How Much Muscle Can You Actually Build After 40?
How much muscle can you realistically build after 40? In the past you were lead to believe that the older you got, the harder it was …
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"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
December 12, 2024
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Your reports are not accurate. The main problem of working out over 40 is the recovery time and appetite. That’s definitely decreasing after 40. In addition, the joints are also weaker after 40. If the above statement is not true, then why most athletes retired around 35-40?
Very encouraging studies for those of us over 40. Well presented!
The issue people have is not just being over 40
It is being over 40 and balancing MANUAL WORK for long and fluctuating shifts with working out at the gym
Let’s see a youtuber discuss issues for people NOT working in an office from 9-5
We DO exist you know? Does youtube REALISE that some men work physically demanding jobs at different times each week?
I am genuinely not convinced YouTube knows this. I think it believes that we ALL work sedentary jobs
I’ve put about 10 lbs of muscle on so far this year.
Lifetime natty. No TRT or juice. I've packed on 30 lbs since covid and am 256 at 6'2. Current age 57.
45 i benched 305 the other day
I put on a pretty good amount at 48, takes a lot more protien and diet being dialed in.
57. Lifting consistently and hard for again 7 years now. Not at all like how I lifted in my 20s when i could get away with anything. Avoiding injuries at all costs these days. Ego lifts and maxing out on heavy weights is a thing of the past.
It’s the same as a 20 year old. Now that I am lifting to failure and using full ROM I am getting better development than when I was younger. I just wished I was lifting the way I am now during my peak years (mid 30s).
All of those wonderful cliches just start popping up in my mind. Use it or lose it
Most young guys in the gym 200gram phones. At 61 i lift weights and a lot more
Thanks for posting this. I started lifting at age 75, now 79, after seeing a paper by Brad Schoenfeld et al saying exactly this. My newbie gains were really surprising and now the progress is much slower . Getting enough protein without over eating is my biggest problem; other than people trying to get me to act my age.
Guys at age 50 who use their age as an excuse to not train better find another fugging excuse!
Good to know!
Turned 60 the other day and I am 20 months into my fitness journey.
From my research we have quite a bit to learn about building muscle later in life…Or maybe culture needs to catch up to science and reality.
My testosterone ng/dl is usually sub 300, and I have 4 auto immune disorders…A few life threatening if mismanaged…. Spent 8 years in hospital/couch fighting for my life…260lbs on my worst day.
When I started I couldn't curl 15 pounds for sets, could only goblin squat 35 pounds for 3 sets, bench was 95 pounds for 3 sets. Leg recovery was 3 painful weeks! Today I am picking away at 50 pounds(6-7 reps) for curls (45lbs for 12) 5 sets. Squat is 315 for 3 sets 8-12 reps, bench is 215 for 7-10 reps 4 sets. 225 for 5 is my best bench. 3-4 days a week.
How much muscle have I gained? No idea! I'm 175 pounds now soooo…who knows.
I take myself to failure on most sets. It is here that I have found real gains….Much more so that when I was younger…Not sure why?
The loss of explosive power is strange lol…Its kind of like watching a steam engine get started on heavy sets. The first couple are oddly slow, then normal rate, then slow down at failure (of course). warm up is pretty slow. Grandpa life I guess! Improvements have felt glacial in rate, but I have never plateaued for long. If something refuses to improve I simply add more sets per week. Counter to most advice I am NOT afraid to go heavy, but if I feel the slightest twinge I stop and reset at a MUCH lower weight. Always clean technique for 8out of 10 reps…Not afraid to cheat the last couple. Currently have a small tear in my shoulder and have some tendonitis in one elbow. Injuries are a fact of life so I work around injuries or change weight for reps/modify techniques, but I refuse to stop training. So far that has worked for me. I have worked through plenty of issues…Especially in my legs.
I get PED accusations all of the time…Young kids video me all of the time…Pretty comical actually. My Dr has been talking about TRT for years, but my health issues make me very wary of introducing anything into my sickly body.
Despite how I look today I am still very unwell. On my very best day a normal person would feel deathly sick in my body. Yet I work out like a man possessed….Like this is my last day kind of thing. I have only missed a few days since I started.
It is never too late brothers! Today is a new day!
Excellent video as always. The only thing that’s killing me is the SLEEP. I’m that 5.5 hr guy 😫.
I'm 52 and took 7 years away from training due to Colon Cancer Recovery. So I have less Colon now and spent 7 years with a bag and a double hernia and had several open large scale abdominal surgeries.and so my ability to utilize protien is Compromised. I have been back in the gym about 3 months and already snapped back to almost where I was previously. I'm building muscle and strength just fine. I seem to get better with age not worse. That's because I started with a strong base and have been weight training since and doing Marshal Arts since about 12 consistently. I agree with others who have said consistency is key. Once you have done something once and especially three or four times from a psychological stand point you know you can do it again. I refer to it as the lesson of the box jump. The first time you do a box jump you stand in front of that box not knowing if your going to fall on your face or not. The first ten times you try you just might but you do it that 11th time and then something changes in your mind and you understand you can actually do it. Then when you increase to a higher box you go through the exact same ritual.
Thumbs up 👍
I'm 42 and have more muscle mass than when I was in my 20s. Consistency, recording progress, diet and lots of sleep.
Best background music ever.
I started lifting again at 68 yrs old and 149 lbs. A year and a half later I'm now 173 lbs. No drugs and a lot of hard work are my recipe.
I'm 58 and don't seem to be having problem gaining
I decided to turn my health around in my early 40s. Gradually built up fitness from being a barfly & smoker. Now late-40s and I train heavy only 1x week with barbell and the other 2x at home with double 24kg kettlebells. Rest days is 1 hr walk. So, doing something 7 days/week. I sleep when I'm tired and wake without an alarm. Meals focus on protein with some whole carbs. Quitting alcohol was a game changer. It works and age is no excuse.
Thank you for all your work!💪🙏
First, I really like your videos. I appreciate you bringing science into the world of physical fitness for us "regular" folks just trying to stay in shape. At 63, I still hit the weights 4 days a week, get my sleep, take supplements but it is the protein that I am trying to dial in. How many grams of protein do i really need to eat daily to not lose my current lean muscle mass? Keep in mind my sleep is the same, my rest days are the same and my work outs are the same. We all know it is nutrition that will make the difference. Thoughts? Thanks.
♾️with Christ!
The body understands death. As we age we age out of warrior status. We get older and slower naturally so our need for fighting muscles lessens. In the real world muscles are expensive to maintain so our bodies would catabolize them during lean times while building them for hunting season. Once you get larger than necessary the Brain will fight building extra muscle just like early when you are under muscled you get 'newbie gains'… At 69 I am making gains but I had to change my work out style to do so…
I can build muscle but I can’t build back thick skin so I have to build more muscle to keep the paper thin skin from being any baggier.
I'm turning 40 in just 5 months. Not much time left… RIP my muscles soon 🙁
Oldest Mr. Olympia winner: Shawn Rhoden, 43 at the time. We may yet see a 45-year-old Mr. Olympia. That’s probably the ceiling