| OrbitNutrition Representative
Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Age: 40 Posts: 9,273
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MYTH: A man over 40 years old can no longer build muscle.
Granted, at 40 years old, men usually have less testosterone in their systems, but we can still build muscle. It just takes a bit more persistence and hard work.
If you read all the muscle mags and try to follow what they say, you might make some gains, but typically you will be over-trained. So, let's throw all of that away and concentrate on the things that really matter: training, nutrition and rest.
Whatever your routine, make sure it's working for you and you're making progress. After 3-4 weeks of your new routine, if you're not lifting more or doing more reps, you should re-think your routine. Remember, there is no "cookie cutter" routine that works perfectly for everyone, so if this one doesn't work, change it.
One of the biggest things to remember in your routines for adding muscle mass is to LIFT HARD and HEAVY! I can't stress this enough. I've talked to too many guys, young and old, who proclaim that they can't add any size.
Lifting hard and heavy leads us right into a few other points – your joints and using straps and wraps. Being over 40 and lifting can pose problems with your joints.
Stretching frequently before, during and after a training session is important. Even stretching during your work day can help keep you limber and actually relieve some of the soreness and help keep the joints from getting stiff. If you've got a joint problem that is persistent, don't try to "man through it", but go see your doctor and have him make sure you're OK.
Many exercises can be quite taxing on your grip and your grip will give out before the muscle you're training will.
In those instances, use straps. You don't want to limit your muscle growth because your grip gives out. BUT, make sure you include grip/forearm exercises in your routine.
At our age, knee wraps are probably a good idea, just for the added support they give. I use a wrap on my right knee and will be starting on my left knee soon. Be smart.
I do not wear a lifting belt. I used to, but I discovered that my lower back was just, plain weak. I started doing good mornings, back extensions, dead lifts and rack dead lifts. Within a few months, I had no need to wear a belt, with the exception of near 1RM squats.
Whether younger or older, you need to track your progress.
Whether it's a log book or a piece of paper in your pocket that you then enter into your computer at home, track your progress. This will let you know where you're at and where you've been. At the next workout, you won't be guessing, you'll have the numbers in front of you.
Setting goals goes hand-in-hand with tracking your progress. Setting both short-term and long-term goals is very important and will help keep you focused on your lifting.
If you're really serious about putting on muscle, then nutrition is probably 70% of the entire package. You need to be eating clean foods – not fast foods. At least 5 meals a day is necessary to keep your metabolism going.
6-8 meals a day is not unreasonable, if you have the time.
For us "older guys", building muscle isn't quite as easy as it used to be, so we have to really concentrate on what we eat and when. Protein, carbs and fats are all essential, not only in proper nutrition, but for building muscle.
Make sure you eat enough to support muscle gain. Most people, older or younger, that call
themselves "hard gainers", just aren't eating enough. How do you know?
An easy way to figure it out is to write down everything you eat every day for a week. Get a calorie counting book and put the numbers to it. Then figure out your BMR.
If your BMR is 2200 calories,
then you have to eat more than that each day to gain, and that's not 2210 calories a day, but 2300+. Granted, there's a balance between eating an excess and pigging out every day. You can make muscle gains and keep the body fat at a minimum if you don't over eat and eat clean food.
Last, but not least, REST.
That's right, rest. 7-8 hours of good, steady sleep is critical. If you're always tired from not sleeping enough, not only will your workouts suffer, but nearly everything else can suffer, as well. A nap, if you have the time, can be wonderful.
If you eat right, train hard and get good sleep, you can still be on the front side of the hill, instead of the back side.
Chris
__________________  Orbit Nutrition Representative Quote:
Originally Posted by bbdude  keep being THE DUNGEON! Cause u are! U are the dungeon! |  |
