Size and Strength After 40

Well the big 40 is upon me and I finally have the time to pursue weightlifting/bodybuilding without all the time constaints normal with raising a family and earning a living. Just managing my time differently I guess. Anyway, I have been following a bodybuilding program by Bill Pearl for about 6 months now and feel ready to hit it hard now. Problem is; can I make substantial size and strength gains at this stage of life? I am 5’10", 185lbs. and in excellent shape. Conditioning has normally been through years of hard physical labor. This is my last hurrah and I am ready to go for it. Any suggestions? Routines and Dietary? Thanks.

It is good to hear that I’m not alone out there. I started at 41. I’ve been able to put on muscle without a problem despite the fact that my test levels were below 200 when I started (now they jumped all the way up to 350, Whoopee). I’m not big yet, but getting there. My goal is to do some local masters competition before 45. I’ve found prohormones do work (they may work better for us over 40 than under 25), but you do have to exceed the recommended dosage. The biggest difference between being on prohormones (for me) is how I feel the day after. If on I’m them I feel great and if I’m not I HURT! At our age it just takes longer to recover.

40…life begins @ 40…you can do it all now but just keep in mind that you probably need to use supplements or not much will be accomplished…Methoxy 7,Tribex 500 and the Androsol will help you get where you want to be…remember it takes about 5 years to get a big muscular body but,the initial changes are amazing and keep getting more so. also remember that you cannot realy train like a 20 year old so give yourself a realistic workout schedule…like every other day…go super hard couple weeks and then not so hard couple or weeks…I’m 55 and started working out 2 years ago…dropped 40 lbs of body fat and now have put on 20 lbs of muscle…go for it!

I am 43 as of last dec., I started working out at 40. when I started I was 165lbs. after alot of hard work and killing myself. I am at 235 lbs. with a 36in.waist and 17 in. arms. I used tribex 500 on occasion, but mostly my diet was the key factor. I am currently doing the anabolic diet and expect to put on a few more pounds of muscle, so my answer is yes, you can and work hard when you are in the gym, don’t wimp out, just because of your age. I feel as if I am in my 20s again. go for it.

You’re not alone, but never fear, you can make phenomenal gains after 40! I’m 45 and in the best shape of my life, by far. Leaner, bigger, healthier than ever before, and I’ve worked out fairly steadily for most of my adult life (other than a decade I “took off” during my first marriage, but that’s another story). Have been hitting the iron very hard for the last decade, to the point where my wife wonders if I’m obsessed. Hell, I am, who’s kidding who? Anyways, work out in any fashion you want; age has nothing to do with it. Follow some of Ian King’s or TC’s or Charles’ training programs, switching around and experimenting. Go low on carbs; I’ve found that as I age and my metabolism theoretically is slowing down, I must/can eat less, but especially carbs. My biggest bodyfat losses only came after learning how to eat for lean tissue growth; no amount of cardio will accomplish what correct eating will do for you. Have some carbs at breakfast and perhaps late in the afternoon, but no others (excepting post-workout shake, where I have 100 grams or so). Supplements make a bigger difference for us, I believe, so use whatever you can afford. Tribex-500 is a superb product I respond to well, the same with Methoxy-7. I’m in week two of using Androsol, combined with even stricter dieting, so I haven’t gained any weight but I’ve lost an obvious amount of fat, with no strengh or muscle loss. Recovery is critical; too. When in doubt, take that extra day off completely. The nervous system needs the rest as much as anything else. And get a younger workout partner, someone who will push you.

Man! I’m just getting pumped from all your responses. I was always under the impression,“If you didn’t get started in your teens or 20’s you were washed up by the time you hit your mid 30’s.” Well, not that extreme, but you get the point. Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions.

Definitely get some Tribex-500! It’ll get those T levels back up to when you were in your 20’s (not that 40 is old.) For training, I’d stick to Ian King stuff since he really keeps the recovery levels of the average person in mind. Diet: up the protein, lower the carbs, add in healthy fats like fish oil capsules. Good luck!

In a lot of ways you probably have an advantage starting at 40 instead of 20. For one…you take a 20 year old who trains consistent and hard over 10 years…he’ll probably hit his peak somewhere in that time frame and even if he continues training throughout his life the rest is pretty much all downhill from there. Not a very mood arousing thought. But you just starting out now will probably be able to surpass your natural physique you had while in your 20’s…a very pleasurable thought I wold think. Another thing is you’re at the age where you have more of a safety awareness and your body will probably tell you if you’re doing something wrong or putting undue stress on your joints etc. A lot of us young guys have bad knees, elbows, shoulders, backs etc by the time we’re 40, simply because starting when young you can do a lot of stressful things on the body and it won’t let you know about it until several years later…and by then a lot of times it’s too late.

So in regard to routines; since I am ready to hit it hard now, what kind of routine should I work up? Purchase Ian King’s book or design one from the info provided through Testosterone’s online mag?