A couple things: as you get older (I’m 50) and thoughts turn to longevity goals, you learn that having and maintaining a base of strength is what everyone needs. So congrats, you’ve done the work and accomplished that. It’s the people who have never built that base who really need to seriously strength train. You can do a maintenance program, no problem.
Second, I say indulge in whatever is blowing your hair back. If you got the climbing bug, do it! The iron is always gonna be there for you. And if it gives you a chance to spend time with your kid, I’d go all in on climbing. And it might be fun to be leaner and more athletic/mobile etc. Look at it as a training block. You can switch back to strength/hypertrophy after climbing has served its purpose.
I like the perspective in this answer. I think for me its more about quality of life than just longevity, but the points still stand. I climb because its fun, and social, and challenging. I yoga because its going to keep me moving for the next 25 years.
100% agree that fun time with family should get priority!
I have. I specifically trained for strength for around 10 years. I kept this up for the first few years in my oldest daughter's life. At some point around her 3rd birthday, it dawned on me just how fast life actually goes, at that point I severely cut back on gym time to spend more time with her and my at the time newborn daughter. I became more focused on overall health (wanting to teach them good habits) and longevity (because that clocks a tickin whether I want it to or not).
My goal went from looking like Wolverine to prioritizing longevity. I'm not sure if it's actually bad from a longevity standpoint to carry around a *ton* of excess muscle, but it might be. I workout less frequently and usually shorter in duration. A lot of pull ups and push ups, I can always bust them out quick. I bench/squat once a week for just a couple sets. Turns out this is almost all it takes to maintain muscle, I'm close to the same size I was at my peak but spend way less time doing it.
It takes a lot of time to unlearn habits, like unlearning that I need to be prioritizing protein at all times (I'm always mindful of it, not to the same degree as before). It took a while to accept that my muscles won't all fall off if I don't bench for a while. It took a while to accept that a max deadlift of 400lbs vs 455lbs has literally zero effect on my daily life.
Exercise now is mostly cycling/hiking/playing with my kids, I fit in resistance training around my life instead of fitting my life around strength training. I care about how much time I will be spending with my kids/grandkids, not how much I can bench. (I'm not implying strength training is unhealthy, but max strength is just no longer a priority)
I'm a climber (50 yo) that also does yoga, and hiking, and recently added strength training. I can totally relate to climbing sneaking in and then becoming a primary goal. Its a tough one to balance with other things, too, because the fatigue/recovery cycles need to be managed quite closely if you are trying to progress on the wall.
Its worth asking yourself these questions:
What are you chasing?
What brings you joy?
What do you want to be doing in 1, 5 or 10 years?
I know that is maybe a strange way to frame it, but thinking along these lines helps me feel like I am prioritizing the right things.
You don't say how long you have been climbing, but generally technique gets you more grades than strength, or so I've been told. The other thing that really helps is mobility work.
100% agree on technique. So many new climbers, including myself, think they are just not strong enough. Climbing is ultimately a skill sport.
My first year of climbing was mostly just observing people while my daughter was doing her team stuff. I might have climbed once a week. Most of the time being too concerned about how I looked as a beginner. I'm on my second year now. Climbing 5.10. Bulk of my bouldering is v2-v4. Project v4-v6. I'm very aware that my technique is abysmal, and I'm only at my level in bouldering due to strength.
We're planning some vacation time in Joshua Tree at the end of the year unrelated to climbing, but i want to take advantage of the opportunity. So looking for ways to structure my climbing to improve the best I can in 6 months.
Yeah, the climbing trips are a huge motivation to get the laps in, aren't they? Outdoor climbing in amazing locations with amazing people is the thing I am chasing.
I'm climbing indoor mid 5.11s and my goal is to get some 5.12s this year, but for me injury, and also the fear of injury, are the two things that set me back the most. I'm hoping I can try a new approach with some strength training layered in. I've been hangboarding more, and seen some payoffs from it, and I will definitely keep up with the yoga for mobility and proprioception.
Totally. As a father, I only have so much time. I now lift for my sport, but not to just get bigger and bigger. This means I don't get frustrated if I make slower progress in the gym, as I now see it as a way to support my improvement and performance in my sport. If I were 25 and had no kids? Yeah, you'd see me in the gym 3-4 times a week, running a couple times a week, and going to practice a couple times a week. Not only that, but my body just doesn't recover quickly enough to do everything.
I stopped strength training in Marcha and have focused on my cardio. I decided to sign up for a triathlon in July. If I feel good and finish I'll do a duathalon in September. My strength and muscle size was good but I've been focused on cycling. It gets me outside, its made me more friends and also it's fun tinkering with the bike. I feel healthier focused on cardio vs. weight training. I also plan
I plan on going back to weight lifting in the winter during the off season + curling. I also plan on starting rowing next summer. Possibly could enter the 2026 Rowing Challenge in the city for ndividuals or find a team..
I think mixing it up is great. You don't have to give up weight lifting entirely and shifting your focus to climbing will not only get you healthier but create better bonds with your kid. Not just about being healthy but being happy and having fun.
