walterroger
New member
@lucaannibale No. My dad built up to 5 pullups at 60. Never too old.
Am I too Old for gains? Muscle and Strength?
- Thread starter lucaannibale
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- bodyweight fitness
@lucaannibale I’m 50, been going hard since December. I’m in great shape. Your diet & rest is the most important factor at this age. Add Creatine & make sure you are getting enough protein. Keep shit simple.
@lucaannibale As a 46 year old that still feels like I’m making progress, I can only speak from my experience but I’m no expert. Personally, I don’t think you’re eating enough nor resting enough (between sets or between workouts).
Your total calories are possibly on the low side if you want to gain muscle mass. Really the only way to tell is if you’re consistent with your tracking and your weight doesn’t change and your physical appearance doesn’t change. Then your diet needs to change depending on your goals.
You should definitely consider supplementing with creatine. It’s by far one of the most well-researched, effective, and cheapest supplements out there. It’s not just good for your muscles, it’s good for brain health and improved energy as well. There’s nothing shady about creatine. Also consider eating more protein each meal, primarily through food (meat and eggs, etc) but protein shakes can be helpful. I’d avoid protein bars if possible because most of them are just candy bars with added protein.
You didn’t mention it, but if you’re like most of us in modern society, your sleep could be an issue as well. Very few people get enough sleep. Sleep is probably more important in changing your body composition than what you specifically do in your workouts.
Keep up the good work! From one “old man” to another I wish you the best!
Your total calories are possibly on the low side if you want to gain muscle mass. Really the only way to tell is if you’re consistent with your tracking and your weight doesn’t change and your physical appearance doesn’t change. Then your diet needs to change depending on your goals.
You should definitely consider supplementing with creatine. It’s by far one of the most well-researched, effective, and cheapest supplements out there. It’s not just good for your muscles, it’s good for brain health and improved energy as well. There’s nothing shady about creatine. Also consider eating more protein each meal, primarily through food (meat and eggs, etc) but protein shakes can be helpful. I’d avoid protein bars if possible because most of them are just candy bars with added protein.
You didn’t mention it, but if you’re like most of us in modern society, your sleep could be an issue as well. Very few people get enough sleep. Sleep is probably more important in changing your body composition than what you specifically do in your workouts.
Keep up the good work! From one “old man” to another I wish you the best!
lucaannibale
New member
@reformed1 Thx for this…
Maybe I under sleep. I seem to fall asleep fast in the evening around 9-10PM. I usually start tossing and turning and ultimately wake up around 4-5 AM. I’m in the construction sector so early mornings are pretty normal.
Physically I have changed for sure compared to where I was 60+ lbs ago. I’m stronger, fitter, and my body metrics taken from my watch are all indicators of improved health.
Last month, September, Apple tells me i had around 25,000 exercise calories. Previous months around 20,000. I feel like with all the gym time I put in, my visible body composition doesn’t reflect it. Which is fine. It sounds like I’m under-eating based on what I’m hearing from the community.
I’m definitely going to try 3 months of increased protein and Creatine and repost with results.
Fortunately… I have been able to be consistent with fitting workouts into my new lifestyle and maintaining a reasonable diet. Which I have been able to do since April 2022. Although it’s probably the wrong diet for me now. My weight has been pretty steady for a year now. Around 180-185.
Thx for your advice… I totally appreciate it!!
Maybe I under sleep. I seem to fall asleep fast in the evening around 9-10PM. I usually start tossing and turning and ultimately wake up around 4-5 AM. I’m in the construction sector so early mornings are pretty normal.
Physically I have changed for sure compared to where I was 60+ lbs ago. I’m stronger, fitter, and my body metrics taken from my watch are all indicators of improved health.
Last month, September, Apple tells me i had around 25,000 exercise calories. Previous months around 20,000. I feel like with all the gym time I put in, my visible body composition doesn’t reflect it. Which is fine. It sounds like I’m under-eating based on what I’m hearing from the community.
I’m definitely going to try 3 months of increased protein and Creatine and repost with results.
Fortunately… I have been able to be consistent with fitting workouts into my new lifestyle and maintaining a reasonable diet. Which I have been able to do since April 2022. Although it’s probably the wrong diet for me now. My weight has been pretty steady for a year now. Around 180-185.
Thx for your advice… I totally appreciate it!!
@lucaannibale It may be diet, but you can also get hormones checked. Your testosterone may be on the lower side. I work with guys in their late 40s and 50s, trt is life changing.
lyle4jordan
New member
@lucaannibale What does pull ups 6-5-5-4-4-3 mean? Thanks
@lucaannibale Im almost the same boat as you. In my 20's I was pretty ripped, 30's and early 40's I did 0 gym time and muscle turned to mostly fat. Started working out early this year and and have made huge gains though. Creatine 100%! I don't eat much more than you as I'm trying to not gain and/or lose fat while gaining strength, but I have been taking creatine for a few months and that extra 5-10% strength boost helps make gains come, and it makes you look a bit bulkier as well. Glucosamine helps the joints take the punishment a bit as well.
@lucaannibale 1700 calories would barely support me on a slow day, and I'm younger and smaller than you. If that's really what you're eating, it's not enough.
fightingbull542
New member
suckthesevols98
New member
@lucaannibale 1700-2000 calories no man Will get stronger no matter the age
hopeful528
New member
@lucaannibale Your too young to train!!!!
Any age you can achieve GAINS!!!
