Bryan Krahn

You have more wisdom than you did when you were a young man from all your years of experience-but in some settings, like the gym, you'll need to adjust your behavior to keep up with the changes that happen to your body when you age. That's why <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a26363841/training-after-40-facts-men/" id="9aec4985-8423-34d9-a973-39f288a1946b"> men over 40 should take a slightly different approach to fitness </a> than their younger peers, with an emphasis on careful, calculated programming.

The Men's Health <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a26592873&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="7b609310-bcc2-3648-a6a0-a27dcff6f3e4"> Muscle After 40 </a> book gives you that smart, measured plan you need for your workout as an older man.

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The 12-week fitness guide doesn't give you handicapped workouts with instructions to play it safe-the plan is designed to bring out the best in you while allowing you to rest and recover within your body's capacity. Muscle After 40 is split into 3 distinct phases, each of which consist of 3 weeks where you'll train 3 times.

This is Phase 3, Week 1. Check out <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a26476348/men-over-40-workout-week-1/" id="adea1f3c-7753-3152-a7e6-896950e3f2e1"> Phase 1, Week 1 here </a> and <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a26592873/men-after-40-workout-phase-2/" id="def10c12-57cf-39ee-a568-dc3203d7045c"> Phase 2, Week 1 here </a> .

Now youll train five times a week. Because they arent full-body workouts (more on that in a moment), it should be easier to do workouts on consecutive days without too much fatigue or residual soreness. (Although you might get sore the first time through.)

Along with straight sets and antagonist pairings, youll also do supersets: two exercises for the same muscle group with no rest in between. On some of them youll go straight from the first to the second exercise with no rest, using the same weight where indicated, and do as many reps as you can. Then youll rest before you repeat the superset.

This is the first time Ive specified how long to rest between sets since most workouts include supersets with no rest, and because I want you to attack each set at full strength. When you force yourself to rest a little more than you ordinarily would, youll be surprised at how much stronger you are on the next set.

That said, dont feel obligated to follow the guideline down to the second, especially if you get so bored between sets you start checking your email. If youre ready to lift, lift. My goal is to get you to focus on full recovery between sets and exercises, and see how much more work you can do with that technique.

USA, California, Laguna Niguel, Mature man doing push-ups

Youll end each workout with a bang, completing a challenging finisher that takes you out of your comfort zone. The finisher varies based on the workout, listed under technique on each workout log. Heres how to do them:

On Day 1 and Day 3, youll do 10 kettlebell swings each minute for 10 minutes. Youll need to use a timer or position yourself where you can see a wall clock. With a timer, hit start, do 10 swings, and put the weight down to rest. When the timer hits one minute-exactly 60 seconds after you started the first set-begin the next set, and continue that way until youve completed all 10 sets.

Start off with a modest weight and see how it goes. If youve chosen correctly, by the fifth or sixth set your reps will slow down and youll start to feel like you need more rest between sets. If that doesnt happen until the very end, just use a heavier weight next time. If it happens sooner, by the third or fourth set, its okay to change weights so you can continue with a lighter one.

On these exercises, youre going for a level of total-body fatigue while also building endurance in your posterior chain-glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors, and the stabilizing muscles of your upper back.

On Day 2 and Day 4, youll do 100 pushups in as few sets as possible, using different grip widths. So if you choose a relatively narrow hand position on Day 2 (hands just inside shoulder width), go wider on Day 4 (hands at or just outside shoulder width).

My advice: Dont get too aggressive with your early sets.If you think you can knock out 30 reps on first set, for example, stop after 15. Take a short break, then go for 15 again. When 15starts to feel like a max effort, stop at 10 on the next set.

Try to do a couple more pushups per set in subsequent weeks, with fewer total sets to reach 100.

I almost never give readers or clients a specific strength target. But this is an exception. On Day 5, Id like you to finish your workout with farmers walks, holding much heavier weights than youd probably choose for yourself. For men, the goal is 50 percent of your bodyweight in each hand. For women its 25 percent. So the men will walk 25 yards per set with a total of 100 percent of their weight, and women will use a total of 50 percent.

