The #1 Most IMPORTANT Training Goal for Guys Over 40?
Swing "Only":
Clean + Press / Push Press (Concurrent strength + power):
Snatch "Only":
What’s the #1 training goal for men over 40 — VO2max, strength, or power?
A lot of people online will tell you VO2max is the number one indicator of longevity.
I draw a firm line at a hard:
Maybe. VO2max clearly matters.
But if you want to do more work in less time — or the same amount of work more efficiently — you need the ability to produce force quickly.
That’s power.
Power = Work / Time.
And that’s the P in the RSMP Method — POWER.
Recent research from the CLINIMEX cohort followed nearly 4,000 adults between 46 and 75 for almost 11 years.
One of the most interesting findings?
Men with the lowest muscle power relative to bodyweight were 5.88 times more likely to die than the men with the highest.
When researchers looked at grip strength in the same group, it did not reach statistical significance.
Same people.
Same follow-up period.
Power predicted mortality.
Strength didn’t.
That doesn’t mean strength suddenly stops mattering.
Far from it.
Power is strength with a clock on it.
Force times velocity.
You cannot express power if you don’t first have enough strength to produce the force.
That’s why I recommend building a decent strength base before jumping into pure power training. And if you’re short on time?
You can train both at the same time.
That’s one of the reasons I like kettlebells so much.
The ballistic lifts — especially the:
Swing
Clean
Snatch
— can help you develop strength, explosiveness, and conditioning together.
You move the kettlebell as quickly and explosively as possible while maintaining near-perfect technique.
The Swing is easier than the Clean.
The Clean is easier than the Snatch.
Each one builds on the previous one.
And when they’re programmed correctly, you should be breathing hard while still moving with high-quality technique.
I also prefer this approach to spending even more time sitting on a bike.
Most guys already spend too much of the day sitting.
And in my experience, more sitting isn’t what tight hips, sore knees, and cranky lower backs need. That’s why I prefer hinge-based kettlebell ballistics.
They train the posterior chain while also giving you a powerful conditioning effect.
And this is where the famous kettlebell “What The Hell” effect can show up.
Guys start kettlebell training and suddenly notice things they weren’t specifically practicing improving:
More pull-ups.
A bigger deadlift.
Running farther or faster.
That’s the beauty of combining strength and power correctly.
The bigger picture is simple:
Build enough strength to express power.
Then train that power explosively and repeatedly.
This video also wraps up my RSMP Training Method for Guys Over 40:
R — Restoration
S — Strength
M — Muscle
P — Power
Follow those four pieces consistently, and you’ll have a much clearer path for getting into better shape after 40.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.
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