As you grip a dumbbell in your forty-year-old hand and glance in the mirror at a physique that shows no sign of progress, you wonder, is it still worth it? Can my body reach the heights of its youth? Or am I doomed to go spiralling downward as age creeps up? Thankfully, the figure you’ve always wanted is a realistic possibility. You just need to convince yourself and learn how training at this age takes a slightly different approach. So, let’s turn off that middle-aged slump and transform our workouts to suit this stage of life.
Start With the Basics
There’s no doubt that training has evolved since the golden era of bodybuilding. The choice of training programs available, technology and equipment are on the up. It can be daunting if you’re just starting after a lengthy break from the weights; watching youngsters rep-up on exercises you never knew existed. But you’ve got to remember, whatever worked for bodybuilders decades ago, will still build muscle today. Don’t be afraid to include the basic bench press, squats or barbell curls in your routine—the pros still use them.
It’s far too easy to get carried away with creating a flawless exercise regime; one that will see you progressively pile on the muscle week by week, moulding you into a dream-like shape.
While there’s nothing wrong with precise workout planning, the only way you’ll get near your fitness goals is to look at diet—under a microscope. What we put in our mouth every day will determine whether we build muscle or lose fat.
Diet is that important. With that said, let’s look at some key tips to get you heading the right way.
Trying to follow the paths of your bodybuilding idols is not easy. They’ve built a career around sculpting themselves into shapes that are as close to perfection as possible.
Not only do these weightlifting masters have the know-how on physique; being in the public eye, they’ve learnt how to overcome the struggles of dressing well when you’re massive.
By the time they’ve had their pre-workout snacks and tied their laces, they’re dressed in a way that sparks confidence, and are set to attack the weights like only they know how.
So, what gear provides this polished look during training? And how do their sessions take them past a regular bodybuilding workout?
