Keeping going as you get older

[supramax]

Hi all

Wanted to create a post to understand how you keep training as you get older?

I'm 48 and I've been training since I was around 14, so a decent stint. Obviously with age I expect things to get more difficult, but recently I'm struggling to recover between sessions and I get lots of inflammation if I increase my volume. I also just don't have as much energy to train and I don't want to take pre-workouts any more to get me up for it.

Is this a common problem?
How do you approach it?
Have you found any supplements to help

Cheers

In twenty or so years, you'll realize how young 48 is, except it'll be 'was'. We didn't evolve to work hard for an hour a day three times a week and be relatively inactive for the rest of the time. So, look for fitness opportunities and make relatively short duration extreme physical exertions on a daily or near daily basis. Do big bang for buck exercises like Farmers' Walks and heavy explosive hard style kettlebell swings. Energy wise, look to your diet. Digestion uses more energy than any other life function. That's my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

[ElrondHubbard]

Awesome, thanks. I heard spirulina was good for reducing cholesterol, is that why you take it?

Omega 3 for inflammation?

Omega 3 is just good, period. We need it for a lot of bodily processes, including cognition, and it tends to get processed out of many modern foods, or overwhelmed by added Omega 6s and 9s..

[pondman]

At 59 I'm not able to cram the workload into 3 days. I've had to stretch it out to 4 or more days, with the same workload. I give each of the compounds a good workout 1 time per week, rotated with 2 alternatives for each movement. I do a lot less little stuff. I don't try to hit every little muscle with exhaustion. I focus on having a strong body. I also focus on joint health, so I'm less likely to do something that has a high injury rate.

[A-man]

Well here’s my first over 35 post. I remember seeing this section and thinking “those guys are old” back in the day. Now look at me

Anyways,

As you get older you have to really focus on safety I find. Form has to be perfect, proper warmup always, workout can’t be too long, rest and nutrition have to be good.

I also don’t pay attention to the weight any more. It’s all about feeling the muscle now. That doesn’t mean I slack, just that I really try to work the muscle. “Stimulate not annihilate” like Lee Haney used to say.

As for staying motivated psychologically, you can keep reminding yourself of the health benefits like others have said, but I think that only goes so far. For me, I try to remember how I felt when I started lifting 22 years ago. How it all felt so new and exciting. That mental trick seems to work.

Hope this helps!

[ElrondHubbard]

It's still new and exciting for me!

[supramax]

It's still new and exciting for me!

In 6 or so years, you'll realize how young 64 is.

[A-man]

It's still new and exciting for me!

Awesome. It’s not new for me (been lifting for 22 years now) but it’s always exciting

You look great.

[xTeTe]

Warming up and stretching beforehand has made a world of different for me. The soreness and little pains have been cut down quite a bit from when I'd just go into lifting without stretching and getting the blood flowing.

[ElrondHubbard]

In 6 or so years, you'll realize how young 64 is.

I do know it. I'm grateful that I can still make progress, because the time will come when I can't anymore. So I take it while I can.

[supramax]

I do know it. I'm grateful that I can still make progress, because the time will come when I can't anymore. So I take it while I can.

I was kinda/sorta making fun of a previous comment of mine: "In twenty or so years, you'll realize how young 48 is". There's a difference between the 40s/50s and 70s, but not so much between the 60s and early 70s. All I can say for sure is that progression slows down a bit.

[darscogre]

Hi all

Wanted to create a post to understand how you keep training as you get older?

I'm 48 and I've been training since I was around 14, so a decent stint. Obviously with age I expect things to get more difficult, but recently I'm struggling to recover between sessions and I get lots of inflammation if I increase my volume. I also just don't have as much energy to train and I don't want to take pre-workouts any more to get me up for it.

Is this a common problem?
How do you approach it?
Have you found any supplements to help

Cheers

Im also 48 and training since my teens. And I enjoyed both ends of the specturm of my training years. It was fun in the young years chasing PR's, chasing weight gains and measurements. Felt like i could do anything with no injury and on little sleep.
Nowadays my goals are different. Thats how you stay motivated. If my goals were the same as they were 30 years ago Id be miserable and quit cause i can't keep up with that guys goals anymore. But the good part is i dont care to. My goals now focus on lighter weight, feeling the muscle, time under tension, cardio and flexibility. Im a good 25 pounds lighter than my earlier days but i feel better and this is a healthier look anyway. I enjoy getting leaner instead of packing on pounds. I don't focus on weight in the gym or on the scale anymore and thats actually a relief. 20 years ago if i saw i dropped 5 pounds id be upset. Today i dont even weigh myself, maybe once or twice a month. Feel much healthier, and thats the goal now. And motivation/goals or lack of it is what gives you energy or depletes it.
Also, like the other poster here said, Turmeric/Curcumin is a great supplement. I personally love the Life Extension brand. I feel like their products are all great quality. Most of my vitamins are from Life Extension.

[clive]

Still training at 60 and pleased my physique is better than most guys I see irrespective of age. I haven't found as yet any difference in energy levels once I get started with a workout. I'm finding doing night shifts more of a challenge than working out these days.
Like the above poster I'm not really concerned with getting big but maintaining my muscle and above all not getting fat!

[AndyLausmax]

Hi all

Wanted to create a post to understand how you keep training as you get older?

I'm 48 and I've been training since I was around 14, so a decent stint. Obviously with age I expect things to get more difficult, but recently I'm struggling to recover between sessions and I get lots of inflammation if I increase my volume. I also just don't have as much energy to train and I don't want to take pre-workouts any more to get me up for it.

Is this a common problem?
How do you approach it?
Have you found any supplements to help

Cheers

Have you been getting enough sleep? Perhaps a fish oil supplement (which is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids) and/or turmeric can help your inflammation issues.

I'm 42 years old. Your body can tempt you to take it easy as the years go by. However, fear of insidious diseases (cancer, heart attack, stroke, etc.) has been my motivation. This fear keeps me on my toes in terms of exercise, nutrition, sleep, etc. In terms of supplements, I rely mainly on whey protein isolate and ascorbic acid. I also take the occasional nitric oxide booster.

If you feel you've hit a wall, try checking out Bill Grant's Instagram page. He's a Golden Era bodybuilder who's still going strong at 73! If that doesn't motivate you, nothing will!

[JvilleJeff84]

For me it's just become part of my life... it's actually therapeutic for me, and keeps me feeling good... so it calls me.

[congore]

Lift regularly, eat healthy, and do what you enjoy. Changing up a few supplemental exercises can give you a lift if your normal program gets stale, but I never change the basics (squat, bench, deads, OHP, pull/chin ups, rows). Lifting is my way of releasing stress and relaxing, so I can't honestly say I can ever see myself not pushing iron. I hear doing sets of 10 reps for pull ups at Planet Fitness will get you kicked out. Its why I stay away.