As you age, the importance of getting enough exercise every day increases, and muscle building workouts become crucial.
This is not only because your body needs the benefits of staying active, but also because as you get older, you get busier—which usually means taking care of your body becomes less of a priority.
Here are 3 muscle building workouts for older men that will get you in the gym, and get you building muscle faster than you can say” priority.”
But First, a Little Information.
No matter what exercise routine or program you decide to follow, if you are not consistent—you won’t see results. Working out 30 minutes every day at the gym does nothing if you make it Monday and Tuesday and then stop showing up. Take it one day at a time and slowly but surely you will meet your goals. You don’t have to start big; you can start small and slow. If working out 30 minutes a day is a stretch for you, just start at 15 minutes each day and once you feel comfortable, start adding on time.
Benefits of Exercise
The benefits of daily exercise are endless. Exercise promotes heart health, promotes brain health, improves the brain’s capacity to handle and deal with stressors, aids the brain in clarity of mind and clear thinking processes, boosts endorphins, decreases stress and worry, builds self-confidence, builds stronger bones and joints, aids in healthy weight loss, aids in healthy weight gain, boosts muscle strength and growth, and improves mental health. These are just a few of the many benefits that moving your body everyday can bring.
Tips for Beginners
You might be surprised to hear that getting into shape doesn’t have to be hard. Of course something worth having always requires a little grit and endurance. But hard doesn’t have to be in this vocabulary. You will have to find slots in your schedule where you can easily fit in a workout or time to exercise. You will have to plan out what you are going to do beforehand. You might have to wake up early or go to bed a little later a few nights. That is sacrifice that will reap rewards. Planning ahead and doing the small things beforehand and along the way, can make starting to exercise (or continuing to exercise) not a stress inducer, but rather a stress reliever and bright spot in your day.
Where Do I Start?
Think about your goals. Are you looking to lose weight or build muscle? Is your goal for your clothes to fit better or do you want to just feel better in general? Do you have a race or competition you are training for? Thinking about these questions can get you started and narrowing down your reason why. If you have something solid to hold on to and keep you motivated in the beginning, you can think back on it when you get tired and want to quit.This is called your WHY. Why do you want to start?
Time and Results
Somewhere along the way, we began to think that the more workout sessions you did per day- the better off you were. Or that the longer your workout sessions were in duration, the better off you were and the more results you would see. FALSE. You do not need to spend hours upon hours in the gym every day, morning and night to hit your goals and aspirations for yourself. In fact, this can have negative effects on your mental state as well as your physical state. Overworking your body does not equal increased results. Finding a healthy balance that is doable for you and your lifestyle is where you will see the results. The exercise regime that you are able to keep consistently is the one that will give you results.
Your Super Power
It will not matter what exercise protocol you are following or how intense you’re working out each time if you do not do it consistently. Small habits built over time will reap the best rewards. Not only this in a physical sense, but mentally you will build the healthy habit of consistently exercising your mind and body every day which will become part of your lifestyle for the long run. It can seem daunting or overwhelming to think about your workout schedule and what you do every day to reach your goals. But if you change up your thought process and think about the day in front of you, instead of the days in front of you, you will have more pep in your step and more peace in your efforts.
Accountability
Have you ever woken up in the morning, begrudgingly put on your workout clothes, and then procrastinated until 3 hours later and then never made it outside to your car to drive to the gym? Having an accountability partner or partner(s) is a tool that will help you in your trek for consistency. Find someone you can count on, who will not encourage you to sleep in or skip your workout. Find someone with the drive and will power you have who you can use to work together and meet your goals. It is doable, but increasingly harder to keep promises to yourself. Somewhere along the way, we break promises to ourselves more than we would a friend or accountability partner. When we have someone to hold us accountable, we are more likely to be successful.
Intensity
Intensity can be described in a few levels. We will break them down here. If you hear of exercises or movements in a workout that are low intensity, this primarily means that it does not take a lot of breath work or effort to complete the movement. Such movements would look like leg raises, glute bridges, body weight squats, and stretching. At this phase of movement, you could easily hold a conversation or sing a song while completing them. Next would be moderate intensity movement. These movements would be considered plank holds, modified push ups, body weight lunges, jumping jacks, high knees, etc. These movements when performed would be able to talk but not hold a full conversation or sing a full song. Lastly, we have high intensity movements. These movements are considered to be double unders, reps on an assault bike, wall balls, power cleans, box jumps, etc. When completing these movements, you would not be able to talk consistently or hold any conversation without stopping to breathe or catch your breath.
