If you're over 40, you work a desk job, and you already "eat pretty healthy," losing weight usually doesn't come down to trying harder. When a new client comes to me, I look at four things before anything else: how much they move, how much protein they eat, whether they're actually getting stronger, and what their daily routine looks like. Fix those, and most of the rest follows.
What I look at first
Your lifestyle routine. Do you have a sedentary job? Are you eating enough protein? Are you moving enough during the day? And are your workouts making you stronger, or are you doing the same weights you did last year?
That last one matters more than people think. Muscle is a byproduct of getting stronger. More muscle raises your basal metabolic rate (BMR), so you burn more calories at rest, all day, without doing anything extra.
If you have a corporate job, movement is your bottleneck
Most of my clients with office jobs walk 2,000 to 5,000 steps a day when they start. One hour in the gym doesn't make up for ten hours in a chair and a car.
Anything over 5,000 steps a day is a good amount of activity, and over 6,000 is better. That everyday movement outside the gym, called NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), adds up to more calories than most people realize. When your NEAT goes up and you're building muscle at the same time, your metabolism is working for you instead of against you.
Easy ways to add steps at a desk job: a 10-minute walk after lunch, walking calls, parking farther away, taking the stairs.
The biggest mistake I see after 40
Two things, and they usually show up together:
- Not eating enough protein. When you eat less to lose fat, your body can give up muscle along with it. Protein is what helps you keep it.
- Not lifting heavy enough. Muscle grows when it's challenged. That takes mechanical tension, meaning weights heavy enough that the last few reps are genuinely hard. Light weights for lots of easy reps feel productive but don't give your body a reason to build or keep muscle.
Build strength over time and you build muscle. Build muscle and fat loss gets easier.
How I handle food (no obsessive tracking required)
Every client fills out a nutrition questionnaire: which proteins, carbs and fats you like, and the foods you actually enjoy. Then I take what you already eat and give it structure and intention:
- Raise the protein.
- Set your calories.
- Create a calorie deficit you can actually live with.
From there you get a nutrition plan with rotating options: breakfast A or breakfast B, lunch A or lunch B, snack A or snack B, and so on. If you like tracking, that's fine. But most busy people don't want another app. They want to be told what to eat, follow it, and see results. (See how nutrition coaching at Fig Performance works.)
How often to train: twice a week can be enough
Many of my clients over 40 train with me two times a week. Each session is 50 minutes: a warm-up, the workout and a cool-down, built to get you in and out of the gym. We're efficient with the time, we give your muscles a real reason to grow, and we track your strength so you're getting stronger every week.
Two focused, progressive sessions plus daily walking beats five random workouts you can't keep up with.
Strength training or cardio after 40? Both.
Everybody needs strength training as they get older. Bone density decreases, muscle mass declines and hormones shift. Strong muscles are what support your bones and joints.
Leg strength is a big deal for how well you age. If you fall, can you get up off the floor? Can you get out of a low chair without using your hands? Those are things you train for now.
You also need cardio to build your VO2 max, which is how well your heart and lungs deliver oxygen. Strength builds the structure. Cardio keeps the engine running.
Hormones and menopause are real, and you can still get results
For men: testosterone gradually declines with age, often starting in your 30s. Energy, drive, focus and sex drive can drop, and you start losing muscle. Lifting weights, eating a high-protein diet with healthy fats, and a few basic supplements, like a multivitamin and creatine, go a long way. Check with your doctor before starting supplements, especially if you take medication.
For women: menopause changes the game, but it doesn't end it. The basics matter even more: weight training and getting stronger, eating enough protein, drinking plenty of water, getting good sleep and cutting back on alcohol. I've seen a lot of women over 50 get in really good shape and get really strong because they nailed the basics. It takes time and consistency, and you have to be realistic about the pace.
For more, see our guide to strength training for women over 40.
Stress, alcohol and the things nobody measures
Stress: a lot of people are more stressed than they think. Some are so good at masking it, or distracting themselves, that they don't notice. Then they keep getting sick and blame the air conditioning. Long-term stress wears your body down, and your body will tell you about it.
Alcohol: I'm not anti-drink. It's about balance. A drink once a week, or a glass of wine with dinner every other night, can fit into a plan. Seven drinks on Saturday and three more on Sunday, or a weekend that starts Friday and doesn't stop, will undo a lot of good work during the week. You know when you're overdoing it.
Why the scale can lie: body recomposition
Here's what confuses people most. You weigh yourself every morning and see 167 pounds all week. "Why am I not losing weight?"
Because your body can recompose: lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Your weight stays flat while your body changes. On an InBody scan, that can look like body fat down 2% and muscle up 3 pounds, even though the scale never moved. People who've never seen it are usually shocked.
That's why we measure body composition, not just weight. Read more about why the scale won't move after 40.
My unpopular opinion: "dangerous" exercises can be good for you
A lot of trainers, chiropractors and physical therapists would tell you to avoid movements like the Jefferson curl (a slow, rounded-spine toe touch with weight) or loaded shoulder rotation with a dumbbell. "That's bad for your spine." "That's how you hurt your shoulder."
I disagree. Start with light weight and work up slowly, and these can be very safe and effective. I went from a 45-pound Jefferson curl to a 205-pound Jefferson curl with a rounded spine. That strength carries into real life, because nobody picks up a heavy box or a kid with perfect posture. In real life your back rounds. Training your body to handle that, gradually, is how you make it resilient.
If you have a current back or shoulder injury, get it checked first, then build up with a coach watching your form.
What results look like: a client at 60
Teresa is 60. When she started training with me, she couldn't do any bodyweight exercises. No pull-ups, nothing close.
About three months later, she did her first pull-up. Now she does multiple reps with the lightest assistance band, and:
- Weighted planks with about 75 pounds on her back
- Curls with 30-pound dumbbells
- Bench press around 75 pounds for reps
That's what three months can do when you progressively overload, track your strength, are smart about intensity and recovery, eat enough protein and get good sleep. Age didn't stop her. (Read exactly how Teresa progressed.) The basics, done consistently, did the work.
Another client wrote in her review that she lost 10 pounds in her first four weeks: "He has helped me understand my workouts, pushed me when I needed to be pushed, and helped me stay accountable."
Where to start this week
- Get your steps above 5,000 a day, then aim for 6,000 or more.
- Put a solid protein source in every meal.
- Lift weights twice a week, heavy enough that the last reps are hard, and write down what you lift.
- Check your drinking, sleep and stress honestly.
- Measure your body composition, not just your weight.
Want it done for you? At Fig Performance in Placentia, your free consult includes an InBody scan, a strength assessment and a game plan built around your schedule.
Fig Performance · 1284 E. Yorba Linda Blvd, Placentia, CA 92870
Call or text (714) 396-7178 · Mon–Fri, 5 AM – 8 PM; Sat, 5 AM – 12 PM
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