birthday has passed.
The weight will always be relative to the individual.
What’s heavy for one person might be a warm-up for another.
But the principle remains the same: challenge the body appropriately, allow it to adapt, recover adequately, and continue building physical capacity.
A Final Thought for My Dad
Dad, thank you for giving me something to think about.
I know we only had a brief conversation, but it encouraged me to revisit the research, challenge some of my own assumptions, and consider a perspective that I know many other people probably share.
And I think that’s important.
As a coach, I have a responsibility to continue learning. I don’t have all the answers, and I certainly don’t want to become someone who assumes that years of experience automatically mean there’s nothing left to learn.
Sometimes the best conversations are the ones that make us reconsider what we think we know.
You’ve always encouraged me to remain curious, to ask questions, and to continue developing my understanding of the world around me.
And whether you realize it or not, that’s something I carry into my work every day.
So thank you for the conversation, for everything you’ve taught me about cycling, and for continuing to challenge the way I think.
A lot of love, Dad.
And for the record, I hope we’re still riding bikes together for many more years.
References & Further Reading
1. American College of Sports Medicine (2026).
Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897
2. Heavy Strength Training in Older Adults (2025).
Heavy Strength Training in Older Adults: Implications for Health, Disease and Physical Performance.
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.13804
3. Injuries in Weightlifting and Powerlifting (2024).
Injuries in Weightlifting and Powerlifting: An Updated Systematic Review.
BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2024-002035
Aaron Reyes MSc
Owner & Founder
Tribe Fitness Exclusive Training
