Gains possible over 50?

[justaperson1]

@janeevans89 I have pain in the elbow as well. I’m pretty sure it is from the EZ bar curling. I am doing some rehab exercises and the pain has gone down in the last 9 mos. The thing to remember is that the culprit is often the adjacent joint. One of your comments mentioned a shoulder issue. If your shoulders are weak due to an injury, your elbow may be compensating. It could also arise from your not keeping your wrist neutral on curls and pulling movements. But you’re right. It’s just one pain after another in your 50s. I consider just getting to the gym a minor victory.

 

[janeevans89]

@justaperson1

I consider just getting to the gym a minor victory

That is so true and important to keep in mind.

The shoulder issue is from something I did while I was sleeping. I woke up one morning and I had been given the gift of shoulder pain over night. Who the hell knows.

I'm right handed and all my irritations are in my right arm so it could just be the wear and tear of life. It's not debilitating but I can't do "max" benching as shoulder pain will be the limiting factor. I incline bench 115lbs for 3 sets of 20 reps fairly pain free but I can't throw 200 pounds on the bar and push that up even though I should be able to.

 

[petra2011]

@janeevans89

1. Been training/lifting for almost 18 years now. I train 4-5 days per week, still progressive loading, BUT I listen more to my body and adjust my training and rest days as needed to minimize injury (recovery over 50 takes much longer and sucks ass).

Made significant changes to my nutrition over the years (when competing, I ate between 4000-5500 cals at various times). I eat nowhere near that amount now and eat less red meat than I did. Most carbs are veggies and fruit (fresh, not frozen), and my protein sources are fish, chicken, turkey, and plant-basd. No more desserts and sugary delights for me. My focus remains lean muscle and low body fat (for asthetics and function). My cardio could be better and has become a greater focus recently.

Most people believe I am in my early 40s, so the plan seems to be working. My 22 year old struggles to keep pace in the gym, and I hope it stays that way, lol.

 

[janeevans89]

@petra2011 Sounds like you are doing very good. I have a 20 year old who goes to UW Madison and lifts at the college gym and I think he's probably passed me in strength.

I'm just glad I can still enjoy lifting.

Do you still make gains? Can you bench more now at 54 than you could at 50 or 40? Depending on your size/strength I assume this has to reverse at some point. At 56 Arnold Schwarzenneger got in good shape for Terminator 2 but he probably had some "gear" (as all the kids are calling it) to help out. I benched 240-245 before my hernia surgery (and shoulder issue) just a year ago so I'd be happy if I can get past that. I really want to bench my weight so if I was smart I'd just diet!

 

[petra2011]

@janeevans89 I still push myself, but I am more mindful of my age and injury risks. I can comfortably bench 220-230 but would like to reach 250 before the end of the year without destroying my shoulders, lol. I definitely don't lift as heavy as I did in my 30s and 40s when I was training for competitions, but I was also eating a lot more back then and using high doses of PEDs. My diet is more protein than other macros, but my total caloric intake is designed for slower growth and a leaner physique. I tore the long tendon of my bicep last year doing 60lb dumbbell curls, so I try to keep my ego out of my lifts so I'm not tearing myself up. Gains in strength and muscle volume are more gradual but still happening, so that keeps me driven.

To the question of gear (cuz someone will most likely ask), yes I do, but doses are considerably lower and tailored to keep my testosterone in upper normal ranges. My background is in medicine, so I frequently have my blood checked for hormone levels, hematocrit, hemoglobin, liver, and kidney function (etc.) and an EKG done 2x a year to make sure blood work and vitals remain within normal ranges.

Yes, diet is essential - especially as we age - to minimize sarcopenia (age-related muscle wasting), keep body fat levels low, and provide the energy and calories needed to support fitness goals. Gains and loses are made in the kitchen as they often say, and I put a lot of time into meal planning every week - but I've done that for so many years now that it's less a burden and more straightforward due to habits I set up long ago.

