Muscle Gain After Age 40: Protecting Yourself from Injury and Establishing a Careful Diet

 

Muscle gain after the age of 40 might sound impossible, especially if someone in that age range hasn’t exercised for a long time. But it’s more than possible to get your body back in shape at that age or beyond. The only difference is that you’ll have to allow some extra time and rest compared to when you lifted weights in your 20s. As well, you’ll need to think about the health of your heart and your diet along the way.

Lifting Weights Without Injury

The threat of injury is your most significant hurdle to overcome when starting to lift weights again past the age of 40. It’s best to do a cardio workout for about 10 to 15 minutes before lifting any weights. This way, your muscles will be warmed up to avoid injuring a ligament or tendon. That particular warmup session can be done on a treadmill, though stretching exercises can work just the same.

Taking it Slow on Lifting Weights

Once you start your program, it’s best to use moderate weights and not overly heavy ones when doing your reps. Livestrong.com recommends about a dozen reps for the upper body and a dozen to twenty lower body reps as an acceptable routine. And using free weights exclusively shouldn’t be considered as you might have done 20 years prior. Doing a combination of free weights and working out on exercise machines will help provide more variety to alleviate the chances of pain.

How Long Should You Rest?

Rest is going to be essential while lifting weights again. In the first week, taking every other day off is a good plan to allow your muscles to recover. After the fifth day, it’s best to take two days off due to the intensity of the various muscles reps you’ll be doing during the week. This should be your recurring pattern for ensuing weeks until you start to see significant muscle gain developing in your upper and lower body.

Developing a Cardio Workout Plan and Streamlined Diet

While doing your new muscle gaining workout, you have to keep your heart strong and reset your metabolism to burn fat. This doesn’t have to take long during your day, though should require at least half an hour and something low intensity. The best plan is walking or light jogging in a park or around your neighborhood.

Additionally, streamlining your diet is going to be necessary to avoid fat buildup. If you haven’t already, eating foods rich in healthy fats like fish will go a long way in helping to keep yourself lean during your workout. Foods with carbohydrates will have to be reduced considerably to just under 40% of your diet. The rest comes in protein foods like chicken, nuts or yogurt. However, many people doing muscle workouts take protein powder to gain the necessary intake.

Visit our website or our blog to learn more about how we can help you regain muscle after the age of 40. At Teri Walker Fitness, we know it’s never too late to bring your body back from the brink of no return.