For any person with age, it becomes more and more difficult to withstand physical activity. For people after forty years of age, the usual load becomes too much. This applies to both trained athletes and those who play sports from time to time. Even if you are in very good shape, age sooner or later makes itself felt. Therefore, over time, you have to change your usual sport, deciding what sport you can do at 40-45 for your health.

The heyday of the activity of all processes in the human body occurs at the age of about 30 years. With overcoming the forty-year age limit, all processes in the body occur more slowly:

• Significantly reduced muscle mass and nerve conduction.
• The person becomes less flexible.
• Decreased bone mass. Moreover, this figure in women decreases faster.
• Decreased kidney function.

In addition, with age, the mass of the fatty layer increases, visual acuity and hearing decrease. A person has an imbalance in the development of muscle tissue. A situation arises when some muscles weaken, while others remain strong. All this leads to the fact that the usual daily tasks, for example, walking up the stairs, turning, tilting, etc., become increasingly difficult to perform. Playing sports will help prevent these difficulties.

How to start exercising

Physical activity for people over 40 should be regular, only then they will be really useful. Therefore, first you need to draw up a regimen and decide how many times to practice. You can choose any time for training, but it is best to choose the morning hours. At this time, training will be most effective. Lessons should be at least one hour long. The optimal number of workouts is twice or thrice a week.

It is especially important for women to go in for sports at this age. As a result of hormonal changes in the female body, all processes slow down much faster than in men. Since women's bone mass is rapidly decreasing, the risk of developing dangerous diseases - arthritis, arthrosis, osteoporosis and others - increases.

In addition to mandatory training, it is necessary to change the usual diet. For the most part, the menu should include protein products. They should make up at least 60% of the total diet. Complex carbohydrates should account for about 30% and fats should make up 10%.

If the amount of carbohydrates is too high, it is recommended to increase the intensity of training to prevent the formation of adipose tissue. Since at the initial stage, people over 40 cannot train intensively, it is better to change the diet, giving up sweets, fatty foods, flour products and pasta. These products are best replaced with bran, vegetables and cereals.

In addition, before starting training, it is necessary to conduct a complete examination of the body in order to identify possible contraindications to certain sports. An ECG will show the state of your heart, with the help of ultrasound you can make sure that there are no serious diseases of the internal organs. If you have problems with the spine, be sure to get an MRI to make sure that there is no intervertebral hernia or infringement.

Be sure to take urine and blood tests. This way you can control the level of hemoglobin, lymphocytes and ESR, as well as make sure that there is no inflammation that can be affected by training.

How not to hurt yourself

Many beginners suffer from the “excellent student syndrome” and decide to train beyond measure. This is a very big mistake. You should remember about age and start training gradually, without overdoing it. It is best to use the help of a fitness trainer.

You do not need to train on all the simulators in a row, otherwise you will only harm yourself. Your body should receive only a dosed load that affects certain muscle groups.

Don't take too long breaks between exercises. This will reduce the effectiveness of the workout.

Change your training program every three months.

What is the best sport to do after 40?

If you have firmly decided to take up your sports form and the medical examination did not reveal serious contraindications to this, then it's time to decide on the sport. As a rule, by the age of 40, all people have either been involved in some kind of sport in their youth, or have no sports experience in the past.

The first category of people usually in adulthood returns to the sport that they did in their youth or a sport similar to it, but with a lesser load. If you don’t have a sports past, then it’s better to start with simple and light workouts.

What sport should a man do

By and large, a man can do any sport, regardless of age. Of course, we are not talking about great sports victories. You will exercise to stay healthy. Let's look at the best options:

crossfit

CrossFit is a system of physical training consisting of various high-intensity exercises. It is necessary to start training with this sport gradually. To begin with, load your body minimally. Use light weights and do a few reps. At the same time, you can replace difficult exercises for you with easier options. To strengthen the heart muscle and vascular system, it will be enough to do just 20 minutes at least three times a week. After gaining a sufficient athletic form, the load can be gradually increased.

