[throwaway2016a]

I'm 32 and I found a free-weight system for upper body I've had success with. It auto-adjusts the weight over time whether you want it to or not so you are forced to continually improve. It also forces you to do repetitions every day whether you want to or not. Sometimes I do extra reps and the system responds with positive reinforcement. It gives extra positive reinforcement if I hold it over my head and fly it around like an airplane.

It's not exclusive to older people (teenagers can do it too but it's not recommended)

It's called "having a baby".

My daughter weights 28 Ibs now and I have to lift her a couple dozen times a day. My upper body has definitely improved.

But seriously, I've found staying fit is MUCH harder than it was 5 years ago but still possible. The hardest part is finding the time. I don't know many 30-somethings (especially in tech) that can work out for a half hour uninterrupted, nevermind an hour.

[mootothemax]

You're not alone dude - I know several people, myself included, whose waistlines rapidly expanded when in their 30s and with kids < 3.

I'm only now starting to have a chance to go to the gym regularly again and am praying nothing changes!

[antisthenes]

> I don't know many 30-somethings (especially in tech) that can work out for a half hour uninterrupted, nevermind an hour.

Sounds like a major lifestyle problem that needs to be solved before considering embarking on a fitness program. If you can't find a half-hour for a leisurely self-improvement activity, consider focusing really hard on making that change first.

If you don't have a kid, finding an hour to yourself every day should be no problem. If it is - consider improving your time management or just working less.

[munificent]

> I don't know many 30-somethings (especially in tech) that can work out for a half hour uninterrupted, nevermind an hour.

I work full-time in tech, have a wife, two kids, two dogs, and work on my book [1] writing every single day. I still definitely have 30 minutes of free time every day to work out.

What I don't have as much of is will-power/discipline/execute function whatever you want to call it. I workout twice a week and run once a week and with that on top of working and writing I really do feel like I'm at the limit of what I'm able to motivate myself to do.

If I wasn't writing a book, exercising even more would be pretty easy.

Try tracking how much time you spend staring at your phone and/or the Internet. Cut that and you'll be very surprised how much long the day gets.

[1]: http://craftinginterpreters.com

[throwaway2016a]

Kudos on the book. I have two myself (one with Wrox and one with O'Reilly). It's a lot of work and you should be proud.

I didn't say I couldn't find an hour just that most people in their 30s I know in tech can't.

You also lowered the requirement from the hour the author and I said to a half hour. Keep in mind too unless you want to sit in sweat all day that hour does not include changing cloths and showering.

I also didn't say "ever" I said "reliably" and "uninterrupted" which are key qualifiers. One work out day where you have to spend two hours at the doctor's office and there goes you're whole routine.

Edit: autocorrect changed sweat to suite for some weird reason.

[munificent]

Yeah, I had all of your qualifiers in mind. I can definitely reliably find 30 minutes or even an hour of uninterrupted time. It's not always at the same time, but I can find it if I gotta.

I think most people can. What's harder is summoning the willpower to use that hour effectively.

[sn9]

Have you read The Power of Habit?

The focus on willpower is almost inherently demoralizing and absolutely not the best strategy. You should focus on building habits, even one at a time, so that you can let the habits take over without expending much in the way of willpower.

The building of habits is what takes energy, but once they've been built, they almost run on autopilot.

And on a different note, there's a difference between exercise and training. Training for a goal can be a much more productive use of your time and will probably get you better results in terms of fitness and body composition depending on the goal chosen.

[intermerda]

The book Starting Strength has an anecdote which I found here - https://www.athlegan.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-starting-stre....

> There's a famous story about a greek wrestler, back in the 6th century BC – Milo of Croton. He'd train by lifting up and carry around a newborn calf. Every day he continued doing so and as the calf grew into a bull, so did he. This is linear progression.

[jjawssd]

Ain't that the truth. Motivation and time for exercise are my largest daily struggles. I am older but those two are far more important factors than just age.