After 40, Bobby Maximus talks about training every single day.

When you reach the age of 40, the world tells you that you can no longer accomplish certain things, such as recuperate from exercises as quickly. You can't recover from an injury as quickly as you could in your twenties. You also can't join in the current social media craze without putting your children in jeopardy.

Another argument is that you can no longer gain muscle mass. While you might not be able to do a TikTok dance, gaining muscle in your forties is still an option. For an eight-week trial in 2009, researchers had men of two different ages follow the identical lifting routine. After two months, the 35- to 50-year-old men had gained an average of 2.5 pounds of muscle, compared to only 2 pounds for the 18- to 22-year-old men.

However, achieving those advantages may necessitate more effort than you're used to. Bobby Maximus, a former Toronto police officer, UFC fighter, and Gym Jones training director, says, "I would say that's a basic norm for everyone on the earth." He's the founder of Project Maximus, the author of Maximus Body, and a self-proclaimed 43-year-old badass. "For example, they look at Jason Statham or The Rock. And they have this fantasy that if they work out three times a week for 30 minutes, they would wake up looking like those men. We all know that's nonsense."

Maximus specializes in hard work and a no-nonsense approach to muscle growth for males in their forties and beyond, from his time at Gym Jones to his current work with actors, sports, and Special Forces. He came down with us to discuss men's preconceptions about getting in shape beyond 40, provide some fitness standards and challenges for men in their forties, and explain why he believes you should do it all without back squats.

I believe the first step is to comprehend where they're coming from. And most males have no idea what they're doing, but they have to seem as if they do. Every man believes he's terrific at throwing punches and lifting weights, which I usually laugh about. But you've been conditioned to think that way, haven't you? In elementary school, everyone was fighting. Everyone had passed the Presidential Physical Fitness Examination. So they act as if they know what they're doing when, in reality, they don't. Because if you're 40 and asking for advice, you haven't figured it out yet.

So they begin by saying, "I'm 40, I'm aware that I'm not allowed to carry huge weights," and "I'm not supposed to do this or that." It's almost as if they've made a mental checklist of what they should and shouldn't do. And I believe it stems from a desire to appear as though they know what they're talking about. They don't understand because they haven't worked it out yet.

Because of their age, I believe the most common assumption is that kids must perform at a minimum volume and with a minimum work ethic. They think to themselves, "I'm 40, therefore I can't work out like 25-year-olds." So they're out there believing that if they come twice a week, they'll see benefits.

But, in essence, it's the polar opposite for them. Because they're older, they'll most likely have to work more harder than they previously imagined. Especially if you've been inactive for a long period. Fitness isn't a six-week or even a six-month commitment. You may be looking at a three-month intervention, but to be truly fit, you'll need to put in a lot of time.

I'm not a big believer in the 10,000-hour rule for every activity or project, and I'm not sure whether it's true for every task or endeavor—but if you want to get excellent at something, you have to put in a lot of time at it. The majority of folks aren't even training right now. So, if you want to improve, you need start putting in the effort now.

If you want to lose weight