Building muscle in your 40’s and beyond.

The average 40+ year old woman is overweight.

The average 40+ year old woman is unhappy with her appearance.

The average 40+ year old woman loses muscle mass as she ages.

FORGET AVERAGE!

Just because the average woman settles for being average, doesn’t mean you have to as well. Life is far too short to not feel and look the way you want to!

As we age, the challenge of building muscle and achieving or maintaining a lean physique undoubtedly gets harder. Our physiological makeup undergoes transformations, with hormonal fluctuations and diminishing efficiency in the stimulation of muscle growth. Despite these obstacles, the goal is very possible. While dedication and effort are necessary, with strategic training strategies in place, it becomes a hell of a lot easier.

When it comes to building muscle at an older age, the rules are the same rules that a person at any age must follow. It is essential to focus on key fundamentals such as progressive overload, proper nutrition and adequate rest and recovery. However, we need to be smarter in addressing specific key areas to optimise muscle-building efforts effectively.

Lifting Heavy

Because of the decrease in signals that cause muscle growth we do need to make sure we are training smarter and lifting heaver. By implementing progressive overload into our workout plans we can continue to improve and progress. Lifting the same weights for months on end will not work; we need to make sure that we continue to increase those weights gradually overtime. This is where having a personalised program really works so that you can make sure your efforts are not being wasted and you don’t hit a training plateau.

Incorporating technical failure within each set is crucial for maximising muscle growth. Hitting the point where form starts to deteriorate due to exhaustion signals that the muscles have been sufficiently challenged. Ideally, aiming to reach technical failure within the 8-10 rep range.

Protein

As the effectiveness of the signals that stimulate muscle growth start to decrease, it becomes even more important to make sure you are maximising muscle protein synthesis (the process of producing new muscle protein. It's an important component of how the body ultimately maintains and builds muscle.) efficiently. So making a conscious effort to meet daily protein requirements becomes essential to support your body's muscle-building process.

This doesn’t have to become overly complicated and you don’t need to start adding lots of new food sources to your diet. Simply focus on increasing the protein content of your primary meals. For example, if you currently consume 20g of Greek yogurt for breakfast, gradually increase it to 30g. It sounds small, but just adding a little more will soon add up through the day and you will hit your protein target without even noticing it. The great thing about eating more protein is that not only will it help with building the muscle but it will also help you to feel fuller for longer preventing over eating and helping with a weight loss goal.

Recovery

As we age, our ability to adapt and recover from exercise also slows down. So, focusing on sleep quality, proper nutrition, and having a well-thought-out training programme becomes increasingly important.

Paying attention to factors such as total volume (the amount of work done in a workout) and the spacing of workouts throughout the week is essential in maximising fitness gains and preventing overtraining injuries. Having a well-structured program or working closely with a knowledgeable coach will help you to avoid issues such as training the same muscles two days in a row, doing excessive volume daily - which can hinder muscle growth, and ensuring you incorporate rest days into your routine.

It's important to make sure you are getting adequate sleep and allowing your body enough rest as these factors play a significant role in muscle growth. When engaging in weightlifting, you're essentially breaking down muscle fibres to facilitate growth; however, adequate recovery time between workouts is needed for repair and growth. Sufficient sleep not only aids in muscle recovery but also influences your diet choices and hunger levels, contributing to overall fitness progress.

Meal timing

Research supports the significant impact of protein timing post-workout for maximising muscle growth. Following exercise, the body experiences a heightened period of muscle protein synthesis and insulin sensitivity, which are crucial for muscle recovery and growth. To optimise these advantages, it is recommended to intake protein within a targeted 60-minute post-workout timeframe. So once you’ve finished your workout try and get in one of your protein meals for the day. If this doesn't fall into a window of a normal meal, a protein shake is a good on-the-go option. I personally use Huel or Veloforte for the vegan options but whey isolate is great if you have dairy and you can add in a bit of milk, oats or a banana to make it more filling and creamy.

Injury

The time spent unable to exercise is a big factor that can significantly impact your ability to build muscle. So it’s even more important that we do our best to avoid injury and burnout.

Things like maintaining correct form during exercises, following a tailored exercise prescription specific to your fitness goal, and managing total training volume are all essential considerations we need to pay attention to. Consistency over an extended period plays a pivotal role in determining the advancements made in muscle building. Therefore, it is important to focus on optimising recovery periods and adjusting training programmes accordingly to minimise the effects of time constraints on your muscle-building journey. This is where working with a trainer can be a complete game changer. Not only will they be able to teach you correct form and be your eyes on the ground - which will allow you to lift heavier - but they will also be able to do all the planning and decision making so that you don’t have to.

In summary

You don't have to be the over weight, unhappy with your body or lose muscle just because the stats say so. You just have to take care of yourself by eating more protein, timing meals well, resting enough, seeking guidance if needed, and lifting heavy.

If you'd like help getting started with resistance training, or support to creating a lifestyle that supports enjoying life for longer, click here.