“I used to have big arms and bench press 300 pounds, then middle-age hit and it all went downhill from there.”
One of my new client 48yrs old, looked at me with a slightly scornful gaze as he spoke these words few years back when I started training him.
I wasn’t sure what to make of his statement, then he carried on, adopting a look of warning –
“You mark my words. You might think you’re the man now, with your big deadlift and your six pack, but give it 10 more years and they’ll be gone, no matter what you do.”
Quite frankly, this scared the truth?
Had he really been in great shape, training hard, and shifting heavy weights in his youth? And if so, did he lose it purely because he’d got older?
If so, that was a pretty petrifying thought.
I don’t judge myself based on my looks, or on how much weight I can slap on a barbell, but being in shape and getting stronger is part of who I am – was I doomed to lose this all once I hit middle age?
Rather than get too freaked out, I decided to do some research of my own.
– Does getting to middle age really mean an automatic loss of muscle?
– If it does, what can we do to prevent it?
– If not, why do people think it does?
– Are there any specific considerations that middle-aged guys need to make when trying to build muscle and increase strength?
– These questions are all answered in the article you’re about to read. May I present to you…….
The Middle-Aged Muscle-Building Manifesto
DO WE LOSE MUSCLE AS WE AGE?
That is the question on every middle-aged (and nearly middle-aged) guy’s mind whenever he’s knocking out a set of barbell curls, or chugging his post workout shake.
The bad news is, we probably do.
The good news is, there is something we can do about it.
WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
A 2009 study from the journal of strength and conditioning research found that middle-aged men gained just as much muscle and strength from a periodical linear strength training routine as college-aged men.
And guess what else – they actually lost more fat in the process too! (1)
WHY WE THINK WE LOSE MUSCLE
Many people believe that muscle loss is inevitable when aging, due to a drop in testosterone levels.
To an extent, this testosterone decline is true.
Several studies (2, 3, 4) do show that testosterone can decline with age, yet whether or not this is a foregone conclusion, or rather due to a change in lifestyle is up for debate.
In fact, a 2007 study from “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” concluded that lifestyle factors also play a big role. (5)
Think about it – what do men do as they get older?
They swap the gym for the pub.
They might give up high-intensity, speed and power-based sports like football, basketball and badminton in favour of golf and darts, and they simply do less.
In truth, many middle-aged men get lazy.
By doing less, their muscles aren’t getting the stimulation needed to maintain or grow, thus there’s a lesser need for testosterone.
Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that even if testosterone levels do decline naturally, and there’s nothing you can do about it, you don’t need “high” testosterone levels to build muscle.
This is a clever ploy from supplement companies, who try to dupe you into believing that higher test levels = greater gains.
Not so fast!
Check out this video from Dr. Layne Norton that picks apart all the myths surrounding hormone levels and building muscle –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxwXIgnmAOI
WHY WE REALLY LOSE MUSCLE
Whether losing muscle is your concern, or simply not being able to build on what you’ve got already, there’s a solution …..
Keep working hard.
As you age and your joints get older, you are more susceptible to injuries.
A slight knee strain that you might have worked through in your 20s and taken a light week for in your 30s, now means you have to stop squatting for 2 months in your 40s.
That’s 3 pounds of hard-earned leg muscle gone.
Your dodgy shoulder starts playing up? Suddenly it’s not simply a case of switching from barbell bench pressing to dumbbell bench pressing as you might have done 15 years ago – now you’re resigned to light upper body work using nothing more than a resistance band.
That’s why avoiding injury and training smart is the #1 way middle-aged guys can carry on building muscle, which leads us on nicely to…
HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE IN MIDDLE AGE
AVOID INJURY
As per the above, staying injury-free should be your ultimate goal with your training.
How do you avoid injury?
– Pick only movements you know you can perform pain-free. That means, no matter how much you like deadlifting, if every time you try to perform conventional deadlifts, you put your back out, there’s no way in hell you should touch them again.
– You’re going to have to find alternatives, be that stiff-legged deadlifts, gluten-ham raises, pull-throughs or kettlebell swings.
– Take frequent deloads. A deload is a light block of training, where you still lift (to prevent you from getting stale) but you reduce your intensity.
– See a physio, chiropractor or other health professional regularly. Often, you won’t know you’re injured until it’s too late. A good physical therapist will spot the signs before you know they’re there.
PERIODISE YOUR TRAINING
I hate to bring out the old man card again, but you aren’t as young as you used to be.
I have it lucky – I can frequently work at high percentages of my one rep max on exercises, and try to break PBs in varying rep ranges every couple of weeks, but you, old fella, aren’t quite as fortunate.
(Don’t worry, that’s the only time I’ll brag about my youth today – it’ll catch up with us all eventually.)
I recommend a really simple form of periodization. Similar to block periodization, but with more emphasis and time spent in the accumulation phase.
Something like –
Block# of WeeksRep Range
* I recommend that unless you’re competing in powerlifting or strength sports, you generally steer clear of anything below 4 reps per set.
ADD CARDIO
Yup, cardio is often brushed under the carpet when talking muscle-building, but it is crucial for everyone, and even more so as you age.
Building a strong CV system will help with your fitness, improve blood flow, boost your work capacity, and aid with recovery.
INCREASE PROTEIN INTAKE
To fight against the possibility of a decline in muscle mass, adding extra protein is certainly a great shout.
We’re not talking suddenly jumping to 2 grams per pound, or hooking yourself up to an IV of whey, but a little extra certainly adds a buffer against mid-life catabolism.
While I generally recommend 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight per day, as someone aged 40 or above, I’d raise that to 1 to 1.2 grams per pound per day.
If you weigh 170 pounds, that means raising your intake from between 136 and 170 g.
UTILISE HIGHER REPS
In the strength training industry, it’s almost sacrilege to say that higher reps with lighter weights can be used to build muscle……. BUT THEY CAN.
I’m not saying you grab the pink dumbbells, and knock out 100 reps of curls to “tone” but as per the above periodized routine, sets of 10-15 reps using 60-75% of your 1 rep max should not be underestimated.
Take these sets to an RPE 8-9 (that means a rate of perceived exertion of between 8 and 9 out of 10 – essentially you should finish with a rep or two “in the tank.”)
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
This ties in nicely with point #1, but needs to be said again.
Make keeping healthy a priority – that means getting plenty of nutrient-dense foods (lean meats, dairy, fruits, veggies, grains, healthy fats, etc. – within the context of flexible dieting obviously.
Get that massage once every week or two, take time away from the gym to chill out, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a rep here and there, and let yourself take a break from training if you feel beat up.
One thing I recommend is taking a nap every day too.
Yep, naps aren’t just for the old and infirm – every guy – old, young and middle-aged can benefit from napping. And that’s an order. Next time the missus tells you off for sleeping in the day, let her know its okay, Mike told you to do it.
ENJOY IT
One of the main reasons you should train is for enjoyment.
And that stands regardless of what age you are
