Lower-body strength doesn’t disappear overnight in your 40s, but it can gradually decline if your legs aren’t challenged regularly. According to coach Alain Gonzalez in his latest YouTube video, one of the biggest threats to quality of life is a drop in force production.
Gonzalez points to a long-term study of highly active older adults in which knee extension strength declined by roughly 5% per year. The researchers concluded that running alone wasn’t enough to prevent age-related strength loss, reinforcing the need for resistance training.
In response, Gonzalez outlines five movements every man over 40 should prioritise to stay capable and resilient.
The Best Leg Exercises for Men Over 40Bulgarian Split Squat
‘Outside the gym, most forceful leg actions happen one leg at a time. Walking, climbing stairs, riding a bike or hiking uphill. That’s why the Bulgarian split squat is first on this list,’ says Gonzalez. ‘At a basic level, it builds unilateral leg strength by forcing each leg to produce force independently. More importantly, it helps preserve power and coordination in ways bilateral squats often don’t.’
During the movement, each leg works through the same range of motion under the same constraints, producing its own force. ‘Weakness, stiffness or poor control show up immediately and become useful feedback,’ he says. That’s why the Bulgarian split squat acts as both a diagnostic tool and a solution. ‘It exposes weak links and strengthens them at the same time.’
B-Stance Romanian Deadlift
After a single-leg, knee-dominant move, the next priority is a hip-dominant pattern to train the posterior chain. ‘For this, I recommend the B-stance Romanian deadlift,’ says the coach. ‘This movement primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes, but more importantly, it trains their main role: controlling and producing hip extension.’
Gonzalez explains that the B-stance RDL sits in a useful middle ground between bilateral and unilateral training. ‘One leg does most of the work, while the trail leg provides just enough assistance to allow meaningful loading without turning the exercise into a balancing act,’ he says. ‘That forces the glutes, adductors, deep hip stabilisers and trunk muscles to work together to keep the pelvis level and the hips square.’
90/90 to Shin Box
‘After training flexion and extension strength with the first two exercises, this movement addresses something just as important: how well your hips control rotation,’ Gonzalez says, introducing the 90/90 shin box. ‘Transitioning into and out of the shin box forces the hips to actively control that rotation while the pelvis stays stable and controlled.’
‘This trains the deep rotators, adductors and stabilisers to keep the hips centred and moving cleanly.’ That’s what makes the exercise especially valuable as we age. ‘It improves neuromuscular coordination, preserves hip health and reduces wear and tear over time.’
Copenhagen Plank
While not an obvious lower-body move, the Copenhagen plank earns its place. ‘The adductors help control the femur, stabilise the pelvis and contribute to hip extension under load,’ says Gonzalez. ‘The Copenhagen plank is one of the most effective ways to train them.’
‘Unlike traditional adductor exercises, Copenhagen planks force the adductors to stabilise the pelvis, while the core, glutes and obliques keep the body in a straight line,’ he explains. The result is better stability when force is being produced elsewhere.
Trap Bar Deadlift
Suitable for beginners and experienced lifters alike, the trap bar deadlift blends a squat and a hinge, ‘letting you load your entire lower body while maintaining optimal posture and balance,’ says Gonzalez.
‘This setup engages all the major lower-body movers at once: quads, glutes, hamstrings, erectors and even the calves. By training all these muscles and joints together, you preserve not just raw strength, but the ability to express it efficiently.’
He concludes: ‘In short, if you only had room for one movement to keep your legs strong over the long term, this is it.’
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