My son's lack of strength is largely due to his poor eating. He doesn't eat a lot of crap but he also doesn't eat enough to support his strength goals. Unfortunately, at 22, it's harder to change his mind. He's learning on his own, though, and is making a better effort to improve his nutrition. It's his lack of consistency that really slows his progress, but he will figure it all out when he really wants to, lol.

Good luck on your journey. Keep grinding and smashing those weights as long as you can!

 

[janeevans89]

@petra2011 What were your sets/reps like then vs now? It seems that reading the trends and studies everyone is preaching "going heavy", but I think that is a young man's game. I still go within a rep or two of failure but I'm getting there with lower weight and higher reps. I'm reaching failure (or perhaps having to cheat) on the 20th rep. for my final couple sets. My thinking is that I'll still exhaust the muscle and get "the pump" using a weight that hopefully won't fray my tendons and ligaments in the process.

 

[embemboo]

@janeevans89 I'm 57m and I lift 4 days a week. In a normal week, I'll do squats and other leg work on Monday, bench press and upper back work on Tuesday, rest or cycling or golf on Wednesday, deadlifts and other leg work on Thursday, and arms and chest on Friday. I'm making good gains. I started lifting at 47, and I'm in the best shape of my life.

 

[janeevans89]

@embemboo That's great to hear. You've done really good to start lifting at 47 and still be doing it 10 years later. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

 

[capd1]

@janeevans89 I tried weight training for about 6 months at 50, and I kinda fell off the wagon. I found it very, very hard to put any muscle on.

 

[janeevans89]

@capd1 I'm gaining strength but my body doesn't look much different. I think that at 50+ muscle growth is just slow. My son, who's at the prime "gym gains" age of 20, look dramatically different after a year of lifting, as did I when I was young. Now at 52 I look nearly the same as I did a year ago. I did have to take a break for my Hernia Surgery but I've been at it for over a year. However, I have to say that I FEEL WAY BETTER/HEALTHIER now than when I wasn't working out. My body just works better, less aches and pains, more mobility and strength. Even if I can't bulk up like a 20 year old I think the work is worth it.

 

[petra2011]

@janeevans89 Early on (30s-40s) my trainer had me focused entirely on progressive loading. Typically, we would do one-two warm-up sets (low weight, high reps of 15-25) and then 6-8 sets of 8-10 reps with increasingly heavy loans (usually hitting failure by the 7th or 8th set). Now, it varies. The majority of the time, I do 6 sets of 8-10 reps with progressive loading, hitting my max weight for 8-10 reps by the 6th set (usually, the last two reps are a struggle for the last couole of sets). I travel 1-2 weeks each month for work, and during that time, I usually lower my calories (I'm not fond of eating out because it's harder to control macros) and limit my carbohydrate intake. During those weeks, the lower caloric intake and minimal carb intake makes it harder to follow my normal routine. For those periods, I will adjust my workouts and follow a rest-pause routine or a time under tension model. For the rest pause, my weight is about 70% of my usual load, and my reps are higher (15) for 4 sets, and the rest period is 12-15 seconds between sets. I end with one high rep set, about 50% of max, and try to force 20-25 reps on that set. It burns like crazy. Alternatively, I may use a longer time under tension methods. Loads are about the same as rest-pause, but I increase the time of each rep by 3 seconds for the concentric and 4 seconds for the eccentric movements. It's a similar approach to progressive loading but puts less strain on the muscle and connective tissue but a longer period of tension.

My workouts are also shorter. In my 30-40s, my training sessions were 90-120 mins. Now I train for 60-75 mins max and just focus on heavy loads with shorter rests to get as much done in a shorter time.

I prefer progressive loading, but travel disrupts my nutrition and sleep, so I adjust as needed, and I don't make any excuse for skipping a workout.

