I really appreciate the new senior T-man articles. It has been very difficult to access specific training and nutritional information directed at those of us who refuse to go quietly into the night. Thanks T-Mag for the respect and consideration of those of us who have paid our dues to the sport. Any other senior T-Men or T-Vixens out there want to start a thread in this forum dedicated to sharing training information with the needs of oloder lifters in mind?
Do not go quietly into the night, Rage On Senior T-Men!
As I approach the “senior” stage I find recovery the most challenging aspect. I have had to drastically reduce volume as well as try recovery improvement techniques (contrasting baths/showers is my latest experement). I’ve also incorporated a large stretching session into each workout. This has eliminated my need for a chiropractor. On the down side I notice a drop in strength. I am considering ways to improve this (drugs?)
Agree 100%, It should encompass training/nutrition and steroids. Our needs do not apply in many instances to the advice being given to those still in their prime. It is definately harder for us to recover and overtraining is a big issue. Should men over 50 being using androgens and if they should, should they take proscar with them as a rule?
Anyway, I have a 1000 questions like that which applies to older T men.
I think the thread or a new category would be a great idea.
Al, recovery has been my biggest problem also. I have made some of the best gains of my life in the past year and a half since returning to training. I am coming back from a 14 year layoff! I started out in June of 01 at 175lbs, about 20% bodyfat. Today I am at 235, 12% bodyfat. I have used no “drugs” to achieve these results, just hard training and Biotest supplements like Androsol (I sure wish it were available ) Tribex, and Mag-10. As for recovery, I am also trying the cold/hot therapy and stretching. I have discovered that it is essential to devote ample time to your warm-up. Mine begins at home with a hot shower 20 minutes prior to training, then I stretch. I am starting the routine outlined in the Senior T-Man column this week. I have been training on a two on, one off, two on two off split. Gains have slowed, and my recuperation is slowing down. I have also had a few nagging injuries as of late, most notabily in my right rotator cuff. I think the reduced volume and frequency of training as outlined in the article might be exactly what my body needs right now. I will keep you posted on my progress. Thanks to Arley, TC and the crew at T-mag. Rage On !
I would define a senior T-Man as anyone over 35, a Masters competitor. I’m going on 41 by the way. Entering my first masters bodybuilding competition in June.
Rage On Senior T-Men!
Dr. D
I’m game. I am 49, been seriously lifting for about 5 years. Recovery has not been an issue yet for me, but it is coming. My gains are steady, but again for how long? A thread here would be great: what techniques work and don’t work; how to incorporate all this into raising kids (and now grandkids) and still compete. I am a powerlifter and compete on a regular basis. Any info that would let me press on and keep ‘growing’ would be great…
Even though I used that handle OLDER LIFTER, I an not sure I am ready to be a senior T-man. A Master T-man maybe, but senior? Maybe when I am Rudy’s (Navy Seal in First Survivor).
As for the recovery issue most of use face, I use a multi-layed approach to it. First I am much more careful about my nutrition. Secondly, I keep a detailed training log and constantly check it for signs of over-training. Thirdly, I use Dr. Squat’s body part recovery rotation program as it relates to me (this can be found on his website). Fourly, I follow the supplementation pyramid as outline on this website. I am looking forward to trying MAG10 and Myostat once, I settle down for awhile. Best of Luck.
Call folks over 40 Masters? I don’t know; I tend to think of Masters level types as those who have attained a certain skill level. And Senior, well isn’t that my dad? We know what we are refering to, it is the semantics of it all that is tripping me up. What about Older T-men?
I guess there is some confusion as to what constitutes “senior”. So far I have seen 35+, 40+, etc. Is there any guidance with respect to true age or training age?
Also, as an observation, the program shown for “seniors” doesn’t strike me as too terribly different that a program for “non-seniors”, but then, what do I know? I seem to learn something new every time I read this forum and/or the e-zine.
I’m here.I’m here!!! 57 and in better shape than ever. Muscle recovery has not been a problem for me but CNS recovery has been. Am doing an HST circuit now. Just started my first week of negatives. Its been tough on the legs (muscle twitches) so may decrease by one quad exercise on the next circuit but will probably bump up the upper body a bit as that seems to be able to take more. I don’t mind the handle of Senior or Masters. Personally, if you have survived long enough to fit into that category, I think you should be called a Real Man. Eat your heart out Wippersnappers! Yoo Haa
I am 43 years old and consider myself a senior T-man for one reason. I notice a definite decline in athletic performance compared to my performance in my prime. It happens to everyone and if you really know your body you know when it happens (btw - this happened to me 5 years ago). The greatest impact on my body has been stretching. I am a big fan of Ian King’s approach. I stretch 30 prior to an upper body workout and 60 minutes prior to a lower body workout. I no longer wake up stiff and my range of motion is better than ever. Stretching has also eliminated all those nagging injuries that can accumulate over time.
I would love to see a senior thread. The articles by Arley Vest have been very insightful. For those of you who don’t know, Arley has an incredible history in bodybuilding. He used to train my doctor, before he moved to South Florida. Keep the articles coming!!!
As a “young senior,” (oxymoron!) I find it particularly
important to keep up on my cardio. (3 to 4 times
a week - nothing krazy though!) When I blow-off my
cardio, my weight stays the same but my BF steadily
rises .
Oh - and take off at least one day in between hard
training sessions - unless on Mag-10, then you can
get away with training two days in a row… once in a
while.
I have no problems with the title of the thread. I’m at least 20 years older than most of the people training at the gym. I guess that qualifies me as their senior. I started the senior T-man workout last night, Man did my legs burn by the third set of the 5x5’s! I’m loooking forward to some nutritional information from Arley. I’ve found that it is essential for me to count my carbs closer now than in the past, or I accumulate fat much quicker. Senior, Masters, Older, Geriatric (well-not Yet!) I don’t care what you call us. We won’t fade quietly away! Rage on!
