Many men think that in order to get abs after 40 you need to resort to almost living your life in the gym, performing high intensity training sessions and lifting weights almost every day of the week.
The truth is if your over 40 years old you CAN still get abs and you don’t need to spend your life in the gym, resort to whey protein shakes or fat burning pills.
Getting lean is all about planning out a road map of how you’re going to get there.
You wouldn’t jump in a car and start driving without knowing where you’re going, it’s the same with getting lean, you have to know your starting point and you have to actually see those milestones along the way that proves you’re on the right track.
Don’t be random
Getting lean comes down to an intelligent series of steps done repeatedly until the destination (goal) is reached.
This means you’ll need to know your starting point i.e. body composition so that you know how many weeks it’s going to take you to reach your goal.
Then you can map out a plan of attack with your training and nutrition in order to get there. If you want to see your abs, then you should be aiming for around 9% body fat which is lean enough to see your abs without messing up your testosterone production, having a healthy amount of body fat is vital for proper functioning of the body.
In order to lose body fat strength training is a must, this is because when you lose body fat, strength training will prevent muscle loss which is very important for maintaining a healthy metabolism.
Strength training, especially using the big compound movements will have a huge impact on body composition and give you that tight waist, broad shoulders, V-shaped back and defined legs that you want.
No other form of exercise will help you get lean like strength training will. Not only that but when you train using compound movements, the effect it has on the male hormonal system is tremendous.
I see guys resorting to testosterone increasing pills when they get in their forties, but changing the way they train and eat would work much better.
Resorting to supplements to increase testosterone levels is never a good idea, the hormonal system is finely balanced meaning if you mess with it by taking large doses of supplements you risk cutting off the body’s own natural supply of testosterone.
Whenever you take a supplement, you need to ask yourself is this something I really want to be taking for the rest of my life?
This is why I’m not a fan of supplements and always advise working with your body’s own supply of testosterone which can be maximised through the correct training and eating regime.
So you know that weight training is important for getting that lean body composition but what you might not know is the fitness industry is completely backwards when it comes to strength training recommendations.
I know that’s a huge statement, but it’s true and the truth always prevails!
Look around you in the gym and you’ll see guys lifting weights endless days of the week, doing endless isolation exercises and drinking endless whey protein shakes.
Do you think that’s really the right way to get a lean and healthy body?
The fact is, we’ve all been brainwashed into believing we need countless supplements and endless workout days to get the body we want.
But the truth is in order to get a lean body you really don’t need to be lifting weights more than 3 x per week, in fact for a lot of men 2 weights workouts is much better.
This is because recovery factors differ amongst men due to age, structural limitations, strength factors, training age etc.
The more experienced and stronger trainee will need more recovery time than a less advanced trainee.
Now I know this is hard is believe when we’ve been told you must go hard all the time, but building and maintaining muscle doesn’t come down to endless sets and reps, it comes down to getting strong in good form on the best compound exercises for men over 40.
Not only is cutting your training down to the bare minimum highly effective for men over 40, but it addresses ALL the problems that men in their 40’s face as they get older.
Problems such as limited recovery ability, time we have to train, low testosterone, loss of bone strength and results!
When you train less on the exercises that really matter you’ll get far superior results and if you don’t believe me, give it an honest try and find out for yourself!
Why training LESS will help you
I’m all about telling you like it is. If I thought training more often would help you, then I’d advocate it, but I know whole heartedly that it won’t.
The fact is when you build a nice, natural amount of muscle using a limited amount of training the only thing left to do is to strip away that body fat by eating correctly which will reveal your lean body and ripped abs.
If you resort to training too often you’ll run the risk of over taxing your recovery system which simply won’t help you get lean.
As we age, especially over the age of forty, recovery becomes an even bigger deal. When you weight train you tear down the muscle fibres and put stress on the tendons and ligaments.
Now in order for your body to repair itself it’s going to take time. If you train before your body has had chance to repair itself you won’t be able to progress, you won’t make strength improvements and you won’t feel fresh every time you train.
Recovery is a big deal
The no pain, no gain mentality has really brainwashed us into thinking we can’t get results unless we go hard all the time and almost kill ourselves in the gym.
That’s complete nonsense, the older you get, the smarter you need to be with your training AND the less years you have in front of you to train which is why it’s crucial you find the best training advice to begin with.
Some history of training
Back in the 40’s, before drugs, supplements and all that nonsense came onto the scene, men who trained with weights built body’s that looked like they were carved out of granite.
And when they trained with weights, they expected to look like they trained.
They didn’t have access to supplements and they only lifted weights 2 or 3 x per week, but they looked fantastic.
When drugs were introduced, bodybuilders found they could recover from longer training sessions and that’s how training on 4-6 days per week became so popular.
But training that way doesn’t work for drug free naturals, let alone men in their 40’s! These crazy routines never really went away and now even your average gym goer turns to them to help build muscle and get lean.
But they over train 90 percent of the population, not just men in their 40’s!
As men have such high failure rates they turn to supplements as the solution for their lack of progress, chop and change programs or give up altogether.
But if they trained properly from the beginning they would make excellent progress right from the start and when you make progress it doesn’t matter what anyone else tells you to do, you’re confident that what you’re doing simply works.
Can I get lean lifting weights 3 times per week?
Yes. The truth is you can. I’ve done it and I know a lot of men that have done it, the problem is they don’t believe it’s possible because we’ve been brainwashed that the more we do of something the better – simply not true with getting lean.
You don’t need a lot of volume to build lean muscle and you don’t need a lot of cardio to strip away body fat. Granted I perform some drill sessions as well as my weight training sessions, but they’re simply included to help with conditioning.
A lot of the time I find walking at the weekends is the best form of cardio as it helps keep you in a calorie deficit without hindering your recovery from strength training.
Just don’t go thinking that by training LESS you won’t need to train hard. You still need to push for your own personal records and use excellent form on all exercises.
If you stick to abbreviated strength training, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. Just don’t go changing tactics and resorting to these long training sessions that will cut into your recovery and prevent you from making progress.
How was I able to get so ripped at aged 41?
I practice what I preach. I might look big on those pictures and videos when in reality I only weigh 176 pounds with a body fat percentage of around 7%.
This was achieved by weight training three times per week, including some body weight drill sessions and following a proven nutrition plan that keeps testosterone high whilst stripping away body fat.
Getting lean isn’t done by accident, it’s a series of steps taken day by day that eventually leads you to the result that you’re after.
The problem is most men start off on the wrong path to begin with, which often leads to quitting or getting poor results. Don’t be that guy!
What I love about Lean Over 40 For Men is I’m able to share what works for men over 40 who want to get lean, without resorting to expensive supplements, without resorting to long and notorious training sessions, without living your life in the gym and without running yourself into the ground.
As I mentioned before, the truth always prevails, so learn these great lessons now while your still young enough to get the lean body you want or learn them further down the road when it’s too late!
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but it’s for your own good. You can’t keep chucking away chunks of your life on ineffective workout programs!
To your success!