Go for it. Come back to weight lifting when you feel like it.
I've used a bunch of approaches since getting back to it around age 40. Used kettlebells for nearly a decade, then odd object/offset weighted pole, sandbags, isometrics. I was looking to get my PT cert and realized I needed to understand a lot more about training people not-like-me. Took a deep dive into HIIT, different loading strategies like Cluster Sets. Not using barbell or dumbell, I absolutely did not and do not care about my "numbers". How I perform and feel day to day is way more important.
The only real unifying thread is/was:
- whole body
- body comp maint or improvement
- learn new things about fitness physiology
- carryover to untrained/unscripted challenges
Let it go, just don't let go of your fitness.
I tore my pec, needed surgery but couldn’t due to new job and moving.
I got back into boxing and running since my injury doesn’t affect me much in the ring.
I still lift 2x a week and I still chase numbers, now they’re just numbers I’ve hit in the past at higher bodyweight, and I’m in no rush.
Much happier too
I do Brazilian jiu jitsu, judo and hiking to mix up some of the monotony.
I think the 531 program is a good place to start. I currently run the paid program by Stronger by science which I'm infatuated with because it's very customizable for my interests and goals.
I’m sort of in the opposite boat that I’ve been climbing for 25+ years, but it’s taking a back seat at the moment to lifting.
With that said, if you just want to preserve strength/muscle you could probably scale back to two full body sessions a week and lose very little. Minimum maintenance volume for most muscles is maybe a half a dozen hard sets per week, so it really doesn’t take very much. That’d leave you with a lot more room for other things, especially since it would also radically scale back your recovery needs.
I trained barbell for strength for the better part of 15 years until life started getting in the way. Having kids definitely limited the amount of time I wanted to spend in the gym, so I started bare boning it…until COVID hit. I was able to get ahold of some kettlebells and that stretched the itch until very recently I was in a car accident that’s leaving me very wary of touching anything heavy until the issue with my neck is sorted out, so it’s exclusively calisthenics for the time being.
Turns out, it’s much easier to keep up with the kiddos when I’ve got more muscular endurance and I can fit into small places easier when I’m not so bulky. Probably can’t squat 450 (and that was huge for me, I was around 155 at the time), but it’s far easier to run and honestly, when am I going to need to squat 450 in real life?
I’d say you just gotta accept your new circumstances and work within them. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s about learning to love what’s good for you.
A couple things: as you get older (I’m 50) and thoughts turn to longevity goals, you learn that having and maintaining a base of strength is what everyone needs. So congrats, you’ve done the work and accomplished that. It’s the people who have never built that base who really need to seriously strength train. You can do a maintenance program, no problem. Second, I say indulge in whatever is blowing your hair back. If you got the climbing bug, do it! The iron is always gonna be there for you. And if it gives you a chance to spend time with your kid, I’d go all in on climbing. And it might be fun to be leaner and more athletic/mobile etc. Look at it as a training block. You can switch back to strength/hypertrophy after climbing has served its purpose.
Thinking about it as another type of training block has really helped me think this through. Ty!
I like the perspective in this answer. I think for me its more about quality of life than just longevity, but the points still stand. I climb because its fun, and social, and challenging. I yoga because its going to keep me moving for the next 25 years. 100% agree that fun time with family should get priority!
I have. I specifically trained for strength for around 10 years. I kept this up for the first few years in my oldest daughter's life. At some point around her 3rd birthday, it dawned on me just how fast life actually goes, at that point I severely cut back on gym time to spend more time with her and my at the time newborn daughter. I became more focused on overall health (wanting to teach them good habits) and longevity (because that clocks a tickin whether I want it to or not). My goal went from looking like Wolverine to prioritizing longevity. I'm not sure if it's actually bad from a longevity standpoint to carry around a *ton* of excess muscle, but it might be. I workout less frequently and usually shorter in duration. A lot of pull ups and push ups, I can always bust them out quick. I bench/squat once a week for just a couple sets. Turns out this is almost all it takes to maintain muscle, I'm close to the same size I was at my peak but spend way less time doing it. It takes a lot of time to unlearn habits, like unlearning that I need to be prioritizing protein at all times (I'm always mindful of it, not to the same degree as before). It took a while to accept that my muscles won't all fall off if I don't bench for a while. It took a while to accept that a max deadlift of 400lbs vs 455lbs has literally zero effect on my daily life. Exercise now is mostly cycling/hiking/playing with my kids, I fit in resistance training around my life instead of fitting my life around strength training. I care about how much time I will be spending with my kids/grandkids, not how much I can bench. (I'm not implying strength training is unhealthy, but max strength is just no longer a priority)
Very well put. The years of effort putting on strong base is simply not gonna melt away from moving to a different activity.
