You're not too old to get stronger. You're untrained.

After 30, you slowly lose muscle. Research puts it at around 3 to 8 percent every 10 years, and it speeds up after 60.

Most people don’t notice. Not until getting off the floor takes two tries. Or the stairs feel steeper than they used to. Or a suitcase feels like a lot.

Here’s the good news. Muscle responds at any age. I’ve watched people in their 60s and 70s get stronger every month. One of my clients had two knee replacements and had barely moved in years. Now he squats to a box every week.

You’re not too old. You’re untrained. And untrained is the most fixable thing there is.

Here are the 4 things nobody tells you about getting stronger after 40.

1. You lose speed before you lose strength

Power is how fast you can move. It’s what catches you when you trip on a curb. And it’s the first thing to go.

So don’t only lift slow. Stand up from the chair fast. Step up onto the box fast. Then lower yourself slow and under control.

Fast up, slow down. That one change trains the thing that keeps you on your feet.

2. Two days a week is enough to start

You don’t need to train 6 days. You need 2 days you never miss.

Full body, both days. A squat or sit-to-stand. A hinge, like a deadlift or a hip bridge. A push. A pull. A carry. That’s a whole workout.

The people who go from zero to 5 days a week usually last about 3 weeks. The people who start with 2 are still here a year later.

3. Only the hard reps count

Most people pick a weight they could lift 30 times and stop at 12. That set barely did anything.

The change happens near the end of the set, when it gets hard. Stop with 1 or 2 reps left in the tank. Not to failure. Not ugly. Just hard.

Quick check: if your last rep looks and feels like your first rep, the weight is too light.

Then add a little. A bit more weight, or one more rep, every week or two. If nothing goes up, nothing changes. The same 20 lb dumbbells for 3 years isn’t a plan. It’s a habit.

4. Train your legs like your life depends on it

Because it kind of does.

Your legs get you out of a chair. Up the stairs. Out of the car. Off the floor after playing with the grandkids. That’s your independence.

Squats, step-ups, lunges, carries. Every week. Even when it’s boring. Especially when it’s boring.

Where to start this week

• Pick 2 days. Put them in your calendar like a meeting.
• Do 5 moves: sit-to-stand, hip bridge, wall or incline push-up, band row, farmer carry.
• 2 to 3 sets each. Stop each set with 1 or 2 reps left.
• Stand up fast. Lower slow.
• Write down what you did, so next week you can do a little more.

If you have pain, a heart condition, or you haven’t trained in a long time, check with your doctor first. Then start lighter than you think you need to.