I admit there is so much information on the internet that it can almost make you freeze and do nothing.  

There are some amazing trainers out there which I am not, but I think many times these can be unrealistic workouts for men over 40.  

I know as a father of four, coach, maintaining a challenging job, a wife with a more challenging job that time is precious.  Life is busy there is no doubt about that.  

I don't watch TV, I don't drink, it is pretty much work, sports, marriage and church.  That is all I have time for, but trying to squeeze workouts in consistently was still a challenge.  

I needed a workout I could do for 2-3 hours per week and still improve my health, conditioning, decrease my bodyfat and reduce my inflammation.  

Below are 5 things I did for the first 6 months of my transformation that created maximum results.  

1.  Start counting calories
I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life.  I felt I was eating healthy but I was not tracking my intake.  MyfitnessPal is a free app that is extremely helpful.  

I recommend track what you are eating for a week before changing anything.  For me MyfitnessPal was telling me I needed to be around 1500 calories per day.  

When I kept track I was around 3,000 calories per day.  No wonder why I was gaining weight!

I am not a nutritionist or going to tell you eat this not that, but I will say that in order to fit into my recommended calorie intake I had to cut way back on complex carbohydrates.

After one week I had lost 10 lbs and the only reason was because I was not retaining as much water.  My wife did the same and had similar results.  

You can do your own research into the GMO seeds used in the US and how that affects your body, but for me I have been able to stay lean by keeping my carbs low.  

2. Add some (or lots) of vitamin C to you daily intake
The more research I do on vitamin C the more I like it.  I remember as a young kid my parents always told me to take my vitamins especially vitamin C.  

I don't think I did it as much as they wanted, but I am now a testament of what can happen with consistent intake.  

I am not recommending this but I take anywhere from 12,000-16,000 mg of vitamin C each day.  

I know you have heard people say you just pee it out.  There is a type of vitamin C that allows your body to absorb more.  It is called Liposomal.  

The science behind it is simple, liposomal more easily is absorbed into your white blood cells which increase your immune system.  

I have seen people say the highest dose you should take daily is 2,000 mg or you can increase your risk of kidney stones, but given it is water soluble, any excess should be disposed of through your urine. 

Since I started my daily regiment over a year ago I have only gotten a running nose one time and I was often sick in the past with six people in our house. 

Please consult your physician if this is right for you as I do not claim to be a doctor or recommend that dosage without first consulting a trained professional.

3. 100 Push Up Challenge 
One item that frustrated me as being a man over 40 was my lack of chest muscle like I had in my teens and 20s.  It is such an unused muscle sitting at a desk all day that I pretty much had zero definition as seen in my before picture.  

I had seen a variety of before and after pictures of guys that did the 100 days of 100 pushup and became ripped.  

It definitely didn't seem possible to have those results and most of the guys I saw were in their 20s and not 40s.  

I figured why not try it anyway, the worst case scenario was I developed chest muscles again at the very worst.

This was the format I decided on.  100 pushups for 100 days, 200 pushups for 100 days, 300 pushups for 100 days then 400 pushups for 65 days to round out a year. 

You don't to go that extreme it was just something I wanted to try.  

Start small even 10 at a time multiple times a day to get your 100.  It definitely doesn't have to be all at once.  My first week I could barely do 10 in a row, now I can rip off 50-100 in one shot. 

I made it all the way through even with a few shoulder injuries throughout the year.  I have since backed down to 100 pushup per day everyday. 

What is great about a pushup is; one, you are completely engaging your core the entire time.  Two it builds not only chest muscles but also shoulder and arms.  Three is there are tons of variations you can do to target specific areas of the chest. 

See my buddy at ashotofadrenaline.net for all types of variations.

I am no model, but I think I have been able to build pretty solid chest muscles with only pushups. 

One other item to make sure you do is upper back strength exercises.  I do windshield wipers after each set to try to balance my back and chest muscles. 

If you build too strong of chest muscles without your back being strong as well you can run the risk of your posture turning poor and your shoulders rolling forward. 

Side note: my daughter had a beach volleyball tournament and there was a pushup contest during the tournament.  Not only did I win by doing 78 pushups in a row, but I beat all the teenagers and guys in their 20's as well! 

Pretty cool bragging rights. 

4. 5-10 minute core workout each day
There are literally thousands of core workouts you can chose from by going to Youtube.com and search "5 or 10 minute abs."  

I think the key for men over 40 is to focus on workouts that don't stop for that duration or follow a HIIT or Tabata format (20 sec on, 10 sec off or 45 sec on and 15 sec rest). 

I also like to get my heart rate up slightly by doing 60 seconds of jumping jacks or running in place before this quick core workout.  

It is a great way to get the body into a quick calorie burn and make sure you are building the muscle behind the fat you are about to start melting away.  

A lot times I will do my quick warmup, 50 pushups, core workout, 50 pushups and call it a day on my off workout days.  

5. Start workouts 10-20 min max.
I once read a story about a guy that had never worked out and decided he was going to do 2-3 hours per day 4 days a week.  

Within a week he was so sore that he never went back.

I don't want that to be you.  I acknowledge that you may be starting from never working out or maybe it's been a lot of years since you have been consistent.

Let's not kid ourselves into thinking you can dive right back into what you did when you were 18.  

The great thing is you don't need to either.  Over time if you chose you may increase your time or chose to do alternative workouts, but to get you started 10-20 minutes is the max I want you to commit to.

After all this time that is still what I do unless I chose to do a ski hill run or long distance.  

The key is warmup, core workout, then 10-20 minutes of HIIT or Tabata.

This is about finishing the marathon not winning the 100-yard dash.  This is about waking up the Warrior that has been dormant inside of you way too long.

There is no reason to come out of the gates sprinting and not finish.  

Again, if you go to YouTube and search 10 Minute Tibata or 10 Minute HIIT.  It will bring up lots of options.  

The key is stay consistent, 3 times a week is the perfect amount to get things rolling for you, I still only do 2-3 workouts a week. 

As you get healthier you may find yourself hiking, running, biking just because you are feeling so good and that is fine, but make sure to keep those core workouts in place. 

In Summary Here are those 5 Items again:
1. Start counting calories
2. Add some (or lots) of vitamin C to you daily intake
3. 100 Push Up Challenge
4. 5-10 minute core workout each day
5. Start workouts 10-20 min max

I hope this gets you rolling, if you would like more detail make sure you visit our product page and download my FREE 6 Week Kickoff guide which goes into exactly what I did to drop 40 lbs and build muscle over 6 month and maintain it for years.

Have a great and empowered day,

Tony Savickas
Founder, 40 Plus Warriors