TH4LTrain Hard For LifeJoin

Train Hard For Life

Getting older doesn't mean getting weaker

An online community for men and women over 40 who want to train hard.

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Wayne, 64. Deadlift, 305 lb.

64Years old
50Years lifting
410 lbLifetime deadlift PR, 2025
305 lbLifetime squat PR, 2025

Where are you starting from?

I used to be strong.

Get strong again.

I put in the time and nothing changes.

Train so your numbers go up and you can see and feel the difference.

I've never really trained.

Get strong, and make the gym your place.

My training is starting to beat me up.

Keep training hard, keep getting better, and recover between sessions.

I've trained hard for years.

Train alongside people who train like you, and learn from each other.

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From my whiteboards and training notes

What training hard means

Wayne pulling on the ski erg

Hard is relative.

Train as hard as you can, within reason, without getting hurt. A weight that's hard for you counts, whatever it is.

Wayne pressing a barbell overhead

A few hard sets beat a lot of easy ones.

Take your top set to failure, then do it again or drop the weight.

Wayne snatching a dumbbell

Your mind quits before your muscles do.

It's built to protect you, so the second set and the drop set make sure the work gets done.

Wayne carrying two kettlebells down the street

Train hard for your life.

Strength is for living your life, not just for the gym. Doing hard things is worth it.

What you get

The program

4-Day Powerbuilding: 5s, 3s, 1s

Four workouts, one for each main lift, in a set order of 12: heavy 5s, then heavy 3s, then heavy 1s. Go through the 12 three times: 36 workouts.

  • Train every other day, or two days on, one off, two on, two off.
  • Every lift has easier versions, so you can scale it to you.
  • Exercise demonstrations, with more added as they're recorded.
  • A PDF with the whole program and a log page to print.
  • More programs to come.
Wayne's handwritten page: how the main lifts run, round by roundWayne's handwritten page: the four days of the program

The program, as I wrote it. Click a page to see it full size.

The order: 12 workouts

SquatStrict pressDeadliftBench press
Heavy 5sWorkout 1Workout 2Workout 3Workout 4
Heavy 3sWorkout 5Workout 6Workout 7Workout 8
Heavy 1sWorkout 9Workout 10Workout 11Workout 12

After Workout 12, start again at Workout 1. Three times through is 36 workouts.

Day 1 Workouts 1, 5, 9

Squat

5s, 3s, 1s

  • ChestDumbbell flat or incline, plate-loaded lever, dumbbell or machine flies
  • TricepsPushdowns, skull crushers

Metcon, 8 to 20 minutes

Day 2 Workouts 2, 6, 10

Strict press

5s, 3s, 1s

  • Posterior chainStiff-leg deadlift, RDL, glute bridges
  • BackPulldowns, rows
  • BicepsBarbell or dumbbell curls, machine curls

Metcon, 8 to 20 minutes

Day 3 Workouts 3, 7, 11

Deadlift

5s, 3s, 1s

  • ShouldersPresses, lateral raises
  • Upper chestIncline

Metcon, 8 to 20 minutes

Day 4 Workouts 4, 8, 12

Bench press

5s, 3s, 1s

  • LegsLeg extensions, leg curls, leg press, hack squat
  • BackPulldowns, rows

Metcon, 8 to 20 minutes

The main lift

  • Top set. Work up to a heavy 5, 3 or 1, depending on the workout, at RPE 9 to 9.5. As a guide: 5s at about 85% of your one-rep max, 3s at about 90%, 1s at about 95%.
  • Two down sets. The same or a reduced weight, for the same reps. On heavy 1s days, these are singles too.
  • Optional. One max-effort set at 50 to 60% of your top set.

Secondary and accessories, for size

  • Heavy set. A weight you can lift 8 to 12 times, taken to failure.
  • Down set. The same or slightly less weight, 8 to 12 reps, to failure.
  • Drop set. Lower the weight and go to failure again, usually 5 to 10 reps.

Look inside

Pick a space to see what's in it.

Say Hello

Introduce yourself: where you're starting from and what you're training for.

Join, tell us where you're starting from, and post your first session.

$19.99a month, founding member price

Join the community

Go train.

Join link to come

What stands in the way becomes the way.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Wayne pressing on a plate-loaded decline press machine

Who's behind it

I'm Wayne Ergle. I'm 64 and I've been lifting since I was 14. In 2025, in my early 60s, I set lifetime PRs: a 410 lb deadlift, a 305 lb squat and a 165 lb strict press. I teach from 50 years of my own training.

At CrossFit Rising Sun, I went in expecting not to get stronger. Holding on to what I had would have been a win. Then one day in a workout, the box jumps and the strength movement were both noticeably easier, and I realized I didn't have to settle. In 2025 I set a goal to beat every lifetime PR by my birthday and did it about 10 weeks early.

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Common questions

Do I need a gym, or can I train at home?

The program is written for a gym, but with a power rack and a bench you can run most of it at home.

I'm new to lifting, or I've been out for years. Is it for me?

Yes. Hard is relative: train as hard as you can, within reason, without getting hurt. A weight that's hard for you counts, whatever it is.

How much time does it take?

A workout takes about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, including the metcon. The four workouts run in order, whatever days you train. I train one day on, one day off. Another common way is two days on, one day off, two days on, two days off.

Is this coaching?

No, it's a community. Post a lift or a question, and members and I share what we know from our own training.

How do I get into the community?

After you join, you sign in from any web browser or use the app on your phone.

How much is it, and can I cancel?

$19.99 a month for founding members. It's month to month, so you can cancel any time.