I am now nearly 60. I reached my peak strength at about 40. I have managed to hold my own pretty well until lately.
But now i can really notice the difference in my rate of strength loss and muscle size.
I train every four days on average.
How are any of you older members finding doing with regards to strength and muscle loss despite consistent
Training?
Andrew(new member)
Welcome to the “Getting Weaker and Smaller No Matter What You Do” club.
I am 75 and have been on that slide since 60.
If you find any answers, let me know.
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Face reality and keep lifting consistently, you cannot fight ageism and win
The Strength is going to go down, but you can still look good. I have more muscle, using less weight, than I did 20 yrs ago. I am 61.
I just turned 59 years old and I’ve definitely seen better days strength wise. My lower body seems to be worst affected. Having said that I seem to be the strongest person my age that I know. I’ve had to abandon pull ups because my body weight is too much for my hands to cope with without irritation. I do 20 - 25 rep pulldowns instead.
Keep going as best you can, adapt where necessary, work on your mobility and stay well away from ego lifting. If it hurts in a bad way stop doing it, find an alternative.
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My new book, Still Living Longer Stronger, shares the latest research and many answers to the questions being asked. Have a look at it on Amazon.
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I will check out your book Dr Darden. I’ve noticed that your newer stuff seems designed to provide a stimulus with less load which I like.
Thanks for applying wisdom in your training.
Some people hang onto strength longer than others. But a slide is inevitable for everyone. Typically, you get hurt or have a layoff, and then can’t get back to where you were, no matter what you do. Things that used to work to build strength no longer work as well. It can be easy to become discouraged. But you have to remember that if you stop training, you will only accelerate the process.
For me, I really started to notice changes in my late 60’s. Training at 71 feels a lot different (harder) than when I was 65.
I’m 57…
Injuries racked up from a life playing sports, and training incorrectly ( as I see it now), with a body who’s joints and bone structure is on the slight / frail side mean that I wake up and roll the dice to see which part of my body hurts today.
Those injuries led me to research more appropriate ways to train ( for me), which in turn led me to Bill DeSimone’s work. I haven’t looked back since. I haven’t barbell squatted, dead lifted, bench pressed or done exercises such as dips and overhead presses in years. Yet if anything my muscularity is better in my fifties than it was in my thirties and forties.
I’m not as “strong” now as I once was, but this is due to my training style changing. Whereas previously I might have rested between reps, breathing squat / rest pause style, to get more reps out, or squirmed at the end of a set to ensure ( what I thought) true failure, I now do non lock out, continuous sets and don’t deviate from proper form, even to get an extra set. I also am quite content with not going to failure, and only do so if it occurs…I don’t go chasing it.
I too am strength training to keep active as I get older. With a seven year old daughter, I don’t want to be a parent that can’t keep up with her as she ages. With that in mind I train twice weekly. One day is a short session of compound moves eg hip belt squats, chin ups, dumbbell floor presses etc and the second day is a slightly longer session of isolation / prehab movements to shore up potential weak spots. Things like Terminal knee extensions, ( done a great job of building up the muscle around my arthritic knees) McGill crunches, Pallof press holds, calf work, tibialis raises, grip work etc
I’ve taken my ego out of my training. Progress is slow and steady, and I’m fine with that. I don’t even look around to see what others are doing. I don’t want to compare myself with anyone, even people my own age. I just compare my current numbers with my own perf from recent history.
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Thanks everyone for your replys.
Like the rest of you i will keep plugging away and do the best i can.
At least we have no intention of ever quitting training!
Andrew.