5 Daily Bodyweight Moves That Build More Muscle Than Weight Training After 45

Once you enter your 30s, 40s, and beyond, staying consistent with resistance training becomes more crucial than ever before. That’s because muscle deterioration is inevitable with age. In fact, you can lose anywhere from 3% to 8% of lean muscle every decade after your 30th birthday. While that may be a tough pill to swallow, the good news is you can address sarcopenia head-on by leading an active lifestyle and consuming a protein-packed diet. To help maximize your routine, we’ve rounded up five daily bodyweight exercises that build more muscle than weight training after 45.

Your body weight can be such an incredible tool.

“After 45, recovery can take longer, and joints may not tolerate heavy lifting the same way they used to,” explains Stephen Sheehan, certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews. “Bodyweight exercises let you train hard with less wear and tear while still targeting strength, balance, and mobility. They also challenge stabilizing muscles that sometimes get overlooked in traditional weight training.”

5 Daily Bodyweight Exercises To Build Muscle After 45

Perform the below exercises four to five days a week.

“Because bodyweight training is lower impact, it’s often easier to recover from than heavy lifting, which makes more frequent practice possible,” Sheehan.

Pushups

Pushups are great for training the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

1. Start with a high plank with hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
4. Press back up, straightening your arms.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps.

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Squats

Squats strengthen the glutes and legs.

1. Stand tall, feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Extend your arms before you or place your hands on your hips.
3. Bend at the knees and hips to lower into a squat.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your heels to return to standing.
6. Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

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Pull-ups

Pull-ups build up the biceps and back.

1. Stand tall and grab onto a pull-up bar using an overhand grip, hands shoulder-distance apart.
2. Hang onto the bar with fully extended arms.
3. Pull your chest up toward the bar by bringing your elbows down and back.
4. Slowly lower back to the start position.
5. Perform 3 sets of as many reps as possible.

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Bulgarian Split Squats

Bulgarian split squats hit the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

1. Stand tall, a few feet away from a workout bench.
2. Place your back foot on the bench.
3. Bend your front knee to lower until your front thigh is parallel to the floor.
4. Press through your front heel to return to standing.
5. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per leg.

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Shoulder Taps

Plank shoulder taps fire up the chest, core, and stability muscles.

1. Begin in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and body straight.
2. Engage your core.
3. Lift your right hand off the floor and tap your left shoulder.
4. Set your right hand down and repeat with your left hand, tapping your right shoulder.
5. Keep your hips steady as you continue to tap from side to side.
6. Perform 3 sets of 12 taps on each side.