{"id":120798,"date":"2025-05-21T21:18:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T21:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/120798\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T21:18:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T21:18:11","slug":"build-muscle-after-40-personal-trainer-shares-workout-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/120798\/","title":{"rendered":"Build Muscle After 40: Personal Trainer Shares Workout Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shorter workouts<\/a> could be the key to getting in shape and staying that way into your 50s and beyond, according to a personal trainer who learned to work smarter instead of harder.<\/p>\n

Bill Maeda, 56, said recovering from a health crisis taught him that short, simple, and consistent is key to building muscle<\/a> and fitness long-term.<\/p>\n

“My raw horsepower is less than it was 10 or more years ago, but I don’t care,” he told. “The difference is now, I’m moving better, and it’s fun.”<\/p>\n

Inspired by Bruce Lee to start training at 8 years old, Maeda had been a personal trainer for decades, even landed a few movie roles with his muscular physique. But in 2012, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer<\/a> in his early 40s, requiring major emergency surgery and half a year of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

Recovering from cancer made him realize that focusing on his physique over his health was like building a nice car without proper brakes or steering.<\/p>\n

“I wanted a strong frame. I wanted a powerful engine, but I spent so much time building this car, I forgot how to drive it. That’s what I’m doing now,” he said.<\/p>\n

Maeda slowly rebuilt his fitness, one rep at a time, and said shorter and simpler can be better for long-term gains<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Build a foundation on the basics: deadlifts, squats, push-ups<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maeda’s current workouts on social media often feature unusual exercises, but he said most people shouldn’t do complicated workouts<\/a> unless they’ve mastered the basics. You don’t need elaborate movement to build muscle, and the risk of injury can increase as an exercise become more intricate.<\/p>\n

“Well into my forties, I didn’t do anything fancy. It was deadlifts, squats, kettlebell swings, just a lot of very fundamental movements,” Maeda said. “Those are what built my physical base, what people see now, the muscle I carry.”<\/p>\n

To gain muscle and strength, focus on progressive overload<\/a>, performing the same exercises over time with gradually increasing weight.<\/p>\n

From there, you can explore variations of exercise to keep workouts fun and challenging while improving mobility<\/a>, agility, and balance.<\/p>\n

“I do less of that heavy basic lifting because of the time I have now, I’d rather put it towards movements that spread the stress of what I’m doing more evenly throughout my body,” Maeda said.<\/p>\n

Work out in less time by rucking<\/strong><\/p>\n

One regular part of Maeda’s fitness routine is rucking, or walking with weight<\/a>. He typically carries a 45-pound backpack for 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week, while walking his dogs.<\/p>\n

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He first starting rucking as he was slowly rebuilding his endurance after colon cancer. He began with short walks wearing a backpack full of bricks and added weight (and better gear through his partnership with fitness brand GORUCK<\/a>) over time.<\/p>\n

Building muscle and endurance comes from challenging your body over time. Rucking<\/a> provides a convenient way to work the muscles during activities that are already a part of a routine, like walking dogs or taking a hike.<\/p>\n

For Maeda, it added an extra challenge without taking more time out of his day.<\/p>\n

“It got me to a point where just walking seemed like a total waste of time,” he said. “If I’m doing something that often and I can just put a 45-pound backpack on, that’s a lot of minutes under load.”<\/p>\n

Ending a workout early can pay off<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his younger years, Maeda embraced the “no pain, no gain” mindset of tough exercise, but now warns against it.<\/p>\n

“I don’t personally recommend programs that are aggressive and based on sucking it up and willpower. Life is hard enough,” Maeda said.<\/p>\n

He said it’s better not to be completely exhausted after exercise<\/a>, so you’re energized and excited for the next workout, even if that means cutting your workout short.<\/p>\n

“Consistency over days is way more important than a hard weekend warrior workout that means you’re sore for the rest of the week,” he said.<\/p>\n

Try this no-equipment workout for beginners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maeda recommends starting with a workout you can do at home.<\/p>\n

To complete his “exercise ladder,” do:<\/p>\n