In overall Muscular development\Appearance?
In Strength?
In Cardiovascular fitness?
Strength peak reached sometime in mid 20s I believe. I cant seem to db press as much as I did then even when using supplements. However im not carrying the bodyfat that I was then as well.
As for appearence, at 32 I feel that im in the best shape that ive ever been in.
Cardiovascular fitness is something that I typically dont train for other than just some minor amounts for general health purposes.
See Ya
At 55 I’m in the best shape of my life, but I keep improving so I’m not calling this the peak. I’ll get back to you when I’m 90.
As it stands right now I reached all my personal bests in strength and powerlifting 3 months shy of my 40th birthday (December 2006).
When I first started training I was doing bodybuilding and weighed around 195. I now weigh 275 and I reached that 2 years ago and haven’t gained any weight since then. I should state that I had switched over to raw powerlifting 5 years ago, but I still did hypertrophy training ever so often.
Hopefully, more gains will come in the future.
To the people that replied to this question, I will ask another if I may.
Have you been consistantly training athletes/bodybuilders/PLers or the like for a long time or are you relatively new into the iron game?
I find this a very interesting topic as I am now 32 and I feel I’m in decent ‘shape’. My peak was around 27 but since that time I have had at least one operation per year and I am struggling to regain my previous form.
Asthetically: I am in a good place now and I think I will keep improving.
Strength: I’m down a bit thanks to the injuries and a brief romance with functional training and BOSU’s.
Cardio is something that I believe is peaking in my 30’s.
Interesting topic.
I ran a 17:48 in my 3-mile run for the Marine Corps at the age of 21. I’ll never run like that again and don’t want to. It was a first-impression thing and I trained up to it; and for an entire year I couldn’t gain any muscle or much strength due to all of the running.
So, I’ll say my cardio peaked at age 21.
Muscularity has a long way to go, but I was 165 lbs when I ran that time and since then, I’m up to 185. I’m working towards that size goal now…
Hopefully by age 31, I’ll have made it as well in bodybuilding/powerlifting as I was able to in running. I’d be okay with a strength “equivalent” of a 17:48 3-mile time.
I’ll let you know when I get there.
I’m 42 and have been lifting since I was 19, but without structured programs until the last few years.
I was pretty strong in my early 30s, but have surpassed my previous bests. I’m bigger now than in my 30s, but not huge by anyone’s standards.
I don’t consider myself a bodybuilder, but have been “accused” of it more lately than in my 30s. It doesn’t take much to impress the average non-lifter.
The difference is that now I eat more but better, lift heavier but smarter, and take supplements that did not exist during my 30s.
My dad is 74, and has been working out since he was 14. He looks about 60, and can leg press more than me.
I"m 45, training for close to 25 years and don’t think i’ve peaked yet, except maybe the cardiovascular stuff. when i ran track in high school.
Strength? Overall now at 29
Cardio fitness? Highschool when I could run until I fell out, take a 2 second break and run again.
Overall health? getting better.
I’d say in terms of eating, drinking, working out for hours on end and doing whatever the fuck I wanted then still being able to go to the gym and train and a good strength for me, around 24-25.
I know plenty of older people that are strong and getting stronger but they don’t do the stupid drinking all night boning a girl at 5:30 am then going to the gym at 9 thing any more.
You’ll find you get smarter and more disciplined with time. You can accomplish any cardio or strength goal you want but you will plan a realistic strategy for it.
Like trying to run 3 miles in 18 minutes now I would say I’ll run/walk 3 days a week for 3 weeks or something then come up with a linear program to advance, and Ice my knees. At 23 I would say I’ll run 3 miles every day until I get it.
Twenty two. I had just graduated college a few months prior. I was a hammer thrower and had been working the olympic lifts and squat / deadlifts hard. I dieted to get down to 180 but was able to keep the strength. Squat 5 X 405 / DL 495 X 1 (405 x 12) Bench 295 x 1. Started to train cardio harder and bodyweight exercises to prepare for entrance into the police academy. Situps were 80 in 1 minute. Pushups 65 in 1 minute. Pullups 20 w/ good form. 1.5 mile run - I dont remember the time but I was one of the top three finishers in the academy. By the time I was out of the academy I was 165 at 6’0".
Started working. Tried to keep in shape but lost the edge I had obtained but still was in better shape than most.
Slowly long hours and bad diet took its toll. (Mostly my own fault) Rode in a two man car with another cop that liked to eat and slowly worked my way up to 225 lbs. Lifting heavy with no cardio. Very fat but pretty strong.
One day came into the booking area with a prisoner we had to fight with and was wheezing so bad the Lieutenant in charge gave me a hard time for days about bding out of shape. (He was an avid runner) Started to train by biking. Got really into it and started doing races. Was riding 200 miles a week and dropped down to 167 lbs. Best cardio shape ever. (I recommend biking for anyone that really wants to get into great cardio shape. The hills act as natural intervals. Your heart rate is up and down the entire ride. The only probelm is a 20 or 30 mile ride is time consuming.)
