Men's Health: Muscle After 40: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Training Guide to Safely Build Your Best Body Ever in Your 40s and Beyond - Lose Unwanted Fat and Build Muscles!

I had major shoulder surgery when I was 30 (badly torn labrum and AC joint repair), and I haven’t really worked out in 12 years since. Throw in a couple of kids, and you have a recipe for a great dad-bod. I decided my New Year’s resolution was to lose 15-20 pounds, and more importantly tone up even though I regularly have shoulder pain in my AC joint.When I was younger I learned a ton using the Book of Muscle from Men’s Health, and this guide looked like a great place to get started again now that I’m 42. It’s not filled with a bunch of crazy details which is good because I know a lot of that. I just wanted a routine to follow to help get me back into the rhythm of working out, and give some info about building muscle at 40+.The book is broken up into three phases that are four weeks each (aka three month program). Each phase starts relatively easy, then fluctuates the number of sets to give hard & easier weeks. I haven’t done a lot of the exercises in the book before, but the pictures and description really help understand proper technique. About the only thing I wish it had was more alternative exercises because a few cause a lot of shoulder pain. Now that I’m back into the swing of working out though I’ve found similar exercises to do instead (and nothing a quick internet search engine can’t help with).I’m just about to begin phase 3 and following the program to a “T”, and I’m definitely starting to see results. I can tell I’m building muscle everywhere instead of just having big biceps, quads, etc… The day after soreness went away a while ago, and I’m not struggling to add weight/reps/sets either. Coupled with better eating habits I’m down about 10 pounds even with the muscle weight gain, and I had to tighten my belt recently.This book was perfect for me since I have weight trained before and just wanted some help getting back into shape, but even someone new to working out could get going with this. Experienced guys could use at least some of these exercises too, but it’s really meant for the previously mentioned guys.Final thoughts: I’m super happy with the money I spent on this guide. Using an app is fine and I could have gone that route too for about the same price, but since I just needed a jump start, and I like having a physical book, so this was exactly what i wanted and needed.As a quick note, after phase 3 you’ll have to come up with your own routine, but even if you don’t use everything is this book I would find it hard to not incorporate several new exercises I’ve learned. Hopefully this will help you as much as it’s helped me.

It’s perfect workout guide and workouts are realistic. Definitely a good workout guide to avoid wasting time at gym. This is one of my go to workout guides.

Easy to understand and easy to use. and great for getting back into the gym and getting back into shape. I would recommend this to anyone. Not just people over 40. If you want to start lifting then you should definitely pick this up. My wife started doing this with and loves it, and she usually hates lifting.

I bought this a while back and finally got it out and started using it. Before using the book, I dropped the 12 pounds I needed. Then I realized it was time to add muscle to get toned again. Should have opened it before or at least at the start of my weight loss. The 1st month is 3 times a week. The 2nd month, 4 times a week. The 3rd and final month, you go 5 days a week. To this I'm adding cardio (rowing, running, jump rope, elliptical, HIIT - something out of that list). This book focuses just on weights, so you do need to get some cardio in there. Now that I'm 61, my body does not respond to working out like it used to. This book helps focus on getting back in shape and doing it safely. You can't go wrong buying this. I'm actually back here looking through amazon to see what additional Men's Health books might be similar to this one.

The publication gave good advice, and how to preclude injury, especially if one has lower back pain. This publication would have received a higher rating had it been delivered on time and not three weeks later.

Great book and great program for those of us over 40 looking to get back into the gym and get back in shape. This isn’t one of those get fit quick books. It gives you day by day workouts with pictures showing the exercises and how to do them. There’s also space for you to write reps and weight in next to them. There was a few exercises that I couldn’t do because the machine that was depicted wasn’t in the gun I was at so I did substitute every now and then. But not very often. It helped me get back on track and stay focused and do the correct exercise groups.

Terrific exercise manual not just for over 40, but at any age. The exercises are well thought out and include a wide variety of different exercises my body is not used to. This book is excellent if you find yourself in a rut performing the same old exercises: bench, squats curls, etc and want to venture out for something different.At 46, working out 2 days in row with adequate volume and intensity can be a challenge, so I always take the following day off. So far, it has worked well; besides the author states it is ok to take an extra day if needs be.Highly recommended!

If you are someone who has been away from a fitness program for a while, or are a parent wanting to get back in shape after a few years of hectically raising kids, pick up this guide. It's a program geared toward men over 40, basing its exercises to form a foundation of full body fitness and strength, and can just as easily be used for women as well (which is quickly addressed by the author). The guides are easy to follow, and the program graduates you into harder levels at a logical pace. If you are someone like myself who is already reasonably fit, the daily workouts leave room for additional set insertions, or allows you to partner a superset for additional challenge. This guide was a welcome change to my own daily gym routine, as it was getting stale, and as a man over 40, the tips it gives to avoid injury and increase recovery were also welcome. I am sure that more experienced lifters/trainers could put together a program like this on their own; but for those who are not educated in that way, and need some coaching, this is a good one to pick up, and then revisit.