I know its a pretty tough challenge but when you have a goal to aspire to, youll increase your loads faster than you other-wise would. Even if you dont hit the target, I think youll be impressed by your own strength at the end of the program.

You get to pick your favorite squat variation on Day 1. Make sure its one you can do with high intensity, great form, and no discomfort in your knees or back.

A. Squat Variation

3 sets of 6 to 8 reps; 3 minutes rest (see note above about variations)

This 5-Day Workout Plan Will Challenge Men Over 40

B1. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

3 sets of 8 to 10 reps; 90 seconds rest

B2. Bulgarian Split Squat

C. Standing Row to Neck

3 sets of 12 to 15 reps; 45 seconds rest

D. Calf Raise on Leg Press Machine

Finisher: Kettlebell Swing

10 reps every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 10 minutes

A1. Dumbbell Bench Press

3 sets of 6 to 8 reps; 60 seconds rest

A2. Dumbbell One-Arm Row

3 sets of 8 to 10 reps; 60 seconds rest

B1. Lateral Raise

B2. Dumbbell Seated Shoulder Press with Neutral Grip

3 sets of max reps; 90 seconds rest

C1. Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown

C2. Lat Pulldown

D1. Incline Hammer Curl

D2. Hammer Curl

E1. EZ-Bar Skull Crusher

E2. EZ-Bar Close-Grip Bench Press

Finisher: Pushup

Reach 100 reps in as few sets as possible

Day 3: Lower Body (Deadlift Focus)

A. Trap Bar Deadlift

3 sets of 8 to 10 reps; 3 minutes rest

B. Leg Press with Constant Tension

3 sets of 12 to 15 reps; 2 minutes rest

3 sets of 12 to 15 reps; 60 seconds rest

C2. Leg Extension

3 sets of 12 to 20 reps; 60 seconds rest

D1. Seated Calf Raise

3 sets of 15 to 20 reps; 30 seconds rest

As you get older, the way you approach life changes.

The Men's Health <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a26476348&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="cee97edb-b904-3c8b-aaf5-20b8e42634d9"> Muscle After 40 </a> book gives you that smart, measured plan you need for your workout as an older man.

This is Phase 2, Week 1. Check out <a href="https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a26476348/men-over-40-workout-week-1/" id="adea1f3c-7753-3152-a7e6-896950e3f2e1"> Phase 1, Week 1 here </a> .

Youll train four times per week for four weeks, working the upper body on Day 1 and Day 3, and the lower body on Day 2 and Day 4. Its set up for a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday workout schedule, but if you find that back-to-back workouts leave you too sore or fatigued to get the most out of both workouts, its fine to add a day of rest. Its always better to listen to your body, even if you need an extra week to finish the phase.

Some exercises will be unfamiliar. Embrace the novelty, and dont put any pressure on yourself to hit any particular performance standard. Some of the exercises require lightweights, while on others youll want to master the form before you get aggressive with the load.

Most of the movements are now combined into antagonist pairings-two exercises that work opposing muscles-biceps and triceps, for example, or chest and back. Youll do the exercises in each pairing as alternating sets-a set of A1, rest, a set of A2, rest, etc., until you finish all the prescribed sets for that particular pair. Then youll move on to B1 and B2 and complete the sets in that pair, and so on.

Youll only use the sets across method for the A1 exercise in each workout. Remember the difference: With sets across, you use the same weight for every set, and only increase it when you reach max reps in every set, with reps left in the tank on most sets. On the other exercises, increase the weight when you can exceed the rep range for 2 or 3 reps.

With the antagonist pairings, you can start the second exercise whenever youre ready, but it shouldnt be immediately after you put down the weights from your first exercise. You should do the first one with enough effort that you need at least a few seconds to catch your breath.

