They say 40 is the new 30. But in reality, you’re really only as young as you feel. That’s why it’s important to know your limits and set your boundaries with what you know you can do, able to do and just flat out can’t do anymore.
As we age, no matter who you are, your body changes. That’s why it’s important to know how, why and when your body changes. Doctors agree that certain movements should stop after your body matures to a certain age, so here we have a quick list below:
Squats
What? You want to get your hips and butt together and squats are your way to do that right? Well, kinda. Squats are one of the most basic and effective exercises for the legs and glutes. However, older bodies are more susceptible to injury, particularly if weights are involved. If done incorrectly, squats can cause lower back and knee injuries due to muscle strains, tears and pulls.
In addition, squats may add muscle to your hips, making them appear wider. Many people will mistake the added bulk for fat gain when it’s actually muscle gain. It’s one area that people usually want to slim down, not emphasize. And because your body’s metabolism slows down after age 40, this is one spot you probably want to keep trim.
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Good alternatives to squats are lunges and step-ups.
Leg Press
The leg press is easily one of the largest cornerstones of the dreaded ‘leg day’. As you get older and hit that 40-year mark you certainly are going to start beginning to feel the effects that working out has on your knees and legs. So when we get older and still see the infamous leg press in our fitness training programs, we get understandably worried. The leg press, as it stands, is pretty terrible for your knees and the small of your lower back. The pressure you put on both of those body parts only echoes louder with age. Yeah, you’ll feel the burn after you work out and likely longer if you keep doing the exercise.
Try for some kettlebell squats as an easy alternative.
Sit-Ups
There’s no such thing as just “losing belly fat”. You cannot reduce fat by working out a particular area of your body. If you want to lose that spare tire, you have to decrease your overall body fat percentage by hitting a calorie deficit.
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Sit-ups have been proven to be ineffective when it comes to flattening your belly anyway, plus a number of back injuries have been linked to doing a full sit-up and even crunches. So what do you do now?
Instead of a back-breaking workout (literally), try doing planks. The work your core and you’ll see results even faster.
Intense cardio
That’s right; leave the “going-hard-in-the-gym” philosophy to the younger generation. Women seem to love cardio more than men, but
