Train at 80-90% of max effort instead of to failure. Use a three-week cycle: four weeks building intensity, one test week pushing limits safely, then a deload week for recovery before repeating. This beats training to failure, which burned him out in his 20s and 30s.
Lesson number 3: Train at 80%, not 100%. Now this ties closely to volume, but it's more about intensity. Now in my 20s and 30s, I trained like I was trying to win something every session. I pushed to failure in my strength work, and I went all out in my conditioning. But now, that approach just tends to wreck me. What works better is training just below the edge. Sitting at around 80% to 90% most of the time. I'm always trying to leave a few reps in the tank. And the goal is to leave the gym feeling good, not destroyed. Now, one way I put this into action is I actually train in blocks. So over a period of 4 weeks, I'm building intensity. Then the 5th week tends to be a bit of a test week where I safely push the limits. And then this is followed by a deload week where I focus on active recovery. And then things start all over again.
