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

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

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to the Highly Effective man podcast, hosted
by former Navy SEAL turned lifeand fitness coach.
I'm your host, jp Bolwan.
This podcast is your resourcefor unlocking the healthiest,
most productive and highlyeffective man within you.
Let's go what's up, guys.

(00:35):
Welcome back to the HighlyEffective man podcast, where we
help busy men over 35 reclaimtheir strength, energy and
confidence so they can dominatelife with purpose.
I'm your host, jp Bolong NavySEAL, veteran life and fitness
coach and someone who's walkedthe path of transformation
firsthand.
So today we're talking about thesingle most important
investment you can make as youage, and that's building muscle,

(00:56):
not just for looks, not justfor 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 aregetting weaker, losing muscle,
talking about feeling soft,drifting further from the man

(01:18):
they used to be or, worse, theman they were meant to be.
And here's the hard truthMuscle is the currency of aging.
Well, right, and if you're notbuilding it, you're losing it,
and when you lose it, you startlosing everything.
So today we're going to breakit down.
We're going to talk about whymuscle is your best insurance

(01:40):
policy against aging, howstrength training isn't just
about lifting weights.
It's about commanding your bodyand your mind and the exact
steps that you need to take toget stronger, more powerful and
more confident, starting today.
So by the end of this episode,you should be fired up to take

(02:01):
action, and if you're seriousabout making a real change, I'll
tell you how you can take thenext step with us inside the
Highly Effective man community.
So let's get into it Now.
I want you guys to imagine twomen in their 50s.
One of them spent yearsgrinding at work, skipping

(02:21):
workouts, eating whatever wasconvenient, telling himself,
yeah, I'll get back in shapewhen 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 hewas in his 30s.

(02:43):
He's weaker than he was when hewas in his 30s, and every year
it's just getting worse.
Now picture the other man.
Same career, same stress, butat some point he made a decision
.
He made a decision that hisbody was not negotiable, that he
was going to train, lift, fuelhis body and treat his muscle

(03:07):
like the priority.
It is Fast forward 10 years.
One man is breaking down andthe other, well, he's still
moving like an athlete strong,confident, capable.
Which one do you want to be?
Because here's what most mendon't realize Muscle isn't just

(03:29):
for the young.
It's the foundation for stayingstrong, capable and confident
for life.
And science backs this up.
Okay, because after 30, menlose 3% to 5% of their muscle
mass per decade if they don'ttrain.
So when you have less muscle,you have a lower.

(03:51):
So when you have less muscle,you have a lower metabolism, you
have less energy and you're athigher risk for injury and lower
testosterone.
Strength training boosts yourmetabolism, prevents disease and
keeps you feeling like apowerhouse, even if you're in
your 50s, 60s and beyond.
But more than that, muscle's amindset, because when you push

(04:14):
your limits in the gym, when youfight for one more rep, when
you show up day after day andyou command the weight instead
of letting it command you, thatbleeds into every area of your
life.
So how do we build muscle theright way?
You know we're not just tryingto get big, you know, do

(04:39):
bodybuilding, competitions oranything like that, but we do
want to get powerful and we wantto be dangerous.
So this week, in the HighlyEffective man, we're using
somewhat of a hybrid strengthapproach that combines
powerlifting with somehypertrophy, with some endurance
, because you need all of that.
Right, the powerlifting helpswith max strength.
Right, you work on some heavyweights, compound lifts,

(05:02):
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.
So you're using like a moderateweight, typically higher reps,
and that helps add muscle sizeand endurance.
So this means you're going totrain with big lifts, the squat,

(05:24):
the bench, the deadlift, todevelop that raw strength.
And then you'll hit accessorywork with pull-ups, dips, lunges
, to help add muscle.
And then you focus on power andspeed with sprints, kettlebell
swings, anything that'sexplosive, that's going to help
you be more athletic.
And none of this works withoutdialing in nutrition, right.

(05:46):
So we got to talk aboutnutrition.
If we dialing in nutrition.
Right.
So we got to talk aboutnutrition if we want to build
muscle.
Right, and all the guys rightnow they're hitting one gram of
protein per pound of body weightand they're fueling with carbs
around workouts for energy,right, making sure they have
enough energy to do the workoutsand then hydrating at least
half of the body weight inounces.

(06:09):
So train hard, eat smart andrecover well, because what you
do in the gym isn't just aboutlooking good, it's about being
the man who can handle anythingthat life throws at him.
And let's be honest, most men,they'll quit before they even
start right.
How many times have you heardsomebody say like I don't have

(06:31):
time, or I'm too old, or my bodycan't handle lifting anymore?
And that's exactly why theystay weak because your mind will
quit before your body ever does.
Look, I've trained for war.
I've trained for elitecompetition.
I've trained to survivesituations most people would

(06:57):
walk away from, and the onetruth that I have learned is
that your body is capable of farmore than your mind wants to
believe.
Your mind will try to shut youdown, but when you keep pushing,
you start to learn about whatyour limits truly are.
So when you think I can't, youneed to override that thought.

(07:20):
When your muscles burn and yourbrain says that you've had
enough, you push a little harder.
You push for one more rep,right?
You learn to expect it and knowthat it's coming.
So you don't freak out whenyour muscles start to burn,
because every time you stepunder that bar, you're either

(07:40):
reinforcing weakness or you'rebuilding strength.
So here's the deal you don't getstrong by thinking about it,
right.
You get strong by showing upDay after day.
Right now, you have two choicesNumber one, you can keep doing

(08:03):
what you've always done, keepwatching your strength fade and
keep making excuses.
Or, number two, decide thattoday is the day that you're
going to commit to buildingmuscle, building power and
reclaiming your edge.
And if you're ready for optiontwo, I've got your back Inside

(08:27):
the Highly Effective mancommunity.
We're training together, we'repushing 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'syou, I want you to join us.
Okay, the link will be in theshow notes below.
Now, if you found value in thisepisode, please share it with

(08:52):
another man that you think needsto hear it.
Subscribe, save it, leave acomment.
And, other than that, now it'stime to go train, go build
muscle, go become the man youwere meant to be.
Until next time, stay strong,stay disciplined and stay highly

(09:12):
effective.
Let's go.
Thanks for tuning in to theHighly Effective man podcast.
If you found value today, hitthat subscribe button and stay
connected.
I want to invite you to join myincredible community, the
Highly Effective man.
The link is in the show notesbelow.
It's a powerful space whereyou'll find support,
accountability and camaraderiewith men who are committed to

(09:35):
growth and living purposefully.
And your voice matters, soleave a review and share your
thoughts and help us reach moremen just like you.
Together, let's elevate ourlives and become the best
versions of ourselves.
Stay highly effective.
See you next time.