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What advice would you give for someone who is just beginning to train in their 40s?

Starting Training at 40? Take it Slow & Gradual. Focus on Basics & Progression. Build Strength, Recover, then Increase Intensity.

Hey, Mike, this is a really good question. My best advice in regards to starting training at any age in that matter is to start nice and slow. So the goal is not to come into the gym or start your training program and feel sore, and Go full speed right from day one. The goal is to gradually start progressing. So start from the very Basics. It's very important to understand that strength training is a skill that needs to be practiced. It involves a lot of central nervous system and neurological control as well. So, learning the movement. Turns pick an amount of days that, you know, you can stick to that is sustainable to you and your lifestyle start very minimal and gradually Build It Up, really focusing on the big compound lifts using your accessory and isolation exercises to use, as I guess the icing on the cake and work on the weaker points. And then, as you start to feel more comfortable and as you start to recover better from the training sessions, then you can start to increase your loads that then you can start to ramp up the volume and the training frequency, if that's your goal and a sustainable to you in your life. That's my recommendation. To you, mate.

Start slow and focus on the basics when beginning strength training. Learn the movements and gradually increase your loads as you get more comfortable and recover better.

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When it comes to starting training in your 40s, my advice is to take it nice and slow. The goal is not to push yourself too hard and feel sore right from day one. Instead, focus on gradual progression. Start with the basics and understand that strength training is a skill that needs practice. It involves the central nervous system and neurological control.

Learn the movements and pick a number of days per week that you can stick to consistently. Start with minimal intensity and gradually increase it over time. Focus on compound lifts, which are exercises that work multiple muscle groups, and use accessory and isolation exercises to target weaker areas.

As you become more comfortable and recover better from training sessions, you can gradually increase the weight, volume, and frequency of your workouts. The key is to find a sustainable routine that fits your lifestyle and goals.

Remember, the journey is about progress, not perfection. Take your time, listen to your body, and enjoy the process.

Build Strong Abs: Progressive Overload & Varied Exercises are Key

I think the best way to approach any of your abs training is to think of your abs, the same as any other muscle group, because they really are, you can Target ABS a lot more frequently because they're a smaller muscle groups, similar to something like carbs, but in the end of the day, it requires Progressive overload from a number of different angles. So of course, our core is always engaged regardless of which a dork or exercise we're doing, but we can Target the upper lower transverse abdominus, obliques. So thinking of varied rep ranges making sure we're overloading when possible. So that means adding loads and maybe it's adding some form of weight or resistance and then figure out your training frequency, whether it's once a week, twice, a week, three times a week, whatever it may be, and overtime, progressing that volume up over time, so we can get that lean muscle, tissue growth. And then, it really just comes down to making sure that our body fat percentage is low enough to actually reveal the shape of the apps.

To target the abs, think of them like any other muscle group and use progressive overload from different angles. Vary rep ranges and add weights or resistance when possible. Increase training frequency and volume over time to build lean muscle tissue. Finally, ensure body fat percentage is low enough to reveal the shape of the abs.

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To build your abs effectively, treat them like any other muscle group. You can target abs more frequently since they are smaller muscles. Progressive overload is key, meaning you need to challenge your abs from different angles. Engage the upper, lower, transverse abdominis, and obliques.

Vary your rep ranges and ensure you're overloading when possible. This can involve adding weight or resistance to your exercises. Determine your training frequency, whether it's once, twice, or three times a week, and gradually increase the volume over time to promote lean muscle growth.

Lastly, it's important to have a low body fat percentage to reveal the shape of your abs. Remember that building abs requires a combination of targeted exercises, progressive overload, and maintaining a low body fat percentage.

How do you know when to train though illness or when to rest?

Listen to your body: Rest and recover when sick for better results

Really does depend on what type of sickness you've got or how sick you actually feel. But typically for myself and for any of the clients that I work with. I always recommend taking at least a day or two off increasing your water intake increasing vitamin intake getting as much sleep as possible and just keeping in mind that a few days off is not going to derail your progress completely. Whereas if you try and train through it, you most likely going to make yourself worse, particularly if it's some form of virus and it's going to affect central nervous system. And and then that's it's going to last longer. So instead of missing one or two days, you might end up missing a week, two weeks or just make it worse. Typically, once I start to feel a little bit better. I'll go back into the gym and do my workout, but I won't do anything. Super heavy to fatigue, central nervous system too much, and I usually avoid really high, intensity cardio. So keeping it nice and light, just getting the body moving again, see, how I recover and then judge next session of that one.

Take a day or two off, drink plenty of water and vitamins, get enough sleep, and return to the gym once you start feeling better. Don't do anything heavy that will fatigue your central nervous system too much; keep it light and see how you recover.

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Knowing whether to train through illness or rest depends on the type of sickness and how sick you feel. Generally, it is recommended to take at least a day or two off when feeling unwell. During this time, focus on increasing water intake, boosting vitamin intake, and getting ample sleep. Remember that a few days off will not completely derail your progress.

If you try to train through illness, especially if it's a viral infection affecting the central nervous system, you may worsen your condition and prolong your recovery time. It's better to take a short break and allow your body to heal properly.

Once you start feeling a bit better, you can gradually return to the gym. However, it's important to avoid pushing yourself too hard or fatiguing your central nervous system. Steer clear of intense cardio workouts and opt for lighter exercises that get your body moving. Pay attention to how your body recovers and use that as a guide for your next training session.

Should I schedule my weekly lifts by body parts or by movements (push/pull)?

