# Build Muscle After 40 With This Full Body Workout Plan
Men's Health published a 3-week full body workout designed for men over 40 seeking muscle gain. The program targets age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which accelerates after age 30 at roughly 3-8% per decade without resistance training.
The plan prescribes compound movements that recruit multiple muscle groups per session. Squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows form the foundation. Progressive overload drives adaptation. The protocol structures training around 8-12 repetition ranges, aligning with research from McMaster University showing hypertrophic gains peak in this rep zone for older populations.
Recovery becomes non-negotiable after 40. The program allows 48-72 hours between sessions targeting the same muscle groups. Protein intake reaches 0.7-1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight daily, matching recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine.
The three-week window serves as a starting block, not a complete transformation. Sustained gains require 12-16 weeks minimum. Studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology confirm older lifters show slower adaptation rates than younger counterparts but achieve equivalent strength increases with consistent training.
The program avoids isolated movements and high-volume nonsense. Efficiency matters when recovery capacity declines. Focus beats volume for men over 40.