A1. Dumbbell Standing One-Arm Shoulder Press with Neutral Grip

Stay Fit After 40 With This Workout Program

A2. Lat Pulldown

B1. Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip

B2. Dumbbell One-Arm Row

C. Lateral Raise

D1. Hammer Curl

D2. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

A. Barbell Front Squat

B1. Dumbbell Split Squat

B2. Lying Leg Curl

C1. Ab Wheel Rollout

C2. Standing Calf Raise

A1. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

A2. Dumbbell Incline Chest-Supported Row

B. Half-Kneeling One-Arm Angled Press

C1. Dumbbell One-Arm Incline Lateral Raise

C2. Dumbbell Rear-Delt Raise

D2. Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension

A1. Rack Deadlift

A2. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

C1. Seated Calf Raise

C2. Bench Kneeup

The Men's Health <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650?source=_ed_&amp;utm_campaign=_ed_&amp;utm_content=a26363841&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=menshealth.com" id="14fda7df-e784-3061-a806-be4f40a4790c"> Muscle After 40 </a> book gives you that smart, measured plan you need for your workout as an older man.

If you know what works best for you, keep doing it. That said, if what you do is walk into the weight room and start lifting with no warmup at all, I predict it wont work for much longer. The older you get, and the more miles you put on the chassis, the trickier it is to get your body ready for a good workout.

Your warmup should at least have these two components:

<ul><li> A general warmup to increase core temperature, heart rate, and blood flow. Youll probably need more time for this if you train in the morning versus the evening, or winter versus summer. Light cardio, mild calisthenics, mobility exercises, or some combination will to the trick. </li><li> A specific warmup for the first exercise, or pair of exercises, in your workout. Again, this can be a comprehensive mobility routine, a few practice sets of the exercise with light weights, or a combination of both. </li></ul>

Man concentrates on his work out in a gym.

This program requires basic equipment youll find in most commercial gyms. Dont worry if your gym doesnt have everything on the list. Its easy to substitute similar exercises.

Full range of dumbbells, including weights that seem much heavier than anything youd consider lifting right now

<ul><li> Barbells (Olympic and EZ curl) and weight plates </li><li> Flat and incline benches </li><li> Landmine </li><li> Squat rack </li><li> Cable tower </li><li> Leg press, leg extension, and leg curl machines(calf raise machine is optional) </li><li> Kettlebells </li><li> Ab wheel </li></ul>

You'll train three times a week for four weeks. Most will use the classic Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule. Remember to include at least one full day of rest between workouts. Youll do each exercise as straight sets, completing all the sets of one exercise before moving onto the next.

For the first exercise on Day 1 (dumbbell incline bench press) and Day 2 (trap-bar deadlift) youll use the sets across method, which means youll use the same weight for all your work sets. (Its the opposite of ramping sets, in which you use a heavier weight on each set, building up to a final set with a max weight.) With the sets across method, you dont increase the weight until you hit all the reps on every set.

Lets say youre doing 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps. After doing a warmup set with a lighter weight, you select a weight you figure you can lift 10 times. You easily complete 8 reps the first set, and couldve done at least two or three more. On the second set, you also get 8 reps, although this time you only have one or two left in the tank. On the third set, you can only complete 7.

Portrait of smiling man holding barbell in gymnasium

The next week, you use that same weight for all your sets, with the goal of getting 8 good reps on each one. More important, you feel like you couldve completed at least one or two more on every set. That means youre cleared to increase the weight by 2.5 to5 percent for the following week.

With the rest of the exercises in Phase 1 that are not indicated as using the sets across method, you can use more weight on subsequent sets if your first-set weight was too light and you easily completed all the reps. Increase the weight when you exceed the range by 2 or 3 reps on every set. So if the workout calls for 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps, and you hit 17 or 18 on the final set, use a heavier weight the next time you do that exercise.

In Phase 1 and Phase 2, I dont specify how to long to rest between sets or exercises. Here area couple of guidelines to follow:

<ul><li> Dont start a set while youre still catching your breath from the last one. You want to feel like youre at full strength each time you pick up the weights. </li><li> If you feel like you can go straight into the second or third set of an exercise without any rest at all, its a good sign you arent pushing yourself hard enough. Either the weight is too light, or youre doing the exercise in a way that isnt putting tension on the targeted muscles. </li></ul>

Youll see some progressions in volume within the workouts, specifically the number of sets. With some exercises, youll increase the number of sets (from 2 to 3) after Week 1. Then, in Week 4, youll decrease volume across the board, doing 2 sets of every exercise to give your muscles a break before starting Phase 2.

