There’s a myth that you can’t build muscle after a certain age…
…that muscle building is only reserved for the genetically gifted OR testosterone-y twenty-something D-Bags with bad hair.
Sorry, I had to… 🙂
But there are countless examples of men who were out of shape in their earlier years and then finally made it a priority to get in shape later in life.
And they look amazing now…
But if that’s not convincing enough, there is actual science to prove that building muscle isn’t just for guys who are too young to remember when the Fresh Prince moved to Bel Air…
“Early-phase adaptations to a linear periodization resistance training program in college-aged and middle-aged men.”
Kerksick CM, Wilborn CD, Campbell BI, Roberts MD, Rasmussen CJ, Greenwood M, Kreider RB
-Journal of Strength & Conditioning 2009 May;23(3):962-71. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181a00baf.
In this study, researchers took 2 groups of men…
1.College-age kids between 18 to 24 years old
AND
2. Middle-age men between 35 to 50 years old
Participants performed THE SAME periodized weight training program for 8 weeks.
At the end of the 8-week study the researchers found that the Middle Aged Group built the same amount of muscle as their younger counterparts.
SOURCE: The Journal of Strength & Conditioning
In addition to that, the older group gained MORE UPPER BODY STRENGTH than the college kids and only a slight percentage less lower body strength than the college-aged group.
Read that again, please.
It’s important.
”The 35-50 year old men gained MORE MUSCLE and MORE Upper Body Strength than 18-22 year old college kids”…
So if you think that your “muscle building” and athletic prime are years behind you, please reconsider.
In truth, most of us in the “middle-age range” end up falling out of shape not because we’re getting older…
…BUT because our priorities have changed and we don’t have the same amount of time we used to have to train properly.
It has nothing to do with age… and everything to do with the stage of life we’re in – family, bills, career, etc.
“Wait…I’m over 50 years old”, you say?
Well this study found increases in muscle mass in adults 60 and OVER that resistance trained 3x per week with a full body program…
“Effects of Resistance Training on Older Adults.”
Hunter GR1, McCarthy JP, Bamman MM.
-The Journal of Sports Medicine 2004;34(5):329-48.
Researchers concluded that…
“Strength, muscle mass and muscle quality (strength relative to muscle mass) are increased following resistance training in older adults…”
AND…
“Resistance training in older adults also increases power, reduces the difficulty of performing daily tasks, enhances energy expenditure and body composition, and promotes participation in spontaneous physical activity.”
So maybe you think that your muscle building days are over.
I know I did.
So when I found this study and did some self-experimentation, I found that putting muscle on was actually EASIER… even at 40 years old.
It just requires a different approach to training…
…a different mindset.
And more attention paid not just to your training program… but to the other aspects of what causes muscle growth.
We’ll talk about that soon, but first, let’s talk about HOW to build muscle.
Important Points to Remember…
- Building muscle isn’t just for 20-something-aged college kids
- Middle Aged men can put on MORE muscle and strength than their younger counterparts
- Older men (60+) can also put on muscle safely and therefore improve the quality of their life
- All of this is dependent upon following a structured, professionally designed, periodized training program