THE

5 BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISES

FOR MEN OVER 40


From the desk of: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, Founder, The Fit Father Project

Welcome my friend!

I’m so glad you have chosen to download this amazing
video and worksheet on the ‘5 best muscle building
exercises for men over 40’.

What I’m going to show you inside this training is exactly how you need to
work out to build lean muscle and get stronger, while keeping yourself safe
and injury free*.

The exercises and techniques I will share with you are designed specifically for
men over 40. Guys like you that may have struggled in the past with niggling
injuries, or are suffering from annoying aches & pains.

As injuries can be one of the big reasons men stop exercising, I want to give
you variations and techniques that will put an end to this and get you on the
path to training safer and more effectively.

On the coming pages, you will learn:

• How to do each exercise with a step-by-step tutorial.
• Which muscles you will use as you perform each exercise.
• Special form points that adapt the exercise to be safer for men over 40.
• Recommended reps and sets for starting off.

I want to make sure you have all the information necessary to start building a
muscular physique you will be truly proud of.

I hope you enjoy this training and wish you all the success in building your new,
lean and ‘ageless’ body. Let’s dive on in!

-Dr. Anthony & The Fit Father Project Team


*The information in this video and guide is for reference purposes only and we cannot accept responsibility for any injuries
sustained while carrying out the exercises contained herein.

 BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISE #1:


The Dumbbell Bench Press

Bench Pressing is a staple exercise in all of

the best muscle building routines, because
pressing puts size on your chest, shoulders,
and triceps faster than any other exercise.

Our Old School Muscle Building Program
For Men 40+ is no exception. We include
bench pressing as a staple exercise in our 8-
Click the video thumbnail above to
week training program, because of how open our Fit Father Video Tutorial for
effective pressing can be for upper body the Dumbbell Bench Press
size and strength gains.

HOWEVER, as our bodies age, there are Muscles Worked
some slight modifications we need to make During Pressing:
to a “traditional bench press” to make it

easier on our aging shoulders & elbows, Chest
while still reaping all the benefits of this Shoulders
great muscle building exercise.

Triceps
Biceps (stabilizers)
SPECIAL BENCH PRESSING Lats (stabilizers)
FORM POINTS FOR MEN 40+:

TIP #1: we recommend sticking to Dumbbell (DB) Bench Pressing - as
opposed to Barbell (BB) Bench Pressing - because DB Bench Pressing is
much healthier for your shoulders. Plus, research studies where they
quantify the amount of muscle activation that happens during exercise
(called EMG Studies) show that the Dumbbell Bench Press works the chest
much more than Barbell Bench Pressing due to you being able to move
the Dumbbells in a more natural arced motion that follow’s your chest
musculature’s anatomy (1).

TIP #2: If you’re doing Flat Dumbbell Bench Pressing, set the bench at a
slight decline (10% decline), using some weight plates underneath the
foot of your bench as needed. This slight decline helps to open up your
shoulder girdle in a more natural and advantageous pressing position to
avoid impingement of the tendons that cross the front of your shoulder.



 TIP #3: As you’re pressing the Dumbbells don’t simply extend your arms –
also try to bring your arms in toward the midline of your body (like a fly
motion). This inward motion of the Dumbbells is called abduction, and it’s
a key part of your chest’s function. Squeezing the dumbbells together at
the top of the motion will activate your chest for greater muscle gains.

TIP #4: Squeeze the handles of the dumbbells as hard as possible
throughout your entire pressing motion. This engages your nervous
system, increases your power output, and activates your key stabilizer
muscles to make your press stronger.

BENCH PRESS STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Sit on the end of a bench with the dumbbells pulled into your groin,
holding them with a strong grip in the centre of the dumbbell grip.

Step 2: Lower yourself down onto the bench and roll the dumbbells onto your
chest, facing each other.

Step 3: Press the dumbbells up, so they are over your chest and your arms are
almost straight. Twist your hands so your thumbs are side by side.

Step 4: Breathing in, slowly lower the dumbbells to a 2 count, so they reach a
point in line with your nipples and your arms are just below 90 degrees.

Step 5: Breathing out and leading with your pinky finger, press the dumbbells
back up to the start point, with your arms slightly bent.

Step 6: Repeat for the prescribed number of reps (recommendations below).