Want the full program? Check out <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650" id="d72bd45b-75f3-3665-a5ca-49e2222ddcaa"> Muscle After 40 </a> before you get started with Phase 1.

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press

Seated Cable Row

Dumbbell Incline Triceps Extension

Trap Bar Deadlift

Dumbbell Split Squat

Dumbbell Bench Press with Neutral Grip

Dumbbell One-Arm Row

Dumbbell Rear-Delt Raise

Standing Calf Raise

Rope Hammer Curl

Build Muscle After 40 With This Full Body Workout Plan

I started paying more attention to the many dishonest ways fitness in general, and strength training especially, is sold to men and women over 40. It starts with the generalization that everyone over 40 is in the same condition and has the same goals.

At one extreme are bullshit claims that age is just a number. This crowd promotes powerlifting and CrossFit and obstacle course racing to people who put themselves at risk of serious injury if they jump into them without a solid base of muscular fitness.

Those at the other extreme assume that everyone over 40 is a mess; that theyre either out of shape or broken down; that they arent interested in building muscle or increasing strength or just looking good in the mirror; that theyre so time-challenged that each half-hour workout must cover every aspect of fitness-strength, cardio, and flexibility.

Lets start with a look at whats real and what isnt, and how you can use a program like <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650" id="d8c9f662-022f-3d96-a95f-32853386d9cc"> Men's Health Muscle After 40 </a> for your own unique body.

How to Make the Most of Your Workouts After 40

<h1> The Facts About Training After 40 </h1>

USA, California, Laguna Niguel, mature man lifting heavy barbell

<ol><li> Sarcopenia is real. You will lose muscle as you get older. But how much you lose, and when you start losing it, are very much under your control. The best defense against sarcopenia is to build as much muscle as you can, and then work everyday to retain it. The best time to start building that muscle is long before now." But if before now isnt an option, now is where well start. </li><li> Your connective tissues have already started to lose some of their elasticity, which means your joints will be less mobile. Thats why your exercise choices are critical. The wrong ones can damage joints, which matters because... </li><li> There are no easy injuries to bounce back from or work through. The days of gritting your teeth and fighting through aches and pains are behind you. </li><li> Even without injuries, your work capacity is starting to decline, along with your ability to recuperate from the work you put in. Those of us in middle age simply cant go balls-out every time we walk into the gym and expect to recover like we could 10 or 20 years ago. It makes much more sense to train more frequently, but to inflict less damage on your muscles and joints in those workouts. The workouts we do are only as good as our ability to recover from them. No recovery, no benefit. </li><li> Consistency trumps intensity. Unless youre new to lifting, you cant expect to see progress every single workout-to lift more weight, or lift the same weight for more reps, or grind through a higher volume of sets and reps. Think of it like your job: Much of the time, youre just trying to get through the day without falling farther behind. Same with your workouts. As long as you show up and get some training in, thats a win. </li></ol>

Your journey to 40 is not mine, and mine isnt yours. But one thing Ive learned from training clients over 40-and Ive now trained quite a few of them-is that we can all work from the same basic set of principles. I call it intelligent bodybuilding.

Ive been bodybuilding for the past quarter century, and I can attest that, aside from a few cartoon characters, its very much a thinking persons pursuit. Bodybuilding is also the only training system you can pursue for life, with the possibility of improvements at ages when most athletes have called it quits. You wont find a powerlifter who started at 15 and peaked at 40 or beyond. But youll find plenty of bodybuilders who meet that description.

These are the fundamentals of a smart bodybuilding program:

Every week youll do at least one exercise in these categories:

<ul><li> Horizontal push (pushup, bench press, fly) </li><li> Horizontal pull (row) </li><li> Vertical push (overhead press) </li><li> Vertical pull (chinup, pullup, lat pulldown) </li><li> Squat (squat, lunge, leg press) </li><li> Hinge (deadlift, back extension) </li></ul>

The muscles of your shoulder girdle-chest, deltoids, lats, traps-all have multiple responsibilities. Your pectoralis major, for example, does more than push something away from your chest (a movement called shoulder flexion).

It also pulls your arms in toward the midline of your body (adduction), rotates your upper arms inward (internal rotation), and even pulls them to your sides (extension). Different parts of the muscle handle different movements at different angles, which means you need more than pushups and bench presses in your workout program.

Portrait of Caucasian man lifting kettlebell

Everyone agrees that a great workout program should be built around compound, multi-joint exercises like squats, lunges, deadlifts, presses, and rows. They use the most muscle in movement patterns that replicate real-life activities like running, jumping, lifting, climbing, pushing, and pulling. But isolation movements like curls, press downs, flies, and lateral raises are also important. There are a few reasons why I think older lifters should do more isolation work:

Unlike compound movements, they dont consume a lot of energy, which means you can push yourself harder and recover faster. Isolation exercises are perfect for those times when you want to crush a couple of sets to failure.

They allow a deep mind-muscle connection. That is, you can go inside the muscle and feel how hard its working-something you cant do with a squat or bench press. Used intelligently, they shore up vulnerable joints with minimal risk of injury.

Used intelligently, they shore up vulnerable joints with minimal risk of injury.

Moderate Loads and Moderate Rep Ranges

Fit male exercising with medicine ball in the gym

I know its a thrill to see your one-rep max go up on a bragging-rights exercise like the bench press or deadlift. Ive experienced it, as every lifelong meathead has. But once youre past 40, theres way too much risk for basically no reward at all in terms of improving your physique.

In this program youll never do fewer than 6 reps per set. Most work will be in the range of 8 to 15 reps, but sometimes itll go as high as 25. Youll get better muscle growth in those ranges, with less risk to your joints and easier recovery.

<ul><li> How will you know youre making progress? A few ways: </li><li> More weight across all your sets within the same rep range </li><li> More reps completed in higher rep ranges </li><li> Better technique, including abetter mind-muscle connection </li><li> A better pump, or just a better overall sense of well-being when you leave the gym after a workout </li><li> A better pace, with less downtime between sets and exercises, allowing you to finish the workout faster without skipping any parts of it </li></ul>

Its fashionable these days to say that there are no bad exercises. But when youre over 40, many exercises should simply be avoided:

<ul><li> Ballistic exercises (kipping pullups, a CrossFit staple; Olympic lifts, especially for high reps or with heavy loads; box jumps and plyometrics) </li><li> Lifts that put your shoulders in mechanically risky positions (dips; behind-the-neck presses and pulldowns; upright rows with a barbell) </li><li> Heavy barbell lifts, which are increasingly stressful to older, less responsive muscles and joints (barbell squats, bench and shoulder presses, deadlifts) </li><li> Heavy triceps extensions, because elbow injuries always take longer to heal than anyone expects </li></ul>

That said, I dont want to be one of those Internet gurus who says every lifter must stop doing X,Y, and Z the minute he or she turns 40, as if every shoulder, hip, and spinal disc has the exact same expiration date.

Take the barbell shoulder press, for example. Its not just a good lift, its a great lift... but only if you can do it well. Most lifters cant, and even some who can may find that it eventually causes more residual joint pain than its worth.

For almost everyone reading this, its much better to use the dumbbell shoulder press and the other overhead lifts in their program.

Want to learn more? Check out the <a href="https://order.hearstproducts.com/subscribe/hstproducts/236650" id="d8c9f662-022f-3d96-a95f-32853386d9cc"> Men's Health Muscle After 40 </a> guide to find out.

Heres how I became an expert on building muscle when youre over 40: I turned 40.

How to Take On Your Workouts After 40

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Bryan Krahn

Articles written by the author

This 5-Day Workout Plan Will Challenge Men Over 40

Stay Fit After 40 With This Workout Program

Build Muscle After 40 With This Full Body Workout Plan

How to Take On Your Workouts After 40