Since I’ve come back after 6 years of cals and total gym, I’ve noticed that at 55 I don’t seem to pump up like I once did. Is this my imagination of do others have the same experience? I work out at 6:00 AM so this might be a factor.I have protein in a small amount of coffee and some creatine. Do you think a preworkout drink would help. I don’t want anything with too much caffeine or ephedra or yohimbe. What do guys think?
Thanks.
You are getting older. Your T and DHEA are dropping and your T:E ratio is dropping too. You should get a good male panel done. If via lef.org, the out of pocket costs are modest too. Know why you are feeling these changes. Many aspects of the changes of getting older are avoidable and reversible.
Your body is no longer low maintenance. You need vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, healthy fats, EFAs, lots of vit-D, anti-oxidants etc.
Which LEF products have you used? Have you found any benefits to a preworkout drink to help with this?
I’m in my 20’s and I can barely pump in the morning if there’s no food in me.
Just a thought, protein powder mixed with your coffee might not be doing it for you, I couldn’t work out on that.
Have a nice big breakfast first with carbs, and see what happens.
Even if I workout after breakfast Im still not “feeling it”, its not that I dont get a pump persay, but just general strength and motivation.
I generally like to have at least 2 meals and a snack in me before my workout, breakfast, lunch, and a pre workout snack.
Also as was mentioned and you have probably guessed, you are getting older, that has its own set of problems from a hormone perspective, but they can be corrected.
You can certainly use an NO product to “pump” but I doubt that actually helps anything besides making you feel good in the gym, which is worth something, but could be achieved just as easily with proper preworkout nutrition and diet.
I’m 57. I can’t lift first thing in the morning, no energy. For me, a big breakfast with carbs, fats, and protein is essential, plus I have to rehydrate. I mean at least a quart of water. Then all that food has to move on down the line so I don’t feel bloated. I can hit it hard by 10 a.m., that’s maybe my best time to lift all day.
That’s my standard advice when people ask me about lifting and diet. Big breakfast with plenty of carbs. And more sleep.
As far as hormones go, your chances of needing them at age 55 is almost 50-50. I started TRT at age 55 (about 18 months ago) and while I don’t feel young again I think I am holding my own. Biggest improvement for me has been in the mental energy and enthusiasm department.
My wife just told me last night that she thinks my skin is much softer and smoother since I started TRT. I hadn’t really noticed, except that an itchy, dry rash, mostly on my back and present for years, is gone. It was bad enough that a dermatologist biopsied it some years ago. “Non-specific blah blah blah.” Topical corticosteroids helped but did nothing long term. I put up with it. I hadn’t really thought about it but it has disappeared, apparently without me noticing. Besides TRT I also started 2,000 units/day of Vit D (now 4,000/day) so maybe that was it.
The stickies at the top of this forum are a good place to start for TRT.