CrossFit should be started under the guidance of a trainer. An experienced trainer will help you create a workout program that is tailored to your age and fitness level. Having gained some experience, you will already be able to control your loads and create a training program for yourself.

Advantages:

• It doesn't take much time.
• You can work with free weights.
• The system includes a variety of exercises and can replace other types of physical training.

Flaws:

• Too high loads can harm the body.

How to start doing crossfit in a video clip:

Swimming

Swimming has a great effect on the body as a whole. It strengthens the body, tempers and heals. When swimming, the load goes to almost all muscle groups that support the body in the appropriate position. Overcoming the resistance of the aquatic environment, a person has a positive effect on the circulatory and respiratory system.

By swimming, you are protected from the risk of injury. In addition, due to the horizontal position of the body, the load on the heart is reduced and blood circulation improves. This allows you to train harder. Swimming is recommended for the treatment of diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs. This sport is good for the joints and the nervous system. It is best to swim crawl or breaststroke. These styles of swimming provide the most efficient exercise.

Non-injurious sport.

Useful for the treatment of many diseases.

Flaws:

• It is impossible to pump up muscles only by swimming.

About why you should go swimming in the video:

Running is very good for training the heart muscle. By running, you will get results very quickly. For this sport, you do not need to sign up for a gym, you can train anywhere and in any weather. In addition, you can individually choose the load - run at high speed or at a slow pace. As a result of running, the cardiovascular system develops, more oxygen enters the lungs. The body becomes more enduring, extra calories are burned.

Before training, be sure to warm up, as running does not develop muscle flexibility and can enslave them. To keep the body in excellent shape, it is recommended to combine running with other sports.

Advantages:

• Quick results
• There is no need to go to the gym.

Flaws:

• Does not develop flexibility.
• Should be combined with other sports.

Video about what happens to the body while running:

What is the best sport for a woman

It is very important for the weaker sex to keep your body in shape after 40 years. This will help not only to prolong life, but also color it with new colors, make it happy and bright, and allow you to feel all the benefits of adulthood. All that is required of you is to try. In a month you will be able to evaluate the first results and enjoy your excellent health. It is better to take up one of the following sports:

Pilates was created by Joseph Hubert Pilates. His goal was to solve his health problems. The result was a program that helped not only him, but millions of others. These classes are slow, so they are not suitable for a girl who loves active movement. But women over 40 usually like such calm activities, they can also be recommended for pregnant women and as a means to improve the figure after childbirth. During the workout, you will be able to feel all the muscles of the body. As a result, you can significantly improve your spine, which is especially important at this age. After a few months of regular exercise, your posture will straighten up, your stomach will disappear, your joints and ligaments will become flexible.

Advantages:

• Improvement of the spine and strengthening of the muscles.
• The development of the respiratory system.
• Development of flexibility.
• Weight loss and recovery.
• Normalization of the nervous system.
• Non-injurious sport.

Flaws:

• Large loads on the ligaments

Bike

Bicycling is a great cardio workout. According to recent studies conducted at a US university, regular cycling reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by half. In addition, the bike is an excellent prevention of stress. Of course, it is best to ride a bike outdoors in a park or in a forest, but in the absence of such an opportunity, a bike ride can be replaced by training on an exercise bike. If you decide to choose this sport, then start with small loads, take short bike rides over time, gradually increasing the load.

Advantages:

• Development of the cardiovascular system.
• Fight stress.
• Slimming.
• The development of the respiratory system.
• Prevention of varicose veins.

Flaws:

• May be traumatic.

Bicycle for weight loss:

Stretching

Stretching is a special exercise that improves stretching. As a result of these exercises, a lot of oxygen enters the muscles, metabolism and the work of internal organs are activated. Stretching makes the body flexible, elastic and graceful. This is especially useful for a beautiful figure for women. To get a good result, you need to train three times a week for at least half an hour.