Recommended Set & Rep Protocols: As we explain in our

Old School Muscle Building Program For Men 40+, it’s essential
to train your bench press in THREE (3) different rep ranges:

• Heavy (5-8 reps)

• Moderate (8-12 reps)
• Light (12-15 reps)

Each of those rep ranges contributes to muscle building – even the lighter sets which
drive a ton of blood flow (pump) into the muscles. On a structured program like Old
School Muscle, we recommend you train your Bench Press 2-3x/week for a total of 8-
12 sets per week.

To get our complete muscle building program, learn more about Old School Muscle.

BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISE #2:


The Deadlift




Deadlift is one of the most popular muscle
building exercises and one of the core
exercises we use to build big backs & legs
inside our Old School Muscle Program.

Deadlift is an all-round muscle building and
strength gaining exercise, due to the
number of muscles it uses throughout the
Click the video thumbnail above to
movement.
open our Fit Father Video Tutorial for
the Deadlift
There are some special form points to
consider with all exercises that appear in a
plan specifically designed for men over 40, Muscles Worked
so I will show you those below. During Deadlift:

The main reason for having these special Quads
form points is to ensure you don’t Hamstrings
aggravate any pre-existing lower back Calves
issues or aches and pains you may have. Core muscles

Traps (stabilizers)
SPECIAL DEADLIFT
FORM POINTS FOR MEN 40+:

TIP #1: A lot of guys start the deadlift with the bar too far in front of them.
What you need to do is start out with the bar drawn right back into your
shins. This will prevent your back from excessively hunching and you using
your lower back muscles to lift the bar.

TIP #2: Once you have the bar back against your shins, set your grip on the
bar and sit back, taking the weight through your heels, then press straight
up through your legs. This will use your knees and hips as the main pivots,
rather than just your hips and low back.

TIP #3: Do Deadlifts later in your workout, with higher reps. You will be
able to use lower weights, but still get a good volume workout to grow
your leg muscles.


DEADLIFT STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Stand in a strong athletic stance, with your feet are just past shoulder
width apart, your back in neutral alignment and your core tight.

Step 2: Bending your knees, and keeping your back straight, lower down to
pick up the weight. Set your grip about shoulder width apart.

Step 3: Roll the weight back into your shins then lift the weight up, pressing
through your heels and keeping your back straight. You should reach a good
upright position at the top of the move.

Step 4: Breathe in as you lower the weight back down to the floor.

Step 5: Breathe out as you repeat step 3, raising the weight back to an upright
position.

Step 6: Complete the prescribed number of reps, then slowly lower the weight
back to the floor, maintaining neutral spine throughout.

Recommended Set & Rep Protocols: As we explain in our

Old School Muscle Building Program For Men 40+, it’s essential
to train your Deadlift in THREE (3) different rep ranges:

• Heavy (6-8 reps)

• Moderate (8-10 reps)
• Light (15-20 reps)

Each of those rep ranges contributes to muscle building – even the lighter sets which
drive a ton of blood flow (pump) into the muscles. On a structured program like Old
School Muscle, we recommend you train your Deadlift 3x/week for a total of 8-12
sets per week.

To get our complete muscle building program, learn more about Old School Muscle.

 BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISE #3:

The Barbell Bent Over Row



The Barbell Row is a great mass builder for
your upper body, working the opposing
muscles to the Bench Press, namely the
Lats, Shoulders, Rhomboids and Biceps.

It is a key exercise for building a wide, thick
back and big arms and is featured in our
Old School Muscle Program, with the
special form points described below. Click the video thumbnail above to
open our Fit Father Video Tutorial for
With these special form points, we aim to the Barbell Bent Over Row
keep you working out in as safe a way as
possible and to protect your body from Muscles Worked
injury. This is most important as we age, as During The Row:
injury is one of the biggest reasons why
men lose motivation to exercise. Lats
Rhomboids
SPECIAL BARBELL ROW Shoulders
Biceps
FORM POINTS FOR MEN 40+:

TIP #1: Make sure to keep around a 45-degree bend in your back as you
do the exercise, holding your position throughout by controlling your core
muscles. You don’t want to crank your low back up and down as you pull
or you will start to work smaller muscles that could lead to discomfort.

TIP #2: Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you perform the
exercise and imagine using your arms as ropes and your hands as hooks.
Doing this will emphasise the load onto your larger latissimus dorsi
muscles and will ease it from your shoulders and forearm so they don’t
fatigue and force you to end the exercise prematurely.

TIP #3: If you feel too much stress on your low back when you are holding
the bent over position, you can use a chest supported row variation,
which is described and demonstrated in the video guide you have
received [8:58]. This version takes low back out of the equation.




BARBELL ROW STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Stand in front of the barbell, in a strong athletic stance, making sure
your feet are just past shoulder width apart, your back is in neutral alignment
and your core is tight.

Step 2: Bending your knees, and keeping your back straight, lower down to
pick up the bar and set your grip. You can choose from an 'hooked' grip, or a
‘wrapped’ grip.

Step 3: Lift the bar by performing a deadlift move, keeping your back straight
and driving through your knees.

Step 4: Bend yourself forward by hinging at the waist and pushing your butt
back, so you reach just lower than 45 degrees with your body. Your arms will
hang down with the weight just lower than your knee.

Step 5: Breathing out, pull the bar into your belly button, making sure you
keep your shoulders down and your elbows close to your side. Squeeze your
back throughout.

Step 6: Breathing in, lower the bar back to the start point, maintaining neutral
spine and a tight core.

Step 7: Complete the prescribed number of reps, then using the deadlift
motion, lower the weight back to the floor.

Recommended Set & Rep Protocols: As we explain in our

Old School Muscle Building Program For Men 40+, it’s essential
to train your Barbell Row in THREE (3) different rep ranges:

• Heavy (6-8 reps)

• Moderate (8-10 reps)
• Light (15-20 reps)

Each of those rep ranges contributes to muscle building – even the lighter sets which
drive a ton of blood flow (pump) into the muscles. On a structured program like Old
School Muscle, we recommend you train Barbell Row 3x/week for a total of 8-12 sets
per week.

To get our complete muscle building program, learn more about Old School Muscle.




BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISE #4:

The Overhead Press





Like Bench Press, the Overhead Press is a
great upper body exercise for adding size
and strength, especially to your shoulders
and triceps.

Overhead Press comes in many forms, like
Military Press, Arnold Press and Dumbbell
or Kettlebell Press. Back in the era of Old
Click the video thumbnail above to
School Bodybuilders, the Overhead Press
open our Fit Father Video Tutorial for
was the original strength test. the Overhead Press

To get you working on the safest exercise,
we recommend sticking with the Dumbbell Muscles Worked
or Kettlebell press, with the special form During The
points we show below. Overhead Press:


Shoulders
SPECIAL OVERHEAD PRESS Triceps
Core (Stabilizer in
FORM POINTS FOR MEN 40+: standing variations)

TIP #1: When you first raise the dumbbells to the start point, make sure
you allow your elbows to come slightly in front of your body. (Note: If you
can’t see your elbows in your peripheral vision, they are too far back.)
Doing this will put your shoulder in a more natural position and will avoid
impingement of the tendons that run across the front of your shoulder.

TIP #2: When you lower the weights after your first rep, make sure not to
lower them too far. Dropping the weight to an angle of about 90-degrees
is perfect. Any lower and you will take tension away from the muscle and
will use the rebound reflex to press the weight back up. The whole motion
should be controlled through the mechanical use of your muscle.

TIP #3: If you are doing the exercise standing but feel you are unable to
control your body using your core muscles, or are getting pain in your low
back, then you have the option of performing the exercise seated.
The exercise is done in the same way as standing, except you will be
seated on a bench, keeping neutral spine throughout.

OVERHEAD PRESS STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Stand in a strong athletic stance, with the dumbbells/kettlebells at the
side of your feet, making sure your feet are just past shoulder width apart,
your back is in neutral alignment and your core is tight.

Step 2: Bending your knees, and keeping your back straight, lower down to
pick up the dumbbells/kettlebells. Stand back upright and curl the bells up,
then twist your hands so your palms face outward and the bells rest on your
shoulders. (Note: Your elbows should be slightly forward of your body.)

Step 3: Breathe in, then as you breathe out, press the bells up and squeeze
them into the centre, above and slightly in front of your head.

Step 4: Breathe in as you lower the bells back down to 90- degrees at shoulder
height.

Step 5: Complete the prescribed number of reps, then bending your knees and
keeping your back straight, lower the bells back to the floor.

