The Roaring 20s
Working out in the weights room feels easy in your 20s, because your body is primed to both respond well to exercise stimulus and recover quickly. Your testosterone levels are not as high as they were at ages 17 to 18, but they’re still firing, which prompts your body to put on muscle and burn fat – so long as you log the workout time. This is an optimal time to get acquainted with resistance training, especially with heavier loads. Perform maximum stimulation exercises and compound movements to take advantage of muscle growth and peak hormonal response. Your body will recover fast, so high frequency can be implemented, although you still need at least one day’s rest a week. And while it’s true that it’s easy to pack on muscle in your 20s, you should also pay attention to training your muscles across their entire range of motion, to avoid shortening them over time and developing any strength imbalances. So don’t skip those leg and back days. This decade is also the time to supplement your training with a full mobility programme that targets functional flexibility, balance and athletic movement. Even if you feel like you don’t need these things right now, you’ll be surprised how they can unlock further gains while helping to prevent injury. And they will definitely benefit your future self, because your movement skills will be upgraded. The bad news may come as a surprise. If you’re gearing up to run a marathon, you should know that elite marathon runners peak in their 30s, because in your 20s you have more fast-twitch muscle fibres than slow-twitch. So, long-distance efforts may feel harder for you in your 20s. Another factor is that older athletes have had time to be exposed to the kind of adversity that develops endurance-boosting mental fortitude.