If I just Turned 40 and was Starting at Zero…
“I’ve never started at zero before…” was a line that stuck with me after a recent conversation with someone very close to me. This is the reason I started this blog. Flush out the frameworks, practices, and details that help people move better, feel better, perform better, and ultimately live better. I walked away from the conversation with a lot of ideas, but not a crystal clear path and answer for him. So this is the start of a multi-part answer that I hope to refine in time and use to help more people who find themselves in the same spot.
First…I wouldn’t even think about training. There is no use in putting together a training plan if the foundational psychological work to support the execution of the training program isn’t in place. If you were a high level, competitive college athlete until age 22, maintained a reasonable physical competency till around 30, and now find yourself at 40 feeling you’re at starting at zero then physiology isn’t your problem, psychology is. I would spend some time attempting to get crystal clear on why you are starting at zero. There are going to be the surface level answers like work and family…which very well may be valid and true…but I would encourage you to dig beneath that, see what deeper beliefs or patterns may be hiding.
Second…Now that you have some clarity around why you’ve fallen back to zero, you need a plan to address it. And the first part of that plan should be building awareness. If you found some below the surface reasons why, then it has been quietly hiding in your subconscious directing you toward choices that have lead to starting at zero . So your plan needs to address building this awareness: brining your conscious attention to your subconscious. And as far as I know there are three modalities to building awareness. 1. Mindfulness and Meditation 2. Journaling and Writing 3. Conversations with People of Wisdom (credit to Dr. Michael Gervais for this 3 model framework).
Third…With an awareness practice in place you need to get a date on the calendar. If the most physically capable you ever were was during your collegiate playing days, then you need something to train for again. It could be for a competitive event, an adventurous vacation, or for something really awesome you never thought you could do. Ultimately it just has to be meaningful to you and give you a purpose, a direction to work towards. Just like when you knew preseason started August 18th, you need a date to look forward to, to be accountable to. It might also be beneficial to get something on the calendar long, long term. Here are a few questions that could be worth answering: What is something your parents currently can’t do at their age that you want to be able to when you’re that age? Ask an older version of you what they want to be capable of doing…”Hey 80 year old me, what do you want to be capable of doing?”
Fourth…Establish some physical mile posts. What are some small wins that let you know you’re on track to meeting where you want to be at that date on the calendar? What are some other mile posts after that one to keep shooting for? Where do you want to be physically in a year? Be as specific as possible. Preferably with objective numbers and data, but some subjective is okay too. Examples: Deadlift 1.5x bodyweight, Do 10 chin ups, Run a 6 minute mile, Get to 12% body fat, Feel good getting up off the floor, etc
Fifth…Set yourself up for success by making it as easy as possible to execute your training plan with consistency. Consistently doing the wrong things has lead you to zero. Now you need to be ruthlessly consistent in doing the right things. You need to establish minimum standards and simple systems to be ruthlessly consistent. This is where I refer to a lot of James Clear’s work from Atomic Habits. True behavior change is identity change. You reclaim your athleticism by declaring you are an athlete again. And then you start acting like one every day by making small choices (minimum standards) that align with this identity. And you make it easy to do so with simple systems. (More on this in a separate blog post).
Sixth…Get community and accountability. If you have the financial means just hire a personal coach or trainer. That makes it easy as possible. It takes the guess work out of it. All you have to do is show up and do the work. And if it’s at a gym with other like minded and like hearted people doing the same thing then you get the bonus support of a community who has been where you are and gotten to where you are going. If you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time around, then spend more time around people who model how you want to be: athletic for life.
This is where I would start if I was starting from zero…I think each of these 6 points deserves a more thorough, actionable blog post and i’m excited to start putting together the pieces of what the actually physical training to “Starting from Zero at 40” looks like.
Cheers - Al