A little too light though for street work. (The cops in this forum will know what I’m talking about). Entered some running 5Ks and started to lift a little more.
Got heavily involved in martial arts from 27 to 38. I found grappling to be excellent training. Training 3-5 times a week was all I needed to stay in very good shape.
Then over the next 10 years there was a slow decline in fitness and health. Mostly all my fault. Allowed myself to put these things very low on the list of priorities and at 47, I am working on bring these levels back up to at least a reasonable fitness level.
I know that was a long answer to a short question but I guess that there are a lot of members in this Over 35 site that can relate.
ps - this site needs to stay running. There is a lot of very good information here for us older lifters / along with some inspiration for and from guys/gals in the same boat.
45 and still growing. I’m stronger and faster with better endurance than I was at 24.
Smarter and better looking with nicer toys too.
Twenty-three. Great thread question, cause I’ve wondered if I could regain even 80% of my best lifts at 23. I’m trying my best, have lots more information, nutrition, etc. to help me than I did then, but I’m comparing peak OL/PL lifts at that time to now. I’m happy for and inspired by you guys that are at your best now, but for those of us that reached elite level strength in youth, what is realistic and possible now after 50? Doc
I think using 50 years old as a mark, if you have been able to avoid any major illness or injury, a very subjective guess would be 75%. Nothing scientific involved in coming up with this percentage. We know that we are more in tune with how our bodies react to the stress of training and we should have developed some inherent intelligence that prevents us from unintentionally overreaching to the point of injury or overtraining. If a long slow progression is used, looking carefully to address recovery, I think 75% is reasonable
I think my body’s reaction to the way I change and eat really started at 30. I used to be able to just cut my sugars and get ripped easy as hell with no cardio. Not anymore -lol But in the last 4+ years, I’ve had to learn and try a lot more, which I do feel has added in its own way.
Strengthwise, about 28 or 29. I weighed less, could lift more, and had a stupidly easy time keeping my BF low
S
I think as a general rule for many folks (myself included) its the early to mid 30s. Up until I was 26 I could not gain weight at all but then BAM … my metabolism slowed down and all of a sudden gaining weight was not an issue. Obviously that allowed me to pack on some more size (and hence strength).
While I am only 32 now, most studies I have read show that the early to mid 40s is when you metablosim cranks down and the body starts to store increasing amounts of fat. That is not to say you can’t make good progress in your 40s or 50s but its not as easy biologically speaking as when you are in your late twenties. Its also my opinion that training age (how long you have been lifting seriously) also plays into it although I don’t have any research to back that up.
This thread is a bit depressing listening to some of the guys say they peaked in their 20s, I’m in my 20s now, but I always figured I would probably peak strength wise around 40, which is about the age that my father seemed to peak physically, (no training, but lots of physical work).
39 years old and I still haven’t reached my peak. I don’t heal as fast as when I was 20 but otherwise I can do everything better and with greater clarity than my younger self. I was a horse at 21 which is the age that I benched the most but I expect to beat that record next year.
Hey, Joe84. Don’t get depressed. As one of those old farts who peaked in his early twenties, a lot had to do with career choice. Once I went to med school, I worked 100 hour weeks with no sleep every third, four years of that and then four years of almost as tough residency. Plus, even though I still found some time to lift, I shifted into more medium-intensity bodybuilding.
If you can manage to not let life get in the way, I see no reason one shouldn't continue to make gains and possibly peak as late as 40, especially with all the new knowledge about training and nutrition to help recovery and longevity in the sport.
However, we might have to do a new thread then for when did you peak sexually-cause I don't think anyone can fuck at 40 like they did in their early twenties. Even with Viagra and HRT! LOL Doc
While in the Air Force, 17 to 21 years, I was 185 and in very good shape. At 23 in Police school it was even better with more endurance training. At 38 I was running 4+ miles and biking the same 5 days a week, and lifting on the days off. One day running up a steep hill in 90 degree weather with sweat running down my back on waves I laughed out loud to myself that I had never been in such good shape. At 55 I was running up a stairway of 182 steps, 5 and 6 times an hour and looked good(and was dealing 3 girl friends).
As of last week during a weight training day, I did not believe how good I felt. Almost forgot I am at age 64. Train sensibly, eat clean, take the supplements and keep up your religion or meditation. Body + mind + spirit = you. And ya need all three parts working.
im turning 38 next march,whilst my metabolism has slowed to some degree,im stronger than ive ever been.I have more energy ansd stamina than most guys half my age because i work bloody hard at it.I study kung fu 4 hours aweek(can still snap a side kick out over six ft any time)i ride my mntnbike off road about 3hrs each weekend and train weights 4days a week.
oh,and i cycle to and from wk everyday,were as a chef i spend up to 9hrs on my feet lifting heavy shit all day.
and yes,im single,and without kids so i realise im able to be completely selfish with my training!