[Music] as we age building muscle becomes more difficult not necessarily due to the aging process but rather external factors like time and energy become more scarce and while we may not be able to make more time we can certainly make the most of the time we do have that's why in this video I want to share the only three exercises men over 40 need to build muscle and yes these three exercise can hit every single muscle group effectively now if you think that isolation movements are necessary for optimizing muscle growth consider this research done on
single joint and multi-joint exercises found that multi-joint exercises are as effective as single joint exercises in gaining upper body muscle and strength this supports the notion that hitting multiple muscles with one movement is just as effective as train training a muscle directly and while both types help you build muscle the key difference lies in the number of exercises you need so without further Ado let's Jump Right In exercise number one incline press this compound pushing movement doesn't just hit the chest it maximizes efficiency by engaging multiple muscle groups simultaneously when you press the weight up
the chest Works through horizontal adduction the front delts fire during shoulder flexion and the triceps activate during elbow extension this Synergy of muscle activation makes the bench press Superior to many other pushing movements allowing for consistent Progressive overload but why incline press over the traditional flat press well according to a study published in the Journal of exercise science an incline press produces the most upper chest stimulation more surprisingly however is it also results in growth of the lower and middle chest similar to a flat bench making it a great overall chest Builder not only that
but the incline press hits the triceps just as well as other angles and involves the dels to a greater degree and while a low incline press was found to produce better activation of the pectoral muscles compared to a higher incline the higher incline does a better job at hitting the shoulders in fact one study found that the mid delts were activated almost as much during the shoulder press as they were during lateral raises thus it's safe to assume that the higher the incline the greater the midt activation another benefit of the incline press is it
tends to be a safer more stable press variation for the shoulders with incline presses the downward Force applied by the weight in relation to the orientation of your arms allow you to keep your scapula down and back and firmly pinned to the bench additionally you'll be pressing from a more externally rotated position which is always ideal for avoiding impingements the question then becomes should we use a barbell or dumbbells while the barbell allows you to lift around 177% more weight compared to dumbbells dumbbells offer a greater range of motion since you can bring your arms
down lower and your hands closer together at at the top personally I recommend including both variations into your training or simply choosing the one that feels the best for you exercise number two pen L row nothing beats heavy free weight rowing when it comes to overall back development this movement drives scapula protraction and retraction targeting your traps and rhomboids shoulder extension hitting your lats Terri's muscles and rear delts and an isometric contraction of the lower back not only that but anytime we're pulling a weight toward our body we're involving the biceps to a great degree
and since we're also holding the bar Against Gravity the forearm muscles will also be involved it's no surprise then that the traditional barbell row is a staple in most programs in fact this study from the Journal of strength and conditioning research says that bent over row efficiently engages the ENT entire back including the upper mid and lower back muscles unfortunately this same study also mentioned that bent over rows can be bad for your spine thus enter the penl row not only does it offer all of the benefits of the traditional barbell row but it's far
safer on the spine when performing bent over rows the weights dangle and hang during the Ecentric movement so your lower back muscles and core must work harder to support the weight then when these muscles fatigue your form gets sloppy causing a lot of undesirable spine compression and flexion the pen L row however optimizes an otherwise spine straining exercise by forcing a dead stop at the bottom of the range you see pausing after every rep alleviates the constant load on your lower back and spine and removes the possibility of momentum dependent reps better known as ego
lifting overall this exercise allows you to execute rows with stricter form and having optimal form means you can engage your upper back and midback muscles better and let's not forget that it still works the spinal Erectors to a significant degree so the penl row is not only a comprehensive pulling exercise but also a safer option than its hanging counter part like the other movements on this list the penl row can be adjusted to better engage different areas of the target muscle for back thickness flare your elbows out and allow your shoulder blades to move instead
of locking them in place according to the findings of these studies this intentional retraction of the shoulder blades activates the traps and rhomboids to a greater degree for back width tuck your elbows close to your torso and drive them back as far as you can to emphasize shoulder extension engaging your lats and rear delts and if you're looking for overall muscle growth keeping your arms at 45° will not only engage the upper and midback more evenly but it'll allow for enough elbow flexion to engage the biceps to a great degree and finally remember to keep
a flat back and engage your core for a powerful isometric contraction ensuring that your lower back muscles are taking the load and not your spine and exercise number three Bulgarian split squats the bulgar Ian split squat is often regarded as one of the most humbling exercises and for good reason it's a Powerhouse for leg development targeting the entire leg musculature the Bulgarian split squat focuses on knee extension and hip extension knee extension develops the quads as these muscles work to straighten the knee and hip extension develops the glutes and hamstrings as these muscles extend or
straighten the hip with Bulgarian split squats you'll be using lighter weights compared to other more popular leg exercises like the back squat or leg press and if you're worried that lighter load training may not produce the same results in terms of muscle growth don't be this study published in the international Journal of exercise science compared split squats Bulgarian split squats and back squats they found that the Bulgarian split squat produced the same levels of muscle activation in the lower body as traditional back squats but with half the weight the Bulgarian split squat can also be
adjusted to better hit different areas of the lower body more effectively for a more quad Focus split squat maintain an upright torso as much as possible doing so increases the amount of knee flexion needed which in turn demands more of the quad for a glute focused split squat simply lean forward to stretch the glutes more this increased stretch requires increased activation and thus growth producing tension from the glute muscle fibers now when it comes to the weight you may be used to loading both sides of the body carrying a dumbbell in each hand I however
recommend loading one side of the body either the same side as the working leg or the opposite instead of both doing so increases the demand on the Deep muscles of the hips leading to more resilient and mobile hips lower risk of lower body injury and promotes overall movement stability in summary this split squat variation lets you train intensely and Achieve significant muscular adaptations without placing excessive strain on your spine and lower body joints in fact in another study that compared the back squat and the Bulgarian split squat researchers found that the split squat produces less
Demand on the knee joints over time this reduces your risk of joint wear and tear making it a safer yet equally effective alternative for leg training without the risk of heavy lifting so there you have it the only three exercises men over 40 need to build muscle by incorporating these three exercises you can hit every single muscle group effectively and efficiently while also limiting the amount of wear and tear on your joints did you find this video helpful if so click the like button below as it'll truly help out the channel also if you're an
intermediate or Advanced lifter whose muscle gains have stalled and are looking to jump start new muscle growth grab a copy of mass 5 full body this is a highfrequency full body workout for intermediate and advanced lifters who are looking to take their physique to the next level and right now you can get an additional 25% off by using the coupon code Mass 25 if you want to learn more click the link in the description below and if you haven't already make sure you subscribe for more videos and don't forget to turn on post notifications so
you don't miss the next one peace
