5 Signs Your Workout Isn’t Working Anymore—and How to Fix It After 35
You’re hitting the gym regularly, staying consistent, and putting in the work—but the results have slowed to a crawl.
Sound familiar?
If you’re over 35, your body doesn’t respond to training the same way it did in your 20s. That’s not a bad thing; it just means your strategy needs to evolve.
Here are five clear signs your workout isn’t working anymore—and simple ways to fix each one so you can keep making progress.
1. You’re Not Getting Stronger
If you’re lifting the same weights you were six months ago, your body has likely adapted and stopped growing. Strength is one of the clearest signs of progress, and if it’s stalled, your program probably needs a refresh.
Fix It: Add progressive overload. Increase weight, reps, or intensity each week. Try switching to a different rep range (e.g., from 12-15 reps to 6-8 reps) to stimulate new growth. Consider investing in adjustable dumbbells to help you safely push your limits at home.
2. You’re Always Sore or Tired
Muscle soreness should be occasional—not chronic. If you’re constantly sore, fatigued, or dragging through your workouts, you may be overtraining or under-recovering.
Fix It: Prioritize rest and recovery. Get 7–9 hours of sleep, manage stress, and make sure you’re eating enough, especially protein. Use tools like a foam roller or massage gun to promote recovery and reduce muscle tightness.
3. You’ve Stopped Seeing Physical Changes
If the mirror and scale haven’t budged in weeks (or months), your body composition may have hit a plateau.
Fix It: Reassess your nutrition and training. Are you still in a slight calorie deficit (for fat loss) or surplus (for muscle gain)? Try tracking your intake for a week. Also, shake up your training with new exercises or intensity techniques like supersets and tempo reps.
4. You Dread Your Workouts
Motivation dips occasionally, but if you’re regularly dragging yourself to train, you may be bored or burned out.
Fix It: Add variety. Try a new program, swap gym days for outdoor workouts, or reduce your weekly volume temporarily. Make fitness something you look forward to again.
5. You’re Not Recovering Like You Used To
It’s normal for recovery to slow a bit with age, but if it’s taking days to bounce back from a moderate workout, your program may be too intense or too frequent.
Fix It: Include mobility work, active recovery days, and deload phases. A good rule of thumb is: if your sleep, mood, and performance are all declining, your body needs a break. A fitness tracker like the Garmin Forerunner 245 can help you monitor sleep quality and recovery.
Final Thoughts
Your 40s aren’t a time to coast—they’re a time to train smarter. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. If your workouts have stalled, that’s your cue to adjust your approach—not give up.
Small tweaks in training, nutrition, and recovery can make a massive difference in results. The key is to evolve your routine as your body changes—and keep showing up with purpose.
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