Glad to see something for us “mature” lifters.
At 54 I train 5 days per week, lifting 3 times and cardio twice. This keeps the powerlifting up, the body noticeable by nookie girls, and hoochie mamas alike, and my bp and cholesterol down.
Today a few of us were talking about our first powerlifting meets. When I told them mine was in 1968 one lifter told me that was the year he was born, another just said “damn”, and the third said he wasn’t born yet then. Death to him.
At our age main things are to keep at it, eat right, rest, and balance our lives.
So all of you keep at it, and let’s compare notes. I always learn something new.
“Damn”.
54???Just a youngin’ I just turned 58 and I know exactly where you’re coming from. It adds a completely new and different type of “fun” to training. The fact that I’m old enough to be some of these kids grandpa really shocks them. I use the age thing to incite the kids to work harder. If they beat me, the earn the reputation of beating an “old man”…big deal.
TNT
Your only as old as the woman you sleep with.
If you’re 20 and your girlfriend is 35 YES, its old.
If you’re 35 and your girlfriend is 20. NO it isn’t old.
You’re only as old as you feel, or as somebody said, "you’re only as old as the girls you feel!
[quote]Mr. Moose wrote:
If you’re 20 and your girlfriend is 35 YES, its old.
If you’re 35 and your girlfriend is 20. NO it isn’t old.
You’re only as old as you feel, or as somebody said, "you’re only as old as the girls you feel![/quote]
That’s known as “Geezer Math.”
My son and I have developed our own version of “Geezer math”.
I am 37 (38 on 3/21) he is 15.
He doesn’t get to call me old until he can best me on the bench, the squat, or the deadlift.
He’s got spunk though, it was his idea.
[quote]Scott1010220 wrote:
My son and I have developed our own version of “Geezer math”.
I am 37 (38 on 3/21) he is 15.
He doesn’t get to call me old until he can best me on the bench, the squat, or the deadlift.
He’s got spunk, though. It was his idea.[/quote]
I like that. I told my son when he can take me down then he can call me old. (Grappling takedown).
If you do things like this it gives both of you incentive…
I’m 40 and although I train 3 or 4 times per week, I feel the progress just isn’t there. I spend most of my time wishing I’d started when I was 20. All the training keeps me tight and toned but at 80kg (or 176lb for you guys) I don’t seem to be able to build up too much at all.
Am I past the building stage at 40?
I’m just learning all this stuff I guess, I don’t really understand all the tech stuff written on this site, but I love the site, purely for it’s motivational effect on me.
If you’re not gaining, you’re not doing one or more of:
- Eating enough
- Getting enough rest
- Working out properly
Keep reading. There’s a wealth of information this site. Pick one of the workout plans in the Training section. Chad Waterbury’s are quite popular, but there are several other contributors with good stuff too.
Read the nutrition articles by John Berardi, etc.
Don’t overtrain. Never spend more than an hour in the gym in any particular workout. But make sure you have the basics down, stick to big compound movements, lower reps with bigger weight.
And make sure you give your body recovery time. Four hours of sleep a night will sabotage any gains. Working out hard five days a week will likely do the same for most normal people.
I am 44 and started lifting when I turned 40. I have been an avid reader of this site the whole time. There are tons of great articles on training and nutrition (Unless Chad and Christian stop writing I will never finish the backlog of routines I want to try!).
You can definately gain after 40! I have put on several inches on my legs, chest, and arms, and upped my bench by 100 pounds (280) and my deadlift by 200 pounds (400) over the last 4 years.
The only advice I would add to what was just posted is the cardio. Stick with intensive bursts as opposed to long drawn out aerobic activity. Christion has a great quarter mile routine posted and TC’s Running Man works well too. I never do more than 20 minutes of cardio and that is typically sprints or quarter miles but am holding around 8% body fat.
40’s is nothing! We are just hitting our prime!
This is the best site out there for education and unbiased information. While I don’t post a lot, I read at least something here every day. Definately keeps me motivated. Just finished the Waterbury Method (man, that will make you sore!) and starting Outlaw training on Monday. This is the place to be if you want to be your best!
Thanks for the encouragement.
