Brett Boettcher Profile picture
Aug 18, 2023 14 tweets 5 min read Read on X
10 foundational exercises for guys over 40 to build core strength, functional movement, and avoid injury:

(Bookmark this for your next training session): Image
1) Sit to Stand

With this movement, you want to sit down slowly, aiming your butt directly at the chair behind you.

A dumbbell isn’t required but can be added if bodyweight is too easy.

This is a great place to start if you’re brand new to the gym or have had knee problems.
2) Dumbbell RDL

This is a great movement to work the entire posterior chain, especially the hamstrings.

Focus on hinging at the hips while maintaining a slight bend in the knees.
3) Seated Row

This is one of the best exercises for building upper back strength.

A common mistake here is to turn the movement into a bicep curl.

To avoid working this, drive the elbows back and squeeze the shoulder blades down and together instead of flexing at the elbow.
4) Seated Leg Press

Here, you want to be slow and controlled in both directions.

Lower the weight slowly until your knees are at least 90 degrees, and push up through your heels.

You want to keep your heels down throughout, so you might have to move your feet up to do so.
5) Hammer Curl

This exercise is great for building both the biceps and the forearms.

The key to doing this correctly:

Avoid trunk compensation and swaying.

You want to focus all the tension on the bicep without using momentum from your body.
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6) Dead Hang

The dead hang is a tremendous stretch for the front of the chest, the lats, the shoulders, and the entire back.

It's also a really great exercise for shoulder health and mobility.

Add these to the end of your upper body workouts to enhance recovery.
7) Bird Dog

Easier variation: One arm or one leg at a time

Full variation: Lift opposite arm and opposite leg at the same time

If you can’t balance or keep your arms and legs straight when trying the full variation, switch back to one arm or one leg at a time.
8) Planks

Planks are really helpful for people battling low back pain and wanting to stabilize the spine.

The key to this movement is keeping the hips in line with the shoulders and legs.

You want to avoid sagging your spine.
9) Glute Bridge

This is a great movement for activating the glutes.

Tuck your feet underneath you, and keep your hips level.

If you’re up for a challenge, you can progress to a single leg, which isolates and activates the glutes even more.
10) Prone I's, Y's, T's

These are foundational movements for building shoulder strength and stability.

The key is pausing at the top of each movement.

If you can get really solid with these, you’ll experience less pain when doing specific overhead movements.
10 foundational movements for guys over 40:

• Planks
• Bird dogs
• Leg press
• Sit to stand
• Dead hang
• Seated row
• Glute bridge
• Dumbell RDL
• Hammer curls
• Prone I's, Y's, T's
Thanks for reading.

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More from @brettboettcher1

Jan 17
You don’t need a pile of supplements and two hour morning routines.

And you don't need more information.

Filter through the noise and steal these 10 things that I use to stay 10% body fat year-round (long, but worth the read)

1) Walking pad
It’s 0 degrees here. But I can still do 30 minutes of incline walking while watching an $8/month subscription network or sporting event.

Repeat every day on autopilot for your waistline, heart health and to undo hours of sitting at the desk. Image
2) Weekly grocery list + Store pickup

We grocery shop weekly. But 90% of the time we order it online and pick it up to save time.

Take 10 minutes to make a grocery list or online order.

You'll know what meals you’ll make, what you need, and what you DON’T need. Image
Read 13 tweets
Dec 18, 2025
There’s an endless amount of information out there. Most is noise.

You don’t need a pile of supplements and two hour morning routines.

Steal these 10 things that I use to stay 10% body fat year-round (long, but worth the read)

1) Walking pad
It’s 0 degrees here. But I can still do 30 minutes of incline walking while watching an $8/month subscription network or sporting event.

Repeat every day on autopilot for your waistline, heart health and to undo hours of sitting at the desk. Image
2) Weekly grocery list + Store pickup

We grocery shop weekly. But 90% of the time we order it online and pick it up to save time.

Take 10 minutes to make a grocery list or online order.

You'll know what meals you’ll make, what you need, and what you DON’T need. Image
Read 14 tweets
Dec 11, 2025
Everyone thinks Statins are the solution for "High cholesterol".

But despite what your doctor tells you…

They can increase your risk of Alzheimer's, Type 2 Diabetes AND even weakness in your heart.

Here’s what statins really do to your body (& what to do instead): 🧵
Brain Damage.

Cholesterol is a key part of neurons and neurotransmitters in your brain.

Statins lower cholesterol so aggressively that they can starve your brain.

Even the FDA admits that statins can cause memory loss and confusion. Image
Insulin Resistance.

Statins increase insulin resistance by:

- Reducing adiponectin
- Damaging mitochondrial function
- Impairing GLUT4 transporter function.

They can raise the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by up to 46%.

Insulin resistance increases your risk of heart disease too. Image
Read 14 tweets
Sep 9, 2025
I honestly think I could take anyone and reverse Type II Diabetes in 6 months.

-no medications
-no excess cardio
-without giving up carbs

Here’s exactly how we do it:

1) Lift weights 3x/week Image
Strength training burns glycogen (stored sugar in the muscle) and moves Glut-4 receptors to the surface of the cell.

This allows you to move blood glucose into the muscle cell WITHOUT insulin.

The more muscle you build and the more frequent you train, the better your blood sugar control.
2) Carbohydrate timing

Eating carbs while insulin resistant and sedentary sends blood glucose skyrocketing to dangerous levels leading to nerve, kidney and heart disease.

Carbs around workouts ensures stable blood sugar levels while still having energy to exercise safely.
Read 11 tweets
Sep 3, 2025
The hidden health condition affecting 80% of men over 40:

Andropause.

It silently causes weight gain, insulin resistance and erectile dysfunction...

But it´s completely reversible.

Here´s what it is and 7 ways to fix it before it silently sabotages your health: 🧵
What is andropause?

After age 30-35, most men´s hormonal health starts declining.

Testosterone drops by 1% per year.

These other key hormones crash too:

• DHEA
• Growth hormone
• Thryoid hormones.

They often have high estrogen and cortisol levels too.
Andropause symptoms feel like your body and mind is breaking down:

• Belly fat
• Brain fog
• Low libido
• Poor sleep
• Weak workouts
• Being moody and irritable
• Being extra sensitive to stress.
Read 15 tweets
Aug 27, 2025
In 2013, the American Heart Association changed statin guidelines.

Based on what? Statin trials funded by statin manufacturers.

Now 13 million more Americans would be recommended statins.

Here’s the scam Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know: 🧵
The American Heart Association created a new “risk calculator” to put more people on statins.

If your risk score was over 7.5%, you were now recommended to take them.

What raised your score?

- Diabetes
- Older age
- High blood pressure.
Even with normal cholesterol, you were pushed toward statins.

But statins don’t fix diabetes or blood pressure.

So how did they justify this?

By citing studies showing people with those conditions had lower heart risk when given statins.
Read 16 tweets

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