Recovery and Rest for Masters Weightlifters

They say youth is wasted on the young—and as I get older, I can see why. With age comes hard-earned lessons that we wish we had listened to earlier. In weightlifting, one of those lessons is that recovery matters just as much as training.

When you first start lifting, people talk about the “newbie gains.” This is the rapid progress beginners see when they touch weights for the first time. Honestly, you could follow the wrong program, do questionable exercises, and as long as you’re under 30, your body will adapt and grow. That’s not because your trainer is a genius—it’s because the human body is an incredible machine. Put it under stress, allow it to recover, and it adapts. That’s the real magic.

But as a master’s lifter, things are different. For me, the biggest priority is staying healthy and consistent in the gym. It’s almost comical—those of us in our 40s and 50s swap stories about waking up one morning with a random ache or knot that wasn’t there the day before. Just today, I noticed a tight knot under my left shoulder blade. No idea how it got there. Thankfully, most of these little issues fade on their own.

The bigger concern is avoiding injuries that actually sideline you for weeks or months. Lifting is such an outlet for me—physically, mentally, emotionally—that not being able to train would be miserable. That’s why I put serious focus on recovery and prehab.

I started lifting at 37, and now, at 49, I’ve built up a 12-year track record. In all that time, I’ve had just one minor injury: a low back tweak during squats that forced me to withdraw from the 2024 USAPL NYC Championships. Could I have competed with lighter weights? Probably. But I knew adrenaline would push me to risk it, and I made the smarter call to heal instead. Looking back, I’m glad I did.

The key is this: I don’t miss training due to injuries. And that’s no accident. I follow a set of daily and weekly recovery practices that keep me lifting 3–4 times per week, pain-free and progressing.

Below, I’ll share the specific recovery movements and routines that I’ve found most effective. These are the simple, repeatable habits that have kept me consistent in the gym well into my 40s—and will carry me into my 50s and beyond. Use some and see what works for you.

Bands like these are inexpensive, durable and super useful!

1.     The obvious – Good form on barbell exercises. And no hero lifting, as a master’s lifter, you should know what weights you can handle. I rarely ever fail in my home gym.  

2.     Intensity over Volume – Hard heavy sets in the 4-6 rep range of the barbell compound movements. Lighter weights at sets of 10-12 wear out joints and cause soreness but doesn’t build muscle or strength.

3.     Day’s off – The “no days off” mantra is dumb. If you train heavy on your workdays, those days off are necessary and help to build strength.  

4.     Mobility – Using bands and various other joint health work really helps. I practice yoga in a 95-degree room every week. Not that you need to do that, but it’s nice. I started this practice about 7 years ago. Really helpful.

5.     Bamboo Bar / Earthquake Bar – You hang weights via bands on this bar. And I do 3-4 sets of bench and shoulder press each week with it at the end of my pressing workouts. It helps with all the stabilizing muscles, and it’s been really helpful to keep my shoulders healthy.  

The Bamboo Barbell (EarthQuake Bar) - Not cheap but a useful tool for creaky shoulders!

6.     Dead hangs – I start every day with 3 or 4 sets of just hanging from the pull-up bar for 15-30 seconds.

7.     The slant board – I stand on this both directions, great for the achilles and calf and also a deep squat.

8.     Band work – On YouTube you can find tons of band movements. Having joints that can move through a full ROM is really helpful.

9.     Warmups: Before every work out I do the same warm up.

a.     I stand on the slant board holding an empty barbell.

b.    I do one set of 10 deadlifts with an empty bar.

c.     I dead hang for 15 seconds a few sets.

d.    I hook a band to the top of the rack and do a few different pulls.

e.     I wrap a band above my knees and do a set for 10 air squats while pushing my knees out, really activates the hips.

**This takes 10 minutes.

10.    Barbell Warmup: Once I do that 10-minute stretch routine I move into my compound lift for the day. And I have the same process for all my lifts.

a.     Empty bar for 6-8 reps.

b.    135 LB for 5 reps

c.     185 LB for 3 reps

d.    225 LB for 2 reps

e.     Singles till I get to my work sets in usually 25-50 LB increments.

**This is all dependent on your work sets and how much weight you can handle. The key here is don’t wear yourself out with too many reps. Doing reps with very light weight is fine but once you start adding weight, singles do the trick. And only rest for about 1 minute, the time it takes to change weights and take a few breaths. Maybe 2-3 minutes on the heavy singles.

**After the first compound movement of the day, I usually only need one warm up set for any other lifts that day. Or if it’s a lift like the deadlift or squat, singles to get up to your work sets works fine.

**Example – on deadlift days, I’ll often power clean first. By the time I get to my deadlift, I start at 315. Do it for a double and then singles in 40-50 LB increments till I get to my work set.

 I know this may seem like a lot, and you don’t need to do everything. Have a routine and do it the same way each time. Just be intentional about your recovery, warmups and lifting sessions.