Building Muscle For Men Over 40
Have you been working out at the gym lately, trying to shed the last of your beer belly, but not having much luck building muscle?
Even once weight is pretty much gone and you look like a whole new man, bulking up and toning up your muscles can be an entirely different story. You are no longer in your twenties and building muscle may take more time and dedication to achieve now, but it is something that you can accomplish if you follow the right steps.
Now before we get into the practical exercise training tips, we can suggest all men over 40 years old to check out the Abs After 40 fitness program if you want someone who walks and talks being fit.
Getting Started
Start by getting yourself a gym membership and working with a personal trainer, they will able to point you in the right direction of which exercises are best for men in their forties. Also, make sure to weed out any well-meaning but unrealistic advice from your friends and family.
While they may assume they know the exact workout routine you need, they do not live in your body and do not know what you can and cannot handle. This is also an important factor in making sure you pick the right trainer to help you in your journey.
Don’t Overdo It
A very common myth about building muscle is that you should hit the weights hard and long right away, but doing this can actually do you more harm than good. Adding too many weights too soon can cause a serious injury, and taking the time to heal from those injuries can affect your target. We also should suggest that finding natural ways to increase your testosterone and nitric oxide levels should be looked into for further reading and research.
Start with a light weight, such as a free weight with only a few pounds on it. Starting light can actually help you build muscle and it will be easier on your joints than heavy weights.
Starting out with light weights and using them in slow repetitions can help you to build muscle and will help you increase your strength over time so you can move on to heavier weights.
Research has shown that using lighter weights at slower repetitions can actually build muscle in the same way as using heavier weights. They also lower your risk of an injury due to heavy lifting.
Upping the Weight
Once you and your trainer have decided that it is time for you to move on to heavier weights, you still need to keep in mind that even though you have graduated to heavier weights, you still need to keep a slower pace. Training too hard can actually have a negative effect on your training. When you have the mindset that you need to push yourself beyond your physical limits, you run the risk of creating a “wired” effect in your brain.
This will prevent you and your body from relaxing and getting the rest that you need to keep up with your workouts. Having this effect on your brain and body can actually make your muscles weak and you will have to start all over at stage one again.
Get Enough Rest
Resting your body after working out hard is an important way to give your muscles a chance to build. If you work out hard for three to four weeks straight, you need to give your body a chance to rest and catch up. By adding in a light workout week once a month, or once every six weeks, you can give your body the rest it needs.
During your light weeks, focus on building muscle with lighter weights and slower exercises.
This will allow your body to remember the movements for your harder training sessions while still giving you and your muscles a chance to relax.
You don’t want to continuously keep training at a harder pace with heavier weights. Your body was not designed to function that way and you stand a greater chance of injury. Depending on what your workout routine looks like, you could do some serious damage to your muscles and to the rest of your body. This will also allow for nitric oxide (NO2) to carry and deliver more nutrients in between weight lifting workout sessions.
Talk with your trainer about extra steps you can take to make sure that your chance of injury is as low as possible. Being out of training due to an injury will only delay the goal you have set for yourself, and it will also be a lot harder to recover from. You want to train harder, but you also want to be smarter about how you go about it.
Eat Smart
Making sure you have the proper diet in place is also important when it comes to weight training. This is not like a normal workout like spending an hour a day running. You need special proteins put into your body to help you build muscle.
While you need more protein, you also need to stick with organic and natural foods that will help you not only while you are trying to achieve your goal but afterward when you are trying to maintain your results. Speaking with your medical doctor or a nutritionist can give you better insight into what types of food you need to be eating. You can also look into popular meal plan services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.
Stretch!
One of the most important things you need to remember while training to build muscle as a man over forty is stretching. You are at a higher risk of injury if you do not take the time to stretch before you begin lifting weights.
Once you begin your weight training, you may notice that certain areas of your body feel tight during your movements. Focus on those areas the most when you are stretching before and after your workouts. When your muscles and joints feel tight or you feel like they have seized up on you, spend extra time on them.
Don’t rush through with a short minute of stretching. Try stretching each of those muscles for two minutes or more to make sure that you are giving them enough time to loosen. This way you won’t risk pulling them once you have begun your workout.
While it is not necessarily quick and easy for men over forty to gain muscle, it is possible with the right training and the right plan. Talking with a trainer and taking the time to figure out what kind of workout routine you need is the first step towards achieving your goal.
Making sure to listen to your body and doing your best to avoid any injuries will also help you keep on track to achieve your goal faster and easier.
