3 Steps to Get Abs Over 40 for Men
Men over 40 are realising that 40 is the new 30 and want their old fit-self back. Not only is it possible to lose fat at any age, but getting abs isn’t out of the question and I would argue that you need to make it one of your goals this year.
Why get abs over 40?
Getting abs looks great, but it’s not just the visual impact that’s appealing, as we get older and body fat accumulation becomes easier, so does your risk of disease.
This is not acceptable, things like heart disease, diabetes and cancer can all be reduced or eliminated with a bit of effort on your part.
Even if your goal isn’t to reveal a ripped mid-section, the fastest way to lose fat is to follow an abs program.
Dropping 10, 20 or even 100 pounds is much easier if you follow a program that focuses on getting abs, because revealing your abs means you need to reduce your over-all body fat percentage.
Abs benefits
I’ve already mentioned the benefits of getting abs for men over 40, by far the most important of these is disease prevention, it’s not a guarantee but you’re going a lot further than most sedentary men by choosing an active and healthy lifestyle.
When you have abs, the whole of your body will be in shape, your legs will be defined, your chest will be lean, and your arms will stand out as well.
It’s very difficult NOT to be in shape and have abs.
It’s the hallmark of health and can be achieved at any age. I didn’t reveal by abs until age 41, you can do the same as well.
Mindset
Before I talk about how to get abs over 40, one of the biggest road blocks preventing you from getting abs in the first place is your mindset.
If you think you’re “too old” or getting abs is only for people in their twenties or early thirties, guess what?
You’ve already been defeated.
You’ve decided to lose fat, so why not go a stage further and reveal your abs? If not, why not?
This website isn’t about half measures.
Likewise, if you believe that you need to “kill” yourself to reveal your abs, you haven’t learned how to train or master nutrition correctly.
So, before we go any further decide now that getting abs isn’t out of your reach and its simply limiting beliefs that are holding you back.
You want to drop some fat right?
Well, why not take it a tad further and really show everyone who’s boss?
You can get abs and you will get abs, don’t just think about losing a few pounds, go the whole journey.
You can do this, imagine looking awesome on the beach for you next holiday, that should be enough to motivate you.
Strength Training
The first key to getting abs over 40 is getting strength training in place, this doesn’t mean training more than 3 times per week, doing endless exercises, endless sets and endless reps.
It means focusing exclusively on a handful of compound movements, lifting no more than 3 x per week and limiting the number of exercises and sets you do.
Not only will this provide you with great gains in lean muscle and strength, but you’ll recover properly from the training you do.
And recovery is very important for drug free naturals under 40, so once we’re over 40 years old it becomes EVEN more of a priority.
Now, the strength training that I teach isn’t about getting “huge” like a body builder, hardly anyone wants to look like that anymore.
It’s about lifting weights that give you broad shoulders, defined waist and V-shaped back. Just enough muscle that looks awesome on any man.
The main reason why you need to make strength training a priority is because fat loss is primarily about holding onto lean muscle as you drop fat, that’s what gives you that lean appearance.
If you just lose “weight” without strength training you’ll end up looking skinny and soft as your body drops a combination of muscle, fat and water.
You need to prevent this and get losing FAT.
Nutrition
The next part of the equation is nutrition.
If you mess this up, you’ll never get lean. Eat too many daily calories and you’ll put on FAT even if you’re eating clean foods.
But eat too few calories and you’ll put a brake on your fat loss progress.
You need a slight calorie deficit that keeps you feeling full so that you lose fat without feeling starved.
The number of calories depends on your body weight, but a good starting point is to be eating approximately 20% less than your BMR calories each day.
This is a good starting point and should get you losing fat at 1-1½ lbs per week, the recommended amount of fat that’s sustainable over the long term.
Let’s say your magic fat loss number is 2000 calories, it’s your job to make those calories as enjoyable as possible.
If you do anything too drastic like cut out carbohydrates, cut fat or eat too much protein you’ll make sticking to your nutrition plan harder than it needs to be and end up binge eating.
The magic happens by sticking to an enjoyable, sustainable plan over the long term.
Getting lean is about focusing on what you can do TODAY to make fat loss progress happen, then if you can get today right, you can tomorrow right.
Get that right and long-term success almost takes care of itself. All those little bits soon add up to huge success.
Cardio
The last part of the fat loss and abs equation is cardio, but men over 40 tend to go over board with cardio right from day one and as a result never get lean.
Cardio is important, but its very important not to go overboard, too much cardio can kill testosterone levels, make you hungry and plain hinder your recovery from strength training.
And more cardio doesn’t speed up getting lean, in a lot of ways, it can hinder fat loss. I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself.
I’d much rather that you focus exclusively on strength training and nutrition and only when you get fat loss happening, experiment with adding in a few cardio sessions.
As a general recommendation, I would stick to either one HIIT cardio session per week on top of your 3 strength training workouts or add in 2 steady state cardio sessions per week.
Another option is simply going for a walk at the weekend, the great thing about walking is it helps you expend additional calories without making you ravenous or cutting into your recovery from weight training.
This is a good rule of thumb and it what I recommend in my course, Abs Over 40.
The thing is about cardio, is it can help to speed up the fat burning and expend extra calories, but it should never be used a tool by itself, that’s why so many men are struggling to get lean.
Abs Over 40 Notes
I really hope you’ve found this article of use, the key points I’d like to stress is it’s never too late to get lean, reveal your abs and get into the best shape of your life.
To get abs, you don’t need to kill yourself in the gym, it’s a combination of sensible strength training, sound nutrition and cardio followed through on a consistent basis that’s going to get you results.
Take a look at my premium course Abs Over 40 for a Definitive Guide to Getting a Lean Body for Men Over 40.