Non-Negotiables For Exercise During Midlife 🏋️‍♀️🏃

Fit with Frank
6d
2 min read

According to Dr Google, “midlife” generally sits somewhere between the age of 40 and 60. Which, if you’re planning on living to 100 (and why wouldn’t you?), means you’re barely getting started, and as an official mid-lifer myself (cue my incoming crisis) here's a question I want to answer today:

Should your exercise routine change in midlife?

Let’s break it down properly...

Strength Training: The Non-Negotiable

As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass. That’s not opinion. That’s biology. If we don’t actively challenge our muscles, they decline. Strength drops. Bone density drops. Metabolism slows. Everyday tasks feel harder than they should.

The issue for many of us over 40? We weren’t brought up lifting weights.

We did PE.

We ran around.

Maybe we did some aerobics.

...but structured strength training? Unlikely.

So now, in midlife, we’re learning a skill we probably should’ve learned at 20, and yes, it can feel awkward at first. But once it clicks? Once you start feeling stronger? It changes everything.

You move better. You feel more capable. You carry yourself differently.

“What about running? Is HIIT better?”

This came up in a question from a client. She’d heard that she should swap her weekly runs for high intensity interval training:

Here’s my take.

Cardio? Yes.

Running? Optional.

Intervals? Depends.

Cardiovascular fitness absolutely matters in midlife. Your heart health is non-negotiable. But how you train it? That’s flexible.

Anything you enjoy will help boost your heart health:

Power walking
Cycling
Rowing
A dance class
Tennis or padel
Hiking
Circuits

If you love running, keep running.

The only true non-negotiable?

Showing up.

What Should Midlife Training Actually Include?

If someone came to me and said:

“Frank, I’ve got four 30–45 minute windows a week. Busy job. Busy life. That’s all I’ve got.”

Here’s what I’d aim for.

1. Strength (1–2 sessions)

This is your anchor.

Full Body, progressive, challenging.

2. Cardiovascular Fitness (1–2 sessions)

Could be steady. Could be intervals. Could be sport.

Just get your heart working.

3. Mobility (at least once weekly)

This is the forgotten hero.

A proper mobility or stretch session keeps you moving well, reduces niggles, and supports everything else.

And here’s a bonus option:

If you don’t want to overthink it, blend them.

That’s what we do in my barn sessions. People turn up, and within 40 minutes they’ve done strength, cardio, and mobility in one hit. Job done.

The Big Midlife Mistake

Trying to be perfect.

Midlife comes with responsibility:

Career pressure
Family commitments
Aging parents
Less time
More stress

You don’t need the “optimal” plan. You need a sustainable one.

And sometimes that means shifting gears.

Flexibility is maturity. Not weakness.

Final Thought

Midlife isn’t the beginning of decline.

It’s the beginning of intention.

You’re not “over the hill.” You’re at the point where what you do now genuinely shapes the next 20–30 years. Strength training matters. Cardio matters. Mobility matters.

But above all?

Show up. Stay flexible. Keep going.

The crisis can wait 🤞

FRANK

your Personal Trainer / Official Mid-lifer