Monday Muscle - 3 Muscle Growth Tips For Older Lifters

Muscle growth for when you're over 40

When guys that are 40 or older come to me for workout advice they are often skeptical whether the advice is solid. After all, I primarily train athletes, and what does some 25 year old pro athlete have to do with a 45 year old business man?

Continue growing muscle even when you get older

Well, to tell you the truth, there really isn't that much of a difference between the training for these two people, especially if the focus is on gaining muscle and strength. There are typically only 3 things that need to be factored in when you pass 40:

1. Hormones

Somewhere between the ages of 35 and 40 testosterone levels begin to fall. This drop in levels has been termed "andropause." This has huge consequences for building muscle, as anabolic hormones are the signal for our body to repair and rebuild. With less of these hormones you cannot repair your muscles as quickly as a 20 year old. This fact should be kept in mind when designing the training program. Options for increasing hormone levels should also be considered.

2. Injuries

Over time everyone begins to accumulate injuries. Even if it's nothing big those little aches and pains can prevent you from training as hard or as often as you would like. Because of this a good physical therapist and/or chiropractor are a definite must. If you are serious about gaining muscle then you need to be serious about training hard. And you need to be serious about taking the steps necessary to able to train hard on a consistent basis.

3. Mindset

Experience leads to wisdom

Call it wisdom gained through experience, or cautiousness due to age, either way it is often difficult to get people who are set in their ways to try something new. I have talked to more than one guy in his 40s who was still doing the workout he got from his high school football coach! Look, if you are serious about changing your body then you need to be ready to change the way you train and eat. Embrace new training programs and diets. What you've been doing isn't working, so try something new. Remember, the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting different results!

Keep in mind that I am pointing out the differences here. The basics of a good scientific training and nutrition program still hold true no matter your age. Anyone at any age can make fantastic improvements in their physique. Remember this the next time someone tells you (or you think to yourself) that you're too old to be training hard!


Article Source:Anthony Schwartz http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

Five Tips that Help You Find Time for Exercise

Only about 30 percent of adult Americans report that they have regular physical activity during their leisure time; and about 40 percent of Americans say that they don’t have leisure-time at all, to do the physical activities.

All in common agree on the fact that regular exercises help the person in terms of health and long life. But, most of the people do not focus on exercise. The most common reason people give for this is that they, “do not have the time”.

Lack of awareness also puts regular exercise at a lower priority. This article may help you change your priorities and find time for exercise.

Tips to find time for exercise

1. Wake up early

If you wake up early, you will be adding more time to your day. This provides you the opportunity to find time to do exercise. It’s not really hard to wake up a little early that you are used to. It is little bit hard until you get habituated. Afterwards once you feel the difference and the gain you will have more of a reason to continue waking early and doing exercise. There are many benefits in waking up early and doing exercise – you will feel more energetic and fresh for sure.

2. Limit your time spending on TV & Online

Track the time you spend on TV, online & mobile games for a few days. Then you will come to know how much time you are spending on those things. Then, try to limit the time you are spending on TV & online, for example: if you are spending 3 hours, reduce by 1 hour and assign that to exercise. You don’t really need to sacrifice your joy anyway.

3. Cut down low priority things from daily and allot that time for exercise

For most people who cannot find time, it is not really about time, it’s about the priority they are giving to exercise. If you feel that exercise is more important and shouldn’t be avoided, then you can adjust the time for it. Make the list of things you do daily. Divide the items into following 2 categories:

Important things that are highly essential to you (Job, Family)

Enjoyment/Less Important Activities (Movies, Parties)


Try to include exercise in the list of important things. Then, you will automatically find time for exercise.

4. Stay motivated by the benefits

Motivation is the best way to find time to do something. You might know that exercise has many benefits. Always keep in mind that the exercise will protect you from many health issues, keeps your body in shape and boost your brain power. Once you start doing exercise regularly, you will get motivated by the changes in the body. All you have to do is, go to gym regularly and maintain the motivation and fitness cycle.

5. Socialize at Gym

This is one of the best passive motivation to find time for exercise. We don’t need any motivation to spend time with friends. Find some friends at gym. As you do workouts with friends, you can enjoy the workouts without feeling it as hard. This also motivates you to go to gym regularly, to meet friends.

Hope the above tips will help you manage time to do exercise. If you still do not get motivation to find time to exercise, read the following quote by Edward Stanley, a British statesman – “Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness”. Take this quote and paste it somewhere in your room, for sometimes fear motivates better than anything else.

Article source: http://largearticle.com 04.04.2015 · Posted in Health