As long as you are in good health, it is never too late to start bodybuilding. Bodybuilding increases muscle mass, decreases body fat, improves bone density and even sharpens concentration, according to the Mayo Clinic. Nevertheless, particular concerns arise for older bodybuilders that you must address when planning your training routine.
Body Fat Percentage
Everyone naturally loses muscle mass as they age, says Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic. That means that even if you don't gain weight, your body fat percentage will rise. For this reason, bodybuilding is even more important when you are over 40 than it was when you were younger. Bodybuilding also increases your basal metabolic rate, causing your body to burn more calories per hour to supply blood and oxygen to your new muscles. These two factors can work together to help you keep from gaining fat as you age.
Warming Up
All bodybuilders should warm up before intense lifting to avoid injury. The older you are, the more important this is. Warm up with five or 10 minutes of light calisthenics before each bodybuilding workout. Before you perform a set of a particular exercise with a heavy weight, perform a warm-up set with 50 percent of that weight to get blood flowing through your muscles.
Training Guidelines
Former Mr. Universe Dave Draper advises older bodybuilders to combine power training -- heavier weights with fewer repetitions -- with volume training, lighter weights with higher repetitions. Volume training allows your body to recover from the intense stress of power training. Don't exercise the same body part more than once every five days, and limit the length of your workout to one hour. Use weight machines rather than free weights, because they place less stress on aging joints.
Nutrition
If you intend to add significant muscle mass, you face a dilemma as you age -- you need to add muscle, but your body tends to burn fewer calories. To keep trim while maximizing muscle growth eat a high protein, low-fat diet. Although younger bodybuilders can build up to 2 lbs. of muscle per month by adding 250 to 500 calories per day to their diet, as you age your ability to build muscle quickly diminishes. If you add 250 to 500 calories per day to your diet, your body is likely to store some of the extra calories as fat. Experiment with different calorie intakes to find out how much you can get away with eating without adding fat.
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