Pete Wright:
Welcome back to Build for Health, where we pull back the curtain on what it takes to build a strong, healthy body and a fitness routine that sticks. I’m Pete Wright and I’m here with Srdjan Injac, and today — conventional wisdom says aging means slowing down, accepting decline, and treating your body like something fragile, something to be protected. The science says the opposite. The people who train into their 60s, 70s, and beyond don’t just feel younger — they biologically are younger in almost every measurable way. This week is all about why it’s never too late, why “too old to lift” is one of the most dangerous myths in medicine, and what training actually looks like when you’re working with decades of life experience instead of against them. Let’s get into it. Srdjan, hi.
Srdjan Injac:
Yes, hello.
Pete Wright:
I got this new scale — because you told me to, ironically. And so I got the scale, but it has one of the measures where it sends a little pulse. It’s like an InBody, but much, much cheaper. You stand on it.
Srdjan Injac:
Well, it sounds more sophisticated because it sends you the — you can see your pulse? That’s — wait, you can’t?
Pete Wright:
Oh, you can’t? No, I can do pulse, but it also gives you your vascular age and your metabolic age. I don’t know what any of those things mean, but I know that now that I’ve been doing it for a few weeks, it tells me that my vascular age equals my chronological age, which I guess is okay. But apparently I can bring that number down somehow by building more muscle and being more fit as I age. That’s pretty cool.
Srdjan Injac:
Yes. I actually had a couple of my clients who do this blood test, and apparently when they get the results it tells them what age they biologically are. One of my clients says it’s like she’s ten years younger, and her husband’s like, “I’m actually fourteen years younger.”
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
It’s very interesting.
Pete Wright:
That is.
Srdjan Injac:
I kind of want to do it too. I want to see where I’m at.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, right. Science, man. Well, that’s kind of what we’re getting at here, because I do think conventional wisdom — what I understand in my 50s — says I need to be doing more of this kind of stuff as I age. It’s really important because of things we’ve talked about before. I know I lose muscle as I age. I probably should have started much earlier, but I’m feeling okay about just doing it now. And that we as humans don’t need to be quite so precious with our bodies as we age — we need to keep moving and keep lifting heavy things. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, it’s very different. I do get a lot of people in their 60s, 70s, even 80s, and they come in and they’re like, “I might be too old for this.” And I’m like, no, you’re not, actually. Nobody’s too old. I think you start getting old when you stop working out. That’s when you start getting old.
It’s a little bit different, but if you’re in your 60s or 70s and you think it’s too late to get even stronger, it’s not. In fact, it’s more important to work out now than ever at that age. And the goal shifts from aesthetic to more about independence — from looking fit to staying capable of doing all those daily activities.
The reality of aging is that after 30, we naturally start losing muscle mass.
Pete Wright:
After 30 — just let that sink in for a minute.
Srdjan Injac:
After 30, it starts.
Pete Wright:
Yeah. Okay.
Srdjan Injac:
So if you’re thinking about where you’re at now and you haven’t been working out, that’s when you actually start losing — right after 30. And after 60, that loss accelerates and it almost doubles. It’s crazy. So it’s never too late, and it’s more important than ever.
That’s what’s called sarcopenia — the loss of muscle mass that comes with aging. And you can’t prevent that without doing resistance training. Muscle declines, bone density decreases, balance worsens, reaction time slows down. And the big thing is the fall risk that increases. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury-related death in adults over 65.
Pete Wright:
So someone comes in to you — first of all, let me ask this. I’m curious, and I don’t want you to give away specific names, but in terms of your clientele, what percentage of the people you work with would you classify in this category?
Srdjan Injac:
I’d say probably 70, maybe 80 percent are over 40 years old.
Pete Wright:
Seriously. Okay.
Srdjan Injac:
Which is great. And they are absolutely capable of seeing results just like 20-year-olds. They can increase their muscle mass, they can get stronger. I’ve had people in their 70s come in and start working out, watching what they eat, and they do get stronger and they do gain muscle mass. It’s not like it’s impossible once you’re older — that you’re too old and you’re never going to gain muscle again. You can still do all that.