Advantages:

• Development of flexibility and plasticity.
• Suitable for weight loss.
• Posture improvement.
• Development of the circulatory system.
• Slowing down the aging process.

Flaws:

• With a sharp increase in load, injury is possible.
• People with joint problems need special care.

Stretching complex for beginners in a video clip:

nordic walking

Nordic walking is now becoming more and more popular. The peculiarity of this type of walking is that while walking you use special sticks. This simple device allows you to include in the training process almost all the muscles of the body. In addition, sticks also allow you to increase the rate of fat burning. The undoubted advantage of this sport is that it has no age restrictions. Nordic walking can be practiced not only after forty years, but also in old age. This type of physical activity is especially popular among European pensioners.

Advantages:

• No age limit
• weight loss
• Improving muscle tone.
• Normalization of blood circulation.
• Reduced stress on joints.
• There are no contraindications.

Flaws:

• Not detected.

About the main mistakes in Nordic walking:

In conclusion, I would like to note that age should not be taken as a sentence. Do not take joint pain and other discomfort as a natural state of affairs. Always remember that sports will help you stay healthy and active for a long time. Going in for sports, you will make your life brighter and more interesting. And your age will remain just a number in your passport.

How to play sports so as not to harm yourself?

Many people in their 40s and beyond think it's too late to build any muscle. Luckily for them, they are wrong and bodybuilding after 40 is possible!

How to pump up after 40 years

Every week I get e-mails from at least a few guys who ask if it's too late for them to build muscle and if it's possible to pump up after 40 years.

Many are pleasantly surprised when I explain that for many it is clear NOT too late, and that I'm constantly working with 50s and even 60s summer men who quickly build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives.

How to gain muscle mass for a man in his 40s and after, how to approach muscle building? Certainly bodybuilding after 40 should be different, they can't train and eat like a 20 year old, right?

Yes, you may be surprised to know that there aren't nearly as many changes as people think.

Let's look at the set muscle mass after 40 years.

Scientifically proven that middle-aged people can build a lot of muscle

One of the first things I say to people who are worried that their age will not allow them to train after 50 years is the results of a study conducted by the University of Oklahoma.

In this study, 24 college students (ages 18-22) and 25 middle-aged adults (ages 35-50) followed the same barbell/dumbbell gym program for 8 weeks.

The researchers used DEXAscanners for pre- and post-workout measurements, and they found that middle-aged people gained as much muscle as their younger counterparts!

In fact, middle-aged people have built up a little more average.

The increase in strength was also comparable:

• Middle-aged people increased an average of 6.5 kg in the bench press, and 18 kg in the leg press.
• Young people gained an average of 3 kg in the bench press, and 25 kg in the leg press

Bodybuilding for those over 60 and after is also quite possible and should not be written off.

These studies clearly answer whether it is possible to build muscle at the age of 50 for a woman or a woman. It showed that people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and older can also build significant amounts of muscle and increase strength, and doing this is actually great way in the fight against the deterioration of health usually associated with age.

These studies are consistent with my experience of working with hundreds of men and women aged 40-70. One by one, they are able to build noticeable muscle, improve their shape, and improve their overall health and well-being. In many cases, they can achieve the best shape of their lives by gaining muscle after age 40.

How to gain muscle mass after 40 - workouts for older people

If you're middle-aged and excited to find out if it's possible to pump up after 40, which isn't too late, you might be wondering what's the best way to do it.

Fortunately, age doesn't change much in terms of training, but there are a few things you should be aware of.

• Although I am a big weight advocate, you have to be careful.

Working with heavy and medium weights is absolutely The best way to build muscle and strength. But it also depends on your body - it causes significant damage to your muscle fibers and puts a huge strain on your joints.

You should not be afraid of heavy weights when exercising, even if you are 50 or 60 years old, but if you are not an experienced athlete, I advise you to start training in the 8-10 rep range and stay there until you feel that the exercises with this weight are given easily.

