Hello dear friends. This article will focus on training men of the older age group; we will answer questions about how to train for those who are over 40 years old or older. Let's talk about the features of strength training for men in adulthood. The emphasis is on beginners and newcomers who take their first steps at the age of 40+.
There are a number of features that distinguish the body of a forty-year-old man from an eighteen-year-old boy; they must be taken into account. The hormonal system experiences serious changes during this period of time, which is commonly called the “midlife crisis.”
What should workouts be like after 40?
A characteristic feature and feature of this age is a decrease in the production of male hormones - growth hormone and testosterone. Such processes also entail a number of other consequences - illnesses worsen, sexual desire decreases, as a result of which the quality of life and the pleasure received from it decreases.
If we analyze the age factor in terms of training and the impact on its effectiveness, this is a slow metabolism, decreased endurance, deterioration of blood circulation throughout the body, ligaments and joints used by time. These were the most important obstacles and a set of characteristics that would slow down the normal training process of a 40-year-old man.
We will try to tell you in detail and in detail how to overcome all the difficulties mentioned above when training at the age of 40 and minimize their impact on your body, because for those who have clearly decided to take the path of a healthy lifestyle, nothing is beyond their strength or impossible.
Healthy lifestyle for the older generation
12.Oct.2021
With age, changes occur in your personal life, body, health, habits and tastes, medication use, and rhythm of life. This is something that can influence interests in healthy eating and physical activity. The basics of a healthy lifestyle are giving up bad habits, a rational daily routine with sufficient rest, a balanced and moderate diet, systematic and moderate exercise, and creating a positive emotional background.
Meals should be moderate: small portions, several times a day. Among centenarians there are no overweight people. The diet of centenarians is very moderate, but balanced with all the necessary ingredients. With such nutrition, there is no overload of the body, cells are renewed faster and the person becomes less susceptible to diseases. The menu must be age appropriate. Beta-carotene is especially beneficial for people over forty years of age. It is found in carrots, parsley, and orange fruits. After 50 years, calcium-containing products are needed: cottage cheese, cheese, fish with bones, sesame seeds. Selenium-containing foods (garlic) help cope with stress. After fifty years, eating fish protects the heart and blood vessels from atherosclerosis. It is necessary to adhere to a balanced diet, with the obligatory inclusion of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, fish, seafood, and vitamin preparations in the diet.
In old age and old age, you need to move as much as possible. During movement, the production of hormones increases, which are not enough in old age. Physical activity maintains good blood circulation throughout the body, reduces bone loss and even leads to some bone growth. For example, walking increases bone density in the spine and hip. Gymnastics, especially in the fresh air, daily walking, and water procedures improve health and prolong life.
Equally important is proper sleep, of sufficient duration and always in a cool room! Sleeping at a temperature of 17-18 degrees will help you stay young longer. The reason is that the metabolism in the body and the manifestation of age-related characteristics also depend on the ambient temperature.
The importance of intellectual and creative activity in old age is undeniable. Active mental activity not only slows down the process of age-related degradation of mental abilities, but also activates the circulatory system and metabolism. And creativity fills life with rhythm and positive, bright emotions. That’s why it’s so important to find something you like. If you want to get a few extra years of active life, look for a hobby you like and study. It is important not to sit idly by, but to take gradual steps to realize your previously unused abilities and internal resources.
All this makes the life of an old person calm, bright and joyful and helps to be happy. We must always remember: a healthy lifestyle has no age restrictions and brings tangible benefits at any period of life! We all want to live long and be healthy, to enjoy an active and fulfilling life at any age. And we all know that healthy eating, stress management, exercise and other healthy habits help us get closer to this goal. Anyone can change their lifestyle at any age, and this will undoubtedly have a positive impact on health and improve the quality of life in old age.
Head of OMP, general practitioner, BU “Surgut City Clinical Clinic No. 3” Olga Arkadyevna Begicheva.
At stage 0 - 1.5 months - Improving blood circulation
Remember, the very first task that you need to set for yourself in the early stages of training, from the first day in the gym, is to improve blood circulation in the body. What should I do? The first workouts should be volumetric, involving pumping. That is, the number of repetitions in approaches should be in the range of 15-20, but with light weight. Also try to keep the rest between sets minimal.
The main goal is to maximize blood circulation in the body. There is no goal to focus on the number of approaches in any particular exercise. It is necessary to proceed from the total number of sets per workout, this is 18-20 approaches. For example, 5 exercises of 4 approaches is 20 approaches per workout. It makes no sense to work to failure, to work with heavy weights either, it’s all in the background, even in third place.
Balance in training
Once your nutrition and sleep are back to normal, you need to balance intense and gentle periods in your training program.
Andrew's tough day includes a 70-minute trail run in the morning, followed by an evening workout (power cleans and front squats) followed by 60 minutes of interval training.
The next morning you will feel very tired, which means that this day will be easy. In this case, “light” only means that the load on this day is less than on a heavy day.
The easy day program includes a 40-minute easy run, immediately followed by a snack and rest. Next comes strength training with an emphasis on the upper body. The evening activity is a relaxing swim.
Now the division into hard and easy days is more clear. An easy, calm run will refresh the body after a grueling cross-country run. Upper-focused training is not as hard and is clearly easier than interval training. Swimming provides the body with a lighter aerobic exercise, and cool water will soften the effects of intense exercise.
