How To Build LEAN Muscle Over 40

More adults over 40 are realising the impact strength training can have on how they feel (and look!) with age.

I started lifting weights in school gym when I was 15 to build strength for volleyball.

🌟 From the beginning, I loved how it felt to lift, pull, and push weights around.

I've had the pleasure of introducing many complete beginners to weights when I was doing personal training in a big box gym. I've also helped experienced lifters make major gains in their muscle and strength. 

If you're not doing strength training over 40, you'll gradually start to lose your muscle over time.

And since muscle is what drives our metabolism, that's NOT a good idea!

Nutrition is important, but...

Having a stimulus from weight training is WAY more critical for building muscle than anything you do nutritionally.

But research has also shown that we have a lot more training options to maximize muscle growth.

➡️ You Don't NEED To Lift Heavy BUT...

➡️ You need to be pushing yourself close to failure!

Some people find that higher reps, around 12-20, are more comfortable for their joints as they get older.

But some people find lower reps with heavier weight less fatiguing and more joint-friendly.

✅ So test out what works for you.

You Need To Push Your Muscles To Grow

Muscle building progress is about CONSISTENCY of hard effort.

If you keep stopping EVERYTHING whenever you have a little injury or some pain with a certain exercise, you’ll never get the results you want.

But DON'T Push Through Pain

You need a maximal effort, but pushing through joint or tendon pain will backfire.

Our tendons and ligaments get stiffer and weaker as we get older, which means they’re less likely to handle forces and you’re more likely to get injured.

You need to work around your pain. 

➡️ Yes, sometimes your joints will hurt.

Activity is actually good for your joints and ligaments and makes them stronger, but you need to be smart about it.

Train with Structure & Purpose For Maximum Muscle Building

Use a structured program that targets all major muscle groups 2x/week.

3-4 times a week, 25-40 minutes of actual weights/lifting can build you the lean muscle you want.

Even two full-body workouts a week is a great start!

✅ Compound exercises like lunges, step-ups, squats, and deadlifts are going to be staples for the lower body.

✅ Presses, rows, and pulldowns for the upper body.

It doesn’t take anything complicated to build muscle.

You keep repeating the same exercises ➡️ you get stronger ➡️ you push harder ➡️ you get stronger.

Your muscle grows.

✅ That’s PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD and you’ll need it to keep getting muscle gains.

➡️ Don’t change your workout program too often, but don’t do EXACTLY the same thing for 6 months either.

Every 6-8 weeks seems to be what works for most intermediate (less than 5 years of consistent training) lifters.

Maybe 4-6 weeks for more advanced trainees.

Remember that changing your program doesn’t mean totally blowing it up every 6-8 weeks.

A goblet squat could become a DB squat, then a barbell squat.

Seated shoulder press can go to standing shoulder press to military press.

➡️ What I’ve seen with my clients is that many of them have been training for years, but never consistently enough and without a proper periodized program.

They've never maximized their natural muscular potential.

➡️ It’s also important to remember that if you’re in your late 40s or 50s and you’re maintaining the muscle you have, you’re doing great!

Because without that work you’d be progressively losing muscle.

Prioritize Recovery

6 weight training sessions per week, especially if they’re over an hour, might not go down as well at 55 as it did in your 30s.

➡️ If you put those sessions on top of the stress of your career, maybe kids, and other family responsibilities, you might put yourself into something called STRESS-RECOVERY IMBALANCE.

You’ll feel exhausted and sore all the time and that’s NOT great for muscle growth.

➡️ Muscle building is the process of breaking down muscle through resistance training and rebuilding it stronger during recovery.

✅ That means rest in the form of time off between workouts AND sleep.

You Want To Have LEAN Muscle?

When we talk about LEAN muscle, it’s really just adding muscle without adding fat, or even losing fat, so that you have that “defined” look with your muscles.

➡️ Muscle only gets bigger, stays the same, or gets smaller.

If your calories are too low, you’re not giving your body any material to build muscle.

If your calories are too high, you'll add fat and might feel "bulky".

To stay lean, you need to keep your calories at a level that allows fat loss but also gives you enough energy to perform at your best.

It takes some experimenting, but the physique results are worth it.

✅ Your body doesn’t stop responding to training after 40.

You just need to train smarter, and ensure proper recovery and consistent nutrition. 

Get those right and you can keep building strength and muscle for years to come.

Stay strong!

I am currently taking on 5 new 1:1 online clients for my Lean Body Project. This is personalized nutrition and training (via my training app!) to get you that lean body.

To start the conversation on how I can help, fill out the application so I know a bit more about you and how I can help you specifically and then you can decide from there.

Lets start the conversation!!

APPLY HERE!