You can then move up to the 6-8 rep range and work until you feel completely stable and comfortable. You can then move up to the 4-6 rep range that I recommend in my strength and muscle building program, but it's not required. You need to watch how your body feels.

• Don't ignore back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, or whatever.

If you have lower back pain, don't deadlift unless your therapist tells you to. The same applies to pain in the knees and squats, and to pain in the shoulders and bench presses (we are talking about the military bench press).

Work with those limits - don't try to break through them or you could injure yourself and leave the gym for months.

• Make sure you are well rested and have time to recover.

Recovery is a huge part of building muscle and exercising in the gym - restoring the muscles and nervous system. If you neglect this and try to give it your all when doing mass-gaining exercises, 7 days a week, you will get overtrained.

While age doesn't actually impair recovery as much as some people think, studies have shown that age can increase recovery time.

The solution is simple: make sure you get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, consume enough protein, and take a week off from training every 6 to 8 weeks.

Nutrition for muscle gain for middle-aged people

I have good news for you: don't worry about yours - he's fine.

(Do you keep spending money on fat burners that don't even work?)

A common concern among middle-aged people is that it is almost impossible for them to lose weight or gain muscle. It is not true.

It is true that age slows down metabolism somewhat, but most of that is actually caused by lean mass (muscle) loss.

Muscle burns calories and we naturally lose muscle as we age so our body burns fewer and fewer calories over time. The good news is that you can completely reverse this process with consistent, hard training—it's NEITHER inevitable or "irrecoverable."

Therefore, if you are looking for a way to lose weight and you do not have a serious metabolic disorder (such as metabolic syndrome), you will simply do what we all do to lose weight:

• Keep yourself in a slight calorie deficit
• Train properly
• Be patient

If you have any questions about gaining muscle mass after 40, ask them in the comments below!

If you liked what I said about bodybuilding after 50, subscribe to my free newsletter and every week I will send you amazing, evidence-based health and fitness tips, delicious recipes, motivational materials, and much more.

Top 5 most useful exercises for men over 40

It turns out that a return can give you the body of your dreams. To pump up, follow the set of workouts presented, presented below.

• Duration - 45
• Exercises - 5
• Equipment - barbell and dumbbells

Toning (or keeping in shape) after 40 has one primary goal: to improve basic range of motion and body mechanics. In other words, returning your body to feel comfortable and strong with the movements it should naturally perform is the key - and something that many men over 40 have never learned. In your youth, this may not bother you, but by the age of 40, your ligaments and tissues are no longer so elastic, which leads to various disorders.

You need to master a few basic exercises that allow your body to be always ready to perform any movement. (This refers to training to help carry groceries or grandchildren, bounce during active outdoor play, or put a suitcase on the top shelf). Five universal exercises that can prepare you for active training or just pump up are:

• box squats are a type of forced squat where you have to carefully control the basic hip flexion-extension movement;
• front squats - require maintaining a straight body position and a normal range of motion, here you develop athletic skills that will be useful to you in other sports;
• deadlift - allows you to pump the flexors and extensors of the hip joint while maintaining the stability of the spine in the slope;
• military press - develops the ability to do something, holding hands above the head, makes us group the torso under the action of weights, in addition, jerky movements above the head involve the muscles of the whole body;
• bench press - trains shoulder extension, which is the end point of the amplitude in pushing movements, swimming, rowing and many other types of activity.

And even though all these exercises are rather prosaic, with their help you are guaranteed to develop strength to the required level. In each of these movements, you can progress indefinitely. More importantly, mastering them will help reduce the risk of injury, loss of muscle mass and the growth of the proverbial "beer belly".

You can perform this complex in the gym or at home, main secret obtaining maximum results - in regularity.

And do not forget to dilute the training with cardio exercises, other activities and your favorite hobbies. Ride a bike, go for a walk with friends, swim in a kayak, splash in the pool, do whatever - and then come home and start training. You will quickly realize that after squats, your hips began to work better.

