A guy approaching 40 might have the wallet to score that mid-life crisis Harley-Davidson for a ride on Father's Day, but buying power can't land young muscles. So often it's the middle-aged sports warrior who pulls back on the way to first base clutching a shredded hamstring, or sustains a serious rotator cuff tear on the bench press.

If you're not 20-something anymore, here are few tips to keep you (or your man) resistance training smarter at mid-life and beyond:

• Let Go -- Stop exercises that cause pain, even the favorites you've been doing for 20 years. Add in more functional exercises, such as uniliateral and stability moves.
• Set Smarts -- 100 percent intensity through a set can mean injury. Don't eek out that last rep through pain or compromise form to push limits.
• Stretch Out Goals -- Dave Draper over at Ironman Magazine suggests a more gradual progression in weights and reminds guys to remain solely in competition with yourself at the gym.
• Reduce Workouts -- Stop overtraining. Draper has faced fewer injuries and built strength with a three on/one off schedule versus the six days a week in his younger years. Stretch more, ingest good protein and complex carbs every two to three hours and stay away from that one last rep.

Don't miss Draper's full article, where he shares more ideas on how to train smarter instead of following conventional wisdom's strict cautionary approach to training past 40.