As for eating right, I find it hard enough steer clear of Macca’s & other fast foods. Simply avoiding crap is about all I can hope for. I use the protien shakes etc but you guys know what it’s like - 40 yrs old, working more than 60 hours per week, kids, Mrs, etc.
I tried a personal trainer but I was so busy I had to keep cancelling appointments because of work.
I’ll retire one day soon, perhaps then I can focus on eating & training right.
Ah yes. Working 60 hours a week is going to hold you back, no doubt.
Evaluate your quality of life and go from there. Don’t live to work; work to live.
I am 65 and work out (currently) three days a week, doing abdominal work in the morning for about 20 minutes, and low rep (5 - 12) movements in the afternoon/evening. When you guys hit sixty, unless you’re on some kind of juice, there will be a very noticeable decline in (for lack of a better term) your strength levels. The damned weights will start feeling heavier, as will all your equipment, if you have to set up in your garage like I do. I have been an Olympic lifter (with a few power meets thrown in for good measure) for 47 years (never made the Olympics or even got close to them) and the data that we have on Masters (guys and gals over 35) show pretty clearly that at age 80, If God lets you live that long, you will be able to lift about half what you could at age 40 (the data have been analyzed and published by Dave Meltzer, who, when he’s not being a Master Olympic weightlifter, is a professor of mathematics).
I don't train for muscular hypertrophy but rather to keep my skills in the two Olympic lifts. I also squat, and at about 175 (not quite 80 k) I can still crank out reps with 355 - may be five or six. But there was a time not too long ago when I could get two sets of fifteen reps each with 385 at that bodyweight. I don't use and never have used 'roids and I'm not about to start now. I may try this product called Spike, if the powers that be at T-Nation assure me that there's nothing illegal in it - someone there said that they want to try it on some prominent athletes, or words to that effect.
At any rate, you young pups who are in your thities or forties or fifties - hang in there, keep up with the stuff on the T-Nation site, and try some Olympic lifting once in a while. Like we say, nothing feels better than a good snatch.
[quote]Ragnarthehammer wrote:
Like we say, nothing feels better than a good snatch.[/quote]
giggle
Ragnarthehammer,
You’re my new hero.
[quote]Ragnarthehammer wrote:
I don’t train for muscular hypertrophy but rather to keep my skills in the two Olympic lifts. I also squat, and at about 175 (not quite 80 k) I can still crank out reps with 355 - may be five or six. But there was a time not too long ago when I could get two sets of fifteen reps each with 385 at that bodyweight. I don’t use and never have used 'roids and I’m not about to start now. I may try this product called Spike, if the powers that be at T-Nation assure me that there’s nothing illegal in it - someone there said that they want to try it on some prominent athletes, or words to that effect.
At any rate, you young pups who are in your thities or forties or fifties - hang in there, keep up with the stuff on the T-Nation site, and try some Olympic lifting once in a while. Like we say, nothing feels better than a good snatch.[/quote]
I’ve got to second Randman. You are the definition of a T-Man. Props to you!!
OMG did ProfX just “giggle”? Like a schoolgirl, no doubt?
[quote]duke wrote:
Am I past the building stage at 40?
[/quote]
No, you’re not past the age when you can build muscle. In fact, it’s not clear that there is such an age.
There is a fair amount of literature on the subject that would seem to suggest that older adults can easily build strength, but not muscle mass. (Keep in mind when I’m saying “older” I mean over 65 or 70) However the larger study that my Master’s thesis came out of showed that 65-75 years olds could achieve the same amount of hypertrophy as 20-30 year olds, given a very intense strength training protocol.
So keep on working hard and learing. You’ll get there.
[quote]dcb wrote:
duke wrote:
Am I past the building stage at 40?
No, you’re not past the age when you can build muscle. In fact, it’s not clear that there is such an age.
So keep on working hard and learing. You’ll get there.[/quote]
G’day & thank you kindly for your encouragement. VERY pleased to read this info. This has got to be the best damn site on the net! You should have an Australian affiliate site so I can buy the supplements without having everything opened by customs or even confiscated.
You’ve re-inspired this ‘old’ bastard.