Cardio Explained
The American Heart Association recommends getting in 150 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio type exercises each week. You might have heard this termed “Aerobic Activity.” Aerobic means Cardio, and an easy way to remember the term is to think about breathing heavy while running and what you breather in is “Air” or (Aer). Break that quota down and that is only 2.5 hours each week of participating in something that gets your blood pumping. Think about it this way. You have 7 days in a week and 12 hours in each day. By their recommendations, if you worked out for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, you would be meeting the 2.5 hours they recommend. For most individuals this is completely doable, and might just take some planning in your schedule. You do not have to do 30 minute chunks at a time although that may be easiest. You can start with one 15 minute session or workout in the morning and finish off with one 15 minute session or workout in the evening. You don’t have to stop here. If you meet the 150 minutes and still have days left in the week, keep going. Adding more steps or workouts to your week will be good for your heart and mind. If you can get to 300 minutes with cardio and strength training combined, go for it! So what activities are considered Aerobic? Consider running, jogging, dancing, playing soccer or basketball, burpees, jump rope,and biking. Any activity that works your lungs and gets you breathing heavy.
Strength Training Explained
Strength Training should have its place in your weekly exercise regimen at least 2 times per week. Each session during your week should be at least 30 minutes from start to finish or up to 45 minutes if you can allow. Activities such as powerlifting, rowing, resistance band exercises, push ups, bench press, deadlift, push press, kettlebell swings, weighted squats, and weighted lunges fall into this category.
Exercise + Nutrition
You can’t out train a bad diet. If you spend most of your days eating quick fix foods that are fast and packaged, and leave out the energy dense foods… you aren’t going to see as much progress in your training and exercise. Abs are made in the kitchen. Yes, you can get stronger abs and core from working out, but unless you match that with good nutrition habits, you are not going to get where you want to go. Here are a few tips to get you started. Consider adding a protein supplement or powder to your menu. Not only are they handy to have on the go as a quick meal replacement or snack, but they give you the sustainability and fullness you need instead of snacking on less than desirable foods. They also give your body and muscles the recovery and essential nutrients they need after a workout. Take the time to search around and try before you buy. Most businesses will allow you to return an opened container of protein powder if it is more than half full in the case that you don’t like the taste or it causes stomach upset. Keep a water bottle handy and full of water in your path of sight. If you see it, you’re more likely to drink before you are severely thirsty. Lastly, reach for colors. Add bright fruits and veggies to your meals instead of packaged options.
Now for the part you have been reading for. Listed below are 3 muscle building workouts to get you started on your path to a healthier you.
Workout 1: Full Body
5 Push Ups
5 Squats
5 Sit Ups
5 Burpee
For this workout you will complete this set of body weight exercises for 6 rounds. With each round you will add 5 reps to the first 3 exercises and then add 1 to the burpees. For instance, round two of this workout would look like this:
10 Push Ups
10 Squats
10 Sit Ups
6 Burpees
Round 3 would look like this:
15 Push Ups
15 Squats
15 Sit Ups
7 Burpees.
Complete 6 times for your end round to equal 30 reps and 10 burpees.
Workout 2: Legs
20 Squats
20 Lunges R and L
20 Rep Squat Pulse
For this workout you will complete this set of body weight exercises in a descending fashion by rep2s each. This means that the next round ( round 2) will start at 18 reps instead of 20. The 3rd round will start at 16 reps and so on down until you hit 2 reps for each exercise.
Workout 3: Abs
30 Second Sit Ups
30 Second Plank Hold
30 Second Russian Twist
30 Second Plank Hold
30 Second Flutter Kicks
30 Second Plank Hold
30 Second Slow Mountain Climbers
30 Second Plank Hold
30 Second Bicycle Crunch
30 Second Plank Hold
For this workout, you will complete this set of body weight exercises set to a timer. Complete 4-5 rounds.
Visit Genesys Mens Health for Your Personal Mens Health Needs
We hope you enjoyed our information on 3 muscle building workouts for older men. Taking care of your body inside and out is the beginning to a healthy life. At Genesys Men’s Health, we value your unique needs. We see individuals from all walks of life. If you are in the prime of your years and are experiencing some difficulty or need guidance with erectile dysfunction, come visit us and talk about any issues you may have that could be related to men’s health. With an office located in Sandy, Utah, drive on over and talk to one of our experienced doctors. You can also reach us by phone at (801)-671-7456. Contact us today!