Pete Wright:
I feel like if I’m 68 — and it’s hard for me to put myself in the head of a 68-year-old, given my just surface vibrance and youth. People see me and they see a woodland nymph. I’m so agile and free.
But I’m trying to put myself in the position of being 68. I’m 68, I’m listening to this podcast, and I’m thinking: I have said for years now that it’s too late for me. And I’m terrified about what it looks like to actually walk through the door of a gym, because I don’t know how to get from sedentary to feeling stronger at this age, given years of not paying much attention to it. How do you help someone build enough confidence to walk through the door?
Srdjan Injac:
You start slow. You start with small things that are measurable and achievable, and they see that they can actually do these things — that it’s possible, that it doesn’t look too scary. They do it and they’re like, “Oh, I can actually do this. It felt good.” They feel good walking out, and that makes them want to come back for more. Then you show them where they can progress, how they can progress, where they can get to.
You have to start as low as you can — don’t just jump into a crazy routine. And at that age, you have to be more careful. That doesn’t mean you can’t still lift heavy. You can still lift heavy, but you have to be more thoughtful about how much you lift. People usually say, “Well, you’re older, you shouldn’t be lifting heavy.” But you probably should — it’s good for you. When I say heavy, I mean weight that’s challenging for you. Not weight that’s too crazy, where you’re trying to impress someone and you’re going to get hurt. But you have to be challenged, because if you don’t give your body a reason to change, it’s not going to.
The goal changes. In your 20s it’s more about performance. In your 40s, it’s more about strength and health. But in your 60s, it’s more about independence, survival, being able to do things. When everything starts declining, the only way to stop it is to do resistance training and put a little bit more pressure on your body. Challenge yourself. You can still do that in your 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Pete Wright:
What does that actually look like? Because I know we’ve talked about how hard it is to build muscle as you get older. When you’re also losing muscle, it’s like you’re constantly fighting a percentage-loss battle every single year, year over year. And being able to make some kind of contribution against that muscle-loss debt seems almost impossible when you’re just starting at an older age. How do you get people over that hump?
Srdjan Injac:
You start slow, but that’s also when nutrition matters more. As you get older, more protein — not less. You try to focus on that. Eat around 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. When you dial that in and eat more protein, all of these things will help you gain muscle. It will eventually work — it’s just a little bit slower than when you’re in your 20s and 30s. You have to be a little more patient, because a lot of people want instant results. Now you have to be more careful, put in more work, be a little more patient, and eventually it does happen. You just have to stay consistent.
That’s why I do these measurements with my clients — so they can actually see that things are changing. It’s happening, maybe at a slower pace, but it’s happening. When they see that, they’re more likely to stay and continue.
Pete Wright:
We’ve been spending the last couple of weeks talking about programming. I’d love to know what’s different about programming for an aging member of the gym versus somebody in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. How are you approaching programming to help someone build back when they’re coming from that age-related, sarcopenia-related deficit?
Srdjan Injac:
The training doesn’t have to be extreme — but it does have to be more intentional. You still strength train two to three times a week. There’s progressive overload. You do balance work with core stability, you do mobility work. You focus a little more on compound movements — squats, rows, push variations, hinges, loaded carries — and you train movements that translate to real life. You still try to challenge yourself, go a little bit heavier, and focus on those compound movements.
It’s not too different from training in your 30s and 40s — you might want to avoid some of the exercises that are a little riskier. But pretty much, it’s pretty similar.
Pete Wright:
If you get really good at your squats, then you can get out of bed, you can get off the toilet. There are some pretty good survival skills right there.
Srdjan Injac:
Like I said, at some point the goal shifts. It’s not about the abs anymore — it’s more about independence. Can you get off the floor without help? Can you carry your own groceries? Can you catch yourself if you trip and start to fall? That’s the real strength. Aging doesn’t make you fragile. Inactivity does.
