Exercises Suitable for Men Over 40

Just because you're a man pushing 40, does not mean that you have to quit working out completely. Some older men think it's bad for them to be working out but in reality, it's actually the opposite. It just takes choosing the right exercises to do to stay healthy. Here are our suggestions:

 

Compound and isolation movements

A good workout program should revolve around compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, and rows. These exercises will use muscles that replicate real-life movement patterns such as jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, running and climbing. Isolation movements are also important since they don’t consume a lot of energy, meaning you can push harder and recover faster. This is why it is more suitable for people of older age since these exercises will allow for more vulnerable joints to be exercised with minimal risk.

 

Moderate Load and Reps

Men love to be able to gain bragging rights about their bench or deadlift. When you’re past 40, you might feel like those days are behind you but improving your physique with moderate loads and reps means better muscle growth and less risk to your joints with better recovery. You will feel a lot better leaving the gym and with faster recovery, you can workout faster without feeling too sore to continue on the next time. If you want to ensure that you get a good workout in, do a little research and learn about the correct amount of loads and reps needed to successfully benefit from each exercise. You should also be sure that you have the proper form during all of these workouts.

 

Making Smart Choices

When you’re 40, there are some exercises to be avoided. You should try to avoid ballistic exercises with high reps or heavy loads, lifts that pull your shoulders in a risky position, presses, pulldowns, and upright rows. Heavier barbells or other lifts are increasingly stressful to less responsive, older muscles and joints. Any heavy tricep extensions should be avoided because elbow injuries will take a lot longer to heal. For barbell presses, it can be a great life if done well or correctly. Most lifters don’t realize that they are doing it incorrectly Thus getting the right form can be hard. It can also bring more pain than it already is. It might be best to stick to the dumbbell shoulder press and overhead lifts instead.

 

Go Easy On Yourself

Although you might want to try to get many hours in the gym or try to deadlift as much as you used to, you will still want to go easy on yourself a little bit. Make sure you speak to your physician about what you can and cannot do because everyone ages differently and everyone has different abilities. Just be sure you are not pushing yourself past your limits. Do what you can, do your research so that you can make sure you are doing it right, and most importantly, have fun. The reason you’re thinking about working out is for your health and to be active.

We help with fitness for men over 40, get in touch & look at our other posts for more tips.