Download Fit and Athletic over 40

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2/11/2007
Fit and Athletic over 40? Hell Yeah!
By Ottilia Kissarnoti
We all know that aging is inevitable and as we get older and our body’s physiology begins to
change. However, you can have a great body at any age and your first step to achieve your
physical goals is to understand how your body works beyond 40.
There are several factors influencing how quickly your body will age, ranging from genetics,
your natural bodytype, external factors such as your diet and whether you smoke or not.
Some of the most noticeable changes that occur during the aging process include decreases in
skin elasticity, energy levels, metabolism as weel as an increased risk of arthritis and
osteoporosis. While often thought of as a woman's disease, osteoporosis effects men at the
same rate as women, once they enter their sixties. After age 40, the rate of bone loss exceeds
the rate of bone formation meaning that bone density starts to decline and extra care must be
taken to minimize this loss. Skeletal muscle mass also begins to decline, due to a loss of
muscle fibers. Decreased metabolism on the other hand, contributes to an increase in
ammount of deposited fat. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) decreases a few percent every
decade past age 30, which amounts to about 60-100 fewer calories burned per day!
Testosterone levels decline gradually in men, starting from age 30, and this decline continues
throughout life.
The good news is that you're not doomed to become fat with age. Focus on activities that
help maintain and build muscle mass. Besides boosting muscle mass and metabolic rate,
regular strength training can also decrease age-related bone loss. On the other hand, now you
will have to be extra careful to avoid wear and tear on joints that may be more prone to
happen past 40.
Work-out:
Warm up: A proper warm-up can go a long way. Increasing the temperature in your muscles
and joints, will make your blood flow, when you exercise and reduce the risk of injury. Begin
your workouts with a10 minute warm up.
Start with 5 minutes on the stationary bike or elliptical machine. These are the best cardio
equipments that enable manual control for a gradual increase.
Next, warm up muscle groups that you plan to train. This should start with a core work and
then extend to the extremities. Repeat each move 3 times: each rep should produce a greater
extension.
Core: Laterals (side pulls, with an arm raised over the head - to full extension) and Trunk
rotations (hold at maximum twist, don't bounce)
Upper-body: Arm swings (to front then back for delts and pecs - both palm up and palm
down), Lateral arm lifts (out from body, for shoulders), Shoulder circles (slowly, and in both
clockwise and counterclockwise rotations), Arm crosses, Arm curls, and Wrist curls
Lower-body: Leg lifts (knees up to tummy), Lunge stretches (like a long stride, and also side
to side), Squats (slower is better, no bouncing up and down), and Ankle circles with a knee
lift.
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Weight Training:
Over 40, you should utilize your time for the best results and avoid catabolic effects resulting
from overworkout. Thus, use a four day per week, 60 minutes long workout split, as
suggested below. Also, grouping large muscles with small ones is the best way to utilize your
strength. Try not to exceed the suggested 60 minutes per workout. After one hour, your
energy will decline substantially, leaving you prone to muscle loss.
Day One Back-Calves ( Monday)
Abbs: Knee Raise on Parallel Bars, Riverse Abbs Crunch and Cable Crunch in superset (
move from one exercise to the next with no rest in between) 4x12-15.
Pullups 2x10
Gironda Sternum Chins 2x10
Dumbbell Shrug 4x10-15
Deadlifts 4x10-15
Dumbbell Row 4x8
Wide Grip Cable Pull Down 4x8-12
Hyperextension 3x15
Standing Calf Raise 4x12
Donkey Calf Raises 3x15-20
Day Two: Chest- Triceps (Tuesday)
Abbs: see Monday
Incline Bench Press 4x12-10-8-6 (pyramid up in weight)
Bench Press 4x12-10-8-6 (pyramid up the weight)
Decline Bench Press 4x12-10-8-6 (pyramid up in weight)
Butterfly (Peck Deck) 3x10-15
Close Grip Bench Press 4x8
Lying Tricep Press 4x8-10
Standing Bent-Over Two-Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension 4x8-12
Bench Dips 2x 15-20
Day Three: Legs-Calves (Thursday)
Abbs: see Monday
Leg Extension 4x8-12
Squats on Smith Machine 5x12-10-8-8-6(warm up set, than pyramid up in weight- (when
squatting you are using all your leg muscles - calves, abs and erector spinae --a deep muscle
in the lower back).
Leg Curl 3x8-12
Deadlifts 3x10-15
Seated Calf Raise 4x12
Calf Raise on Leg Press Machine 3x12-15
Day Four: Shoulders-Biceps (Friday)
Abbs: see Monday
Dumbbell Lateral Side Raise 4x8-10
Shoulder Press 4x12-10-8-6 (pyramid up in weight)
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Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench 4x8-10
Cable Lateral Front Raise 4x10
Standing Barbell Bicep Curl 4x8-10
Dumbbell Preacher Curl 3x8-12
Concentration Curls 3x10-12
Don’t forget to stretch!
Cardio:
Muscle atrophy (the loss of muscle) is a major concern for people over 40. Women, who
generally have less bone density and muscle mass than men, are more prone to muscle loss as
they age. Therefore, for babyboomers, who already experience arthritis or loss in bone
densitiy, I would stress the importance of nonaerobic strength training for preserving bone
and reducing muscle loss. For cardio do stationary biking 3x40 minutes per week. Biking
tends to be much easier on your joints than running.
Diet:
As your metabolism slows down in your 40s, diet may become more of a problem. However,
with a solid nutrition program that eliminates all empty calorie foods, this obstacle can be
overcome. Protein for example will not only serve as building blocks of muscle, but also
provide the building blocks for collagen--the major constituent of skin and bone that
maintains elastic strength. You will need to up your protein intake to 1.5g per lbs body
weight. Choose lean sources, such as chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, egg whites,
fish, protein powder and fat free cottage cheese.
In addition, you need to modify your carbohydrate intake. Be sure to eat complex sources
instead of simple carbs. Take a careful look at the labels on whole grain cereals and breads,
as many still contain large amounts of simple carbohydrates. Best carbohydrate sources:
brown rice, steel cut oats, whole grain pasta, grains, whole grain bread and sweet potatoes.
In addition, omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed products and cold-water fish may have beneficial
effects on the immune system, thus lessening the formation of arthritis.
In addition to nutrients, water is probably the best anti-aging "formula" available for your
system. In healthy young people, mineral substances and water are automatically balanced,
thanks to an acute hormonal sensitivity to even slight changes in blood concentrations.
People over 40, if left to their own thirst mechanisms, are likely to become dehydrated and to
lose blood volume. So, drink a lot! Drink around 1-1.5 gallon a day.
Everyone, who trains needs a complex source of multivitamins. In addition, I would say that
over 40 Vitamin A,Vitamin C, Vitamin D and extra Calcium are the best natural supplements
to enhance energy. For your post workout meal add about 1 tbs of Glutamine and Creatine
since it increases the hydration state of the muscle cells. Hydration of the muscle cells can
change rapidly and once the cells are dehydrated they enter a catabolic state. During times of
catabolic stress research has shown that glutamine levels can drop by as much as 50%. Also,
supplement with a Glucosamine-Chondroitin combo. Glucosamine is an amino sugar that the
body produces and distributes in cartilage and other connective tissue, and chondroitin sulfate
is a complex carbohydrate that helps cartilage retain water. At last, L-Carnitine enhanced with
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Chromium reduces insulin insensitivity, so it helps to prevent excess glucose being converted
into fat.
Finally, it’s so important to enjoy your life and feel good in the body you’ve
been given and best way to enjoy a long life is to eat healthy and exercise regularly.