Before we begin:
If you haven’t already done it, I highly recommend that before you continue reading this page, you first check out my article on “A Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding“.
The 45+ years old age range
At this age range, things start to slow down more considerably. You will begin to experience Sarcopenia, which is a natural condition that usually begins when we are 30 and can cause up to 3-5% of muscle loss per year. In addition, due to natural chemical imbalances, you also recover less quickly from your workouts and your joints are much more susceptible to injury due to osteoarthritis.
However, if your question is whether you can put on muscle and be fit at these ages then the answer is…
Absolutely!
But to achieve this, you will need to train and diet very differently than the way you used to in the past as at this age, your body is a lot more vulnerable to injury. That’s why the routine for this article was designed with a especial emphasis on health through a very carefully thought out balance between strength, cardio and mobility work.
With that covered, let’s get straight to the point…
Beginner’s Straight-to-the-Point Workout Routine (45+ Years Old)
Monday – Full Body
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Row/Treadmill | – | – | Warm-up |
| Squats/Leg Press (if squats cause pain to you) | 3×10-12 | Direct: Glutes, Quads, Harmstrings Indirect: Calves | – |
| Incline Dumbbell Back Fly | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms, Back, Traps | Careful with form, bad form can over target the front shoulders |
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 3×10-12 | Direct: Biceps Indirect: Forearms | Safer than barbell chest press but we careful with yours joints (elbow sleeves are great for this) |
| Standing/Seated Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms | – |
| Straight Bar Cable Press-down | 3×10-12 | Direct: Triceps | Puts a lot less stress on the elbow joints when compared to most other tricep exercises |
| Standing/Seated Preacher Curls | 3×10 | Direct: Biceps | Easier on elbows when compared to most other bicep exercises |
| Shrugs | 3×8-10 | Direct: Traps Indirect: Back | – |
| Calf Raises | 4×12 | Direct: Calves | Focus less on the weight and more on holding the tension in the muscle all the way throughout the exercise |
Tuesday – Mobility/Flexibility
| Exercise | Reps | Notes |
| Seated Hamstring Stretches | x10 each leg | 20 seconds hold |
| Superman | x5 | 3-5 seconds hold |
| QL Stretch | x5 each side | 5-10 seconds hold |
| Can Openers – 10 each side | x10 each side | – |
| Pulsing Lunge | x6 each side | – |
| Hamstring Reaches | x8 each side | – |
| Hamstring Reaches – 5 each leg | 5 each leg | – |
| Two Way Lunge | x6 each side | – |
| Dead Shoulder Circles | 15 each side | – |
Wednesday – Full Body
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Row/Treadmill | – | – | Warm-up |
| Squats/Leg Press (if squats cause pain to you) | 3×10-12 | Direct: Glutes, Quads, Harmstrings Indirect: Calves | – |
| Incline Dumbbell Back Fly | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms, Back, Traps | Careful with form, bad form can over target the front shoulders |
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 3×10-12 | Direct: Biceps Indirect: Forearms | Safer than barbell chest press but we careful with yours joints (elbow sleeves are great for this) |
| Standing/Seated Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms | – |
| Straight Bar Cable Press-down | 3×10-12 | Direct: Triceps | Puts a lot less stress on the elbow joints when compared to most other tricep exercises |
| Standing/Seated Preacher Curls | 3×10 | Direct: Biceps | Easier on elbows when compared to most other bicep exercises |
| Shrugs | 3×8-10 | Direct: Traps Indirect: Back | – |
| Calf Raises | 4×12 | Direct: Calves | Focus less on the weight and more on holding the tension in the muscle all the way throughout the exercise |
Thursday – Abs (optional but recommended)
| Exercise | Sets+Reps |
| Hanging Leg Raise (switching to hanging knee raise if too difficult) | 3×15 |
| Ab Crunch (if machine available) or Normal Ab Crunch | 3×10-15 |
| Leg Raises | 3×10-15 |
| Plank (aim for a 30 seconds hold) | 3 |
Friday – Full Body
| Exercise | Sets+Reps | Target Muscles | Notes |
| Row/Treadmill | – | – | Warm-up |
| Squats/Leg Press (if squats cause pain to you) | 3×10-12 | Direct: Glutes, Quads, Harmstrings Indirect: Calves | – |
| Incline Dumbbell Back Fly | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms, Back, Traps | Careful with form, bad form can over target the front shoulders |
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 3×10-12 | Direct: Biceps Indirect: Forearms | Safer than barbell chest press but we careful with yours joints (elbow sleeves are great for this) |
| Standing/Seated Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 3×10-12 | Direct: Shoulders Indirect: Arms | – |
| Straight Bar Cable Press-down | 3×10-12 | Direct: Triceps | Puts a lot less stress on the elbow joints when compared to most other tricep exercises |
| Standing/Seated Preacher Curls | 3×10 | Direct: Biceps | Easier on elbows when compared to most other bicep exercises |
| Shrugs | 3×8-10 | Direct: Traps Indirect: Back | – |
| Calf Raises | 4×12 | Direct: Calves | Focus less on the weight and more on holding the tension in the muscle all the way throughout the exercise |
My Goal Physique 