Training Wisdom Across Generations: Insights from Our Community

By Matt Ellingsen, Co-founder of Hypha

As a non-coaching founder at Hypha, one of my greatest privileges is training alongside our members, standing alongside them at the whiteboard and listening to how they respond to each class — witnessing the exchange of knowledge across our multi-generational community, helping each other out. From university students to retirees, each age group brings unique perspectives that enrich our training environment.

Over time, certain patterns of wisdom have emerged from different age groups — insights that often reflect what people wish they'd known earlier in their fitness journeys but also... with admiration, how the younger generation are so much more informed and looking after their bodies at such an early age. And i've been keeping notes :)

In this post, I'd like to share these collective insights, not as individual quotes, but as distilled wisdom we've gathered through countless conversations on the training floor.

The Challenge

One of the most beautiful aspects of fitness is that it's a lifelong journey — yet this means that hindsight becomes one of our greatest teachers. The challenge is learning from others' experiences without having to make every mistake ourselves. This is where our multi-generational community offers something special: the opportunity to learn across decades of collective experience — in both directions.

Wisdom From Our 20s Members

The energy and enthusiasm of our members in their 20s is infectious — I LOVE IT, but their most common reflection is fascinating:

On Building Foundations: Those who've been training through their 20s consistently emphasise the importance of mastering fundamentals. The collective wisdom from this group isn't about going harder — it's about learning proper movement patterns before adding intensity. This blows my mind as this is not where my head was at at their age. Many reflect that they initially resisted this advice, wanting to jump straight to advanced movements, only to later appreciate how quality movement creates long-term progress.

On Recovery: I'm not going to do this one justice... but a common realisation among our 20-something members is the importance of recovery even when it seems unnecessary. Many share that they initially dismissed recovery protocols, knowing or believing their bodies could handle anything. But their is a real understanding that proper recovery habits established early pay dividends later.

Key Insight: "The foundation you build now determines what you can construct later." This sentiment echoes throughout conversations with our younger members who've been training consistently. I have so admiration of our younger members... they're on such a better path that I was at their age.

Wisdom From Our 30s Members

Our members in their 30s — often balancing growing careers and young families — have developed particularly valuable insights about sustainability:

On Consistency Over Intensity: The collective wisdom from this group emphasises that consistent moderate training produces better results than sporadic intense sessions. "You've just got to get there and do something... but not overdo it". Many share how they've had to adjust expectations about workout volume while maintaining non-negotiable minimums.

On Training Efficiency: Those navigating their 30s consistently highlight the value of prioritisation — identifying the core elements that produce the greatest return on investment when time is limited. The focus shifts from "doing everything" to "doing what matters most."

Key Insight: "Sustainability trumps optimisation." This principle emerges repeatedly in discussions with our 30-something community members juggling multiple life demands. Again, I wish my brain had been this smart at this age. I'd have avoided many injuries.

Wisdom From Our 40s Members

Noting the significant physiological changes that occur in our 40s, these members offer perhaps the most transformative perspectives:

On Adaptation: The collective wisdom from this group centres on the importance of listening to your body's changing signals (our female members were particularly vocal about this). They emphasise the value of adjusting training approaches based on recovery capacity and energy levels rather than fighting against natural changes. And note the growing body of research out there to support these changes.

On Prioritising Strength: A consistent theme among our 40-something members is the critical importance of maintaining strength training even when other priorities compete for time. Many express that they've come to see strength work as non-negotiable for maintaining both performance and health.

Key Insight: "Your body will tell you what it needs if you learn to listen." And you can't (or shouldn't) argue with that.

Wisdom From Our 50s Members

Okay... I'm swayed by this group... coz this is me. Our 50-something members bring a wealth of perspective about balance and longevity:

On Movement Quality: The collective wisdom from this group emphasises that how you move becomes more important than how much you move. They highlight that focusing on movement quality has allowed them to maintain activities that peers have had to abandon. And while remaining humble, that feels great.

On Consistency Over Years: Those in their 50s consistently reflect on the power of small, sustainable actions compounded over time. They often observe the stark difference between consistent exercisers and non-exercisers becoming increasingly apparent in this decade. But — and importantly — that it's also never too late to start.

Key Insight: "The goal isn't to exercise forever; it's to move well forever." This principle guides many of our 50-something members' approaches to training and life.

Wisdom From Our 60s+ Members

We've only had a few members in their 60s... but they offer perhaps the most inspiring insights. Bringing perspective that only decades of experience can provide:

On Functional Purpose: This group really focuses on training for functionality over anything else. They also emphasise how they wish they'd started with functional fitness much earlier in their lives. They emphasise how maintaining strength and mobility translates directly to life quality and independence.

On Community Importance: Those in their 60s and beyond consistently highlight how the social aspects of training become increasingly valuable. Many note that the community connection provides motivation that metrics alone cannot sustain.

Key Insight: "Movement is freedom. Movement for life". Ain't that the truth.

Cross-Generational Patterns

What's most fascinating are the insights that emerge consistently across all age groups:

Focus on process over outcomes: Members of all ages who find sustainable success emphasise consistent habits over specific results.

Community matters: Across every decade, those who connect with the community maintain consistency better than those who train in isolation.

Recovery becomes increasingly important: The value of proper recovery is mentioned with increasing emphasis by each successive age group.

Foundation is everything: Every age group expresses appreciation for solid movement foundations, with older groups often wishing they'd prioritized this earlier.

My Perspective

As someone who has trained individuals across multiple decades, I've observed how these collective insights play out in real time. The members who thrive long-term aren't necessarily those who train the hardest—they're the ones who train the smartest and adapt their approach as their bodies change.

What inspires me most is seeing knowledge flow in all directions across our community. Our younger members aren't just learning from older ones—they often bring fresh perspectives that benefit everyone. Our older members don't just share wisdom—they demonstrate what's possible when you approach fitness as a lifelong practice.

At Hypha, we believe that training wisdom shouldn't have to be earned solely through personal trial and error. By creating a community where insights can be shared across generations, we help everyone train more effectively for their current stage of life while preparing wisely for the decades ahead.

I invite you to contribute your own insights and learn from others in our community. The collective wisdom we're building benefits all of us on our fitness journeys, regardless of where we currently are in life's timeline.