5 Tips For Older Men On How To Build More Muscle For Health

The older we get guys the more difficult it is to build muscle.

That’s why you must train SMARTER !

Here are 5 smart ways to train for more healthy lean muscle mass.

1-Use moderate loads within the rep ranges 6-12.

In my experience these rep ranges allow a client to choose a more appropriate load and challenge the muscle with controlled technique.

Heavier or lighter loads can be used for reps between 1-5 or as high as 25 but again what I’ve observed is that you need to be an experienced lifter to benefit from these rep ranges.

2-Use moderate volume: 5-10 sets per muscle group seems to be optimal.

Doing too many sets, reps and exercises within the 1 training session is a mistake most men make, including myself over the years.

THINK more along the lines of INTENSITY over duration and QUALITY over quantity when it comes to volume.

Being in the gym TOO long will potentially harm your muscle building efforts.

3-Challenge the muscle at different ranges.

This can be challenging depending on your gym equipment and knowledge

For example:

Squat: HARD at the bottom. EASY at the top.

So what we can do is ADD thick bands to the bar and the bottom of a squat rack to
INCREASE tension at the top of the squat.

Or if you are luck enough to have primefitness equipment you can use their leg press and easily change where the weight is hard or easy.

4-Use complete rest periods:

Another mistake for most men in the gym. Not resting enough or resting too long will definitely have an affect on your results.

Not resting enough between sets can negatively affect the anabolic response

As a result, allowing ore complete rest, around 2-3 minutes between sets, may be optimal for muscle building.

5-Train each muscle group twice a week:

The old days of going into the gym and only training chest on a Monday with every exercise from Arnold’s encyclopedia of muscle building should be long gone.

This is where SMART program design comes in.

Research shows that there is a limit to how much we can stimulate a muscle in a single workout before it becomes counterproductive.