The #1 Weight Training Workout To Reverse Aging After 40, Trainer Says

Anti-aging is something that is of utmost importance to many people nowadays. You can see advertisements everywhere on how to look younger through different types of medical procedures, facial creams, or supplements. Although various products and cosmetic surgeries may work well for some individuals, the very best way to reverse aging is to take care of yourself. This means eating a healthy diet, having a solid skincare routine, drinking plenty of water to keep your body hydrated, and exercising on a regular basis. It's natural, much more affordable, and a fun lifestyle you can easily get used to! We've come up with the #1 weight training workout to reverse aging after 40, and it will give you results in no time.

Let me first share my thoughts on which types of exercise to do. I recommend performing strength training over cardio workouts. My reasoning for this is that as you move into your 40s and beyond, you lose lean muscle mass. The loss of lean mass causes your metabolism to slow down, and this affects how you look and the way you feel. It's been said that muscle is the fountain of youth, and you need to do everything to build and maintain it as early as you possibly can. Cardio is a healthy routine and has its time and place, but should be more of a supplement to your fitness regimen—especially if your goal is to gain muscle, lose fat, and keep your body looking and feeling young.

If you haven't been strength training, now is absolutely the time to start, because it doesn't get easier the more you age. I recommend most people—especially beginners—perform full-body workouts, as they can target more muscle groups frequently and improve their fitness faster than regular body-part splits. The strength training exercises you should focus on are mostly compound exercises, because they use more muscle groups.

Looking to turn back the clock on aging after 40? Here's a full-body weight training workout that you can do to build muscle, burn fat, and help reverse aging after 40. Check it out below, and next, be sure to read The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.

Dumbbell Squat

Start your dumbbell squats by grabbing a pair of dumbbells. Stand up straight with your feet just outside shoulder width. Keep your chest tall and core tight, push your hips back, and begin squatting down until your hips hit about parallel height and weights are below your shin. Drive through your heels to come back up, flexing your quads and glutes to finish. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Lat Pulldowns

trainer doing lat pulldown to reverse aging after 40 — Tim Liu, C.S.C.S.

For this exercise, grip the lat pulldown bar with your palms facing away from you just outside your shoulders. Lean back slightly, and pull the bar down toward your sternum with your elbows while squeezing your lats at the very bottom of the movement. Resist on the way up, and maintain tension in your lats. Get a good stretch at the very top by letting your shoulder blades come up before performing another rep. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Grab a pair of dumbbells, and lay down flat on the bench. Position the dumbbells straight up above you with your arms fully extended. Pull your shoulder blades back and down into the bench as you lower the weights down toward your chest. Get a good chest stretch in, then press the weights back up to the starting position, squeezing your pecs and triceps at the top. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Dumbbell Walking Lunge

Start the dumbbell walking lunge exercise with a dumbbell in each hand. Step forward with one leg, and firmly plant your foot. Then, lower yourself under control until your back knee gently touches the floor. Walk forward with the other leg, and repeat. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps for each leg.

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Lying flat on an incline bench, grab a pair of dumbbells with your palms facing up and arms fully extended. Keep your elbows tucked against your sides, curl the weight up, and flex your biceps hard at the top. As you lower the weight, resist by using your biceps and get a good stretch at the bottom. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps.