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If you're a man over 40, you know it's not easy to stay fit. Fitting a whole workout in your busy lifestyle can be incredibly difficult and taxing, especially after a long day at work.
Fortunately, there are exercises that can help you burn fat and build muscle to look and feel your best. The best part is that they require little to no equipment, which means you don't need to waste time commuting to and from the gym; you can do these exercises just about anywhere.
Best Fat-Burning Exercises for Men Over 40
Here's a look at seven best exercises to help burn fat for men over 40:
#1 Burpee
Burpees are a great way to burn fat and build muscle. Burpees are an explosive exercise that involves squatting, jumping and lunging back into a plank position. There are many variations of this movement, but all of them involve quickly switching from one exercise to the next, with no rest in between.
This combination of exercises makes burpees extremely effective in burning calories, as they combine multiple movements that increase both heart rate and metabolism.
Apart from burning fat, burpees also strengthen your shoulders, arms, chest and back muscles while building stamina in the lower body (including the hips).
#2 Push-Up
Push-ups are a simple exercise that can be done anywhere and any time. There are many variations of push-ups to keep things interesting and make sure you're always challenging your muscles in new ways.
How to do a push-up:
- Start on the ground face down with your hands under your shoulders and feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Engage your core and glutes as you lower yourself down till your chest touches the ground and your arms form a 90-degree angle (or as close to this as possible).
- Press back up to starting position by contracting your abs and pushing through your heels as if performing an upward dog yoga pose.
- Add weight by holding onto dumbbells or loading plates onto an elevated platform, such as two chairs placed side by side so that they create an incline between them (you can also use backpack straps).
- Your form doesn't have to suffer.Try various hand positions such as reverse grip, diamond grip (hands together underneath), neutral grip (elbows bent at 90 degrees) or palms facing inward toward shoulders for extra wrist strengthening work during this exercise.
#3 Pull-up
You probably know how to do a pull-up, but here’s a refresher: Start with your arms straight, palms facing away from you. Pull yourself up till your chin passes over the bar, and lower yourself back down slowly.
Pull-ups are one of the most effective ways to build strength and muscle mass in the back, and they can also help improve posture and balance. If you can do only one or two pull-ups, start with negative reps: Lower yourself down slowly so that each rep takes at least five seconds (and up to ten). When you can do three sets of five reps easily, move on to standard repetitions.
To get started with pull-ups, set up a bar at home (or at the gym) that’s high enough that you have to jump to grab it with both hands while standing on something sturdy if necessar.
Once it's secured into place, stand underneath it so that when hanging from above, there's no slack between your hands and feet touching floor. This is where using chalk helps, as it improves grip strength without making gloves necessary.
Once positioned correctly, try lowering yourself down slowly till both arms are straightened out behind before releasing tension by allowing gravity take over control.
#4 Plank Jack
As the name suggests, this exercise is essentially a combination of a plank and a jack. To do it, get into push-up position, with your hands on the floor and your back straight.
Keep your feet flat on the floor, and hold that position for as long as you can (aim for anywhere between 20 seconds to one minute). Jump from side to side in an alternating pattern while still holding onto the push-up position throughout.
Make sure that when you’re jumping from side to side, keep your body straight without allowing any bend at all in your lower back.
#5 Squat Jump
The squat jump is a great exercise to do if you're looking for a quick and effective workout.
To do a squat jump, stand with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips. Bend your knees, and lower into a squat position till they're below parallel to the ground. To end this movement, push up through your legs as you jump as high as possible while keeping your arms straight at all times.
You should land softly with bent knees. Try doing 10 to 15 of them in a row. Rest one minute between each set of five reps (or whenever it feels right).
#6 Mountain Climber
Mountain climbers are a great way to work your core and shoulders, while also burning fat.
Start with your hands and knees on the floor, and lift one foot off the ground. Bring your knee towards your chest while at the same time bringing one arm forward and up towards that leg. Alternate legs as you move them in this pattern:
- Lift one leg off of the floor
- Bring it close to your chest while bringing an arm forward and upwards toward that leg (like you’re doing a jumping jack)
- Reset both feet on the ground.
#7 Dumbbell Overhead Lunge
To perform a dumbbell overhead lunge, you'll need to have a pair of dumbbells at the ready. Grab them with both hands, and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the weights at shoulder height with your arms straight and palms facing inwards toward each other (a common way to hold weights when performing bicep curls).
Take one step forward so that the back foot is flat on the ground and the front foot is planted with about 90 percent of its sole on the ground for balance (don't worry about keeping all ten toes on each foot).
Keep your chest up and shoulders back by contracting your abdominal muscles. The goal is not to lean forward as you lunge; stay upright as much as possible.
Men Over 40 Can Burn Fat and Build Muscle Too
If you’re a man over 40 and want to work out and burn fat at the same time, there are specific exercises that can help you build muscle while burning fat. That's great, as it'll help keep your metabolism high so that even when you’re not working out as often, your body still burns more calories than before.
The following exercise routines will give men over 40 the best chance at burning fat while building muscle:
- The Jumping Jack
- The Squat Thrust
- The Walking Lunge With Overhead Triceps Extension (you can also use dumbbells for this)
- Bicep Curls To Front Shoulder Raise
These exercises can be done daily or every other day, depending on how much time you have available for exercise per week.
Takeaway
The best fat-burning exercises for men over 40 are burpees, push-ups, pull-ups, plank jacks and squats.
These exercises help improve your muscle definition and strength while also burning calories. You can perform these exercises at home or even in your office if you have the space.
