Even experienced athletes can find themselves second-guessing their training. But when personal preferences, pressure and ambition influence our decisions, are we always seeing the bigger picture? A personal experience preparing for the Stawell Gift got me thinking about the value of an outside perspective.

Sport, work and family can leave limited time for the gym. I look at how Masters athletes can build or maintain strength, how training needs change through the season, and when one gym session a week can be enough.

In our last blog, Never Too Old To Jump, we explored why Masters athletes should keep jumping as part of their training. The next question is how. The good news? You don’t need to start with box jumps or advanced depth jumps. In fact, low-level plyometrics are often the best place to begin. They give you all the benefits—improved power, tendon health, and efficiency—without excessive stress on the joints.

One of the first things many athletes over 30 let go of in training is jumping. It’s often seen as too risky, too hard on the joints, or simply unnecessary once you’ve moved beyond your twenties. But here’s the reality: you’re never too old to jump. In fact, plyometrics and jump variations may be some of the most valuable tools in your training arsenal as a Masters athlete.

When one season ends, athletes naturally start looking to the next. The temptation is to jump straight into training, but without clear goals, training lacks direction. Goal setting isn’t just about picking an ambitious target race or competition—it’s about creating a framework that makes daily training purposeful and sustainable. Done well, goals act as your roadmap. Done poorly, they become a source of frustration and burnout.