Muscle building after 40
The guide built around your age: training, nutrition and recovery for what really changes in your forties. With a training plan, warm-ups and a source list.
- Audience
- Men over 40
- Goal
- Muscle building
- Format
- PDF · instant download
- Contents
- 7 chapters · training plan · sources
Not a substitute for medical advice. Payment and delivery via Digistore24.
In 10 seconds: the key takeaways.
What to expect – no detours.
- It’s not your metabolism holding you back – it’s your movement patterns.
- Stop 1–2 reps before failure (RIR 1–2), and make up for it with more sets and 12–14 reps.
- An upper/lower split that hits each muscle group twice a week beats push-pull-legs.
- Up to 2 g protein per kg of body weight – around 35–40 g per meal.
- Warm-up (8–10 min), mobility and sleep are training variables, not afterthoughts.
Three files. Everything you need to get started.
This is what lands in your inbox after purchase.
- Instant download
- PDF, A4
- Print-ready
- Readable on phone & tablet

Guidebook as PDF
The complete book: 7 chapters, the “at 20 vs. past 40” summary and tips to tick off – plus the training plan as appendix A and the source list as appendix B.

Printable training plan
One page per training day: exercises with sets and reps, an illustration for each exercise and a QR code that links straight to a video tutorial. Made for your phone in the gym or as a printout.
Poster “Your 6 rules”
The six most important takeaways on a single page – to hang on the fridge or next to your training plan.
Payment and delivery run through Digistore24; you get the files as a download link after purchase.
How your training changes.
At 20, training to failure worked. After 40, other things decide. Five differences from the guidebook – move the slider.
Just an excerpt: these are five of many differences – the full comparison is in the guidebook. Values from Guidebook No. 3; intermediate values interpolated for illustration only.
What’s inside.
Nine building blocks – seven chapters plus the training plan and source list.
- 01Why 40+ Is DifferentThe metabolism myth, sarcopenia, bones, mobility: the facts before you train.
- 02Fundamentals and Goal-SettingTestosterone, growth hormone, stress, fat distribution – and why building muscle can’t handle a calorie deficit.
- 03Training Volume & IntensityRIR 1–2, 12–14 reps, upper/lower split, rest periods and active rest days.
- 04Technique and ExecutionWarm-up, clean form, mobility and power – without ego sets.
- 05Nutrition and WellbeingProtein per meal, carbs and fat, sleep, alcohol, everyday movement.
- 06SummaryAt 20 vs. past 40: the biggest differences at a glance.
- 07TipsEvery action item bundled to check off.
- AAppendix: Training Plan4 days a week, A/B variation, warm-ups for upper and lower body.
- BAppendix: Additional ResourcesSource list with a short summary of every study.
Lower body A (quad focus)
Warm-up (quick version): brisk walking, light jogging or bike · hip openers, glute bridges, bodyweight squats · 1–2 warm-up sets of the first exercise.
| Squat (barbell or leg press) | 4 × 12–14 |
| Leg extension (machine) | 4 × 12–14 |
| Lunges (dumbbell) | 4 × 12 per leg |
| Lying leg curl (machine) | 4 × 14 |
| Standing calf raise | 4 × max. 15 |
| Ab crunch (machine) | 4 × 15 |
| Jump squat · power | 3 × 5–6 fast |
Four pages from the guidebook.




Preview pages are taken from the German edition. Below the tip box and in the summary it stays blurred on purpose – the rest is in the book.
This is your plan. Real pages.
Click through the week: every training day is its own page – with an illustration and QR code for each exercise.
QR code per exercise → “Instructions & video”Your weekly plan
All four training days at a glance, real pages from the plan. Every exercise comes with a picture – and a QR code that takes you straight to the instructions with video. Names, sets and reps stay blurred here on purpose.
- Exercise name, sets × reps
- An illustration for every exercise
- QR code “instructions & video” for every exercise
Exercises 4–7 in the packageLower body A
Quad focus. Legs first, while you are fresh.
- 7 exercises
- approx. 90 min main part
- ends with a power move
- Exercise name, sets × reps
- An illustration for every exercise
- QR code “instructions & video” for every exercise
Exercises 4–7 in the packageUpper body A
Push focus: chest, shoulders, triceps.
- 7 exercises
- approx. 90 min main part
- ends with a power move
- Exercise name, sets × reps
- An illustration for every exercise
- QR code “instructions & video” for every exercise
Exercises 4–7 in the packageLower body B
Hips & posterior chain: the second leg session sets different stimuli.
- 7 exercises
- approx. 90 min main part
- ends with a power move
- Exercise name, sets × reps
- An illustration for every exercise
- QR code “instructions & video” for every exercise
Exercises 4–7 in the packageUpper body B
Pull focus: back, rear delts, biceps.
- 7 exercises
- approx. 90 min main part
- ends with a power move
- Exercise name, sets × reps
- An illustration for every exercise
- QR code “instructions & video” for every exercise

Warm-up routines
8–10 minutes following the RAMP principle – one routine each for upper- and lower-body days.
For each training day we show three of seven exercises – the rest stays blurred on purpose.
From our Reels.
Short clips from our posts – a taste of the tone and content of the guidebooks.
Honestly: not for everyone.
This fits you if …
- You have trained for years with a scheme from your twenties – and results stall.
- You are returning after a break and want to progress without pain or setbacks this time.
- You want facts and sources instead of supplement promises.
Probably not for you if …
- You expect to build muscle and lose belly fat at the same time. The guidebook explains why that doesn’t work together.
- You need individual medical or nutrition coaching. The guidebook does not replace that.
- You want new exercises every week. The guidebook deliberately relies on consistency.
Questions about this guidebook.
How many training days per week do I need?
The sample plan is built around 4 days a week (2× lower body, 2× upper body) plus active recovery. The guidebook also explains why 2–3 fixed slots can be enough if you take them seriously.
How long is a session?
The plan assumes about 90 minutes of main work plus a matching 8–10 minute warm-up. Better one fixed, focused slot than 25 minutes squeezed between other things.
Do I get a printed book?
No, the guidebook is a digital PDF. Read it on your phone or print it yourself.
Is the guidebook available in German?
Yes, the German edition is available now on the German site.
Is there a guidebook for women?
Yes: Guidebook No. 4 is a standalone book for women – not a renamed men’s edition. It is being finalized.
Important: the guidebook is not a substitute for medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting, especially with pre-existing conditions. You perform all exercises at your own risk – stop immediately if you feel pain, dizziness or shortness of breath.
Start now. With a plan that fits you.
Not a plan by 20-year-olds for 20-year-olds. Training, nutrition and recovery for what really changes after 40.
Evidence-based, not one-size-fits-all