Is it possible to get pumped up after 30?
Most often, men believe that after thirty years there is no point in starting strength training to gain muscle mass, since creating a beautiful body and rapid muscle growth is easy only for teenagers. They call their rounded belly a “labor callus” and are demonstrably proud of it (but secretly hate it).
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Fortunately, you can start exercising in the gym at any age. Research suggests that the metabolism of a 35-year-old man differs little from that of an eighteen-year-old guy. The only difference is that with age the body becomes much more “tight”, and the muscles need to be carefully prepared for stress.
The main secret of a sports figure
First of all, it should be noted that in creating an athletic figure and muscle growth, nutrition, and not exercise, comes first. Essentially, strength training is meant to rev up your metabolism and force your body to use food energy more efficiently, directing calories toward muscle growth rather than fat stores.
However, it is in the daily diet that most of the problems of 35-year-old men lie - by this age they all have a huge number of formed eating habits (for example, skipping breakfast and eating a heavy dinner). But in order to build muscles, it is not enough to take sports supplements - you must first reconsider your diet.
Is it possible for a skinny guy to get pumped up at 30?
In order for a 30-year-old man to gain weight and muscle mass, he should exercise. But it needs to be done correctly.
- Power loads required. Don't exercise on exercise machines.
- Use a barbell, dumbbells, add weight little by little.
- Do not forget about a set of exercises, such as bench presses, push-ups, pull-ups.
- And, of course, there must be rest, because muscle mass grows only when you rest, and not in the “gym”. 3 workouts a week is quite enough.
Metabolic features of thirty-year-olds
Let us remember that metabolism is the process of converting calories obtained from food into energy for the functioning of the body in general and muscles in particular. Muscles, in turn, do not work on proteins, as is commonly believed, but on carbohydrates. Unfortunately, with many years of lack of stable physical activity, carbohydrate energy begins to be stored not in muscles, but in fat.
During strength training, carbohydrate reserves in the muscles are first depleted, and then replenished again due to the food eaten - this is what the process of muscle growth is based on. Despite this, most adult men who want to bulk up also want to lose weight by choosing a low-carb diet - which ultimately stops muscle growth.
When you're over 30...
The first signs of a slowdown in metabolism appear: excess fat is deposited, muscles begin to sag, and cellulite appears.
However, your joints and heart are not at all worn out, so you are quite capable of fairly intense exercise. Here is a program designed for 60 minutes of training 2-4 times a week. 1. Jogging, or brisk walking, or cycling at a speed of 14-15 km/h - at least 20 minutes. This will ensure fat burning, strengthen the cardiovascular system, increase endurance, and improve lung ventilation.
2. Squats – 3 sets of 20 reps. Don't slouch, lift your chin slightly, turn your shoulders. Don't lean forward too much. This exercise will strengthen the muscles of the back, abdomen, lower back, buttocks and thighs. These are the largest muscles in the body and burn the most calories during exercise.
3 . Side bends – 2 sets of 30 reps. 1 time is a tilt first to the right, then to the left, and not in one direction. Try to keep your knees straight and your feet shoulder-width apart. Clench your hands into fists and, bending over, try to reach the corresponding knee on the side with your fist. Don't slouch, don't lower your chin, don't throw your head back. This exercise will tighten your sides, which hang unattractively over your waist, and strengthen your stomach and sides of your thighs.
4. Push-ups from a wall, from a chair or from the floor (whichever is feasible) - 2 sets of 10 times. Try to keep your body straight, like a taut string, do not raise your pelvis, do not sag with your stomach down. It will tighten your entire body, including your legs. Works almost as many large and small muscle groups as squats and burns maximum calories.
5 . At the end of the charge, jog again, or briskly walk, or ride a bicycle at a speed of 14–15 km/h for at least 10 minutes. This will help avoid muscle pain after strength training and speed up fat burning.
Is it possible to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time?
No matter how logical the idea may seem to you that during strength exercises the body burns surrounding fat (for example, when doing abs crunches, a six-pack begins to appear), in reality this is completely impossible. The body—especially the body of an untrained 35-year-old man—can either store energy or waste it.
Muscle growth (as well as fat growth) is a process of storing energy, while losing weight is a process of spending. That is why it is important to choose one single training goal - either you are gaining muscle mass, or you are focusing on burning fat. Your diet will also vary according to this goal.
Muscle growth and muscle fiber types
In addition to choosing a single training goal, it is important to have a basic understanding of muscle metabolism. Human musculature consists of two types of muscle fibers - fast and slow. Bodybuilding and weight lifting develop carbohydrate-fuelled fast-twitch fibers. Slow fibers that work on fat are activated during static loads that are performed without movement.
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Working in a sedentary position and a sedentary lifestyle lead to the fact that the slow muscle fibers of 35-year-old men lose elasticity and become overgrown with fat. In order to restore the body's natural flexibility and mobility, while drying out the muscles and making the body sculpted, you will need not only strength training, but also regular stretching exercises.
