Slow Gainer and No Gainer

[carbkilla]

Was a slow gainer in high school. Can you build muscle at age 60 with T levels @ 290 ? My experience no, over the last 8 years of learning and trying everything on this site you just accumulate more and more orthopedic injuries. Eat more get fat, eat less get thin but never anymore muscle or strength. Work easy no progress, work harder nothing, work even harder exhaustion and injury. I've tried literally everything legal (including test injections under the care of a doctor for a year). I know how to eat, sleep and lift and believe it will happen from years of study and experimentation, my nature will just not grow muscle. It's a torturous life with zero results and I gave up on it a few years ago. Thinking about trying again, any advise?

CK

[Omodan]

Seek out a good personal trainer and dietician. You have too many variables to address and wont find your answer on a forum considering what you are asking.

To be blunt, your able to gain. Your post suggests you gained weight. It just may have been mostly fat. Its pretty much impossible to gain solely fat though. Your body will still have to add some muscle mass along with the fat in order for you to physically lift the weight around the house.

Your post sounds like a motivation issue and partitioning problem. That can be a ton of different things. So I highly recommend a trainer and dietician. One to help with partitioning and the other to help with form/progress/injury prevention. Unfortunately, anything from here where the people aren't actively working with you will just be guesses as to what is hindering your progress.

[bodyhard]

In those 8 years how many would you say were consistent consecutively? I can't see someone training for say 2-3 years consistently and consecutively and not see any results. I have, however seen people train for 3-5 years on and off and pretty much look the same.

[ljimd]

Will Brink covers non responders in a video.

http://www.brinkzone.com/videos/are-...non-responder/

[grubman]

Was a slow gainer in high school.

You would have to define "slow gainer". In my experience, this is often a misconception (or excuse) to explain poor inconsistent undedicated unstructured sub-par effort training combined with poor diet. Sure, some people gain slower or have less than favorable genetics...but everyone can make fantastic gains if they do things right. Most people (especially young ones) do very little right, then blame the lack of results on something else.

Can you build muscle at age 60 with T levels @ 290 ?

I can't answer that...but here's some questions for you: Can anyone at any age improve their heath, physical fitness, energy level, and overall appearance by partaking in an exercise program? Can an older person fight off natural muscle atrophy and retain strength longer by lifting weights in a well structured program? If a person looks and feels better and has a longer higher quality of life, are extra pounds of muscle that important?

over the last 8 years of learning and trying everything on this site you just accumulate more and more orthopedic injuries. Thinking about trying again, any advise?

If you've tried everything on this site, my advice is to try something else! There must be a billion books written on exercise for "seniors". Find one by a reputable author with lots of good reviews and see what it has to say. Maybe bodybuilding and strength style training isn't the right fit for you. Don't be lazy in your research if you really want it.

Every time someone says "I've tried everything" I want to scream...because you haven't. I've (casually) used the same tired line in the past myself (an old thread about leg training), but the fact is I didn't try "everything", I only tried some things. Once I tried something I never tried before and really put 100% effort into it, I finally saw the progress I wanted.

I find it very hard to believe that a person (at any age) who makes the sacrifice and commitment to do everything right will see no improvement no matter what they do. Is your diet really 100%? Is your training program really 100%, is your dedication and consistency really 100%, is your effort, grit, and tenacity really 100%? Be honest with yourself.

MHO

[EjnarKolinkar]

Maybe you should just try and build a love of the Iron this time? Have more fun, not take it so seriously. You get what you get from training, not everybody gets what they want.

Take care of yourself OP and good luck.

[Tommy W.]

The older you get and the longer you've been training it gets very difficult to add muscle in your 60's. It's more of a game to just not lose muscle. Your body changes, it stores fat differently and your recovery declines. The biggest mistake at 60+ is too many calories in an attempt to add muscle and not training with enough volume. You're not alone. The outcome is fat gain and very little to no muscle gain. Without knowing your body stats or seeing a photo it's difficult to give you advice

[2nd_chance]

Just focus on being fit... and find a new hobby

[carbkilla]

Yeah, I kind'a knew I'd get allot of posts like your lazy,dumb, find a new hobby ect. I love guys with 800 test levels telling me I'm a quitter. LOL, you guys must take steroids! or something (I'm just messing with ya').

Is your diet really 100%? Is your training program really 100%, is your dedication and consistency really 100%, is your effort, grit, and tenacity really 100%? Be honest with yourself.MHO

I have to be honest, in the beginning maybe not but as I learned and got into it more Yes it was for a good 5 years. Body just didn't respond like I thought it should.

Anyway, good checking in with you guys.


CK

[drudixon]

Watched brinks video. Interesting.

Question is, for non responders, is there something medically wrong, or....?

I've got low t, but do make progress. Certainly t is not the end all be all of muscle. What are the other factors at hand?

[grubman]

Yeah, I kind'a knew I'd get allot of posts like your lazy,dumb, find a new hobby ect. I love guys with 800 test levels telling me I'm a quitter.

That's odd, I didn't get that insulting negativity from any of the responses. What were you hoping for? People to tell you (without knowing you or your training or habits) that you are right, there is no hope, why bother? There isn't a magic cure beyond making sure you are doing everything in your power right (which you claim you are). Seems like you either keep trying (harder or smarter or different) or you give up...that choice is yours, we aren't going to make it for you..

[Postmanmatt]

Was a slow gainer in high school. Can you build muscle at age 60 with T levels @ 290 ? My experience no, over the last 8 years of learning and trying everything on this site you just accumulate more and more orthopedic injuries. Eat more get fat, eat less get thin but never anymore muscle or strength. Work easy no progress, work harder nothing, work even harder exhaustion and injury. I've tried literally everything legal (including test injections under the care of a doctor for a year). I know how to eat, sleep and lift and believe it will happen from years of study and experimentation, my nature will just not grow muscle. It's a torturous life with zero results and I gave up on it a few years ago. Thinking about trying again, any advise?

CK

Consider hormone replacement therapy? Its meant for seniors and you could get it prescribed by most doctors. The accumulative side effects aren't really an issue at your age

[Tommy W.]

Yeah, I kind'a knew I'd get allot of posts like your lazy,dumb, find a new hobby ect. I love guys with 800 test levels telling me I'm a quitter. LOL, you guys must take steroids! or something (I'm just messing with ya').



I have to be honest, in the beginning maybe not but as I learned and got into it more Yes it was for a good 5 years. Body just didn't respond like I thought it should.

Anyway, good checking in with you guys.


CK

if youre referring to me with the 800 test level saying you're a quitter I think you have badly mis interpreted my post. What exactly do you want to hear?

[Beyondhomegym]

Women build muscle at lower T levels, not mass. However getting those T levels to 600 should provide significant improvements. But that's more of an MD patient discussion