Maximize Results: Program Movements, Not Body Parts

I typically prefer to program movements. Not so much body parts, you know, going from the bodybuilder bro, split where you doing one muscle group per day and all that type of stuff that does work for some people. But in my opinion programming movements where we're trying to Target each muscle group at least twice per week, in terms of frequency, and then being able to substitute certain exercises out for different movements as well. Keeping in mind that it doesn't take you a full week to recover from one training session. Unless you're doing an absurd amount of volume with absurd amounts of loads, so, Breaking you awake down into certain movements, whether it's push-pull legs upper body, lower body, full body, whatever. It may be. In my opinion, that's going to be a lot more effective going to be able to train each muscle group and Target it more frequently. So seeing better results over a longer period of time and you're going to recover a lot quicker. The quality the sessions is going to be far greater as well. We survived go in and do chest. For example, after say two or three exercises of three to four sets on that same muscle group. The, the quality of my training is going to decrease as the session goes on. Whereas if I break my Chest movements down across multiple sessions per week. The quality is going to be higher. The amount of volume on lifting is going to be higher. So the results should correlate with that and be a lot better.

I prefer to program movements rather than body parts, as it allows for better training quality and frequency. This should lead to better results over a longer period of time, while also allowing for quicker recovery.

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I prefer to schedule my weekly lifts based on movements rather than body parts. While the traditional approach of targeting one muscle group per day can work for some individuals, I find that programming movements allows for more effective training.

By focusing on movements, I aim to target each muscle group at least twice per week, prioritizing frequency. This approach also allows for flexibility in substituting exercises to keep the routine varied. It's important to note that it typically doesn't take a full week to recover from a single training session, unless excessive volume and loads are involved.

Breaking workouts down into movements such as push-pull, upper body-lower body, or full body enables more frequent training of each muscle group. This leads to better long-term results and quicker recovery. Additionally, the quality of each training session tends to be higher when movements are distributed across multiple sessions throughout the week.

For example, if I were to focus solely on chest exercises in one session, the quality of my training would likely decrease as the session progresses. However, by spreading chest movements across multiple sessions per week, I can maintain higher quality, perform more volume, and expect better results.

In summary, scheduling lifts based on movements rather than body parts can lead to improved training quality, increased volume, and better long-term results.

Music or no music during training sessions?

Music or silence: Personal preference in training sessions.

I mean, I believe everybody's probably different some people, you know, really fire up with no music, which I definitely can't relate to. Whereas, a lot of people tend to really Thrive off that music and their that Vibe of getting in the zone. I guess you could call it. So, whatever works for you. I mean in team environments. It can be different from time to time. Most team sport environments that I've been around professor at a professional level tend to have some form of Music throughout the throughout the session to help with motivation. And like I said, kind of G there the athletes up. Up to be in their best mental state to attack the workout at the best capacity that they can. But in the end of the day, it's personal preference. So comes down to what you perform best at and that applies for most things to do with training. There's no one-size-fits-all.

It really depends on personal preference. Music can help with motivation and getting in the zone, but it is not necessary for everyone. Ultimately, whatever works best for you should be the priority when deciding how to train.

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The choice of having music or not during training sessions is subjective and varies from person to person. Some individuals find motivation and get in the zone with music, while others prefer silence. In team environments, it can differ depending on the situation. Many professional team sports sessions incorporate music to boost motivation and help athletes perform at their best mentally. However, it ultimately boils down to personal preference and what helps an individual perform optimally during training. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to training preferences.

How does a lifting plan for hypertrophy differ from one for developing strength, explosiveness, or endurance?

Unlocking Hypertrophy: The Key Variable for Effective Lifting Plans

Set the main variable that changes when I'm programming for hypertrophy for a client on myself, compared to strength, or endurance, explosiveness, and whatnot. Is the overall volume and loads for the week. So, how many sets are we doing? How many working sets that are high-quality? How many reps, what's the load? They're using in the overall volume for the week tending to lift more between their say, 8 to 15 rep range, compared to strength. We're lifting a lower rep range, maybe between five to eight, even lower in some cases. And obviously. Lee with the explosive rep ranges where we lifting maybe lighter loads but with a faster Tempo more explosiveness and whatnot, but we've hypertrophy really taking note of the overall volume for the weekend. However, to able to progressively overload, that over the span of multiple weeks, multiple months, how we Paradise that training program, making sure that over time, we have progressively overloading in that given kind of rep range and how many accumulative effective sets? Are they able to It per week and continue to overload in time.

The main variable that changes when programming for hypertrophy is the overall volume and load for the week, with higher reps (8-15) compared to strength training. To progressively overload, you need to look at the accumulative effective sets each week and make sure that the rep range and load increases over time.

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When programming a lifting plan for hypertrophy compared to developing strength, explosiveness, or endurance, the main variable that changes is the overall volume and loads for the week.

For hypertrophy, the focus is on higher overall volume and loads. This means more sets and working sets of high quality, typically in the range of 8 to 15 reps. The goal is to lift heavier weights within this rep range to stimulate muscle growth.

In contrast, for strength development, the emphasis is on lifting heavier weights with lower reps. The rep range may be between five to eight or even lower in some cases. The focus is on building maximal strength.

For explosiveness, the rep ranges may involve lighter loads but with a faster tempo and a focus on explosive movements. The goal is to enhance power and speed.

In terms of endurance, the focus is on higher repetitions and longer durations. The emphasis is on building muscular endurance and stamina.

In all cases, progressive overload is important to continue making progress over time. This means gradually increasing the weights, reps, or intensity to challenge the muscles and stimulate further adaptation. The specific programming and progression will vary based on the desired training outcome.

Danny Kennedy answers your Strength questions. See all the advice Danny Kennedy has and get answers to your own Strength questions.

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