Training program

Perform three times a week. Start with an empty bar, 10kg kettlebell, and 10kg dumbbells. Each time during the training, add 2 kg in each exercise.

Warm up

Alternate between jogging, jumping jacks, rowing, and stationary biking until you sweat.

Lesson plan

Exercise 1. Box Squats You will need: dumbbells		5 approaches		5 repetitions		---
		More secure than classic
Exercise 2. Front Squats You will need: barbell		5 approaches		5 repetitions		---
		Pump your legs and back
Exercise 3 Deadlift You will need: barbell		5 approaches

Ecology of health: Over time, you may notice changes in your body. Aging can come in a pattern, but with exercise...

Exercising and staying in shape have many benefits. Exercise reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease, helps you sleep better at night, fight fatty liver disease, maintain weight, and look and feel younger.

There are very few downsides to exercise. The body is provided with joints for movement, and health in the process of movement improves. Studies have also shown the overall effectiveness of high interval training (HIIT) compared to regular cardio exercise.

HIIT has an added benefit- they increase human growth hormone (HGH), which is not achieved with the help of "regular" cardio exercises. Increasing HGH levels helps reduce insulin resistance and improve your ability to maintain a healthy weight.

Plus, HIIT only takes a few minutes of your time, not hours of cardio work.

What happens after 40 years?

Over time, you may notice changes in your body. Aging may follow a pattern, but, with exercise and proper nutrition, the coming years can only bring you pleasure.

From the moment you are born until your 30s, your muscles are continually getting bigger and stronger. But starting around the age of 30, you begin to lose muscle mass by 3-5 percent every ten years if you don't exercise. The medical term for this phenomenon is sarcopenia of aging.

Even if you are active, you will not stop losing muscle mass, but it will happen much more slowly. The changes may be due to neurological fluctuations from the brain to the muscles that trigger movement, loss of nutrition, decreased ability to synthesize protein, or reduced levels of growth hormone, testosterone, or insulin.

Biological changes associated with aging can also affect reflexes and coordination.

You may have noticed that your body is not responding the way it used to.

You may find it harder to get off the couch, walk up the stairs with your groceries, or go for a bike ride. With age, the body becomes more stiff and unstable, and the muscles become more flabby.

This loss of muscle mass will also affect how your body looks and reacts. The redistribution of muscle to fat will affect your balance. Due to the decrease in the volume of muscles in the legs and the stiffness of the joints, it will become more difficult to move around.

Changes in body weight and bone loss can also affect height. After age 40, people tend to lose about 1 cm in height every 10 years.

Use it or lose it

The old adage "use it or lose it" holds true when it comes to physical ability. When you lose muscle, it tends to be replaced with fat. Although the weight may increase slightly, you may appear to be much larger, because fat will take up 18 percent more space in your body than muscle.

Fortunately, it's never too late to start exercising and taking care of your muscles. This was demonstrated by a unique study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

The study began in 1966 when researchers asked five healthy 20-year-old subjects to spend three weeks in bed. Devastating changes in their heart rate, muscle strength, blood pressure, and cardiac output were noted.

After a further eight weeks of exercise, all participants regained their fitness levels and even improved somewhat.

The results of this study initiated changes in medical practice, encouraging people to return to physical activity after illness and surgery. Thirty years later, the same five men were asked to take part in another study.

Their baseline fitness and health measures showed an average weight gain of 23 kilograms, a doubling of body fat from 14 percent to 28 percent, and a decrease in heart function compared to measurements taken at the end of the study in 1966. year.

These people were put on a six-month program of walking, cycling and jogging, which resulted in a modest weight loss of 4.5 kilograms.

However, their resting heart rate, blood pressure, and maximum pumping function returned to their baseline levels measured when they were first enrolled in the study, at age 20. Surprisingly, exercise has been able to reverse 30 years of age-related changes.

