Muscle Building over 40

[Capnwilliam]

Dave, you mentioned on one of your photos "the ABC system and 200 reps". Could you please tell us more about this? Thanks!

Jim

[davesporty]

Dave, you mentioned on one of your photos "the ABC system and 200 reps". Could you please tell us more about this? Thanks!

Jim

Sure,the ABC system was designed by Dr Frederick C. Hatfield aka Dr Squat.
It is split into a,b and c workouts

A- low intensity...for recuperation and also to make gains

B- moderate intensity..involves heavy ,moderate and light sets,hittting each subcelluar elements.

C-high intensity...holistic sets..only once each 7 to ten days and involves around 200 reps in one giant set,but causes maximum growth.it involves 11-12 sets alternating from low reps explosive to medium reps rhythmic with occasional superlongset of 40( at least 2 sets of 40) no rest between sets.

you cannot always train hard so this way u have a balanced system with periods of high and low intensity training.
This has worked for me inside one month whereas every other method failed me,you will love the c workouts if you try this training.
Andreas frey also follows the Hatfield method although he altered it to suit the HIT principles.
Hope this helped you.

[Taichichuan]

By Scott Miller

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.
If you watch them, they never really push themselves.
You must always push yourself and strive for more reps
or more poundage or you will never make any quality gains.

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.
Aside from taking glucosamine and chondroitin (not a bad
idea), 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.

So, you're "Over the Hill", huh? Big deal. 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.
I'm bigger and stronger now at 45 years old than I have
ever been.

Good post! But, LOL, I need my lifting belt without I'd be like a fish out of water!

[Taichichuan]

Granted, at 40 years old, men usually have less testosterone


I read this passage and stopped reading all together, as this does NOT pertain to me!!!!!!!

Bunch of BS!

So this means you have testosterone flowing through your veins instead of blood? LOL!

[tpreitzel]

If I was to give in to all the BS and believe all the crap that is written by so called experts I would still be in a wheel chair......

The right attitude to tackle life, because we all know life doesn't play nice. When the end comes, it comes. We do our best while here.

[ironviolin]

Hi..me again...just about to run off and play a concert but feel the need to address the lifting heavy ... my trainer has had me lifting heavy continuously for the most part the last couple of years... helps keep mass during contest dieting especially...as a violinist have had some aches and pains on heavy arm days so we are now using the heavy/light approach out of IronMan mag Feb.. "light days" are pretty tough on the cns... gives joints a rest but can feel every fiber getting a workout... so for what its worth, I'm lifting heavy mon, tues, wed...then lighter with five second lifting ugh! thrs fri sat.... and being that I'm female, perhaps the heavy lifting is the reason I've had success building muscle at fifty with no previous gym experience or athletic experience before the last five years... sure genetics plays a role but having a trainer insist on pushing me each workout and making sure my food intake is on the mark I think trumps genetics...some food for thought.

[bodyhard]

So this means you have testosterone flowing through your veins instead of blood? LOL!

No not only through my veins, through every organ in my body

[FitIron]

LOL Yup I gain muscle over 40 way better than I did when I was younger, I do NOT believe that your test drop at 40, my doctor even told me that my test are going up as oppose to down.

When I was younger my test levels were low and they increased as I got older. Rare but true!

So yes to me that is BS. The part about test dropping at 40 NOT the part about being able to gain muscle at 40.

Your test is only going to drop if you ALLOW it to, ( not working out, not eating right, not properly supplimenting ). In June of 2007 I started bodybuilding. I first started with the goal to drop 20lbs. That took me from 193lbs-173lbs. I did that in 14 weeks. Also at that time I gained an inch of lean mass in my arms, and chest and over an inch in my leg.
I am now training-UP slowly to gain more muscle. I am at 183lbs, and 11% bf.

YOU CANNOT TELL ME THAT MUSCLE BUILDING STOPS OVER 40!!!

I'll enter my first contest to compete in the masters division May 24th, an NGA event.

So by the time I compete I will have gone from french fry eating couch potato to STAGE in 13 months.

If you are 35-40 and up and reading this, do not listen to any detractors. There are TONS of successes on BB.COM in the 35-40 catagories..

[JChristian_1]

Granted, at 40 years old, men usually have less testosterone


I read this passage and stopped reading all together, as this does NOT pertain to me!!!!!!!

Bunch of BS!

This is a general post and makes some great points.. I'm not sure that the Muscle mags deserve to be thrown out just yet though, As the fellow that I quoted above me here is saying.. we aren't all aging at the same rate.. I did a PST recently and the Doctor was scratching his head at my test levels... You see, lifting weights.. and a lot of you know this already, reverses the age clock plain and simple. The more you approach this with a plan and like the OP says , get the rest, do the 5-8 meals a day and lift heavy... the more you turn back that clock. You can't change your chronology but you can kick the snot out of your biology...

Better quality of life all the way around will be the reward... not to mention the fact that people your own age and younger will constantly guess at your age incorrectly... "Oh my god" "You're 42? ....wow" ... That's the best!

[hjayss]

No disrespect to you, but I have been in a car accident, crushed my pelvic, fractured my ribs, broke my left clavicle, had internal bleeding, was told I would never walk again.

I am now 43 years of age, you think I am going to listen to that BS that was written? Get the F'ck out of here. I am going to go at it 100% full force, no Fking pitty patting foot steps for me. I am not going to take it easy all because my age dictates that I should, if that were the case I would look like **** by now.

I don't believe in getting old I believe in getting better, age is a number to me, not a sign that because I reach a certain age that I should "take it easy" F'CK THAT!!!

I am who I am and I do what I do and I do a damn good job at it, who ever doesn't agree with me, so be it!!

If I was to give in to all the BS and believe all the crap that is written by so called experts I would still be in a wheel chair......

calm down..You are obviously an exeption..I cant help but say great job but everyone is not liek you...sorry about the accident though...You did not use that as an excuse credit where it is do bro...

[dtrain1027]

good post and most de have no prob repping a good post like this...my reps aint much but well e for effort huh...

[Inthegrass]

By Scott Miller

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.
If you watch them, they never really push themselves.
You must always push yourself and strive for more reps
or more poundage or you will never make any quality gains.

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.
Aside from taking glucosamine and chondroitin (not a bad
idea), 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.

So, you're "Over the Hill", huh? Big deal. 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.
I'm bigger and stronger now at 45 years old than I have
ever been.

I reread this post again just now and I'm still so amazed at how much flak it got.
No where in the writting did it say that because your over fourty YOU CAN'T go full boar ahead. No where in the post did it say because you are over fourty your testosterone levels HAVE to be taking a nose dive. For many out there that don't exercise and keep fit, take part in substance abuse, eat poorly, etc, then my guess is when they hit fouty they WILL have poor testosterone levels and they won't be able to go full boar at the gym.
Personally I think this original post has great advise for ANY age because what I get out of it is that you have to use your common sense when lifting. Not to let your ego get in the way of good form and posture. To eat well and get lots of rest. To track your progress and have goals. All of this stuff is just good advice period regardless of your age.
That's the spirit in which I took the post.

Heck I'm 46 and the last thing I feel like doing is taking it easy in the gym. It makes me want to go even harder. I just know that I have to be smart about it too. As for testosterone levels... well I'm still game for those 18 hour marathons in the bedroom anytime. lol

I just wish I was smart about how to handle injuries when I was nineteen, then I might have had a career at it instead of all the injuries and this pain that I now am having to deal with. Right now at 46 I'm in both the best shape in my life and the worst because of it.
So I still say GOOD POST!!

Jeff

[bodyhard]

calm down..You are obviously an exeption..I cant help but say great job but everyone is not liek you...sorry about the accident though...You did not use that as an excuse credit where it is do bro...

Sorry dude I just get fed up with people only 40-50 complaining or wondering if it is the end just cause they are x number of age PATHETIC!

