The ONLY 10 Exercises You Need (Over 40)

Video · published 2026-03-22

• Consistency beats intensity every time: simple, doable workouts you can sustain for decades outperform punishing routines you quit after two months — always train at a pace that lets you come back and do it again tomorrow, and keep your ego (chasing PRs, constant training to failure) out of it.
• Diet must be dialed in first: pair training with a natural whole-food diet and intermittent fasting — this approach took the creator from 30% to 6% body fat in one year using only these exercises (done fasted), despite a bad shoulder and knee.
• Cardio is the most important exercise of all: do a dedicated hour of aerobic exercise 5 days a week on top of normal daily activity, and if you must choose between cardio and weights on a given day, always choose cardio — it beats resistance training for fat loss (it temporarily suppresses appetite while heavy lifting raises hunger), and it improves heart health, insulin sensitivity, sleep, and mood; treat it as an "hour of peace" that also works as a natural antidepressant and a replacement for unhealthy dopamine sources like alcohol, tobacco, and junk food.
• Walking is the best cardio for most people; graduate to running once most excess weight is lost. Start at the lowest intensity (e.g., month one: walk at 4 km/h with 5-minute jogging intervals at 6 km/h) and use the elliptical or a stationary bike if injured. Avoid CrossFit, HIIT (especially over 40 and starting overweight), and injury-prone activities like soccer and outdoor cycling.
• Three resistance sessions a week are enough: split into shoulders/biceps/triceps, legs/abs, and chest/back, doing 2-3 exercises per session; default to 3 sets of 10 reps with 3 minutes rest, and progress with small increments (more reps or sets, or less rest, when a heavier weight isn't available) instead of pushing to failure every workout.
• Nine simple resistance moves cover the whole body: push-ups (plus incline and decline variations), squats, Bulgarian split squats, pull-ups, cable rows, Arnold dumbbell presses, chin-ups, cable triceps pressdowns with rope, and sit-ups — each has a no-equipment and an injury-modified version (e.g., pain-free isometric holds of 30-60 seconds when movement hurts), so injuries or limited equipment are never a reason to stop training. As a bonus, the standing one-arm dumbbell row (2 sets of 8, heavier) trains the real-life bending, lifting, and carrying patterns where most injuries actually happen.
• Prefer dumbbells over barbells and standing over seated: dumbbells give a more natural movement path, balance the left and right sides, and stress the joints less, while standing engages more muscles, improves balance, and prevents overloading — the goal is functional, graceful movement, not gym-only strength.
• Always warm up and use proper form: do some cardio and stretching before every session plus at least one lighter warm-up set before resistance work; keep shoulders back and breathe through your nose when running — proper technique both prevents new injuries and is one of the best ways to heal old ones.