Start with flexibility and balance

In her book Fitness After 40, orthopedic surgeon and mobility specialist Dr. Vonda Wright recommends people over 40 years of age exercise not more, but smarter. And the first reasonable step would be improved flexibility and balance. Both of these physical factors suffer from muscle loss and joint stiffness as they age.

CNN quoted Dr. David Guyer, former director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina at Charleston, and spokesman for the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine:

“Flexibility is the third pillar of fitness, along with cardiovascular adaptation and strength training.”.

Flexibility will help reduce injury, improve balance, and achieve optimal fitness levels. foam roller, one of Dr. Wright's favorite tricks, does double duty. It will not only help improve flexibility, but also relieve muscle and connective tissue adhesions.

Foam rollers are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased online or at your local department or sporting goods store. Dr. Wright recommends using the roller in the morning, after a hot shower, to help relax and stretch your muscles and joints throughout the day.

She and I also agree that dynamic stretching is a much safer method that produces better results than static stretching. Static stretching can, in fact, damage muscles and tendons, which may be why studies show deterioration in muscle performance, especially when stretched for 60 seconds or more.

Static stretching involves stretching the muscle completely and holding it in that position for 15 to 60 seconds, such as touching your toes; dynamic stretching, on the other hand, involves movement, such as lunges, squats, or circular movements of the arms, to achieve the flexibility of muscle groups.

The benefits of dynamic stretching include:

• great strength,
• reduction of injuries
• improved coordination and balance,
• effective neuromuscular activation.

It means that dynamic stretching to help address your need for improved flexibility and balance. Part of the problem is that the neuromuscular junctions that help maintain balance begin to break down with age. Try to stand on one leg without holding onto anything. It will be more difficult than you think.

An easy daily way is to do dynamic stretching with a foam roller and practice standing on one foot and then on the other every other day. Very soon you will notice improvements in both flexibility and balance.

Foam roller: errors

While easy to use, there are some mistakes you can make with a foam roller that can be painful in the long run. Pay special attention to these five mistakes that can set you back instead of moving you forward.

1. Exercise speed

It is easy to quickly complete the exercise - one or two and you're done. But doing it slowly will help your muscles relax and get rid of the adhesions that are causing problems. Fast execution will not get rid of adhesions, but it can tighten the muscles, which is exactly the opposite of the desired result.​

2. Too much time spent on knots

This is the case when "more" does not mean "better". Applying constant pressure to an already affected area can cause muscle or nerve damage. Give the damaged area no more than 20 seconds, and then move on. Also, do not apply your whole body weight to the injured area.

3. “No pain, no results” doesn’t apply here.

Weak and painful areas may not respond well to foam rolling exercises. Instead, it is important to knead the surrounding area to help break up surrounding adhesions and relax the muscles in an attempt to reduce the pain response. After that, you can slowly, gently roll the roller for 20 seconds over the painful area, giving the muscles time to relax.

4. Poor posture

Posture is not only important when you are standing or sitting. It is also important when performing exercises with a foam roller. If you do not pay attention to the position of the body when performing certain movements, you can exacerbate existing problems. Seek help from a personal trainer who will help you determine the correct body position when you "roll out" tension and muscle pain.

It doesn't matter if you have pain in the lower back - in any case, this is a sensitive area of ​​​​your body. If you apply the roller on the lower back, the muscles will tighten to protect the spine. Instead, use the roller on your upper back, waist, or buttocks and thighs. The exercises will have a beneficial effect on the lumbar support muscles in both of these areas.

Change your strength training

When you were younger, you may have been going to the gym to lift weights all the time. But, with age, you need to monitor functional strength, and not the strength of an isolated muscle group. Functional strength is all about improving your ability with the muscle groups you normally use in your daily life.

In other words, the leg press machine will help you build impressive quads, but without working on the strength of the quadriceps-balancing muscles, like your hamstrings, you won't be able to improve your ability to climb stairs.