Why is it so important to exercise and be active after 30?
Scientists currently do not have accurate data on at what age our body officially begins to age, since there are several theories of aging themselves, one taking 27 years as a starting point, and the other 39 years. One way or another, 30 years is a significant age from a psychological point of view, when our personality, habits and tastes are already formed, but we are happy to try new things, learn, train, taste and take risks. This is also a great age to make sports activities your favorite daily rituals and make sure that your body gets the movement and energy it needs. This theory is supported in the East, namely in Japan and China, where after 30 years it is advised to devote at least 15–20 minutes to body flexibility every day. By the way, many of us fall in love with yoga precisely at this age, because we finally find the treasured two hours a week to devote to leisurely asanas and breathing practices.
The physical exercises we gravitate toward in our 20s are often conditioned by stereotypes and environment. For example, “my girlfriend is skiing and I’ll go,” although in reality you don’t like either the speed or the cold wind in your face. At the age of 30, most of us already know how to listen to ourselves and select sports training based on our temperament and character: some go alone to boxing classes on the other side of the city, while others feel more comfortable racking up kilometers every morning at 7:00. home treadmill without leaving the comfort of your bedroom. As we grow older, we come to a clear understanding of our desires, and the chosen sports hobby remains with us for a long time.
In Japanese and Chinese culture, physical activity is encouraged at any age, but it is strongly recommended for working adults: this way you prolong youth and energy, keep the body healthy and get rid of stress. Over the years of sedentary work, problems in the musculoskeletal system accumulate, and poor nutrition at 30, unlike at 20, already negatively affects the figure, and it is impossible not to notice. Strength training, cardio exercises, yoga or any other type of activity helps to respond in time to age-related changes, strengthen the immune system, maintain spinal flexibility and good posture, and balance the work of the entire body and its muscles. What activities should you pay attention to after 30?
Yoga and Pilates
With thoughts about the future health of your body after 30 years, it is worth focusing on any exercises that provide back support. Good posture will make you younger and healthier, and exercises for the back muscles will give your spine a rest after a long working day. You will be surprised, but even a protruding belly and wrinkles on the neck (the so-called rings of Venus) are caused by the load on the spine, while we fight them by doing abdominal exercises and injecting Botox. Yoga, Pilates, ballet and regular back stretching will help you get rid of back pain, stiff muscles and get correct posture: they will strengthen the very corset of muscles that will keep your back straight and slender.
Cardio loads
Running, intense walking or cycling are some of the most accessible physical activities. Develop the habit of running at least once a week for 4–5 kilometers and two more days of walking long distances at a comfortable pace: this way your body will adapt to cardio loads and will respond with endorphins. To make the process even more enjoyable, don’t set a goal to lose weight, but think about the health of your cardiovascular system in the long term - this is much more important and not only about your figure, but about longevity.
Swimming
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, swimming has a positive effect not only on the body, but also on mental health. This type of activity is great for relaxing after a hard day at work and does not exhaust the body as much as strength training. Swimming is similar to meditation in many ways because you combine movement and breathing in the present moment, which gives a pleasant effect of being present in the here and now. We recommend combining swimming with other activities or completing an intense short cardio workout with it, because water relaxes you, which means it’s not so difficult for you to get into the process.
Power training
You don't have to sweat your ass off in the gym if you're not a fan of strength training, but you can incorporate some helpful abdominal and leg exercises into your personal fitness routine to tone up. What usually happens to a woman's figure after 30 years? Even slight excess weight becomes more noticeable, and especially in the hips area, a tummy and volume appear in the sides. You can concentrate your regular workouts on these areas, for example, pumping up your abs and doing jumping squats, lifting your legs in the air while lying down, or focusing on your buttocks with weights.
Sports activities in the company
To enjoy sports, do it in pleasant company. Agree with your friends to exercise together at least once a week: this could be jogging in the park, boxing, or Pilates on a reformer. Encourage each other and dedicate this day entirely to your body by organizing a trip to the sauna or massage after training. If you traditionally gather to gossip somewhere in a cafe, offer to replace these meetings in the summer with walks with tea in a thermos, share your achievements and motivate others to join.
The importance of stretching and static exercises
Preparing muscles for strength training (as well as a cool-down at the end) is a prerequisite for those who start working out in the gym after 30-35 years. Unfortunately, there are simply no universal sets of stretching exercises at this age, since each person has a certain set of problem areas.
However, static exercises such as the elbow plank, abdominal vacuum and static abdominal bicycle are suitable for all men, allowing you to quickly achieve an effect in the form of strengthening the abdominal muscles. If you feel that your whole body is literally stiff and your muscles are not working at all, you will need power yoga classes.
Fitness after 30 years
Our program will consist of several basic exercises that activate the muscles of the entire body.
