Monday, 5 January 2009

Training Your Body After Your 40th Birthday

By Ricardo d Argence

They say that age is just a number, but when it comes to
work outs and staying in shape that age factor is a definite
factor in how you will approach your fitness regimen. Some
people want to say that they are over 40 and they use their
age as an excuse for not maintaining a healthy lifestyle and
a regular workout routine.

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 well known that individuals who partake in regular
physical fitness tend to have a better outlook on life, and
are balanced emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Exercise
also causes the brain to release endorphins which increase
happiness and the feeling of wellness.

Let's start with some basics, being over 40 means that you
do need to make a few concessions in your workout routine,
but it does not mean that you have to be a victim of false
notions about aging. As we get older, our muscles and joints
are less limber and this means that adequate stretching and
warm up prior to exercising is very important.

A time frame of 15 minutes is needed for stretching routines
so you can increase flexibility and lessen the chance for
muscle pain, sprains or other damage. Your muscles will
become better conditioned the more complete you stretch.

Next is a 15 minute cardio portion on a treadmill,
elliptical, stair master, 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 repetitions, correct
posture must be your main consideration. This maximizes your
results and reduces your risk of injury.

You should be training with weights at least four days per
week and each session should be no more than 30 to 45
minutes. One could repeat a cardio workout to wind down
after lifting weight. This also give your heart and lungs
strength.

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