As men age, father time starts to have a bigger impact, you feel tired, sluggish, low on motivation…. The list is endless. One of the biggest causes is a natural decline in testosterone production, the hormone which was abundant in your 20s when you felt like you could do anything any time and feel 100%. As you age, maintaining a high testosterone level is crucial, as well as improving your overall health, wellness and vitality, a higher testosterone level is beneficial for strength, muscle gain and fat loss. If you’re ready to reclaim your physical and mental prowess and learn some invaluable knowledge to optimise yourself after 40, keep reading for some essential strategies back by science to unlock your potential.
Embrace Compound Movements
Fat loss, muscle gain & strength are accelerated through a training programme based on effective free weight compound movements. Compound exercises recruit multiple muscles, making them time efficient and more effective than isolation and machine-based exercises.
Some non-negotiable examples are squats, deadlifts, bench press and overhead presses using a barbell or dumbbell. Two essential bodyweight exercises are pull ups and dips. Building a routine around these movements is essential once you are over 40.
Extensive research shows that testosterone is increased via these exercises which promotes lean muscle growth, vital for men aged 40 or above to stay looking strong and lean, and to have a functional body. Training thrice weekly with a minimum of two compound exercises per session is a fantastic starting point.
Embrace Functional Training
These are fundamental movement patterns that you perform daily such as squats, pushes, twists and pull. Training these movements in the gym improves the specific muscular recruitment pattern which enhances your day-to-day functional ability, a double win.
Any type of squat (barbell, dumbbell, isometric hold) will improve your squatting movement pattern, therefore improving your ability day to day to perform said movement when required. As well as being key factors in reducing injury prevalence as we age, scientific studies show training functional movement patterns can enhance muscle coordination and neuromuscular pathways which transfers to a better quality of day-to-day life.
Focus on Core Stability
A strong core is the foundation for whole body strength, power and muscle. Your deep core muscles will stabilise your body during every movement and play a key role in the reduction of lower back injuries.
Isometric unstable exercises such as TRX planks, Swiss ball roll outs and pallof press marches are excellent choices to build a functional rock-solid core.
Your ability to squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press and pull up will be improved with a stronger core. These muscles are imperative to maintaining a solid foundation between the upper and lower body, which allows for more efficient force development and transfer.
At PTLDN, we dedicate time during each warm to prep and strengthen the deep core muscles, perfect to continue to improve your strength, power and muscle size safely.
Implement Progressive Overload
To continually build new muscle tissue and strength, you must gradually overload the muscle over time. This is done via an increased load, volume, density and or intensity of your workouts. A good indicator is to keep a training log and test your strength through a 5-rep max test bimonthly. If you can lift more weight, you have got stronger and you can reprogram your next training period with an increase in one or more of the variables.
Optimize Recovery
Recovery is crucial to build muscle and strength and is always overlooked as part of the process. As we age our bodies need longer to recuperate and generate new myofibrils, contractile force development and restitution to 100%.
A process called supercompensation has cycles of muscle breakdown (catabolic training), recovery and compensation above the original baseline metric (anabolic recovery), ensuring you are leaving sufficient time between training sessions (48 hours between strength), (36 hours between hypertrophy on the same body part) and days per week (minimum two full rest days) is a non-negotiable to maximise your progress.
Quality sleep of seven to nine hours per night is another non-negotiable. During deep sleep, the hormones for growth and released and the body is in a state of maximal recovery, crucial aspects to build muscle and strength.
Protein intake is another factor of recovery, vital to create a positive protein balance and continually protein synthesis. Aim for 2g of protein per kg of bodyweight spread throughout the day. If you weigh 75kg you will aim for 150g protein a day to support your physical development.
Stay Consistent and Set Goals
Consistency is king when it comes to physical development. Having a goal and a road map of how to get there is vital. This roadmap will keep you motivated, allow you to track progress, keep you accountable, celebrate milestones and allow for adjustments as and when needed. Knowing where you should be at each stage of the process is going to keep you accountable, which over time will lead you to your goal.
Conclusion
Getting into the best shape of your life after 40 is exciting, transformative and beneficial for all areas of you and your life. We’ve given you some great starting points to unlock the best version of yourself, a strong, leaner, more muscular and productive person.
Implement all of our points above and you will see the benefits, then it’s a matter of what to do with the new & improved version of yourself.
