Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Muscle Building After Your 40th Birthday

By Ricardo d Argence

The way that you design your workout routine and how you choose to keep yourself in shape has a lot to do with your age. Some people aged above 40 use age as their excuse for unhealthy lifestyle and to skip workouts

Regular exercise and staying fit are very important no matter what your age. If you approach weight training, diet and work outs the correct way you can maintain a remarkably healthy and fit body for many years, regardless of your age. There are many benefits of both weightlifting and bodybuilding. You can reshape your body, become healthier, increase bone density and weight loss.

It is no secret that people who keep physically fit also feel better about themselves and about life in general. People who exercise also experience the release of endorphins from the brain, which helps, maintain a sense of happiness and well-being.

Starting with the basics, once you reach the age of 40 you have to make some changes to your workout, however it doesn't mean that you have to act the victim of false truths regarding aging. When people get older, we have to stretch and warm up before we exercisng because are muscles and joints become less limber.

A fifteen minute stretching and warm up period will help increase your suppleness, and lower the chance of sports injuries. Your muscles will be more conditioned the more you stretch properly and completely.

Next is a 15 minute cardio portion on a treadmill, elliptical, stairmaster, or a bike. You don't need to strain yourself when doing this exercise; instead, you just want to increase your heart rate slightly and continue to tone and stretch like before. This exercise will let your body know that you are serious about doing some work.

If you are doing circuit training or a free weight routine, have a quick run through without the stress of heavy weights, and then follow this brief warm up by doing reps with the appropriate weights,the next step should be to work out with light weights.

When using the pyramid system, you add reps but use less weight, then you start adding weight and decreasing the reps, which is how a lot of the bodybuilders do their workouts. Pay constant attention to your posture. This method of weightlifting has great success for those who want to add muscle and bulk to their bodies. Even if it means decreasing the weights or the amount of repititions, correct posture must be your main consideration. This maximizes your results and reduces your risk of injury.

Your routine with weights should not last longer than 30-45 minutes each session and you should be training at least 4 days a week. At the end of your weight session, you can again repeat a cardio session as a way to wind down, but to also strengthen your heart and lungs. - 15266

About the Author: