What age does strength peak at?

[AD1985]

I'm sure it's somwehre between 18-30, but what side of that range? Is the average 20 year old stronger than the average 28 year old?

[babyslayer]

So you think after 30 you stop making gains?

[knowles.ja]

positive infinity. As long as you're in good health, then you can get stronger.

[StrongInChrist]

Most men peak around 45 if they lift injury free and have good nutrition, though this is very rare(meaning most men lift unwise and get hurt or eat like crap). If you are healthy and train smart then the only thing that will stop your gains will be you body's natural breakdown which happens after 40. 20-30 is when testosterone is the highest and this may be why you thought it was your peak. Just because you wont gain as fast does not mean you wont gain. The peak is the absolute highest your level of strength will get and if you do it right it will steadily climb long after your test boost has died.

[crackyflipside]

I think for Olympic Lifters 20-30 is like the age for most.

[Newbtime]

i would guess a person that has been training hard since they were 12 and will train till the day they die would be their strongest at around 38, provided they stay healthy.

[gunzandwheelz]

I hope it is 78, that is what I tell my wife.

[UHCougar05]

So you think after 30 you stop making gains?

Don't tell Chuck Vogelpohl or Andy Bolton then.

[81Ort]

i would guess a person that has been training hard since they were 12 and will train till the day they die would be their strongest at around 38, provided they stay healthy.

Dude that's me!! That gives me another 12 years of training too.

I think you can hold on after this too especially if you keep your nutrition right. Just look at Odd Haugen. Then you can also look at my father who is 61, has been training with weights for 8 years, doing Strongman for 3, and is getting better all the time.

[AD1985]

Well I assumed it peaked in the 20s because most athletes are in their 20s (though there are other fitness components for athletes)

[Kiknskreem]

Well I assumed it peaked in the 20s because most athletes are in their 20s (though there are other fitness components for athletes)

Don't forget there's a big difference in when an untrained individual will hit peak strength vs someone who trains

Most of my friends in their early twenty somethings are as strong as they're gonna get, whereas with training I'm hopefully many years away from my potential.

[magicman531]

What's the average age of champion strongmen? Bodybuilding olympia winners average are aged 33 when they won the title.

[Bodysteele]

Well I assumed it peaked in the 20s because most athletes are in their 20s (though there are other fitness components for athletes)

I think speed/reaction time/vision/reflex type stuff peak alot earlier in most...that might be why you see younger men excelling at most sports. As far as strength especially statics strength its CERTAINLY 29-39 for most folks IF they were able to train continuously and without major injury.

Of course life happens and injuries happen...I think younger lifters UNDERESTIMATE to a HUGE DEGREE how much that is true for virtually everyone. You have a new born or start a business or join a law firm you just ARENT going to be able to train as consistently as a 20 yr old college student can...

[WowWeakForum]

The average couch potato is considerably stronger in his 30s than he was in his 20s.

For the average male, strength usually peaks in your 30s, as that is also when you peak in muscle mass. Men lose about 5 lbs of muscle per decade after the age of 40 due to reduced levels of HGH. By the time you're 60 you have about 80% less HGH in your system then when you were 20.

The first thing to diminish with age, which you won't ever get back, is reflexive speed, followed by a loss of endurance. Strength is the next item on the list, followed by flexibility. If you work at it, you can remain strong for a long time, and flexible for a very long time. Endurance...not so much. Speed...not a chance.

[everista]

The average couch potato is considerably stronger in his 30s than he was in his 20s.

For the average male, strength usually peaks in your 30s, as that is also when you peak in muscle mass. Men lose about 5 lbs of muscle per decade after the age of 40 due to reduced levels of HGH. By the time you're 60 you have about 80% less HGH in your system then when you were 20.

The first thing to diminish with age, which you won't ever get back, is reflexive speed, followed by a loss of endurance. Strength is the next item on the list, followed by flexibility. If you work at it, you can remain strong for a long time, and flexible for a very long time. Endurance...not so much. Speed...not a chance.

Good post. Should I neg you or pos the post, not sure?

Just inject test like Clemmens..

Joking a little, but seriously, there is HRT for men, which can include HGH and/or test to get levels back to levels that younger males might have.

Everyone knows that women undergo HRT after menopause, since it is in the news/ public consious so much. But less well known is that there is HRT for males. Maybe there is more of a stigma attached to males doing it b/c of all the viral male stuff, and if you need help then you don't measure up.. Who know's?

Stallone got busted w/ HGH, going into Australia? I know he got bused, just can't remember where it was... I saw him w/ his shirt off in the Get Carter remake.. Didn't look like a 60 y/o dude..

HRT for males would probably violate supplement regulations for Pro sports, not sure about PL, but probably. Then again, when ppl 'use' they conceal it anyway..

I know this isn't a steroid thread, but anything age, strengh/ performance related will eventually include steroids/ HGH..

[Sash]

A gauge of when it becomes difficult to progress can be taken from bodybuilding. Look at the age dominant bodybuilders like Ronnie Coleman (won his last Mr O at 41) and Lee Haney (retired at 32 but most agree he could have gone a lot longer) won their last titles. It seems pretty clear that if you push yourself to your full potential that age lies somewhere around the high 30's.

But it depends how you look at it - Ronnie Coleman was already at the peak of human muscularity when he hit the high 30's, so his training to improve even further in later years would have been far more difficult than for someone who had been a couch potato all his life.

So i think it depends not only on the human endocrine system but also how much stress you've been putting your body under prior to hitting the late 30's and how close to your natural potential you are at that age. I think if you stay healthy, injury free and natural, you could keep a gradual progression going at least well into the forties.

[backer]

Olympic liftersc are done in their early to mid thirtys,not because of streangth loss.Oly lifting is explosive and dangerous and aftetr a certain point they can no longer recover from the sprains and strains in time to train properly.A sprained ankle that a 27 year old can ice away may caot a 35year old three training days.Their lifts and reps are set out months in advance,you miss training days your sunk.
For powerlifters dealing with brute force the records in the over 45 and the open are not to far apart in many cases.

[Newbtime]

Dude that's me!! That gives me another 12 years of training too.

I think you can hold on after this too especially if you keep your nutrition right. Just look at Odd Haugen. Then you can also look at my father who is 61, has been training with weights for 8 years, doing Strongman for 3, and is getting better all the time.

IMO it all comes down to how you take care of yourself. my moms diet is far from healthy, she is on a list of medication that isn't working, blah blah, she moans everytime she stands up. constantly feels terrible etc... just the other day I saw a 100 year old man water skiing on TV, and they say women age slower.

look at dave tate, hes in his late 30's or early 40's, hes destroyed, he isn't even old.

isn't odd haugen the first guy to lift the millennium dumbell?

What's the average age of champion strongmen? Bodybuilding olympia winners average are aged 33 when they won the title.

almost all the top guys in bodybuilding and powerlifting and strongman are above 32... because they have had more years and experience to train.

[farzamk]

30s.

[JackD275]

At the age of 30, I was 6’1 and 175 pounds And my maximum bench-press was 275 lbs. Not a lot, but enough for being fairly slender.

At the age of 62 I was 6’1 and 195 lbs (a slight gut). I started out bench pressing 165 lbs. I just turned 66 years old and I’m benching 265 lbs.

At the age of 67 I will bench-press 275 lbs. Don’t believe that your max strength is at 45. My biceps are 2 inches more then when I was 30. My triceps are bigger. You’ve got to watch your diet and work your ass off but you can maintain your strength at least into the high 60s. My goal is to bench 300 lbs at the age of 70.

[muscle_g]

This is a very old thread, but a natural person I believe peaks in there 30's

[pryme]

At the age of 30, I was 6’1 and 175 pounds And my maximum bench-press was 275 lbs. Not a lot, but enough for being fairly slender.

At the age of 62 I was 6’1 and 195 lbs (a slight gut). I started out bench pressing 165 lbs. I just turned 66 years old and I’m benching 265 lbs.

At the age of 67 I will bench-press 275 lbs. Don’t believe that your max strength is at 45. My biceps are 2 inches more then when I was 30. My triceps are bigger. You’ve got to watch your diet and work your ass off but you can maintain your strength at least into the high 60s. My goal is to bench 300 lbs at the age of 70.

This thread is 10yrs old. Strong first post.
And I'm willing to bet you're under "doctors orders"

[PhantomMaxx]

Every one is different but if you look at top competitive powerlifting athletes all you need to do is look at some Powerlifting stats. I just looked at the top 10 lifters either by Fed (USPA) or All Feds both Men or Women. Take the top ten by age and find the average (divide by 10).

USAP: 29.7 Men and 34.4 Women
ALL Feds: 28.2 Men and 30.4 Women