Lean Muscle Workout For Men Over 40: Build Muscle and Torch Fat!

Want to build muscle and torch body fat? What you need is a lean muscle workout that can help you do both, as efficiently and effectively as possible.

All you need is two dumbbells or kettlebells, five feet of floor space, and a little determination!

With this lean muscle workout for men over 40, you can build muscle, burn fat, and get in great shape.

The process is called Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT), and it involves doing full-body resistance training with lighter weights (or your body weight), higher reps, and shorter rest breaks.

Tie it in with the right healthy eating plan, and you'll start seeing SOLID results.

Keep reading to learn the best lean muscle workout for men over 40!

The Lean Muscle Workout

As we mentioned, the lean muscle workout style you need to adopt to lose fat and gain muscle is MRT.

MRT uses low weight, high reps, and short rest periods to keep the workout as dynamic and metabolically engaging as possible.

This lean muscle workout will not only build muscle and burn fat, but will also make you more cardiovascularly fit, spark up your metabolism, and increase your testosterone levels.

This version is a combination workout, where you combine supersets of resistance and cardio exercises into mini circuits.

The Exercises

In order to get the most from this type of lean muscle workout, you should use as many compound, multi-joint exercises as possible for the resistance exercises.

This will include squats, presses, and rows.

You will perform dynamic cardio, like mountain climbers, burpees, and jumping jacks, for the cardio exercises.

These will be combined into a resistance/cardio superset and will be performed at 10 reps for resistance and 30 seconds for cardio.

The Workout

• Push-ups – 10 reps
• Mountain Climbers – 30 seconds

Repeat for 3 rounds. 30 seconds rest after all 3 rounds are complete.

• Dumbbell Deadlift – 10 reps
• Burpees – 30 seconds

Repeat for 3 rounds. 30 seconds rest after all 3 rounds are complete.

• Renegade rows – 10 reps each arm
• Jumping Jacks – 30 seconds

Repeat for 3 rounds. 30 seconds rest after all 3 rounds are complete.

• Reverse lunges – 10 reps for each leg
• Sprint on the spot – 30 seconds

Repeat for 3 rounds. 30 seconds rest after all 3 rounds are complete.

• Kettlebell Swings – 10 reps
• Squat thrusts – 30 seconds

Repeat for 3 rounds. 30 seconds rest after all 3 rounds are complete.

As you start to get fitter, you can reduce the rest between supersets down to 25 seconds, then 20 seconds, etc. If you are able to get through the entire workout without rest between supersets, you should increase the weight or number of reps for resistance exercises and the duration of the cardio exercises.

It is important to keep your form strong on every exercise and work at a 1-2 seconds concentric phase (lifting the weight) and a 2-3 seconds eccentric phase (lowering the weight). This will make sure that the weight is controlled throughout and that you will not lose your form to the point where you will risk injury.

Completing a lean muscle workout like this on three non-consecutive days (Monday–Wednesday–Friday or Tuesday–Thursday–Saturday) and combining it with the right healthy eating plan, will get you right on track to a great body transformation.

Want to tone your muscles and get more cut? Check out these three practical strategies!

The Right Healthy Eating Plan

When your main fitness goal is complete body transformation, and you want to do it in a shorter amount of time, you will need to build muscle and burn fat. This is not easy, but it is possible.

To get these results, you will need to be disciplined with your healthy eating and get it totally on point.

That means clean eating at all times, except for one (planned) free meal each week. If you deviate from the plan too much, you will not get the BEST results. If you stick to it, you will … it’s that simple!

Your Calorie Intake

To enable you to burn fat while still building muscle, your calorie intake will need to be around 300 calories lower than your maintenance level (The number of calories your body needs on a daily basis).

You can use our calorie calculator to determine your maintenance level, then deduct 300 from that.

Note, this is a guide, rather than something to track absolutely.

Instead of actually closely counting calories, we have a method you can use to manage your daily food intake, called the Perfect Plate, which recommends filling ½ of your plate with vegetables, ¼ of your plate with protein, and ¼ of your plate with carbs.

You can also add a small portion of healthy fat to your plate if your main sources already do not contain much fat. This could be some olive oil and seeds to a green salad with chicken.

Using Perfect Plates will control your calories at a close enough level to help you lose fat, without needing to track every last calorie.

Macronutrient Ratio

Macronutrients are protein, carbs, and fats, so the ratio is the breakdown of these food types you should take in, depending on your aims.

If you’re looking to undertake a lean muscle workout for the sake of building muscle and burning fat, your ratio should be:

• 35% Carbs – Mainly used for energy.
• 40% Protein – Used for building and maintaining muscle tissue and keeping you feeling more full throughout the day.
• 25% Fat – Also used for energy, testosterone production, and other necessary functions.

Splitting your macronutrients like this means you can support lean muscle development with high protein, even though your calorie intake will be relatively low. A reasonably high-fat ratio is to aid testosterone levels, which is also necessary for muscle growth.

Carbs are purposefully at the mid-range as they are needed for energy, but if too many simple carbs are eaten, especially around periods of inactivity, it will cause fat gain.

What Types Of Food Contain These Macros?

The source of each of these macronutrients will be important, too, so here are some of the foods you should eat to get the best results.

Carbs

The carbs you take in should be complex carbs, which include brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. Avoid simple carbs — refined and processed foods like white bread, white rice, white pasta, pastries, and cakes.

Protein

The proteins that are best for you are chicken, eggs, sardines, whey protein, and lean beef. These have higher biological value, so they are better absorbed for protein synthesis and muscle growth. There aren’t really any proteins to avoid, but using those with higher biological value will have more benefits to your healthy eating plan.

Fats

When it comes to fat, you need to make sure you are eating healthy fats, such as avocados, cold-pressed olive oil (not for cooking with), MCT oil, or coconut oil. You should ABSOLUTELY avoid artificial trans-fats found in fried foods, baked goods, cookies, packaged snack foods, margarine, and processed ready meals.

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Stuart Carter, Dip. PT, Precision Nutrition 1
C.O.O., The Fit Father Project

Stuart gained his Diploma in Personal Training & Sports Medicine through Premier Global, back in 2001. In 2018, he completed his Level 1 Precision Nutrition qualification.

Throughout his career in Fitness, Stuart has trained hundreds of clients, worked in almost every position in the industry, and ran his own successful training studio.

After a hiatus away from the Fitness industry, working in Corporate Management and Finance, Stuart returned to what he loves… Fitness! This return led to a chance meeting with Dr. Balduzzi, and a place in the Fit Father Project team.

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*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on the best lean muscle workout for men over 40.