Hey guys, might be a silly question but something ive been thinking about lately. I’ve been lifting for over 20 years no juice with only a few months no lifting in those twenty years and I’m curious is it possible that although im not lifting as much as I once did in my younger years, I’m still getting bigger but with what seems more muscle maturity? For example I used to bench quite a bit more than now but Ive still held on to the base I built but with lighter weights. Hope this makes sense
Ive grown wiser in my training I should add and nutrition. Just been consistent in both.
My experience is that once built, muscle takes much less effort to hold on to than it did to build it. If I remember correctly, there are also some studies that support this notion.
After 20 years of consistent lifting, I’m surprised you’re still gaining muscle.
I’ve always just approached this as it’s a marathon, not a race. I think unfortunately in today’s world people put a limit on what the body can do naturally. Its not easy but gaining muscle is possible after 20 years. Alot of sacrifices though. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
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I’d be interested to read more about your journey if you care to share?
I’ve been training for about 20 years now and still have lots of muscle to put on (but spent years getting it wrong in the gym or wasting my time between cutting and bulking incorrectly).
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Not to derail, but I do see this a lot. I really don’t think you can do it wrong. Whatever kept you working was the right answer. I get the point about bulking and cutting, but we all have short-term goals as well. I wouldn’t expect you to want to look like garbage at the beach for three summers because you’ve got a long-term goal of some level of size in the future, you know?
It’s a bit of a dichotomy:
- This is a marathon, so you’ve just simply got to out in two decades of relatively consistent work.
- Because it’s a marathon, you’ve also got to keep yourself somewhat happy in the short-term.
Moral of the story: I think showing up is crushing it.
All that said, I know somebody will easily come in with an obvious example where this doesn’t apply and I’ll be forced to agree… but this is my generality for now!
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This.
Also, my experience has been that despite lower poundages, you tend to keep your muscle size for the most part. This may be because your muscles get less efficient so you need more muscle to lift the same weight?
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This has a lot to do with glycogen and fat stores around the different joints/muscles. Not having that protection means stability reduces so your body will not produce as much power. It usually comes straight back after you up the calories. When you think about how precious the shoulder is, it’s easy to understand why pressing power is usually the first to drop off when cutting.
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I’ve gained a noticeable amount of muscle 3 times in my life over the last decade of lifting.
Once when coming off very low volume 531 and more to a high volume BB template (a rubbish chris Hemsworth/ thor one on muscle and fitness site).
The second time using an upper/lower directly after a cut (using DC).
And the third time was on the meadows reactive pump.
The rest of the time I really feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels. Not eating enough carbs to grow in the week, eating (and drinking) too much on the weekend to be lean.
Not sure where I’m going with this post, but after my 8 week cut I want to add a solid slab of muscle again.
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I do think you’re selling the “it all works if you do” concept at least! Those are greatly different programs.
To your point, I do my best when I totally commit. I don’t have the stones to do that real frequently, because it’s pretty consuming. You’re a working father, so I’d imagine that’s a big part of your reality as well.
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As has been said in many different ways by certain authors: the best thing to do is always the thing you aren’t doing, but once you’ve done it for a good while, something else is. A lot of those program switches have been massively different methods which explains why you remember their results so much.
Is that why you were so set on going back onto an upper lower recently, because of the results you had before? I never feel more anabolic than I do coming out of a cut, pair that with doing DC beforehand and it’s not surprising your results were so good!
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I always like doing an upper lower when on a cut as it helps me feel like i’m maintaining more muscle (due to the frequency and regular arm pumps), that might be 100% in my head though. I also think that i’ll probably grow more on a bulk if I’ve moved from an upper/lower on a cut directly to a bro split with the extra volume and calories etc. Thinking (hoping) that might work in 8 weeks time.
I think there is a lot to be said for switching up methods although its hard to be motivated the same for all the different types when i clearly prefer bro work (i mean who doesn’t).
I also need to get it in my head that i’m not going to suddenly look massive in the next 3 months or whatever but that being said, i do really want to add another inch to my arms (while taking off an inch or two on my stomach). Just not sure whats realistic any more. Its especially hard when 90% of the members at my current gym and roided, sets some unrealistic ideas but also drives me.
Anyway sorry about the rambling, if still got work to do before i clock off today.
@TrainForPain Agree on the commitment, for me its the nutrition commitment that i struggle with. I can go all out in the gym but getting my nutrition correct has been a massive issue for me. Saying that i’ve realised that i havent even worked out if my new diet plan is actually reducing calories, i’ve just assumed it is lol I need to get on it!!!
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Growing up lifting in that time all I had to go by was what wiser men in the gym would tell me and reading Musclemag and flex magazine. They always preached you need to bulk before you can cut and stick to the compound movements and progressively overload your muscles and that has been tried and true and it is something I have always done since day one. I have always bulked and then cut and have repeated it and repeated it over and over again. I didn’t care if the body builders I was reading about were using chemicals or whatever it didn’t matter to me because it was a tried and true method that worked and continues to do so.
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Same, my man!
I can only speak for myself but starting younger and being disciplined enough to follow my game plan has definitely gotten me where I’m at today. Everybody these days wants a quick fix and results right away but unless youre not natural it is a process but well worth it in my opinion. To me the journey is the most fun. Still now 20 something years later hitting a PR is still a rush. The challenge and then overcoming it is fun. Whether im cutting or bulking I embrace the challenge but to be honest it isn’t a challenge because I enjoy every minute of it.
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The quick hit broken dopamine age. I swear every week in my gym I hear someone in their early twenties telling his mate something like “this is the best way to do lat raises” and then two weeks later they’re all doing it a different way. How many of them ever put something heavy overhead? None of them.
Yeah it’s a rarity to see anyone doing overhead presses anymore. Especially standing. People, men and women, are more concerned with snapping selfies of themselves and flexing in the mirror. The same people who are looking at their cell phones between sets. The gym culture is a disgrace these days. Joe Weider is probably rolling in his grave.
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I may be too negative in my thinking in this regard, but I would say the vast majority of lifters who have consistently trained for 10 or more years have by the end of that 10 years gained nearly all the muscle they are capable of gaining without PEDs even if their training and nutrition wasn’t ideal. Now if a lifter changes training styles, Christian Thibaudeau’s muscle migration theory might explain the appearance of added size. I guess what I’m getting at is that for most folks they will have really had to screw things up from a training and nutrition standpoint not to be pretty much maxed out by the end of 10 years of consistent training.
I agree. Last year I was in a public gym and it was def. more ass selfie-taking than squats.
I found it kind of drained my energy sometimes. It was not the kind of lifting environment that I wanted.
Now I lift home and don’t have to put up with any of that crap 
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Lifting at home by myself results in the highest douchebag ratio
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