As we age, we begin to naturally lose muscle mass. Our bones become weaker and smaller. And our cardiovascular health slowly deteriorates. Men in their middle age are in a crucial position in their life: they can either continue their life of inactivity and place themselves at risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, back pain, and osteoporosis – or they can do something about it.

Strength training is one of the best ways of strengthening your muscles, reducing body fat, and improving cardiovascular health. Jogging or aerobic exercise can only help you with the prevention of one or two diseases. However, weight training can have a dramatic positive effect across many areas of your physical life.

The Right Fitness Program for your Needs

So what kind of strength training program will help you get the best results and allow you to dramatically turn around your health? Well, there are certain key aspects that you should look for in a strength training program:

• Compound Movements – Compound movements are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. When you activate lots of muscle mass at once, you release human growth hormone and testosterone. Both of these hormones have been linked to increased muscle mass and decrease fat.
• Body Control – Many fitness programs out there focus on how much weight you can lift, or how big your arms look. But the true mark of good health is how well you can control your body. As you age, your joints lose their range of motion and are not even able to support their own bodyweight.
• Cardiovascular Health – You need a program that actually works your heart. Most regular cardio programs don’t really force your heart to work harder. This is why I prefer higher intensity training as opposed to lower intensity training. Sprints and interval training are a great start.

The Benefits of a Combination Bodyweight and Dumbbell Program

I think that the best way to get started on improved health, especially for middle aged men, would be to combine bodyweight and dumbbell exercises. This is because dumbbell movements, as long they are compound exercises, are best for putting on lean muscle mass and strengthening bones.

Bodyweight training is also great for increasing lean muscle mass. However, it’s greatest benefit is body control. Basic bodyweight movements and mobility drills will allow you to move better in daily life and sports. If you’re experiencing knee pain, back pain, or hip pain, then you should try bodyweight training as a way to reduce this pain and increase your range of motion.

Finally, if you construct workouts using bodyweight and dumbbell exercises and perform them in a high intensity manner, then not only will you get a great strength and conditioning benefit, but you’ll also be making your heart and lungs work hard.

That to me, is a form of cardiovascular training.

Developing your Program

The best way to get started on a good combination bodyweight and dumbbell program is make a list of all the bodyweight and dumbbell exercises that you know how to perform, or look like they are easy to learn. You can start off with basicpushups, pullups and squats for your bodyweight exercises.

For dumbbell exercises, you can do overhead press, bent over row, and chest press. You can easily organize these movements into a superset fashion for a great, intense workout. A superset is where you alternate between two exercises with little to no rest in between each exercise.

Or, if you’re looking for a great combination bodyweight and dumbbell program, then you should check out Gladiator Body Workout. Click here for more information.

At this stage in your life, you probably have a lot going on: full time career and a family to look after. You’re probably extremely stressed out by the lack of time you have on your hands to enjoy life with your friends and family.

Click here to Learn over 100 Bodyweight Exercises

When it comes to fitness, you can follow some very basic principles to help you get into better shape with less time commitment. First of all, the core of your fitness plan should revolve around bodyweight training.

Lets go over some of the key advantages to making bodyweight training a corner stone of your fitness plan:

Advantage #1: Prevent Bone and Muscle Loss

Two of the biggest issues facing middle aged men is the loss of muscle mass and the weakening of bones. You start losing muscle mass as soon as you hit the age of 25.

And so, an untrained male will be the most muscular at age 25. For most individuals, this doesn’t mean much. If you only weighed around 135 lbs when you were 25 years old, then I can only imagine how thin and frail you’ll be when you hit the age of 50.

In addition, bone loss begins at age 30. As you get older, the breakdown of bones will be greater than the formation of new bone tissue. Your only hope is to maintain the strength and density of the bones that you already have.

If the body is unable to maintain the proper amount of bone density and strength, bones may become fragile and this may lead to osteoporosis.

Click here to Learn over 100 Bodyweight Exercises

Men are not as much in risk of osteoporosis as women, but this does not mean that you’re safe. Over 2 million men in the U.S. have this condition.

Increasing lean muscle mass and strengthening your bones will make you a better man in your daily life. You’ll have more energy to perform your daily tasks.

Bodyweight training will help you gain lean muscle mass and strengthen your bones by stressing your body with a variety of difficult exercises.

In case You Need to Lift Someone on your Back

Click here to Learn over 100 Bodyweight Exercises

Advantage #2: Boost your Metabolism and Get Lean

On the flip side, even if you weigh 200 lbs or so, how much of that is lean muscle mass? If you have a gut sticking out, then I bet you need to lose fat.

But most individuals just do some cardio and try to burn some fat. What they don’t realize is that they’re not burning fat. They’re losing weight in the form of both muscle and fat.

Remember, we want to maintain our muscle, but want to lose fat as well. The best way to do this is to speed up your metabolic rate. Your metabolic rate is the rate at which your body burns calories through out the day.

The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you will burn. But unfortunately, your metabolism slows down as you age. Don’t worry, you can still enjoy a fast metabolic rate as you age.

The key is to engage in high intensity exercise. Basically, perform bodyweight workouts using high intensity techniques such as supersets, circuit training, and interval training.

Click here to Learn over 100 Bodyweight Exercises

Intensity techniques like the ones I just mentioned force you to work harder. When you’re working harder, you’re placing more stress on your body, causing your body to perform a variety of metabolic processes such as the rebuilding of lean muscle mass.

Advantage #3: Look Younger, Feel Better

Studies show that even a moderate amount of exercise can reverse aging dramatically. A 30-year study shows that middle aged men starting a basic fitness plan can regain the same aerobic capacity they enjoyed when they were younger.

The study began in 1966 with five healthy college students. They were asked to remain completely inactive for 20 days, followed by a rigorous workout.

The results of those 20 days (one of the men could barely drive his car after wards), opened up new thought into the effects of inactivity on the human body.

30 Years later, all five men were called back for a follow up. They found that those 20 days of inactivity were more damaging than 30 years of aging.

Click here to Learn over 100 Bodyweight Exercises

And after a 6 Month, moderate intensity program, all five men were in similar shape as they were in their twenties. This shows that older men can regain their youth with just a little bit of exercise.

You’ll be stronger, fitter, leaner, and younger looking 6 months from now if you start a basic, moderate intensity bodyweight routine today.

If you’re ready to learn how to use bodyweight exercises to help improve your health and fitness, then I suggest you grab a copy of Workout Without Weights:

Workout Without Weights

Workout Without Weights is a complete bodyweight manual written by Coach Eddie Lomax which shows you over 150 bodyweight exercises you can perform in the comfort of your own home.

The manual also includes templates you can use to design your own bodyweight programs, plus over 60 sample workouts to keep you challenged.

Don’t forget to grab the Combo Package for even more high intensity bodyweight workouts.

Click here to Learn more about Workout Without Weights

This article links out to a product. If you purchase this product, I receive a percentage of the sale. Click here to read my disclaimer.