How to Build a Six Pack – Mens Over 40 Fitness

To get great abs after the age of forty, you do not need to spend your time in the gym doing countless sit-ups, crunches, or other isolated abdominal exercises. One of the most common misconceptions about getting a flat stomach or abs is that you need to do the exercises that work your abdominals directly. Although all that surely will increase the strength of the abdominal muscles, your body fat content will remain the same. Such exercises are like trying to boil the ocean. It’s something that will not happen.

 

First, lose the fat.

To reduce the fat around your stomach, you need to reduce your overall body fat percentage. When you start losing fat, you will appear leaner, and your abs will be more visible. And to do that, you need to train all the major muscles of your body. Yes, it would help if you trained every single area. If your body has over twelve percent fat, then it does not matter how much ab exercises you do. You will never develop your abs unless you get rid of your body fat. Ipso facto, most ab development routines do not include any significant ab exercises.

Multi-joint compound movements are great for people in their forties. They will push the abs harder than any isolated exercises and will help you develop better abs. You do not need to do countless crunches. There is much ground-based training that you will do too. This includes deadlifts, dumbbell, and barbell exercises such as squats. You can even do cardio with a barbell that will boost testosterone and burn more fat. When coupled with low fat and high protein nutrition plan that provides enough carbohydrates, you will get lean enough, and you will get to see your abs. It does not matter whether you are in your forties or you are in your sixties. This plan will work for you.

 

Cardio alone will not help you get lean

This has been seen many, many times. Men are pushed hard by their trainers or their gym instructors, yet they see little to no overall change in shape. There are a lot of high-intensity training programs going on in gyms all over the world. However, high-intensity training and nothing else won’t work, especially for men who are in their forties. You should have a workout routine that is suitable for your age. This means doing exercises that are joint-friendly while targeting the major muscles of the body. Doing endless cardio on a treadmill or a stationary bike will not do men over forty any good. In fact, it may even depress testosterone levels. Cardio can be made more effective by adding weights. One can do cardio with barbells, in a circuit style.

 

Here is an example of a great abs workout for men over 40.

Back Squat – 5 reps

Power Clean – 5 reps

Military Press – 5 reps

Close Grip Bench Press – 8-10 reps

Barbell Bent-Over Row – 5 reps

Barbell Curl – 8 reps

Hyperextension – 10-12 reps

Hanging Ab Crunches – 10-12 reps

 

Note:

You must perform each exercise right after you have completed one. Don’t take any rest in the middle of a set. Once you are done with the entire set, you can rest for three minutes before you start again. Repeat this process for a total of three more times. This is a much better way to burn fat while enhancing muscle tone. This routine does not have ab-focused exercises but will push your abs to the limit. Make sure you keep them engaged and active throughout the entire workout for maximum effect. When performing these exercises, you should use lighter weights than what you generally use for the primary training. Even with lighter weights, this set of exercises can get extremely difficult. This will hit your abs and your body hard. Therefore, try not to do this type of training more than once or twice every week.

 

Balance your training with cardio

When you are over forty, you need to balance your weight training with cardio. Cardio is not particularly required for great abs. However, if you are aiming for great abs, then ground-based training with weights will help. Cardio is great for increased coordination and stability. These get worse as we get older, making it essential to throw cardio in the mix. Also, it is a joint-friendly way to burn fat where you do not run into a high risk of getting injured.

 

How long will it take to complete a workout like the above?

You can complete the entire routine in just 45 minutes. It does not need to take forever to complete a workout for great abs for men over forty. You don’t need to live in the gym to get the best results. Work out smart, and you’ll certainly see results!

If you're focusing on fitness for men over 40, we recommend trying this workout to achieve a six-pack.