Strength, without wrecking your joints
ACSM's 2026 resistance training guidelines, its first major update in 17 years, simplified things on purpose: train every major muscle group at least twice a week. For strength, that's roughly 2-3 sets per exercise around 80% of your one-rep max. For general muscle maintenance, aim for about 10 sets per muscle group across the week, however you split that up.
The bigger shift in the guidance is the de-emphasis on rigid, one-size-fits-all prescriptions in favor of whatever program you'll actually stick with. For anyone managing joint wear from decades of training or just getting older, bands, bodyweight work, and machine-based training are legitimate, effective alternatives to always loading a barbell, not a downgrade.
Protein, especially when you're traveling
Muscle mass declines roughly 1-2% a year starting around age 30, with the loss accelerating in later decades, and older adults respond less efficiently to the protein they do eat, a phenomenon researchers call anabolic resistance. That's why the recommendation for adults 50+ has moved well past the standard federal guideline: aim for 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, roughly double the old baseline, split across three meals at about 0.4 g/kg per meal (around 30g for most people), with 30-35g within two hours after a workout.
On the road, that means defaulting to a protein source at every stop: a hotel breakfast with eggs instead of a pastry, a protein shake packed in the bag, grilled over fried at the client dinner. None of it requires meal prep, it requires a default.
Energy over aesthetics
The goal isn't a summer-ready physique, it's still having energy left at 7pm for your kids after a full day of pipeline reviews and travel. That means cardiovascular work matters as much as strength work, not for how it looks, but because it's one of the clearest levers on long-term healthspan and daily energy.
Identity, not motivation
None of this works if it depends on feeling like doing it after a 10-hour day. The fix isn't more discipline, it's changing the default: being active becomes something you just do, the same way you just brush your teeth, not something you negotiate with yourself over every day.