Functional strength training is training during continuous movement. All the activities that you do every day, such as walking, climbing stairs, getting up and down from a chair, lifting, pushing, tilting, turning, pulling, are performed in three different planes.

• When you move along the midline of your body, right to left or left to right, movements cross the sagittal (vertical) plane.
• When your body moves forward or backward - movements cross the frontal plane.
• And when the body moves up and down an imaginary line at the waist - transverse plane intersects.

Functional strength training is a coordinated effort of several muscle groups that mimics everyday activities, rather than training an isolated muscle group. You can perform these activities with free weights, medicine balls, and kettlebells, all of which will work your body in multiple planes, using multiple muscle groups. published

Bodybuilding after 40 can help you look and feel younger.

If you're over 40 and don't exercise, you stand a good chance of getting a host of nasty diseases that can ruin the rest of your life: cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

However, and it is good to know, simple training and proper nutrition can prevent and even cure all these diseases. Even simple walks and other activities like gardening can make a huge difference.

Closer to 40 years, the duration of life begins to acquire more and more importance for us. You will no longer drive as fast as before, and you begin to think more about health. You begin to avoid fights and pay more attention to increasing your own waistline. By the age of 40, a man or woman who has never in her life begins to show unequivocal signs of premature aging.

In a physically undeveloped organism, muscle aging sets off a chain reaction that leads to the disruption of functions that were considered completely unshakable.

Suddenly, the usual flight of stairs makes your pulse jump; you cannot pull yourself up more than three times; blood pressure rises and metabolic rate falls; the work of the heart becomes difficult, as the blood vessels lose their elasticity and tone; bone mass falls; flexibility falls and injuries pour in one after another; you already need glasses to read (eye muscles also fail).

bodybuilding after 40

If you cross this line without any training, then - very soon - you will certainly become someone's patient! You need an exercise and nutrition program. Of course, first of all, seek the advice of a doctor, and - go ahead! The fact is that a routine examination can reveal hidden symptoms of diseases that can affect your training.

Aging is inevitable for every person. With the advent of age, human organs lose their elasticity, cartilage functions change in his joints, the amount of protein and moisture decreases. There is a decrease in muscle mass, metabolism decreases and the process of testosterone production slows down. And recovery after physical training is a long process. It is for this age that this program training for someone over 40 in the gym.

The program does not include basic exercises, as they can be harmful to health. There are no circuit training and complex supersets in this program. There is no axial load, and also no support load in the slope. And at the end of the article, tips on pumping from Arnie!

To avoid spinal injuries, an athletic belt should be used.

This one for someone over 40 is designed to visit gym three times a week, as usual, alternating training with rest days.

Let's talk about some exercises of this complex

Stretching is one of the most effective exercises, which allows you to maintain a healthy spine. It should be performed so that the total number of repetitions is approximately 20-30 times. The number of approaches directly depends on your physical condition. If you can do 3 sets with 10 reps, great, if not, increase the number of sets, but reduce the number of repetitions.

Lifting dumbbells for biceps. Do this exercise while sitting to secure your lower back and avoid cheating.

Lifting dumbbells through the sides should be performed no higher than the shoulders.

One of the hardest exercises in this program is the bench press. Don't use a lot of weight to do it. Do not lean back while doing this.

In this complex there are supersets.

Before working with weights, perform a warm-up approach with a weight one time lighter than the main one.

Keep in mind that moderate strength training, lack of stress and rest have a beneficial effect on health, especially at a critical age.

Be sure to warm up your joints before working with weights. Now practice.

Workout program for over 40

Day #1

• Pull up. 3 sets of max reps.

• Rod pull on a support. 3 sets of 10 reps.

Superset:

• Pull the upper blocks down with straight arms. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Thrust of the upper block behind the head. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Breeding dumbbells on a support. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Shrugs with dumbbells. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Lifting dumbbells for biceps while sitting. 3 sets of 10 reps.

• Rise for biceps to us Scott's bench. 3 sets of 12 reps.