Pete Wright:
Do you ever run into mental blocks working with older clients? The idea that — I’m feeling a little helpless because I’m still grieving what I was in my 20s, in my teens, the body I used to have, the capability I used to have, the fact that I used to be an athlete and now I’m just old.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, I do. I have one guy — he was in his late 40s, early 50s. Really good shape, but he used to be an athlete. He comes to the gym and thinks he’s still that athlete. He still wishes he could push that weight, and he tries. He goes really hard, and I’m like, “Okay, you’ve got to slow it down.” He’s like, “I just don’t know how. I remember being there, having all these muscles, being able to move, having all this strength.”
I remember he came in one day and said, “Yeah, I came in over the weekend, did a workout, and I think I hurt my shoulder.” He tore his rotator cuff a little bit — he tried pushing more and more, thought he could handle it, and his body just isn’t the same.
Pete Wright:
He overdid it.
Srdjan Injac:
He just did too much, lost his form, and hurt himself. And now the recovery is way longer than it would have been when he was 20. He was going to see my chiropractor and everything, and he’s still not a hundred percent. He was like, “I kind of feel like an idiot. I can still feel it. It’s so frustrating.” I said, “I know. The goal is a little different now, the training’s a little different, but you can still do it. You can still gain muscle mass. You just have to realize what you’re capable of and not go too crazy.” He’s a little more careful now.
Pete Wright:
Yeah.
Srdjan Injac:
Now he listens when I tell him.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, bet.
Srdjan Injac:
He learned the hard way. But there are also a lot of people who say, “Well, I’ve always been athletic.” They stop working out and think that because they were athletic and had muscle mass, it’ll just stay there. They worked out in their 20s and 30s and think they’re good. But as soon as they stop, the aging catches up. It doesn’t matter that you were an athlete before — if you’re not active, you will lose that muscle mass.
Pete Wright:
Happens so fast.
Srdjan Injac:
So much faster.
Pete Wright:
It happens so fast.
Srdjan Injac:
I know one guy who came back after six weeks away and was like, “I was only out six weeks and I got so much weaker. It took me so long to gain all that strength — now I have to do it all over again.” I know. That’s an athlete’s worst enemy — injuries.
Pete Wright:
Yeah. And you said something just now that gets me thinking about the comparison trap. The more you go into the gym — really, into anything — and measure your current performance against your peak performance from 30 years or more prior, it seems to be one of the biggest psychological barriers to successful training as you age. There’s nothing there but a recipe for depression.
Srdjan Injac:
Exercise helps a lot. You have to think not just about your strength, but about your metabolic health. Everything declines — it’s not just your strength. Resistance training improves not just muscle strength and mass, but your metabolic health — blood glucose control, blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation. These are all factors tied to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you do resistance training on a regular basis, you can see improvements in blood lipid profiles, inflammation markers, body composition — of course.
You have to think about your overall health, not just your strength and your ability to do things. Last year I had someone come in — he was in his 70s — and he said he realized he needed to start working out. He was traveling and realized he couldn’t lift his carry-on into the overhead bin on a plane and had to ask someone else for help. He said, “I don’t want to be like that.” And he was getting sick more often. Everything slows down.
Pete Wright:
We’re talking a lot about metabolic stuff. What about neurological benefits? In an era where it feels like around every corner, somebody I’m close to is saying their granddad is suffering from effects of dementia — we’re seeing neurological decline everywhere. Do you see in your practice people who are experiencing specific neurological benefits? I know the science says yes, that the brain-muscle connection improves, but I’m wondering what that looks like practically.
Srdjan Injac:
Their memory improves — they actually say their memory improves. They remember things, they’re not forgetting as much, and they’re able to focus on what they’re doing. It does have a lot of benefits. It’s crazy how important it is, and people think it’s just for one thing. But it affects everything — your entire body, the way you function.