 

[janeevans89]

@petra2011 That is super-human. 10-15 seconds between sets is incredible! I’m more like 60-90 seconds. I would run out of lungs with nearly no rest on compound movements. And HOT! Holy shit! I already work out with a fan blowing on me and I’m already in a cold basement. I don’t have what it takes to suffer like that. It’s great you keep that up because getting to where you are from where I sit seems impossible

 

[petra2011]

@janeevans89 I'm not going to lie, those rest-pause sets are no joke. The first two sets feel fine. Three starts to burn. Four, half way through, I'm dying, lol. The last volume set is light, but after 10 reps, it's a grind. The key is to go for 20 even if the last 5-10 are partial sets. My 22 yr old hates them, lol.

It's a nice variation to throw in from time to time, and I like the challenge, but ya, it will test your limits.

I've been at this for a little over 17 years now. Keep up the solid work, brother. You will get there and at our age, just getting off our arse and putting in the time and effort is more than many people.do. Show up and chase your goals. You will get there, and results are reinforcement to go for more!

Live strong and stay hard!

 

[daisydoodle78]

@janeevans89 Sorry for the ramble, but here goes:

I'm 52, I've worked out fairly consistently for the last ~30 years, aside from a few breaks or unrelated injuries. I've been working out with more focus for the last 5 years or so. I don't do any crazy weights, but I typically run a 5 day a week PPLUL program of some sort and if I am feeling particularly tired, I'll add a skip day between the legs and upper day. In that program, I typically hit most groups, including legs, twice a week. I have time allotted after work every day for the gym so it doesn't matter if my schedule moves. I'll frequently add additional light shoulder work multiple days to try to keep things balanced and, for me, to keep shoulder pain at bay.

The only real difference I've noticed as the years pile on is more general joint pain that sometimes pops up and longer recovery time. I haven't tried any kind of HRT/TRT as I still feel pretty good strength-wise and I don't think HRT would help my joints. I'm still a fairly solid 198-203 lbs @ 6'1", but if I go over ~275 on the bench for more than a couple reps, my shoulders bother me more, heavy squats and heavy deadlifts frequently have the same effect on my hips or lower back, but higher reps of 245-255 on the bench and 275-315 squat and deadlift don't bother me. Occasionally I'll go heavier, but not often because it costs me recovery time and I don't want to hurt myself. The flip side is that I look and feel as good as I ever did when I was younger - aside from my hair, which has mostly moved to other places on my body. I work out harder now, actually following programs instead of just 'working out'. Now that time is going by so quickly, it's easy to try something for 18 weeks or so.

I've been going to the same gym for a long time. I've seen a good number of guys in their late 40s or early 50s come in and get in shape. It seems like if they had worked out regularly at any point in their past, within a year or so they can get back pretty close to where they were and then make a push to do better, significantly transforming their body and ramping up the weights. This doesn't seem to apply to ex-bodybuilders as much, or maybe there are just fewer of them coming into the gym after a 20 year break. I've seen a number of middle-aged+ guys coming in benching

 

[janeevans89]

@daisydoodle78

Now that time is going by so quickly, it's easy to try something for 18 weeks or so

Oh man, this is so true. As a teen or early 20's kid 18 weeks was forever, now the pages in my workout journal just flip on by.

I didn't share this in my earlier posts but my deadlifts and squats are absolutely pathetic, like I was nearly unable to do proper BODY WEIGHT squats. My hip mobility was shit and I didn't even know it. My legs used to be incredibly strong from all the biking but I think when my unbilical hernia started to be noticeable 3-4 years ago I stopped lifting anything off the ground. Now, 8 weeks into my program I've worked up my Romanian Deadlifts to ~100lbs and either goblin squatting a 35lbs dumbbell or conventional squats with an empty bar. I would say last week was the second time I could just start my squats without spending 5 minutes figuring out how to stand without my knees just freaking out at the bottom. I just stepped in and painlessly went thru the exercise. I expect to gradually work up some weights but I don't foresee me ever squatting 300+. I'd be thrilled with 200 lbs.