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Lean Muscle
Healthy Eating

28-Days-to-Lean Meal Plan

With the right plan and the right discipline, you can get seriously shredded in just 28 days.

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Age-Proof Your Fitness

Make your body work for you year after year by following these strategies from workout pros.

by M&F Hers Editors
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Power On: Fuel Recovery With the Right Supplements
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Age-Proof Your Fitness

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1 OF 8

1 of 8

Power On: Fuel Recovery With the Right Supplements

Target Your Type II Fibers

Your percentage of power-generating muscle fibers drops as you age—which is too bad because they help you burn more calories, says John Higgins, M.D., a cardiologist at UT Health in Houston. Maintain them with weekly power workouts like plyos or sprints. SEE ALSO: Game Plan for Staying Fit Over 40

2 of 8

Get Stronger While You Sleep

Trunkarchive.com

Don’t Skip Rest Day

As you get older, it takes about 36 to 48 hours for your muscles to recover from training, says Higgins. (Teens can fully recover in 14 to 18 hours.) Splitting your cardio and resistance into alternate days can help: That will give your muscles enough time to rest and fully recover before you hit them hard again.SEE ALSO: 8-Week Slim-Down Diet 

3 of 8

woman lifting barbell

Cultura RM/Corey Jenkins/Getty Images

Follow the 10% Rule

Don’t increase your total training volume by more than 10% per week. If you’re doing 10 reps of a 100-pound volume, for example, don’t lift more than 110 pounds the next week. If you’re running 10 miles a week, step up to no more than 11. This slow shift helps your muscles, tendons, and joints adjust to the added work, says Higgins.SEE ALSO: Fat Loss In Four Weeks

4 of 8

Lack of Sleep Linked With Increased Sugar Consumption

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Turn in Earlier

A good night’s sleep is key for more than just your beauty rest. It’s when you recover from training and is crucial for reducing the effects of stress hormones like cortisol, which is linked to higher levels of belly fat. “Go to bed between 10 and 11 p.m., when your melatonin levels are at their highest,” says Gino Caccavale, Hers technical adviser.SEE ALSO: The 28-Day Bikini Body Workout Plan

5 of 8

healthy food

Modify Your Menu

“Insulin can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to fat loss,” says Brant. Aim for more lower-glycemic-index (GI) foods such as lean protein, healthy fats, and high-fiber carbs. Pair higher-GI foods like sweet potatoes with lean protein like grilled chicken to lower their net impact on your body, she adds. SEE ALSO: These Are the Nutrients You Need for Better Health

6 of 8

9 Exercise Mistakes Fit Chicks Make

Roll With It

Get on a foam roller for a few minutes before your workouts to prepare your muscles for the movements to come, says IFBB figure pro Linda Stephens. Foam rolling helps increase blood flow to a given area while breaking up adhesions, improving your range of motion and making movements feel more fluid.SEE ALSO: 7 Moves for an Hourglass Figure

7 of 8

Treadmill

Per Bernal

Cut Back on Cardio

Too much cardio increases the stress hormone cortisol while robbing your body of precious lean muscle, warns Caccavale. Shift your workouts to about 70% resistance training and 30% cardio— that’s enough to help maintain lean muscle mass, cut fat stores, and still keep your heart and lungs strong, he says.SEE ALSO: 5 Common Fitness Myths

8 of 8

Walking lunge

Per Bernal

Fight Gravity With Two Moves

The two areas that tend to succumb to gravity first as you age are your chest and your butt, says Caccavale. To help keep both parts pert, on days you’re not doing the workout on these pages target the glutes with moves like deep squats and lunges, and your chest with incline dumbbell presses and flyes. SEE ALSO: 12 Weeks to a Carved Out Core

Back to intro

Target Your Type II Fibers

Your percentage of power-generating muscle fibers drops as you age—which is too bad because they help you burn more calories, says John Higgins, M.D., a cardiologist at UT Health in Houston. Maintain them with weekly power workouts like plyos or sprints. 

SEE ALSO: Game Plan for Staying Fit Over 40

Don't Skip Rest Day

As you get older, it takes about 36 to 48 hours for your muscles to recover from training, says Higgins. (Teens can fully recover in 14 to 18 hours.) Splitting your cardio and resistance into alternate days can help: That will give your muscles enough time to rest and fully recover before you hit them hard again.

SEE ALSO: 8-Week Slim-Down Diet 

Follow the 10% Rule

Don’t increase your total training volume by more than 10% per week. If you’re doing 10 reps of a 100-pound volume, for example, don’t lift more than 110 pounds the next week. If you’re running 10 miles a week, step up to no more than 11. This slow shift helps your muscles, tendons, and joints adjust to the added work, says Higgins.

SEE ALSO: Fat Loss In Four Weeks

Turn in Earlier

A good night’s sleep is key for more than just your beauty rest. It’s when you recover from training and is crucial for reducing the effects of stress hormones like cortisol, which is linked to higher levels of belly fat. “Go to bed between 10 and 11 p.m., when your melatonin levels are at their highest,” says Gino Caccavale, Hers technical adviser.

SEE ALSO: The 28-Day Bikini Body Workout Plan

Modify Your Menu

“Insulin can be your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to fat loss,” says Brant. Aim for more lower-glycemic-index (GI) foods such as lean protein, healthy fats, and high-fiber carbs. Pair higher-GI foods like sweet potatoes with lean protein like grilled chicken to lower their net impact on your body, she adds. 

SEE ALSO: These Are the Nutrients You Need for Better Health

Roll With It

Get on a foam roller for a few minutes before your workouts to prepare your muscles for the movements to come, says IFBB figure pro Linda Stephens. Foam rolling helps increase blood flow to a given area while breaking up adhesions, improving your range of motion and making movements feel more fluid.

SEE ALSO: 7 Moves for an Hourglass Figure

Cut Back on Cardio

Too much cardio increases the stress hormone cortisol while robbing your body of precious lean muscle, warns Caccavale. Shift your workouts to about 70% resistance training and 30% cardio— that’s enough to help maintain lean muscle mass, cut fat stores, and still keep your heart and lungs strong, he says.

SEE ALSO: 5 Common Fitness Myths

Fight Gravity With Two Moves

The two areas that tend to succumb to gravity first as you age are your chest and your butt, says Caccavale. To help keep both parts pert, on days you’re not doing the workout on these pages target the glutes with moves like deep squats and lunges, and your chest with incline dumbbell presses and flyes. 

SEE ALSO: 12 Weeks to a Carved Out Core

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