FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — The workout itself may be only part of the equation when it comes to maintaining strength as people get older. As adults age, muscles can become less responsive to protein and other signals involved in building and repairing muscle. That makes recovery after exercise incr easingly important for maintaining strength and allowing the body to adapt to training. Jacob Zemer, a New York-based fitness coach whose clients primarily range from 35 to 55, told Fox News Digital that many of his clients are focused less on bodybuilding and more on staying healthy and active as they age. “Most of my clients are really focused on longevity,” Zemer said. “They’re not people who are looking to be bodybuilders or power lifters – they want to age well.” Zemer recommends six areas adults over 35 should pay attention to after exercising. Get enough quality sleep Zemer said getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep is critical to recovery. He recommends maintaining a consistent bedtime, avoiding screens and stressful conversations before bed and stopping food intake a couple of hours before bedtime. He also suggested taking a hot shower before bed, keeping the bedroom between 60 and 65 degrees and making the room as dark as possible. Keep up with regular health checks Zemer also recommends staying current with medical checkups and recommended laboratory testing. “Make sure you’re keeping up with what’s going on with your hormones,” he said. “Make sure everything in your body is functioning properly, because as we age, our bodies change.” Preventive testing should be tailored to the individual based on factors such as age, sex, symptoms and medical history. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for conditions including high blood pressure, prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, as well as osteoporosis in appropriate populations. Consider warmth after a workout Heat exposure may also play a role in post-workout recovery, according to Zemer. Warmth causes blood vessels to widen, increasing circulation to muscles and potentially helping deliver nutrients involved in tissue repair. A 2025 review of 22 studies found that nearly half of participants reported improved muscle-function recovery with heat therapy. Zemer said people without access to a sauna could use a hot shower as another option. “If you don’t have access to a sauna, taking a hot shower after your workout releases heat proteins that may help with recovery – and actually it helps improve what we call ‘gains’ from the gym,” he said. Stretch after exercising Strength training can place stress on muscles and joints, making mobility important. “After you get done working out, your muscles are shortened,” Zemer said. “And so you want to re-lengthen them by stretching.” He recommends maintaining a full range of motion and incorporating stretching after workouts. Fuel and hydrate Protein is another important part of recovery because it helps support muscle repair and rebuilding. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends roughly 20 to 40 grams of high-quality protein after training. For active adults, general daily protein guidance is about 1.4 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. Individual protein needs can vary, particularly for people with certain medical conditions. Hydration also matters before, during and after exercise. “If you don’t drink enough water, you’re really setting yourself up for failure when you’re in the session, which is going to cause you to have lackluster results,” Zemer said. Give your body time to recover Exercise is itself a form of stress on the body, even when the activity is healthy. “You just did something that, even if it’s healthy and has a positive impact on your body, still stresses your body,” Zemer said. He recommends allowing time to eat, rest and let the body transition out of that stress response. “Your cortisol’s high,” he said. “So getting a good meal and a little bit of rest before you move on with your day” can help the body recover. A 2026 review described exercise as a cycle involving stress, adaptation and recovery, with adequate recovery time, sleep and energy availability helping support the benefits of training. Zemer also emphasized the difference between normal post-workout soreness and pain that can indicate someone pushed too hard. “The soreness should be only for a short period of time, like maybe a day or so after you’re done training,” he said. “If it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard.” Soreness lasting more than two or three days, or aching in the knees and joints, can be a sign that the workout was too demanding, Zemer said. That does not necessarily mean stopping exercise altogether. Instead, he suggested reducing the workload and gradually building back up. “If you have extended amounts of soreness that exceed two or three days, you did too much,” he said. “If your knees and joints ache, you did too much.” Zemer suggested reducing the amount of work by about 30% when necessary. Someone who previously performed six sets of leg exercises, for example, could try four sets during the next workout. The goal is consistent training without overwhelming the body’s ability to recover. Zemer also cautioned that exercise-induced endorphins can temporarily mask pain. Discomfort that feels manageable during a workout can become more noticeable later after those chemicals wear off. “If something hurts in the gym when you have your endorphins going strong, it’s going to hurt really bad later – and that’s the last thing you want, because if you’re hurt, you’re not going to be able to train consistently,” he said. For adults trying to maintain strength beyond 35, the message is not simply to work harder. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, mobility and adequate recovery can be just as important as what happens during the workout itself. The post Over 35? Fitness expert shares six post-workout habits that can support strength and recovery appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less