Getting older can make strength training feel harder, and staying injury-free while still making gains becomes the main priority. Men over 40 need joint-friendly strategies that allow them to train hard without setbacks, while still delivering maximum growth. For this, trainer Bobby Maximus designed a push-pull workout that hits all the major upper-body muscles, from back to biceps and triceps. It’s high-volume, so you don’t need to lift super heavy weights, and the supersets keep your heart rate up while saving time.
This is the upper-body workout that will finally help men over 40 break through plateaus and build the strong, muscular physique they’ve always wanted, Maximus says. For best results, he recommends doing it three times a week.
Push-Pull Workout for Men Over 40
Warmup
Perform 3 rounds to prepare muscles and joints, prevent injury, and increase blood flow.
Neutral Grip Pullups
How to Do It
- Grab a pull-up bar with palms facing each other.
- Hang with arms fully extended.
- Pull your chin above the bar.
- Lower slowly back to full arm extension.
- Perform 5 reps.
- You can substitute this for lat pulldowns or dumbbell bent-over rows.
Dips
How to Do It
- Grip parallel bars and lift your body.
- Lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Press back up to full arm extension.
- Perform 5 reps.
- You can substitute this for bench dips rather than using parallel bars.
Pushups
How to Do It
- Place hands shoulder-width apart on the floor in a high plank position, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Lower your chest to the floor, then press back up.
- Perform 5 reps.
The Workout
Do the first and last two exercises as supersets, performing each exercise pairing back to back, resting for 60 seconds between sets.
Dumbbell Bench Press
How to Do It
- Lie on a bench holding dumbbells at chest height.
- Press the weights straight up until arms are fully extended.
- Lower the dumbbells slowly back to chest level.
- Focus on a full range of motion and controlled tempo.
- Perform 5 to 10 sets of 10 reps.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
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How to Do It
- Place your left knee and hand on a bench, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
- Keep back flat.
- Pull the dumbbell to your waist, squeezing your shoulder blades at the top.
- Lower and repeat. Switch sides after the set.
- Perform 5 to 10 sets of 10 reps on each arm
Skull Crushers
Use light weight to manage the high rep count.
How to Do It
- Lie on the floor or bench with dumbbells in hands or a barbell, arms extended over chest.
- Bend elbows to lower the dumbbells toward your forehead.
- Extend arms back to the starting position.
- Keep elbows tucked and controlled throughout.
- Perform 3 sets of 100 reps.
Kneeling Hammer Curls
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Use light weight to manage the high rep count.
How to Do It
- Kneel on both knees, holding dumbbells at your sides.
- Keep palms facing each other.
- Curl the weights toward your shoulders.
- Lower and repeat.
- Perform 3 sets of 60 reps.
Cool Down Finisher
Perform 3 rounds, finishing the workout exactly as you started it.
- Pullups: 5 reps
- Dips: 5 reps
- Pushups: 5 reps
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