{"id":141966,"date":"2025-11-15T23:19:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T23:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/141966\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T23:19:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T23:19:07","slug":"how-often-you-should-work-out-to-maintain-muscle-after-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/141966\/","title":{"rendered":"How Often You Should Work Out to Maintain Muscle After 40"},"content":{"rendered":"

After celebrating your 30th birthday, your body changes. Hormones shift, metabolism slows, and you naturally begin to lose lean muscle mass<\/a>\u2014a process known as sarcopenia. Without regular resistance training<\/a>, you can lose anywhere from 3% to 8% of muscle<\/a> every decade. According to Karen Ann Canham, CEO and founder of Karen Ann Wellness<\/a>, this means consistency is more important than intensity. Below, Canham pinpoints exactly how many days a week you should work out to preserve muscle after 40<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out To Maintain Muscle After 40?
\n\"WorkoutShutterstock<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most adults, working out three to four days per week is the sweet spot to maintain muscle while allowing enough time for recovery,\u201d Canham tells us. \u201cUnlike in our 20s, the nervous system and recovery capacity play a much larger role after 40, so sustainable training becomes less about pushing limits and more about working with the body\u2019s rhythms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engaging in two strength-focused workouts<\/a> per week can be enough to maintain muscle mass when combined with daily movement, including mobility work<\/a>, walking, or light cardio.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, three to four sessions with varying intensities deliver better results and maintain metabolic health, strength, and energy,\u201d Canham notes. \u201cThe goal is to hit every major muscle group each week through compound movements (squats, lunges, pushes, pulls, and hinges) while balancing load and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

4 Standing Exercises That Build Muscle the Old-School Way After 60<\/a><\/p>\n

General training frequency is similar for both men and women, but Canham points out that hormonal differences mean the approach to exercise should be personalized.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen may benefit from incorporating more restorative or mobility-focused days around their strength sessions, while men often respond well to slightly higher intensity and load variations,\u201d Canham tells us. \u201cIn both cases, the key is building consistency rather than perfection.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 40, your body best responds to moderate-to-high-intensity training with controlled volume. Intentional lifting and focusing on proper form creates better muscle activation than if you were to emphasize heavier weights or longer training sessions.<\/p>\n

This 10-Minute Daily Routine Builds More Strength Than Hour-Long Gym Sessions After 55<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cPrioritizing recovery days, stretching, and somatic movement supports the nervous system\u2019s ability to adapt, which is crucial for maintaining progress and avoiding burnout,\u201d Canham says.<\/p>\n

Moral of the story? After 40, it\u2019s all about doing \u201cwhat truly counts.\u201d Being consistent with your workouts, performing mindful strength exercises, and getting sufficient rest will help you stay energized rather than fatigued.<\/p>\n

Alexa Mellardo<\/p>\n

\t\tAlexa is a content strategist, editor, and writer based in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has 11+ years of experience creating content for travel, lifestyle, fitness, wellness, F&B, home, and celeb news publications.\t\t\t\t\tRead more about Alexa <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After celebrating your 30th birthday, your body changes. Hormones shift, metabolism slows, and you naturally begin to lose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1348,499,103,61,60,34408],"class_list":{"0":"post-141966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-exercise","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-over-40"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}