Day #2

• Leg press in the simulator. 3 sets of 10 reps.

• Leg extension in the simulator. 3 sets of 15 reps.

• Bending the legs lying in the simulator. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Calf sitting. 3 sets max reps.

• Lifting dumbbells while standing through the sides. 3 sets of 12 reps, 3 sets of 8 reps.

• Alternate pull of a dumbbell to a belt in an inclination. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Bench press standing. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• Lifting dumbbells in front of you while standing. 3 sets of 8 reps.

Day #3

• Incline dumbbell bench press. 1 set with light weight, 3 sets of 10 reps.

• Reduction of hands in a crossover on the upper blocks. 4 sets of 12 reps.

• Reduction of hands in the simulator. 4 sets of 12 reps.

• Push-ups from the bench. 3 sets of 12 reps.

• French bench press. 3 sets of 12 reps.

Superset:

• Triceps on the block down. 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

• Push-ups from the floor narrow. 3 sets max rep.

At the end of your workout, stretch the involved muscle groups.

We hope you enjoy this training program!

Train!

Good luck!

Can't gain muscle mass even though you train hard? Do not engage anything other than two muscle groups: legs and back. The rest of the muscles give a very weak increase in mass. Amateurs often have lagging legs, and it is they who give mass. How to pump up legs of decent size?

Consider Tom Platz. How can you build legs like his? But with just one exercise! And it's squats! You also need to know how to do them right. Amateurs don't grow their legs because they don't know that squats take some getting used to. In addition to the legs, a large number of other muscles work in this exercise, the whole body is in tension. But at first, the small stabilizing muscles are relaxed. Just as riding a bike takes some getting used to, squats take some getting used to. It is difficult for a beginner to squat with a barbell because it is difficult to maintain balance, and not because of weak legs.

How long does it take to get used to squats? 2-3 months minimum. When you do a very heavy approach and feel pleasure from it, this will be a sign that you are finally used to them.

Training rules

So, once a week or for 10-12 days, train your legs only with squats. Don't go to total failure. Your first goal on the path to pumped legs is to make your legs stronger. You will not get beautiful quadriceps if you squat 40 kg. It is necessary to reach a working weight of 150 kg at least. Then it will be possible to work on the mass.

To increase leg strength in squats, do one set of 4-6 reps. At each training, try to squat with a weight of 5-7 kg more.

Warm up well first! Now with a small weight we perform 8-10 repetitions so that 2-3 repetitions remain in stock. Increase the weight and do 6-8 reps, and leave 2-3 reps in reserve. And now the working approach. We put the weight and do 4-6 times with a safety net of a partner or in a power rack. Well, how? It goes well? Then we put on 5-7 kg more weight and move away from the bar for a little rest. Remember, no talking, you have to mentally get together, tune in to a hard approach. We squat with the maximum number of repetitions, however, we leave 1-2 repetitions in reserve, they do not need to be done.

Thus, in the next workout, you will already put the weight that was extreme on this one. It will need to be done 4-6 repetitions. And then add 5-7 kg again. Being engaged in such a scheme, your legs will add in size well, but the real work on the mass will be after 150 kg. Then you will need to do more repetitions and approaches.

Train the rest of the muscle groups as before. Try to keep your leg and back workouts away from each other. This is necessary so as not to overload the lower back. She needs 3 to 5 days of rest.

If growth stops

If you feel that the growth of the legs and their strength has stopped, reduce the working weight by 15-20% and do squats 1 time in 10-12 days in 1-2 sets of 3-4 repetitions. A few weeks will be a recovery period for your legs. At this time, do deadlifts in the same mode as heavy squats. In traction, you need to reach 160-170 kg. If the deadlift begins to stagnate, do squats again in the same mode.

So, you have learned how to pump up your legs effectively. For a couple of cycles, of course, it will not be possible to reach the level of Tom Platz, but you should not despair, because the mass is not gaining quickly. The most important thing is that you strive for the goal!