After 1.5 months we increase weight
After the “trial period” for the body has expired, you can begin to gradually increase the working weight. Your body will get used to physical activity a little and your heart and entire circulatory system will start working. During this period, the weight of the exercises should fluctuate between 55-70% of the one-repetition maximum.
If you can bench press one hundred at a time, then the working weight for you is 55-70 kg. Consequently, the number of repetitions in sets is reduced from 15-20 to 8-12 times. The total number of approaches per workout does not change. If possible, do not neglect rest between exercises and repetitions; try to rest as little time as possible so as not to lose intensity. This is done with the aim of getting into the training time period of 50-60 minutes. Long workouts are fraught with the production of stress hormones, which adversely affect the training process.
Read:
Mass training program
You should not pay special attention to strength training and indicators, this is not a priority, you do not need to press for one time, use projectile weights close to the maximum. The exception is if during this time you have not developed any additional problems with your ligaments, blood pressure or heart, and you feel healthy, then deviations are possible. However, everything is within reasonable limits and under the control of a friend or coach.
When your health is in order, you should devote a couple of weeks to strength training over 3 months, no more. The working weight is 80-85% of a one-time repetition. The number of repetitions in sets is reduced to 5-8, but the rest between sets is increased by 1-3 minutes. The entire volume of approaches per workout is reduced from 15-20 to 12-16.
Do not work with submaximal weights when repeating the exercise 1-3 times. The risk of injury is high. And at the age of 40 or more, they take a very long time to heal, you can drop out of the training process for more than 1 month.
What do you need for sculpted muscles?
To get a beautiful, sculpted torso, you need to increase muscle mass and, if necessary, reduce the fat layer that smoothes the relief. For this:
- perform a set of strength exercises every other day;
- increase the protein content in the diet to 2 g/kg body weight;
- Do aerobic exercise for 30-40 minutes every day and reduce the consumption of beer, flour, fatty foods and sweets (if you need to lose weight).
Aerobic exercise includes all types of endurance exercises, during which the heart rate accelerates to 60-70% of the maximum permissible, determined by the formula (220 - age). This could be jogging , swimming, cycling, etc. You need to increase your cardio load gradually, starting with fast walking and gradually moving to interval running.
What exercises should you do after 40?
In short, most of the exercises that athletes use in the gym will suit you. The emphasis can be placed on increasing the number of exercises when working with simulators. This approach is relevant. You can divide it in half: do 50% of the exercises with free weights, and give the remaining 50% to exercise machines.
For men over 40 years old, exercise machines can replace the most traumatic exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, and standing barbell presses. The above exercises are difficult to perform from a technical point of view, as well as from the point of view of preparing the muscles, joints and ligaments for work. Those parts of the body that a man under 40 has not handled anything heavy with before are very weak. High risk of injury, you don't want that.
Body changes with age
In no case should you ignore your age. The most important changes are:
- loss of muscle mass;
- deterioration of flexibility;
- a decrease in bone mass in men of approximately 15 to 20%;
- slower metabolism, and as a result - an increase in fat mass;
- blurred vision;
- gradual deterioration of hearing;
- muscle imbalance (one stronger than the other);
- the functioning of the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract worsens.
The above changes significantly increase the risk of developing various heart and vascular diseases, as well as metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. By the way, due to lower bone strength than in youth, the risk of fractures and injuries increases in men.
Cardio loads
In training after 40 years, it is necessary to include various types of cardio loads. This is good stimulation and training for the cardiovascular system. Put low-intensity cardio training first, but with a long duration. This can be walking at an average pace. Among intense cardio exercises, it is better to try interval cardio with a short duration. Remember also about ligaments and joints. Before starting a workout, there is a mandatory stretching and warm-up, and at the end, a cool-down. If time and opportunity permit, sign up for Pilates.
Recovery after exercise in men over 40 years of age
Recovery processes after 40 in men decrease, this must be admitted. The reason for this is the weak production of the sex hormone testosterone. The central nervous system is not so susceptible to pressure, what does this mean? When we work in the gym, only the muscles receive stress, but also the nervous system, which with age requires more time for recovery processes.
More on the topic:
Training program for beginners in the gym
To start training, 2-3 sessions per week are enough for a man over 40 years old. The rest of the time will be spent on recovery. At the peak of your form and after training for some time, your body will adapt, and you will feel the strength to move on, train 4 times a week, but no more. At this age, the nervous system is shaken, so take care of it. Avoid any stress and conflict situations, which will contribute to recovery.
You can maintain the intensity of your workouts by increasing the time between workouts
The widespread opinion that after 40 you need to quit sports was formed for a reason. Since the second half of the last century, doctors have been saying that in the fifth decade it is dangerous to be friends with sports. Too much stress on the heart. To put it simply, after reaching this age, you can only humbly wait for old age and death.
Indeed, there are not many professional athletes over 40 in the world, but among this age group there are many examples of people who successfully maintain adequate physical activity. There are those who start using hormonal drugs, but not everyone wants to follow this path.
An important realization for you may be the fact that you are still young at heart and the problem is only in your body. You wake up the day after your workout, but now the effects of the activity are stronger and last longer. In this state, it will no longer be possible to exercise intensely, and the best solution would be to reduce the number of intense workouts to two or three per week. Moreover, the training itself should become more gentle. You simply won’t be able to maintain the same routine because your body is taking longer and longer to recover.
