I’ve recently hit my forties and I want to start training again. Should I train differently now from the way I trained whenI was younger?
Jason Fortier, by email

Jason Anderson answers: There’s absolutely nothing to stop you doing exactly the same exercises as you did in your twenties. One of the reasons middle-age spread rears its ugly head is that, after the age of 35, we lose about one per cent of our muscle mass each year and our metabolic rates decline as a result. The only way to maintain muscles as we get older is weight training.

Consider using free weights so that you can follow your body’s natural path of movement and are not restricted to the confines of a machine, which lightens the load on your joints. Make sure you warm up properly too, because our muscles become more fibrous and less pliable as we age. It’s vital they get a good supply of blood to make them flexible and reduce the risk of injury.