Over 40?
Congratulations!
Life has just begun.
And “longevity” is what you should optimize for in all your activities.
If you are over 40, 50, or even 60 and want to get the “ripped” status, it is easier than you think.
In fact, the only factor that might impede your fitness progress is lower testosterone levels.
You are probably aware that the testosterone hormone starts to decline by the age of 20! However, the decline continues to accelerate as we grow older.
This impacts the strength and endurance of our physical and fitness performance.
Lower testosterone levels could be overcome using external sources like the medically prescribed Testosterone Replacement Therapy.
Furthermore, lifters who have been long in the bodybuilding journey should be more cautious about their joints.
Other than these little factors, you should see great progress if you follow the right training programs combined with the right meal plans.
In this post, we compiled three of the best training programs for lifters over 40.
Let’s go!
The Top Workout plans for Lifters Over 40.
Below we include three different training programs for 40 plus. These programs are designed to combine large muscle groups together instead of the pro split.
The programs are optimized for longevity and safety. They are more efficient and faster to implement.
1
Push Pull, Legs for Lifters over 40.
Push, pull legs is a very popular training program for beginners as well as advanced lifters. If you are over 40, this training program is highly recommended.
Push - Chest , Shoulders, and Triceps:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Flat Bench Press
5 (2 warmup, 3 working sets)
15-6
2 - 5
Incline Bench Press
3
12 - 6
2 - 3
Dips or Flyes (alternate every other workout)
3
12 - 6
2 - 3
Delt side raises (dumbbells or cables)
5
15-10
1 - 2
Delt rear raises (dumbbell, cable, or reverse pec-deck)
5
25-12
1 - 2
Tricep cable push down
3
15-10
1 - 2
Standing Tricep cable extension
3
15-10
1 - 2
Pull - Back and Biceps:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Lat pull down or pull ups
5 (2 warm up, 3 working sets)
15 -10
2 - 3
Dumbbell rows
3
12 - 8
2 - 5
Machine cable rows
3
15 - 10
2 - 3
Bicep dumbbell or cable curls
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Bicep machine concentration curls
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Legs:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Hamstring leg curls
4
15 -10
2 - 3
Hack Squat or Leg Presses (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
2 - 5
Leg extension
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Hip thrust or walking lunges (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
It is highly recommended to incorporate machines in your bench presses as opposed to free barbells and dumbbells.
Notice shoulder presses are not included nor recommended because of two reasons:
(1) They are conducive to shoulder impingement. And …
(2) they target the front delt which receives a lot of tension and activation during the bench presses.
We published a comprehensive push, pull, legs workout split program here.
2
Upper/Lower Body workout Split for Lifters over 40.
Another popular program is the upper lower workout split.
Although I’m less inclined to recommend this program, it best works for lifters over 40 who are busier and want to train less frequently.
Upper Body - Chest , Shoulders, Back, Biceps, and Triceps:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Flat/incline Bench Press (alternate every other workout)
5 (2 warmup, 3 working sets)
15-6
2 - 5
Dips or Flyes (alternate every other workout)
3
12 - 6
2 - 3
Lat pull down or pull ups
4
15-10
2 - 3
Dumbbell or machine rows
3
12 - 8
2 - 5
Delt side raises (dumbbells or cables)
4
15-10
1 - 2
Delt rear raises (dumbbell, cable, or reverse pec-deck)
3
25-12
1 - 2
Tricep cable push down
4
15 -10
2 - 3
Bicep dumbbell or cable curls
4
15 - 10
2 - 3
Legs:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Hamstring leg curls
4
15 -10
2 - 3
Hack Squat or Leg Presses (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
2 - 5
Leg extension
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Hip thrust or walking lunges (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
2 calf exercises of your choise
4 each
25-15
1 - 2
2 Ab exercises of your choice
5 each
30 - 15
1 - 2
Notice the higher number of sets given the less frequency of this program.
We published a complete upper/lower body workout split here.
3
Pro Split Program for Lifters over 40.
This is not technically a pro split, because it doesn’t combine smaller muscles with bigger ones in the same session.
It, however, combines large muscle groups opposing each other in the direction: Chest and back, shoulders and arms (triceps and biceps opposing each other), and legs.
Chest and Back:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Flat Bench Press
5 (2 warmup, 3 working sets)
15-6
2 - 5
Lat pull down or pull-ups
3
12 - 6
2 - 3
Incline Bench Press
3
12 - 6
2 - 3
Dumbbell rows
3
15-10
1 - 2
Dips or Flyes (alternate every other workout)
3
15-10
1 - 3
Machine cable rows
3
15-10
1 - 2
2 Ab exercises of your choice
3 each
15-10
1 - 2
Shoulders, and Arms (triceps, and biceps):
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Delt rear raises (dumbbell, cable, or reverse pec-deck)
5 (2 warm up, 3 working sets)
25-12
1 - 3
Delt side raises (dumbbells or cables)
4
15 - 10
2 - 3
Machine Shoulder presses
3
12 - 8
1 - 3
Standing up-right rows
3
15 - 12
1 - 3
Bicep curls (dumbbells or cable)
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Tricep cable push down
3
15-10
1 - 2
Bicep machine concentration curls
3
15-10
1 - 2
Standing Tricep cable extension
3
15-10
1 - 2
Legs:
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Rest (Mins.)
Hamstring leg curls
4
15 -10
2 - 3
Hack Squat or Leg Presses (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
2 - 5
Leg extension
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
Hip thrust or walking lunges (alternate every other workout)
3
15 - 10
1 - 3
2 calf exercises of your choise
4 each
25-15
1 - 2
This by far is the most recommended workout program for lifters over 40.
Notice that on the chest and back day, you start with a chest exercise and follow it with a back exercise. Or vise-versa.
On the shoulder and arms day, you alternate between a bicep and tricep exercise.
Training Frequency For Lifters over 40
The minimum training frequency is two days a week following the upper/lower body workout split or three days a week following the other two programs.
Notice that since the volume is less than normal training programs, you can increase the frequency to 3, 4, or 5 days a week, allowing anywhere from 4 to 2 days a week for recovery.