Running (sprinting) in place
You need to start with a warm-up run; this exercise can also be performed on a treadmill. Gradually increase the speed and add vigorous arm movements. Raise your knees higher and higher too. For a beginner, 20 seconds of this exercise is enough; more prepared ones can run for 30 seconds. Running in place helps protect your bones from weakening.
Climber's Warm-up
Take a lying position so that your body forms one straight line. Pull your right knee towards your chest. Repeat the same with your left knee. Alternate legs at a fast pace. Then add a crossover, i.e. pull your right knee toward your left elbow and your left knee toward your right elbow.
A beginner can do 10 regular reps and 5 cross reps. Trained women can try doing 16 regular reps and 8 cross reps during training. For an example, follow Exercise No. 5 in this video.
Since the waist at this age can increase from lack of sleep and constant stress, it is recommended to perform this exercise in combination with Exercise No. 6, also loading the muscles of the sides. This combination works out the entire body, placing special emphasis on shaping the waist.
Burpees (with swaying buttocks for added challenge)
This exercise speeds up a slow metabolism.
Squat down, then place your hands on the floor. Next, jump your feet back into a plank position. Push up and return to the starting position, and then jump up from the seated position as high as possible. Return to the starting position again.
To make it more difficult, you can do swings from a plank position. To do this, already being in the plank at the second step, we bend first to the left, touching the floor with the left buttock (as in Exercise No. 6 above, which you have already checked), and then to the right, also touching the floor. Next we do push-ups, transition to a half-squat and jumping.
For a beginner, 8-10 repetitions of the exercise will be enough; those who are trained can afford 10-15 repetitions. And we end the series with an excellent static-dynamic exercise for girls.
Special superset (corner + dumbbell squat press)
This superset loads several muscle groups at once, it improves the range of motion and makes your figure attractive.
Take dumbbells in your hands and stand up straight. Feet are shoulder width apart. Start lowering into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stay in this position for 15-20 seconds. Then lift the dumbbells to shoulder level. Tighten your butt muscles and keep your arms extended for another 10 seconds. And then straighten up and at the same time press the weights overhead. Lower your arms to your shoulders and then return to the starting position. Repeat this series 5-8 times as you feel until the muscles in your legs tighten.
For beginners, dumbbells/weights of 1-1.5 kg and 10-15 repetitions are suitable. More advanced fitness ladies can perform 15-20 repetitions with 1.5-2.5 kg dumbbells.
You need to squeeze the dumbbells straight up, not back!
As a simplified option, we suggest doing just a chair with weights for 30-40 seconds.
Now 1 round of your workout is ready. Next you need to repeat the entire series again. For the first week of training, we do 1-2 such circles, from the second - 2-3, and then we increase the volume according to our well-being up to 5 circles !
To prevent muscle tissue from being destroyed due to age-related slowdown of metabolism, it is necessary to constantly train. There are special sets of exercises for this. Fitness after 30 is not hard labor, it’s still the same pleasure as at 20! You just need to choose the right training and follow some rules.
And in conclusion, we offer a complete workout for girls in any conditions. It can be done either with dumbbells in the gym or at home, or with any other auxiliary weight.
How to start playing sports after 30 years old?
A typical mistake of 30-year-old men is a significant overestimation of the level of their knowledge about strength training and proper nutrition - most adults are confident that they know not only how to run and perform various physical exercises correctly, but also how to properly plan their diet. However, this is not at all true.
When starting to play sports after the age of 30, it is very important to do this under the supervision of an experienced trainer who corrects not only the exercises, but also nutrition in general. Among other things, this will allow you to realistically assess your prospects and set yourself up for long-term progress - no matter how much you want it, you will not be able to change your body in one month.
When starting to play sports after thirty years of age, it is important to combine strength training in the gym with static exercises and an individually designed set of exercises to warm up muscles and joints. This is what will allow you to achieve not just muscle growth, but also the creation of a fit and athletic body with the absence of chronic pain in the back and neck.
Approximate training program, taking into account the characteristics of fitness after 30
In order to get in shape after 30, you don’t need to sign up for “sports reserves” - it’s enough to exercise 3 times a week for 50 minutes. A balanced program that takes into account the characteristics of fitness after 30, consists of 2 parts:
- Strength exercises. You need to start with strength exercises and pay special attention to them, since at this age the muscles begin to become flabby. Do exercises with weights - this will significantly increase the effectiveness of your training and save you a lot of time. Get special weighted cuffs on your wrists and ankles and do swings, twists, and lunges. It is advisable to combine them, forcing opposite muscle groups to work simultaneously - this will help avoid back pain.
- Cardio loads. Set aside 20 minutes of cardio each workout. Perform them using the interval method - several short bursts at the limit of your capabilities with short breaks. Use various exercise machines or just run up the stairs.
Even if you've never been a fan of fitness, it's time to start - this way you will ensure not only a toned figure, but also excellent health.