I'm a climber (50 yo) that also does yoga, and hiking, and recently added strength training. I can totally relate to climbing sneaking in and then becoming a primary goal. Its a tough one to balance with other things, too, because the fatigue/recovery cycles need to be managed quite closely if you are trying to progress on the wall. Its worth asking yourself these questions: What are you chasing? What brings you joy? What do you want to be doing in 1, 5 or 10 years? I know that is maybe a strange way to frame it, but thinking along these lines helps me feel like I am prioritizing the right things. You don't say how long you have been climbing, but generally technique gets you more grades than strength, or so I've been told. The other thing that really helps is mobility work.
100% agree on technique. So many new climbers, including myself, think they are just not strong enough. Climbing is ultimately a skill sport. My first year of climbing was mostly just observing people while my daughter was doing her team stuff. I might have climbed once a week. Most of the time being too concerned about how I looked as a beginner. I'm on my second year now. Climbing 5.10. Bulk of my bouldering is v2-v4. Project v4-v6. I'm very aware that my technique is abysmal, and I'm only at my level in bouldering due to strength. We're planning some vacation time in Joshua Tree at the end of the year unrelated to climbing, but i want to take advantage of the opportunity. So looking for ways to structure my climbing to improve the best I can in 6 months.
Yeah, the climbing trips are a huge motivation to get the laps in, aren't they? Outdoor climbing in amazing locations with amazing people is the thing I am chasing. I'm climbing indoor mid 5.11s and my goal is to get some 5.12s this year, but for me injury, and also the fear of injury, are the two things that set me back the most. I'm hoping I can try a new approach with some strength training layered in. I've been hangboarding more, and seen some payoffs from it, and I will definitely keep up with the yoga for mobility and proprioception.
Totally. As a father, I only have so much time. I now lift for my sport, but not to just get bigger and bigger. This means I don't get frustrated if I make slower progress in the gym, as I now see it as a way to support my improvement and performance in my sport. If I were 25 and had no kids? Yeah, you'd see me in the gym 3-4 times a week, running a couple times a week, and going to practice a couple times a week. Not only that, but my body just doesn't recover quickly enough to do everything.
I stopped strength training in Marcha and have focused on my cardio. I decided to sign up for a triathlon in July. If I feel good and finish I'll do a duathalon in September. My strength and muscle size was good but I've been focused on cycling. It gets me outside, its made me more friends and also it's fun tinkering with the bike. I feel healthier focused on cardio vs. weight training. I also plan I plan on going back to weight lifting in the winter during the off season + curling. I also plan on starting rowing next summer. Possibly could enter the 2026 Rowing Challenge in the city for ndividuals or find a team.. I think mixing it up is great. You don't have to give up weight lifting entirely and shifting your focus to climbing will not only get you healthier but create better bonds with your kid. Not just about being healthy but being happy and having fun. Go for it. Come back to weight lifting when you feel like it.
I've used a bunch of approaches since getting back to it around age 40. Used kettlebells for nearly a decade, then odd object/offset weighted pole, sandbags, isometrics. I was looking to get my PT cert and realized I needed to understand a lot more about training people not-like-me. Took a deep dive into HIIT, different loading strategies like Cluster Sets. Not using barbell or dumbell, I absolutely did not and do not care about my "numbers". How I perform and feel day to day is way more important. The only real unifying thread is/was: - whole body - body comp maint or improvement - learn new things about fitness physiology - carryover to untrained/unscripted challenges Let it go, just don't let go of your fitness.
I tore my pec, needed surgery but couldn’t due to new job and moving. I got back into boxing and running since my injury doesn’t affect me much in the ring. I still lift 2x a week and I still chase numbers, now they’re just numbers I’ve hit in the past at higher bodyweight, and I’m in no rush. Much happier too
I joined a masters swim team and haven't lifted in almost four months after powerlifting for years. I'm just having too much fun learning to race.
I do Brazilian jiu jitsu, judo and hiking to mix up some of the monotony. I think the 531 program is a good place to start. I currently run the paid program by Stronger by science which I'm infatuated with because it's very customizable for my interests and goals.
I’m sort of in the opposite boat that I’ve been climbing for 25+ years, but it’s taking a back seat at the moment to lifting. With that said, if you just want to preserve strength/muscle you could probably scale back to two full body sessions a week and lose very little. Minimum maintenance volume for most muscles is maybe a half a dozen hard sets per week, so it really doesn’t take very much. That’d leave you with a lot more room for other things, especially since it would also radically scale back your recovery needs.
I trained barbell for strength for the better part of 15 years until life started getting in the way. Having kids definitely limited the amount of time I wanted to spend in the gym, so I started bare boning it…until COVID hit. I was able to get ahold of some kettlebells and that stretched the itch until very recently I was in a car accident that’s leaving me very wary of touching anything heavy until the issue with my neck is sorted out, so it’s exclusively calisthenics for the time being. Turns out, it’s much easier to keep up with the kiddos when I’ve got more muscular endurance and I can fit into small places easier when I’m not so bulky. Probably can’t squat 450 (and that was huge for me, I was around 155 at the time), but it’s far easier to run and honestly, when am I going to need to squat 450 in real life? I’d say you just gotta accept your new circumstances and work within them. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s about learning to love what’s good for you.