The Highly Effective Man

Build Muscle, Build Power – Why Strength is the #1 Investment for Men Over 35

• JP Bolwahnn

Share episode

If you’re a man over 35, there’s one investment you can’t afford to ignore—your strength. Muscle isn’t just about looking good. It’s about power, resilience, and the ability to command your life. Yet, most men let their strength fade, feeling weaker with each passing year.

Not you. Not anymore.

In this episode of The Highly Effective Man, I break down:
🔥 Why muscle is the key to aging like a warrior—not a weakling
🔥 How to train for BOTH strength & size with the Hybrid Method
🔥 The biggest mistakes men make when trying to build muscle (and how to fix them)
🔥 How lifting weights transforms not just your body—but your mindset and confidence

This is your wake-up call. You don’t have to settle for a weaker version of yourself. You can rebuild, reclaim, and dominate—starting today.

🔗 Join our community and start training with us: https://www.skool.com/thehighlyeffectiveman/about?ref=3d52496bc2b34ae6ae7836006899f246


📩 DM me "STRENGTH" on Instagram (@thehighlyeffectiveman) if you're ready to level up

Don’t wait for another year to pass. Hit play, listen in, and take action.

Send us a text

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Highly Effective man podcast, hosted by former Navy SEAL turned life and fitness coach. I'm your host, jp Bolwan. This podcast is your resource for unlocking the healthiest, most productive and highly effective man within you. Let's go what's up, guys. Welcome back to the Highly Effective man podcast, where we help busy men over 35 reclaim their strength, energy and confidence so they can dominate life with purpose. I'm your host, jp Bolong Navy SEAL, veteran life and fitness coach and someone who's walked the path of transformation firsthand.

Speaker 1:

So today we're talking about the single most important investment you can make as you age, and that's building muscle, not just for looks, not just for strength, but for power, vitality and for life itself. Okay, because let's be real, most men, they're not getting stronger as they age. Right, a lot of guys are getting weaker, losing muscle, talking about feeling soft, drifting further from the man they used to be or, worse, the man they were meant to be. And here's the hard truth Muscle is the currency of aging. Well, right, and if you're not building it, you're losing it, and when you lose it, you start losing everything. So today we're going to break it down. We're going to talk about why muscle is your best insurance policy against aging, how strength training isn't just about lifting weights. It's about commanding your body and your mind and the exact steps that you need to take to get stronger, more powerful and more confident, starting today. So by the end of this episode, you should be fired up to take action, and if you're serious about making a real change, I'll tell you how you can take the next step with us inside the Highly Effective man community. So let's get into it Now.

Speaker 1:

I want you guys to imagine two men in their 50s. One of them spent years grinding at work, skipping workouts, eating whatever was convenient, telling himself, yeah, I'll get back in shape when things slow down. But things never did. And now he's got back pain, joint stiffness, low energy. He's weaker than he was when he was in his 30s. He's weaker than he was when he was in his 30s, and every year it's just getting worse.

Speaker 1:

Now picture the other man. Same career, same stress, but at some point he made a decision. He made a decision that his body was not negotiable, that he was going to train, lift, fuel his body and treat his muscle like the priority. It is Fast forward 10 years. One man is breaking down and the other, well, he's still moving like an athlete strong, confident, capable. Which one do you want to be?

Speaker 1:

Because here's what most men don't realize Muscle isn't just for the young. It's the foundation for staying strong, capable and confident for life. And science backs this up. Okay, because after 30, men lose 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade if they don't train. So when you have less muscle, you have a lower. So when you have less muscle, you have a lower metabolism, you have less energy and you're at higher risk for injury and lower testosterone. Strength training boosts your metabolism, prevents disease and keeps you feeling like a powerhouse, even if you're in your 50s, 60s and beyond. But more than that, muscle's a mindset, because when you push your limits in the gym, when you fight for one more rep, when you show up day after day and you command the weight instead of letting it command you, that bleeds into every area of your life.

Speaker 1:

So how do we build muscle the right way? You know we're not just trying to get big, you know, do bodybuilding, competitions or anything like that, but we do want to get powerful and we want to be dangerous. So this week, in the Highly Effective man, we're using somewhat of a hybrid strength approach that combines powerlifting with some hypertrophy, with some endurance, because you need all of that. Right, the powerlifting helps with max strength. Right, you work on some heavy weights, compound lifts, typically in the low rep range, and that just helps build raw, explosive power rep range. And that just helps build raw, explosive power. Hypertrophy right. That helps with muscle growth. Right.

Speaker 1:

So you're using like a moderate weight, typically higher reps, and that helps add muscle size and endurance. So this means you're going to train with big lifts, the squat, the bench, the deadlift, to develop that raw strength. And then you'll hit accessory work with pull-ups, dips, lunges, to help add muscle. And then you focus on power and speed with sprints, kettlebell swings, anything that's explosive, that's going to help you be more athletic. And none of this works without dialing in nutrition, right. So we got to talk about nutrition. If we dialing in nutrition. Right. So we got to talk about nutrition if we want to build muscle. Right, and all the guys right now they're hitting one gram of protein per pound of body weight and they're fueling with carbs around workouts for energy, right, making sure they have enough energy to do the workouts and then hydrating at least half of the body weight in ounces.

Speaker 1:

So train hard, eat smart and recover well, because what you do in the gym isn't just about looking good, it's about being the man who can handle anything that life throws at him. And let's be honest, most men, they'll quit before they even start right. How many times have you heard somebody say like I don't have time, or I'm too old, or my body can't handle lifting anymore? And that's exactly why they stay weak because your mind will quit before your body ever does. Look, I've trained for war. I've trained for elite competition. I've trained to survive situations most people would walk away from, and the one truth that I have learned is that your body is capable of far more than your mind wants to believe.

Speaker 1:

Your mind will try to shut you down, but when you keep pushing, you start to learn about what your limits truly are. So when you think I can't, you need to override that thought. When your muscles burn and your brain says that you've had enough, you push a little harder. You push for one more rep, right? You learn to expect it and know that it's coming. So you don't freak out when your muscles start to burn, because every time you step under that bar, you're either reinforcing weakness or you're building strength.

Speaker 1:

So here's the deal you don't get strong by thinking about it, right. You get strong by showing up Day after day. Right now, you have two choices Number one, you can keep doing what you've always done, keep watching your strength fade and keep making excuses. Or, number two, decide that today is the day that you're going to commit to building muscle, building power and reclaiming your edge. And if you're ready for option two, I've got your back Inside the Highly Effective man community. We're training together, we're pushing each other, we're getting stronger every damn week. Right, I got men who step up, men who take action, men who refuse to settle, and if that's you, I want you to join us.

Speaker 1:

Okay, the link will be in the show notes below. Now, if you found value in this episode, please share it with another man that you think needs to hear it. Subscribe, save it, leave a comment. And, other than that, now it's time to go train, go build muscle, go become the man you were meant to be. Until next time, stay strong, stay disciplined and stay highly effective. Let's go. Thanks for tuning in to the Highly Effective man podcast. If you found value today, hit that subscribe button and stay connected. I want to invite you to join my incredible community, the Highly Effective man. The link is in the show notes below. It's a powerful space where you'll find support, accountability and camaraderie with men who are committed to growth and living purposefully. And your voice matters, so leave a review and share your thoughts and help us reach more men just like you. Together, let's elevate our lives and become the best versions of ourselves. Stay highly effective. See you next time.