Just keep grinding and you will see results!
Any age you can achieve GAINS!!!
Just keep grinding and you will see results!
@lucaannibale I think you're doing what you should be doing. First, I would not take dietary supplements from a personal trainer. They're not actually qualified to make these recommendations. Second, if you're working out 70-90 minutes per day for six days per week, you're probably overdoing it. I would cut that down to, say, 50-60 minutes/day for five days per week. Third, if you're doing 6 pull-ups and you're able to go down the ladder as you describe, and you're 47 years old, I'd say you're really strong. You may want to cut back a bit on the workout time and accept that you're really strong. If you want to get stronger than 6 pull-ups, I'd focus on lats , abs or shoulders a little more than, say, legs. But you're not too old to get stronger.
lucaannibale
New member
@lucaannibale An adult man needs 2500 calories a day so doing all that exercise on max 2000 isn’t enough. Good luck, I’m 46 and going back to training very soon. I’m wondering how I’m going to find it compared to my late 20s early 30s
nileshshrestha
New member
@lucaannibale Doing cardio everyday might be detrimental to your gains. You need to keep your fatigue to minimum while maximizing muscle resistance if hypertrophy is your goal.
fivemtnman
New member
@lucaannibale Are you drinking much alcohol?
lucaannibale
New member
@fivemtnman Never been much of a drinker. I had a couple beers around my bday and new years before that.
congtycautruc
New member
@lucaannibale Never too old to make gains. However, as you age you will require more protein for muscle growth. You should definitely increase your protein intake.
I'm also not sure what type of cardio you're doing, but in case you're doing it for health benefits you should look into zone 2 and 5 training. Simply running is probably not the best bang for your time.
Though not gonna lie, you should be in pretty significant deficit by your activity level and calories consumed. Are you losing weight? It's still possible to build muscle in deficit at that fat percentage, but you're gonna need even more protein.
I'm also not sure what type of cardio you're doing, but in case you're doing it for health benefits you should look into zone 2 and 5 training. Simply running is probably not the best bang for your time.
Though not gonna lie, you should be in pretty significant deficit by your activity level and calories consumed. Are you losing weight? It's still possible to build muscle in deficit at that fat percentage, but you're gonna need even more protein.
lucaannibale
New member
@congtycautruc Hi! Thx. General consensus is more protein.
Not losing weight. Not gaining weight. I’ve been stable for 6+ months. At the lowest weight loss, which was around this time last year, I was down to 175lbs. I started doing less cardio and more strength and I’m sitting around 180-185 lbs pretty consistently.
I don’t feel hungry. I eat breakfast in the AM. Fruits/veggies mid day. And larger dinner in the evening. That dinner always consists of 1 baked chicken breast, and rice, corn, edamame, feta, lemon juice.
The cardio… I have my reasons for that. I had a cardiac event 5-6 years ago. My doctor wants me to keep that going regularly. I’m fine though. No damage to my heart. I’ve done almost every test available to me. Those sessions are zone 4-5 for sure.
I’m pretty consistent with my workouts. I am realizing now from the feedback that I’m not eating properly. I’m not ripped or anything like that. I guess with the amount of effort “I feel” like I’m putting in, I would have thought more visible results. But it’s fine either way. It was more of a comment/observation. Ultimately, I just want to be strong enough to do most challenges put in front of me. Pull ups with lots of reps, MU’s, eventually some good quality static holds, L-sit pull ups etc.
I’m setting a high goal to keep it interesting. I hope to achieve them… but if I don’t have a goal/target I’ll lose interest.
I was super unhealthy before. I used to have gout attacks a dozen times a year. And now, Not one since I’ve changed my lifestyle. Now… I’m so far from that personI never want to be back. A motivator to keep going forward for sure. That fear of ending up back there probably pushes me to do more than I need to. I don’t want to get complacent and lazy.
Sorry for the long winded response. lol
Not losing weight. Not gaining weight. I’ve been stable for 6+ months. At the lowest weight loss, which was around this time last year, I was down to 175lbs. I started doing less cardio and more strength and I’m sitting around 180-185 lbs pretty consistently.
I don’t feel hungry. I eat breakfast in the AM. Fruits/veggies mid day. And larger dinner in the evening. That dinner always consists of 1 baked chicken breast, and rice, corn, edamame, feta, lemon juice.
The cardio… I have my reasons for that. I had a cardiac event 5-6 years ago. My doctor wants me to keep that going regularly. I’m fine though. No damage to my heart. I’ve done almost every test available to me. Those sessions are zone 4-5 for sure.
I’m pretty consistent with my workouts. I am realizing now from the feedback that I’m not eating properly. I’m not ripped or anything like that. I guess with the amount of effort “I feel” like I’m putting in, I would have thought more visible results. But it’s fine either way. It was more of a comment/observation. Ultimately, I just want to be strong enough to do most challenges put in front of me. Pull ups with lots of reps, MU’s, eventually some good quality static holds, L-sit pull ups etc.
I’m setting a high goal to keep it interesting. I hope to achieve them… but if I don’t have a goal/target I’ll lose interest.
I was super unhealthy before. I used to have gout attacks a dozen times a year. And now, Not one since I’ve changed my lifestyle. Now… I’m so far from that personI never want to be back. A motivator to keep going forward for sure. That fear of ending up back there probably pushes me to do more than I need to. I don’t want to get complacent and lazy.
Sorry for the long winded response. lol