I've been thinking about injury prevention and longevity for quite some time. Training load management and recovery from muscle and joint pain is now a priority due to age. Here is my list of priorities, reminders, and protocols that has worked out well for me thus far:

• Do not lift heavy 💩 like in your 20's if you are not in your 20's. Youth rewards the bold and egos destroy the old. Focus on the age bracket biological peaks and valleys, less on the past PR's.
• If not training for any specific event but want to maintain or slowly build fitness: focus more on lighter sessions with higher rep range. More volume will maintain or build fitness overtime and it has less forces to your body (injury prevention). However, heavy sessions will be required but it will be less frequent and targeted (lower reps at heavy load generates higher forces which means higher chances of injury).
• Finding a balance between lighter and heavier sessions will be determined based on the individual goals and fitness level. This part usually takes the most time figuring out or you can stick with the consensus of two sessions per muscle per week, one or two sets per muscle per session, and move up in weight if you are able to recover faster than expected. It's better to start slow than lift heavy until it falls apart.
• When moving up in weight, add 5 kg increments at a time and work on it until you feel like your gains has adapted. You can tell based on the status of your recovery.
• Don't start lifting heavy without warming up. Perform mobilization techniques to bias the joints and muscle for optimal performance and increase range of motion.
• I am not a fan of PR'ing as it doesn't align with long tail objectives. If that is part of your fitness goals, go for it. I'd much prefer tracking total load/set/rep over time than PR'ing a single set.
• Observe the broader horizon by seeing how consistently you can show up to the training sessions without feeling like trash or sidelined by injuries.
• Pro tip: slower eccentric control will help with injury prevention and maximize muscle growth with less effort. Don't be those guys who rapidly lift and dump weights. Focus on technique.
• Pro tip 2: briefly pause at the bottom of the lift to get the deep stretch and strengthing range of motion. As you age, you will lose mobility and flexiblity so it's best to keep it as flexy as possible. Side bends is a general indicator of how much time was put into mobility work.
• Pro tip 3: build a specific training routine and start tracking it. This will keep you on track of training loads and responses to determine if you can safely maintain, increase the load, or need additional rest days. Ideally, your training plan would be segmented into training blocks so you don't need to think too hard about it. Lastly, you don't have all day to spend time at a gym so make the best out of the training routine that maxes out 1.5 hours on average. Training with heavy fatigue on easy days won't do you any good and increase chance of injury over the long term. Train smarter, not harder.
• Resting is key to cap gains at the end of a training block. Resting for a longer stretch of time is also needed after a long repetitive training block.
• Don't care about training blocks? The general advice is deloading every 4-5 weeks. Deloading phase will help renormalize the sensitivity to training responses and as a result it increases performance for the next training session.
• It's not just about the physical muscular gains, take care of the nervous system as well. When you are not listening to your body and you overreach the limit, stress takes a toll and delays max performance plans even further. Stay within the limits most of the time and overreach when required specifically (don't just wing it).
• Add mobility and stretching into the training routine. It's incredible how stretching under load has helped my long standing pains in my elbow and knees.
• Bulletproofing your knees and ankles is a worthwhile quality of life investment over the long term.
• When 💩 happens and it does in unexpected ways, it's simple, rest longer than usual. When ready, get back into it with lower frequency and volume.
• What about the other stuff that I didn't mention like contrast therapy, massages, eating habits, and blah blah blah. If you think it works, do it. I'm not a health pro, I'm just an avid reader and seeker of knowing what works based on my own results and experimentation.
• Again, stop doing stupid 💩 (It happens but worth reminding anyway 😅).