Not directed at you man.

[namtrag]

I can't complain, I didn't start lifting until I was 43. I have nothing to compare it against, so it's balls to the wall!

[Bronkko]

I think you gain fat easier at 40 .

i can agree with this part for sure...

im still considering if i gain muscle as quick..

[IdahoViking]

The 50 year old version of me, scoffs and laughs at the 47 year old version of me.

I am not getting older, I'm getting BETTER!

[clive]

Mines a point in case, I didn't start working until I was exactly 40, in fact that was the big turning point for me.
I had always been athletic in my youth, particularly good at sprinting and long jump but I hated the competitive side of it.
When I left school I didn't do much in the way of physical exercise but in adulthood I never let myself get overweight but tended to stay rather on the skinny side.
I was delighted at the gains I made when I did start with the weights. The compliments made on the increased size of my arms in particular just spurred me on and on.
Though things have slowed down with the gains I'm still as keen as ever, and gradually building up on the weaker areas. I don't think I'll ever stop now!
Anyway the first picture shows how I looked in my thirties, I even found the same vest and did a comparison shot from last year.
My arms when from 13" to my current 17" and chest from 38" to 43" I just love it!
So you can definitely build considerable muscle after forty.

[bodyhard]

The 50 year old version of me, scoffs and laughs at the 47 year old version of me.

I am not getting older, I'm getting BETTER!

Props my friend cause I feel the same way, My 30 laughed at my 20 and my 40 laughed at my 30 and my 50 WILL laugh at my 40..........

Not to brag but the truth is in the pudding.

[Capnwilliam]

Sure,the ABC system was designed by Dr Frederick C. Hatfield aka Dr Squat.
It is split into a,b and c workouts

A- low intensity...for recuperation and also to make gains

B- moderate intensity..involves heavy ,moderate and light sets,hittting each subcelluar elements.

C-high intensity...holistic sets..only once each 7 to ten days and involves around 200 reps in one giant set,but causes maximum growth.it involves 11-12 sets alternating from low reps explosive to medium reps rhythmic with occasional superlongset of 40( at least 2 sets of 40) no rest between sets.

you cannot always train hard so this way u have a balanced system with periods of high and low intensity training.
This has worked for me inside one month whereas every other method failed me,you will love the c workouts if you try this training.
Andreas frey also follows the Hatfield method although he altered it to suit the HIT principles.
Hope this helped you.

Thanks, Dave. It sounds like something for me to try, eventually: too intense for me right now.

Jim

[bodyhard]

Mines a point in case, I didn't start working until I was exactly 40, in fact that was the big turning point for me.
I had always been athletic in my youth, particularly good at sprinting and long jump but I hated the competitive side of it.
When I left school I didn't do much in the way of physical exercise but in adulthood I never let myself get overweight but tended to stay rather on the skinny side.
I was delighted at the gains I made when I did start with the weights. The compliments made on the increased size of my arms in particular just spurred me on and on.
Though things have slowed down with the gains I'm still as keen as ever, and gradually building up on the weaker areas. I don't think I'll ever stop now!
Anyway the first picture shows how I looked in my thirties, I even found the same vest and did a comparison shot from last year.
My arms when from 13" to my current 17" and chest from 38" to 43" I just love it!
So you can definitely build considerable muscle after forty.

Damn Clive for starting at 40 that is F'king awesome!! Definitely proof that you can achieve muscle even STARTING at 40! Props!!!

[FitIron]

Mines a point in case, I didn't start working until I was exactly 40, in fact that was the big turning point for me.
I had always been athletic in my youth, particularly good at sprinting and long jump but I hated the competitive side of it.
When I left school I didn't do much in the way of physical exercise but in adulthood I never let myself get overweight but tended to stay rather on the skinny side.
I was delighted at the gains I made when I did start with the weights. The compliments made on the increased size of my arms in particular just spurred me on and on.
Though things have slowed down with the gains I'm still as keen as ever, and gradually building up on the weaker areas. I don't think I'll ever stop now!
Anyway the first picture shows how I looked in my thirties, I even found the same vest and did a comparison shot from last year.
My arms when from 13" to my current 17" and chest from 38" to 43" I just love it!
So you can definitely build considerable muscle after forty.