Recommended Set & Rep Protocols: As we explain in our

Old School Muscle Building Program For Men 40+, it’s essential
to train your Overhead Press in THREE (3) different rep ranges:

• Heavy (6-8 reps)

• Moderate (8-10 reps)
• Light (15-20 reps)

Each of those rep ranges contributes to muscle building – even the lighter sets which
drive a ton of blood flow (pump) into the muscles. On a structured program like Old
School Muscle, we recommend you train Overhead Press 3x/week for a total of 8-12
sets per week.

For the completely structured program, get your hands on Old School Muscle here.










BEST MUSCLE BUILDING EXERCISE #5:

The Squat




The Squat is basically the king of muscle
building exercises. As you can see from the
anatomy picture below, it uses a HUGE
amount of muscles from all over the lower
body to be performed.

You will find squats in any good muscle
building program, and our Old School
Muscle Program is among them. Click the video thumbnail above to
open our Fit Father Video Tutorial for
In the video that accompanies this the Squat
worksheet, I show you how to complete
the barbell squat with slight variations to Muscles Worked
make it as safe as possible, but I also give During Squats:
you an excellent Kettlebell variation too.
Quads
You can see the special form points below. Hamstrings
Glutes

Calves
SPECIAL SQUAT Core (Stabilizer)
FORM POINTS FOR MEN 40+:

TIP #1: Once you have the barbell up onto your shoulders, you should
make sure to take your hands to a wide grip, out to the knuckle of the bar.
What this will do, is to open out your shoulders and avoid too much
tension on your shoulder joint as you perform the exercise.

TIP #2: As you lower down, you should imagine sitting back in a chair.
Your weight will be through your heels and your butt will push backwards,
hinging at your hips. Your back should remain in a neutral position and
your knees should remain behind the line of your toes.

TIP #3: As you reach the lowest point of the movement, your upper legs
should be parallel to the floor and your knees at 90-degrees, not lower.
You do not need to do deep knee (or ass to the grass) squats, as they will
put unnecessary pressure on your knee joints.

SQUAT STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

Step 1: Stand with a shoulder width foot stance, with the kettle-balls at the
side of each foot.

Step 2: Stand with good posture, keeping your shoulders back, head up, core
strong and spine in a neutral curve.

Step 3: Bending from your knees and pushing your hips back, lower yourself
down into a squatted position, keeping your weight back on your heels. Pick up
the kettle-bells.

Step 4: Push through your heels to raise back into the start position, holding
the kettle-bells, one in each hand.

Step 5: Breathing in, slowly lower yourself back down into a squat position by
pushing your hips back and keeping your weight through your heels.

Step 6: Breathing out, push back up to the starting point. Repeat for the
prescribed number of reps.

Recommended Set & Rep Protocols: As we explain in our

Old School Muscle Building Program For Men 40+, it’s essential
to train your Squats in THREE (3) different rep ranges:

• Heavy (6-8 reps)

• Moderate (8-10 reps)
• Light (15-20 reps)

Each of those rep ranges contributes to muscle building – even the lighter sets which
drive a ton of blood flow (pump) into the muscles. On a structured program like Old
School Muscle, we recommend you train Squats 3x/week for a total of 8-12 sets per
week.

For the completely structured program, learn more about Old School Muscle here.








CONGRATULATIONS!
You now have the secret to safer muscle building


From the desk of: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, Founder The Fit Father Project

I hope you have enjoyed this muscle building training and have gained some
valuable knowledge of what it takes to build lean, strong muscle as you get
into your 40’s and over. However, knowing these exercises are just the
beginning of your muscle building journey…

Rest, correct nutrition, supplementation and progression are all key
components to building an impressively lean and strong physique and we can
help you with it all.

If you want a complete 8-week muscle building
program that includes the workout plans,
nutrition guides & supplementation schedule you
should follow, to get greater gains in less time,
check out the overview video for our Old School
Muscle Building Program (watch here).

Old School Muscle incorporates tried and tested
full body training, used by legendary bodybuilders
like Reg Park, Steve Reeves, Vince Gironda and
Arnold Schwarzenegger.

These full body workouts are carefully constructed specifically for guys over
40, taking into consideration the natural differences your body experiences as
you get older. We want to help you train smart, train hard and train safe.

Check out the overview letter for Old School Muscle and see how it can help
you get in your best shape ever!

I look forward to seeing you on the inside!

Your friend & coach,
-Dr. Anthony Balduzzi
Founder, The Fit Father Project
Creator, Old School Muscle

For more info: Watch the Old School Muscle Program Overview Video Here <