As you transition into your 30s, 40s, and beyond, maintaining consistency with resistance exercises becomes increasingly important. This is due to the natural decline in muscle mass that accompanies aging. Specifically, individuals may experience a reduction of about 3% to 8% in lean muscle mass each decade after turning 30. Though this reality is hard to accept, there’s a bright side: you can combat sarcopenia by staying active and ensuring a protein-rich diet. To optimize your fitness regime, we’ve compiled a list of five daily bodyweight exercises that can build more muscle than traditional weightlifting after age 45.

Your body weight can be such an incredible tool.

“Post-45, recovery periods can extend, and joints might not cope with heavy lifting as they once did,” states Stephen Sheehan, a certified personal trainer at Garage Gym Reviews. “Bodyweight exercises allow you to engage intensely with less strain, all the while improving strength, balance, and mobility. They also work stabilizing muscles that are often neglected in conventional weightlifting routines.”

5 Daily Bodyweight Exercises To Build Muscle After 45

Perform the below exercises four to five days a week.

“Since bodyweight exercises have a lower impact, recovering from them is typically easier compared to heavy lifting, which means you can practice them more frequently,” adds Sheehan.

Pushups

Pushups are great for training the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

1. Start with a high plank with hands under your shoulders and your body straight.
2. Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
3. Maintain a long, straight body as you lower.
4. Press back up, straightening your arms.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 20 reps.

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Squats

Squats strengthen the glutes and legs.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

1. Stand tall, feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Extend your arms before you or place your hands on your hips.
3. Bend at the knees and hips to lower into a squat.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your heels to return to standing.
6. Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps.

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Pull-ups

Pull-ups build up the biceps and back.

1. Stand tall and grab onto a pull-up bar using an overhand grip, hands shoulder-distance apart.
2. Hang onto the bar with fully extended arms.
3. Pull your chest up toward the bar by bringing your elbows down and back.
4. Slowly lower back to the start position.
5. Perform 3 sets of as many reps as possible.

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Bulgarian Split Squats

Bulgarian split squats hit the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

1. Stand tall, a few feet away from a workout bench.
2. Place your back foot on the bench.
3. Bend your front knee to lower until your front thigh is parallel to the floor.
4. Press through your front heel to return to standing.
5. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per leg.

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Shoulder Taps

Plank shoulder taps fire up the chest, core, and stability muscles.

1. Begin in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and body straight.
2. Engage your core.
3. Lift your right hand off the floor and tap your left shoulder.
4. Set your right hand down and repeat with your left hand, tapping your right shoulder.
5. Keep your hips steady as you continue to tap from side to side.
6. Perform 3 sets of 12 taps on each side.

Alexa Mellardo