AWESOME job...CONGRATS on such a GREAT tranformation.

[FitIron]

Props my friend cause I feel the same way, My 30 laughed at my 20 and my 40 laughed at my 30 and my 50 WILL laugh at my 40..........

Not to brag but the truth is in the pudding.

& JACKED...

We are rocking in our 40's...

[bodyhard]

FitIron Those pics are me in my 20's then 30's and the last one in my 40's

But Clive started at 40! That is amazing!

[blopid]

Wow... A lot said here... I must say that at 43 I am in the best shape of my life. I have more musculature then in any other time in my life when I was training... Granted, I know more now than I knew then, but I used to train very hard... In any case, I can't ignore that age is slowly creeping in on all of us, but how we deal with it is the most important thing in my opinion. I also hope (as BH does) that I will be lifting and getting stronger as I get older... I know that a positive attitude can go a long way... I applaud BH for not giving up and getting back on the horse... I still think that the original post was good information... Just my opinion...

Peace...

[bodyhard]

Wow... A lot said here... I must say that at 43 I am in the best shape of my life. I have more musculature then in any other time in my life when I was training... Granted, I know more now than I knew then, but I used to train very hard... In any case, I can't ignore that age is slowly creeping in on all of us, but how we deal with it is the most important thing in my opinion. I also hope (as BH does) that I will be lifting and getting stronger as I get older... I know that a positive attitude can go a long way... I applaud BH for not giving up and getting back on the horse... I still think that the original post was good information... Just my opinion...

Peace...

And it shows my do, it shows.............

[FitIron]

FitIron Those pics are me in my 20's then 30's and the last one in my 40's

But Clive started at 40! That is amazing!

It is motivating to see the number of people on this site that are 40+, and the numbers seem to be climbing. I am also noticing many that are competing.

I just started 8 months ago, ( June 2007 ).

May 24th 2008 I'll stand on a stage for the first time ever, Masters class of an NGA event.
I am so stoked about competing.

I am keeping two different threads going to mark my approach. One is just for 12 weeks because I am testing a couple of products for Fusion Bodybuilding. The other is my thread that will lead all the way to May 24th. I post my workouts daily..

Please follow along if you like.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6411541

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6749991

[hjayss]

Sorry dude I just get fed up with people only 40-50 complaining or wondering if it is the end just cause they are x number of age PATHETIC!

Not directed at you man.

I got you...thanks for clearing up..its all good big fellah...I repped the avi man you are cut up like a diamond that is another motivator for me as well...

[hjayss]

Mines a point in case, I didn't start working until I was exactly 40, in fact that was the big turning point for me.
I had always been athletic in my youth, particularly good at sprinting and long jump but I hated the competitive side of it.
When I left school I didn't do much in the way of physical exercise but in adulthood I never let myself get overweight but tended to stay rather on the skinny side.
I was delighted at the gains I made when I did start with the weights. The compliments made on the increased size of my arms in particular just spurred me on and on.
Though things have slowed down with the gains I'm still as keen as ever, and gradually building up on the weaker areas. I don't think I'll ever stop now!
Anyway the first picture shows how I looked in my thirties, I even found the same vest and did a comparison shot from last year.
My arms when from 13" to my current 17" and chest from 38" to 43" I just love it!
So you can definitely build considerable muscle after forty.

Another very motivating picture anlong with body hard you guys are great motivation keep it up...

[ricks350z]

Old guys rule!

[blkbelt42]

FitIron Those pics are me in my 20's then 30's and the last one in my 40's

But Clive started at 40! That is amazing!

sup bodyhard & fellow 43-er!,
good posts man.

Today marks 4 months of weight
training for me.