Am I too Old for gains? Muscle and Strength?

[lucaannibale]

I'm 47, 5'10 tall, I weight 180 pounds and have a 20% fat percentage.

I have been working out like 5-6 days a week for 1.5 years. I spend 70 mins on strength training 5 days a week and 20 mins cardio 6 days a week.

For the amount of effort I put into my workouts I feel like my strength gains & physical appearance don’t match my efforts. I feel like I should be more muscular.

My diet averages 1700-2000 calories per day. Tracked on fitnesspal. I don’t drink alcohol at all. I don’t each junk food or pop.

My trainer thinks I should add Creatine and Protein to my diet. I’m on the fence as I really don’t know what the right thing to do is. My ultimate goal is to get stronger. Currently can do pull-ups 6-5-5-4-4-3 with 1:30 between sets.

Anyone have advice? Am I too old for this? Or maybe set lower targets?

EDIT: the amount of support and advice is amazing. Thank you everyone. I have some edits to come which clarify my workouts and eating habits and history. I’m new to the fitness world unless you include my under 20’s habits.

 

[godbmyguide]

@lucaannibale Way too little calories for significant gains. You're eating maintenance for someone who doesn't train or even leave the house at all while training basically every day.

Probably training too much, too, with not enough rest in between sessions. Also if those are 6 sets to failure on the pullups that's putting massive fatigue on your muscles. That's a "once a week" level of intensity, especially at your age. You didn't write what your training plan is, but if you do that every second day, or god forbid every day, your muscles have not nearly enough time to rebuild, especially at a colorie deficit.

If you have been overtraining like that, start a deload week, adjust diet, then start training "hard" (though not overtraining) again.

edit: Where does that 20% bodyfat number come from btw? Did you actually get a full body scan or is this guessed/one of those bodyfat scales? 180 at 20% would be a lean mass of 144, so the same lean weight as someone who is 10% at 160. So to give an example, that would mean you're basically this guy (right picture) with some extra fat

https://www.reddit.com/r/progresspics/comments/b20egh/m32510_160lbs_160lbs_3_years_exact_same_weight

I mean it's possible, but I think it's more likely you are higher bodyfat, given those pullup numbers as well.

 

[aunieinalaska]

@godbmyguide I thought he might be overtraining too. I'm getting good results @ 50 with three days off between workouts.

 

[godbmyguide]

@aunieinalaska Depends on what he does. But I doubt he is or should be on some elaborate split.

I'm not quite that age (though also past the physical peak) and I'm on a lower body/upper body split. Lower body mondays and thursdays, Upper body Wednesdays and Fridays with weekend off.

When I was doing full body I also struggled with the "every second" day approach and also often felt like I'm doing too much in one workout. To the point that I would just get exhausted halfway through.

 

[aunieinalaska]

@godbmyguide I do full body workouts 1.5-2 hours fasted state earlier in the day.Usually never have an issue with energy levels.

I also have my own system in my approach that so far is working.... My worst enemy at the gym is boredum. So my whole approach is based on keeping the mind from getting bored. To the point that when things start getting too familiar, its a sign that I need to train at a new gym or at least visit a new gym. Yes. I cycle gyms. lol

 

[beaud20]

@godbmyguide Is OP getting stronger?

If he's not getting stronger he's definitely doing something wrong.

Lots of people go to the gym but lift the same weights everytime. Add more weight or do more reps.

Progressive Overload is the main pillar for building muscle.

 

[lucaannibale]

@beaud20 Thx for reading… and appreciate your time. Prior to August, I was “training” on my own for about 8-9 months. I have a certified trainer now that has created workouts for me. She’s great and one for the fittest people I’ve seen in person. I see her once a week on Fridays. Then the rest of the week I work out at home and do the Rx she has given me. I’m definitely having more gains, lifting heavier since she’s been on board. I think like everyone is saying here that my diet is not right. Thx

 

[lucaannibale]

@godbmyguide Hi… thx

That was 6 to failure. I do those pull ups once week.

I have a home gym. 4 days a week 70 mins strength. I go once a week to a real gym to work on different things with a trainer. I don’t have high bar at home. Working on learning muscle ups. Not there yet. Banded is working albeit it’s only a couple.

I do cardio 6 days a week. About 20 mins.

% was based on a scale. And I did body measurements on a web app. Similar results.

I don’t look like either of those pics. lol.

1.5 years ago I was 240 lbs and way overweight. I was doing everything wrong in my life. I dropped down to 175 lbs in 4 months thru diet correction and regular exercise. I’m currently 180/185 lbs. my diet has been similar to the diet I had when I was losing weight.

 

[williambo]

@lucaannibale Now that you’re trying to add mass instead of losing it, you need to eat more.

 

[kkamagwi]

@lucaannibale Those scales are not accurate at all. I have a scale and recently did a Dexa scan. The scale is good for tracking (if the number is going down then good) but the number itself isnt trustworthy by itself

 

[displacedspirit]

@lucaannibale You work too much, tax your CNS too much, eat too little ...I can't imagine significant gains.

Maybe switch to Starting Strength for six months, stop the aerobic work.

 

[nothinges]

@lucaannibale

I do cardio 6 days a week. About 20 mins.

What the purpose of those sessions? If you're not doing zone 5 (90%+ max HR, HIIT style), then 20min/day of zone 1-3 is a waste of time and energy for your training level (but, if you were a complete beginner then I would make sense). Even at near max HR, 6 times per week is too much unless you chasing a very specific kind of near term result.

> my diet has been similar to the diet I had when I was losing weight.

That's the culprit right here.

 

[lostandfoundproverbs31]

@lucaannibale You've been dropping weight like crazy the entire time you've been strength training? With weight-loss like that, you've done well even to remain at the same level of strength, trust me.

Some are saying you need to eat a lot to bulk. Well, I don't know. You're at 20% - not very fat, but not lean. Maybe you will be okay just at maintenance calories. When did you stop losing weight? Are you still trying to lose more weight while hoping for strength gains?

 

[smiddy420]

@godbmyguide All true here. Not enough food. I do think Creatine would be ok. Protein? As a supplement? Not if you’re eating enough.

 

[apostolic1]

@godbmyguide When you say 6 sets of pull ups to failure is once a week level volume, do you mean literal failure where you can't even hang on the bar or where you can't pull for a full range of motion rep? If it's the latter, that doesn't seem like overtraining to me. 6 sets to form failure every other day or every third day doesn't seem like a crazy amount of volume.

 

[godbmyguide]

@apostolic1 Muscle failure, though either really. Especially at that level there is no benefit from going to 0 ror over 1 or even 2. And if he's clearly getting weaker through the sets, the lasts sets do nothing except fatigue the muscles more.
It's different from person to person, but I doubt anyone is doing that successfully at age 40+, especially considering that I'd a compound exercise and he is bound to add more fatigue on at least some of these muscle groups.
Might be different for someone half that age who can get away with it (though I doubt would benefit much if at all over just doing 3 sets to 1ror). Same for gear obviously.

 

[apostolic1]

@godbmyguide Hmm understandable thanks for clarifying. I've had a different experience for myself and I'm around 40....for pull ups 5 or 6 sets a workout is good, I make my last rep look like my first but I try to go close to form failure once I'm warmed up.

 

[dawn16]

@lucaannibale Nobody, absolutely nobody is to old to have gains.

 

[nsummer12]

@dawn16 Thank you.

 

[krillin]

@dawn16 Please eli5.