Can you gain muscle when you get older?

[corsaking]

Hi

i just wonder when we get past 40 or older if the weight training we do just preserves the muscle we already have and stops it going into decline or whether we can actually gain more muscle .
If the latter is the case , then what adjustments need to be taken in training , nutrition and supplements to get more muscle

thanks

 

[dirtwarrior]

The same rules apply the same as a 20 YO or a 50 YO.
Nutrition, Training, Sleep, etc.. Natural test levels do decline with age so in a way the answer is yes.
TRT has even the field some but a 50 YO still has lived 50 years and has 50 years of being battered

 

[kisaj]

Yeah, some guys can, but it is important to have a solid base from your younger years. My dad is 71 and still goes to the gym 4 days a week, benches 300 and looks 20 years younger. He still has a majority of his muscle mass, but even when he was 50, he wasn't adding new muscle. He was maintaining all the work he did his whole life and keeping himself pumped so he never regressed.

 

[DetroitHammer]

Hi

i just wonder when we get past 40 or older if the weight training we do just preserves the muscle we already have and stops it going into decline or whether we can actually gain more muscle .
If the latter is the case , then what adjustments need to be taken in training , nutrition and supplements to get more muscle

thanks

Yes. I gained 50 pounds after I was 40. No lie.

 

[tuberman]

Hi

i just wonder when we get past 40 or older if the weight training we do just preserves the muscle we already have and stops it going into decline or whether we can actually gain more muscle .
If the latter is the case , then what adjustments need to be taken in training , nutrition and supplements to get more muscle

thanks

No, exactly at 40 + one day everything totally shuts down and you waste away -- no matter what. Except at 42 I was 162 pound distance runner with a hurt foot, and I took weight training back up the first time since my mid-20', and I went to 201 with 13 % BF. All that in a little over two years. I got very strong too. But you have to understand that myself and Detroit are rare exceptions, and if you are close to that awful age, you should just resign yourself to the inevitable -- it's over.

 

[hvactech]

No, exactly at 40 + one day everything totally shuts down and you waste away -- no matter what. Except at 42 I was 162 pound distance runner with a hurt foot, and I took weight training back up the first time since my mid-20', and I went to 201 with 13 % BF. I got very strong too. But you have to understand that myself and Detroit are rare exceptions, and you should just resign yourself to the inevitable -- it's over.

:lame:

 

[tuberman]

The truth is simple and obvious, you can do anything you want after 40 as long as hormones and health is still in fairly good order.

 

[tuberman]

:lame:

htech,

Now you've gone and done it. I will suspend my purchases from ATHLETIX and LG Science for at least 6 months forward. If they start gushing red ink it's your fault.

 

[hvactech]

htech,

Now you've gone and done it. I will suspend my purchases from ATHLETIX and LG Science for at least 6 months forward. If they start gushing red ink it's your fault.

the joke wasnt over my head, i love some good ole' sarcasm....i guess my icon was poorly chosen, and im not a rep...those are links to previous logs

 

[MuscleGauge1]

of course you can. That's why supplementation is so great. It helps you overcome your age. Proper supps and exercise go a long whey!

 

[roblasane]

I'm 42 and I'm making all kinds of gains. No way I'm ever giving in!

 

[tuberman]

corsaking. Don't worry, be happy!

 

[HarryManback]

Sure you can build muscle later in life. Juice!! Seriously though get some steriods. Screw Mother Nature.

 

[tuberman]

Sure you can build muscle later in life. Juice!! Seriously though get some steriods. Screw Mother Nature.

On a serious note: Far more important then juice, is eat BIG and work out HARD. Works every time.

I'm fairly happy with my results the last 5-6 weeks. I've been doing a recomp and gained a lot of strength, but no size. I've actually lost 3 pounds while making some solid jumps in strength. I do believe it gets harder as you age. One Men's Health and Fitness magazine suggested that you lose 6-7% of your ability to gain strength and muscle for every 5 years after your 35th birthday. That's got to be based on people who don't work out or are clueless about how to work out. Somewhere about 55 to 60 are the points that it starts to get harder for most, I believe. The 40's are young yet, and applied workouts will get super results. The reality is that if thyroid (T3 not T4) or test gets very low, or blood glucose gets out of hand, then you've got more difficulty.

 

[tuberman]

the joke wasnt over my head, i love some good ole' sarcasm....i guess my icon was poorly chosen, and im not a rep...those are links to previous logs

hvatech,

I had been looking at contant "fail" videos and demotivation photos for a couple of days and just couldn't help myself with the dumb humor. I took your icon as an one-up humor (like people do in improv) and I knew you weren't a rep and those were links to your logs. It was just just the best I could come up with on the spot. I'm over it -- temporarily anyway.

 

[GO_OUTSIDE!]

I'm 42 yrs old and I put 10 lbs on my body and 40 lbs on my bench in the past 6 months.

 

[kisaj]

Maybe it's because I am getting near 40, but I don't see 40 as old at all. There is a lot to be said with the mentality that you gain with age and how it can make you feel better than anytime in your 20s.

 

[corsaking]

I'm 42 yrs old and I put 10 lbs on my body and 40 lbs on my bench in the past 6 months.

ok but was it muscle?

 

[EasyEJL]

take a look at the masters category in bodybuilding competitions. Its becoming one of the most hotly contested age brackets as we're getting now to where guys who were in high school in the more heavily publicized Arnold years and have been working out since then are hitting that age.