I’ve had people come off medications because they start lifting weights and doing resistance training, and their doctors will take them off a couple of medications. They get excited. They’re like, “Oh my god, why didn’t I do this sooner? Why have I been taking these meds when I could have just prevented all this and started earlier?”
Pete Wright:
Yeah, I think that’s probably all of it.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah. They go to the doctor, they get the meds, and there you go. You’re just treating the symptom. You don’t really heal the system. You don’t take care of the system. It’s almost like putting a band-aid on it.
Pete Wright:
As we get toward wrapping up, I know we’ve talked about the fitness team approach before, and you’ve talked about working with other professionals. Especially when we’re talking about the aging population, what do you see as the ideal team of specialists to work alongside you — occupational therapist, physical therapist — what would my 68-year-old imaginary avatar need to count on when beginning training?
Srdjan Injac:
We all work together and can all help in different areas — you can benefit from all of us. I do that now, and I’m not in my 60s, 70s, or 80s, but I still go to my chiropractor regularly for adjustments. I see my massage therapist, do all of that. My training, and everything — we all treat and do different things, and they’re all pretty beneficial.
And even — which is weird for me to say — I started doing a little more yoga. I found a beginner yoga video on my phone and started doing a little bit of that too, because it’s important.
Pete Wright:
I am shocked, I tell you.
Srdjan Injac:
Stretching, all that stuff can actually help me even in gaining more muscle mass. If I start using Pilates — which is great for flexibility — it will improve my range of motion, and that will help me gain more muscle as well, because now my range of motion is bigger. I’m able to recruit more of my muscle fibers. So it does help. And I want to be able to move and have the mobility and flexibility as I age, because I might be fine now, but eventually things will slow down.
With all this stuff, you start early. Just because you feel good now doesn’t mean you don’t need it. They come to me when they’ve already started losing everything, like, “Well, where were you before this?” Just because you feel good now — that’s actually the perfect time to start, because you can do all these things, you can push yourself. That’s a reason to go and do this. Don’t wait until you can’t do it, then wonder if maybe it’s too late. Even though it’s not — it’ll just take a little longer. Do not wait. Trust me, do not wait.
Pete Wright:
Yeah, because eventually your goal will change from looking good to just — am I going to be independent as I age? And that is a scary time to have that kind of awakening.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah. Because I always love this saying: aging is inevitable, but weakness is not.
Pete Wright:
Oh, that’s good. I like that a lot. Aging is inevitable, weakness is not.
Srdjan Injac:
Aging is going to happen, but weakness is not.
Pete Wright:
Put that on a shirt. That’s great.
Srdjan Injac:
I know, I need to.
Pete Wright:
That’s awesome.
Srdjan Injac:
Weakness is not.
Pete Wright:
You don’t have to be weak. You don’t have to go down with the ship.
Srdjan Injac:
You don’t. I know a lot of folks in their 60s, 70s, and 80s — man, they can push some weight and do things that just make you go, “Wow.” Like, that’s my goal. I want to be like that when I’m that age. It’s impressive. That’s what motivates me when I see these people. They’re older, but like I said, you’ll age — you can still have your strength.
Pete Wright:
I like it so much. And this is the time. If it’s not today, then when are you going to start? Aging is heavy.
Srdjan Injac:
Yeah, it is. It sucks, to be honest.
Pete Wright:
It sucks if you don’t take care of yourself. I look at my in-laws — they are very, very active people and they travel all over the world as a result. They can do so much. It’s because they’re constantly at the Y, constantly in classes. They are active and fit and aspirational. You can have a life of mobility if you want to. That’s the message. It’s incredible.
All right. Thank you, as always. And for the rest of you listening — thanks for joining us today. If you’ve got questions on training or recovery or how to stop chasing quick fixes and start building something that lasts, we want to hear them. Head over to the show notes, swipe up and tap that link to send us your questions and go right to the coach. We’ll answer them on an upcoming episode. Don’t forget to subscribe and share — this is how we grow stronger together. Thanks for listening to Build for Health. We’ll see you in the gym next week.