 

[tuberman]

ok but was it muscle?

corsaking,

The original question obviously requires more info from you. If you are a Mr.Universe contestant having taken upteen drugs to get where you're at with so much muscle on your arms you can't wipe your rear without a sponge on a stick, then you probably have to settle for trying to hold onto what you have in your 40's. If you are like I was, a light weight distance runner at 160 + pounds, well then it was easy for me to pile on muscle and actually get a bit leaner in the process.

So where the H*ll are you at? If you are hugely muscular already, and have taken tons of steroids to get there, then it may be hard to add to it. But if you are healthy enough, you obviously can even then. Decline is a matter more of health levels rather than literal age. Are you healthy? Do you already carry an extra 50 pounds of muscle over the standard person? These are info people need to know to answer any question like the one you ask. Have you done a large amount of cycles? How much protein are you use to eating? Do you do power lifting cycles to build strength?

Most people would have no problem adding muscle in their 40"s, but it really depends. Health levels are simply the largest factor. I take for granted that you are well motivated and know how to work out hard.

 

[corsaking]

corsaking,

The original question obviously requires more info from you. If you are a Mr.Universe contestant having taken upteen drugs to get where you're at with so much muscle on your arms you can't wipe your rear without a sponge on a stick, then you probably have to settle for trying to hold onto what you have in your 40's. If you are like I was, a light weight distance runner at 160 + pounds, well then it was easy for me to pile on muscle and actually get a bit leaner in the process.

So where the H*ll are you at? If you are hugely muscular already, and have taken tons of steroids to get there, then it may be hard to add to it. But if you are healthy enough, you obviously can even then. Decline is a matter more of health levels rather than literal age. Are you healthy? Do you already carry an extra 50 pounds of muscle over the standard person? These are info people need to know to answer any question like the one you ask. Have you done a large amount of cycles? How much protein are you use to eating? Do you do power lifting cycles to build strength?

Most people would have no problem adding muscle in their 40"s, but it really depends. Health levels are simply the largest factor. I take for granted that you are well motivated and know how to work out hard.

cycles? my only cycle has 2 wheels Believe me there probably isnt a month goes by without considering some form of prohormone etc but i want to remain natural Its harder that way but ill stick to that.As for health im fine , suffering from sinusitis at the moment but otherwise , fine.

 

[grappler22]

Yeah, some guys can, but it is important to have a solid base from your younger years. My dad is 71 and still goes to the gym 4 days a week, benches 300 and looks 20 years younger. He still has a majority of his muscle mass, but even when he was 50, he wasn't adding new muscle. He was maintaining all the work he did his whole life and keeping himself pumped so he never regressed.

Awesome!!

 

[hardknock]

Yes you can; however, the ability to continue gaining it variably declines with age. It's not like you are going to gain the same weight/strength at 75 that you would gain at 32 years of age. However, strength, relatively, you can still gain (for a 70 year old).

Oh this and the fact that you are not cursed with the testosterone of a 12 year old girl.

 

[napalm]

I just turned 48. When I had my shoulder repair last may I weighed 171. One yr later I weigh 197, yes some of it was fat - prolly about 5 pounds of it, but the majority was muscle from nothing other than hard f'ing work. My squat and deadlift are bigger than they have ever been. So, the answer to your question is yes.

 

[tuberman]

I just turned 48. When I had my shoulder repair last may I weighed 171. One yr later I weigh 197, yes some of it was fat - prolly about 5 pounds of it, but the majority was muscle from nothing other than hard f'ing work. My squat and deadlift are bigger than they have ever been. So, the answer to your question is yes.

I think size gains come much faster when you lean heavily into lower body workouts such as squats and deads.

 

[toddgranit]

Yes you can, I'm 46 and I'm still gaining. Our bodies don't age at the same rate. Our bodies age biologically, not arbitrarily based on how many revolutions around the sun we have taken.

 

[napalm]

I think size gains come much faster when you lean heavily into lower body workouts such as squats and deads.

You are correct sir, no one ever got strong doing bicep curls. The core of my training is around the big 3 and accessory work that improves those lifts, ie good mornings, ohp's, pendlay rows...

 

[GO_OUTSIDE!]

ok but was it muscle?

Maybe... It looks like muscle. My strength is up and my bf% is down.

 

[kisaj]

You are correct sir, no one ever got strong doing bicep curls. The core of my training is around the big 3 and accessory work that improves those lifts, ie good mornings, ohp's, pendlay rows...

Now if only we could get all the young kids that take up room in our squat racks doing their multiple sets of curls to understand this...

 

[BBB]

I'm 63 and still gaining, albeit more slowly then when I was younger. It's all about hormones at any age.

 

[Dutchman]

I don't know how I missed out on this thread, it's made for me LOL! When I came back to the US in 2000 I was 59 yrs old and weighed in at 149 lbs. Now at 70 1/2 I stay between 210 and 215. I've doubled my strength over that time. In just the last two weeks I hit a 5 X 260 Squat and 5 X 440 on the rack deadlift. I probably won't try doing any singles for max weight again until August but I expect to be in pretty good shape by then. I always try to hit my year's best PRs just before my birthday.

 

[DetroitHammer]

I don't know how I missed out on this thread, it's made for me LOL! When I came back to the US in 2000 I was 59 yrs old and weighed in at 149 lbs. Now at 70 1/2 I stay between 210 and 215. I've doubled my strength over that time. In just the last two weeks I hit a 5 X 260 Squat and 5 X 440 on the rack deadlift. I probably won't try doing any singles for max weight again until August but I expect to be in pretty good shape by then. I always try to hit my year's best PRs just before my birthday.

Great inspiration. Hang in there, you're looking fantastic.