Gaining size over 50

[tenny]

At 53 im the biggest and leanest ive every been. 5'06" 270. My split is Monday chest 6 exercises 4 sets ea. Tuesday back same 24 sets, Wednesday bis/tris 16 sets ea. Thurs. Hams 16 set shoulders 16 sets Friday quads 24 sets. Sat/sun cardio. I do 30 cardio everyday. I.use a lot more machines now so im.able to train fast and train for the feel and pump. Still pretty heavy. Plenty of time to recover and no joint pain. Bottom line if you have healthy joints and train smart you can still geow. Naturally i dont know but you do not need to do heavy cycles i dont and never have.

I'm sure you've already said....

but how long have you been training that way...???

and how long have you been bodybuilding...and competing..???

 

[LATS]

At 53 im the biggest and leanest ive every been. 5'06" 270. My split is Monday chest 6 exercises 4 sets ea. Tuesday back same 24 sets, Wednesday bis/tris 16 sets ea. Thurs. Hams 16 set shoulders 16 sets Friday quads 24 sets. Sat/sun cardio. I do 30 cardio everyday. I.use a lot more machines now so im.able to train fast and train for the feel and pump. Still pretty heavy. Plenty of time to recover and no joint pain. Bottom line if you have healthy joints and train smart you can still geow. Naturally i dont know but you do not need to do heavy cycles i dont and never have.

I agree.. Now I couldn't do that volume but I agree that the age " thing" is not as bad as some think.. If your 50 and in decent shape and have a history of lifting then turning up the intensity even at 50 will bring about good gain.. I will say at 50 you need to pay special attention to diet.. More so than ever.. Don't get to " fat".. It's much harder coming off.. But gaining muscle will occur if done correctly.. Mas1derful how many of those sets your performing are taken to failure per muscle group.. ??

 

[Fit2Serve]

i am only 39

and i say forget gaining size. i honestly dont think i will ever be big as i was no matter how hard i push the gas and i dont really care to gain... Pesty is right, be happy if you are healthy. bunch of us arent. my bp is a wreck and will prob kill me early... i am only @40 and i am already setting my sights on just being LEAN and maintaining as much muscle mass as i can for long as i can. gains are out the window. i hurt too much. blasted too much. cant blast like that anymore so no way i can make the gainz.
all about holding on to what i got long as i can and controlling bp
-F2S

 

[mas1derful]

I grew up with a weights in the basement of my house. My dad lift weights. So i played with weights as a kid. I wrestled 185 and could bench 225 as a high school freshman, 13 yrs old. I wrestled in college and in the summer i trained at Sergios gym. I started doing more bodybuiding not just lifting weights.at that time. I was lucky to have a guy who was a runner up in the Mr Universe who took a liking to me and trained me every summer. He trained one body part per day with the intent to overtrain the muscle then give it a week to recover. So this been my routine since 85? I started seriously bodybuilding til 89 when i took 2nd in the Portland Rose Cup. I had a kid then totally stopped l competing and messing with gear til 2010 so i basically took a 21 year break. When i got back into it i was a chubby 275. I Dieted down to 210 and picked a show 6 months away and got at it. With my high volume only tthe 1st exercise is a heavy compound movement example bench 405 max, bent rows 365 max seated dumbell press 125 max i no longer squatt leg press 1200 max. Rep range 12-15. Then i use machines for most of workout. 1 min rest weight not important but i increase it every set. No force reps but everyset to failure. I try to complete my workout in a hour. Inhave a partner and the rest is when hes doing his set i go he go. The pace is only slower during the 1st heavy exercise. I use 500 test 300.eq and 4 iu black tops. I take 4 months off gear and a month out the per year.

 

[tenny]

you think things would be different without the 20+ year
break..???

its like you basically started all over again 7 years ago....

 

[Mini Truck]

If you were a late bloomer and started lifting hard and eating perfect in
your mid 40's, maybe. 2, maybe 3 pounds a year.

If you've trained for 20+ years, and are in your early 50's, no doubt
you gain weight, maybe 1 pound a year of true LBM though.

Now if you wanna be foolish and bang 2 grams a week, 10 iu's GH,
and slin, sure you can put on some muscle...............but not
as much as you think. My guess 4-5 pounds a year.

But your skin will never regain all it's elasticity. Especially in the lower back
and lower glutes.

I should say that this is for just 99% of 50 year olds.

That's natures way of hopefully telling you to back off and stop
trying to look like you did at 30-40.

But still train hard and eat really clean.
Just re-set your priorities and expectations.

-MT

 

[LATS]

I grew up with a weights in the basement of my house. My dad lift weights. So i played with weights as a kid. I wrestled 185 and could bench 225 as a high school freshman, 13 yrs old. I wrestled in college and in the summer i trained at Sergios gym. I started doing more bodybuiding not just lifting weights.at that time. I was lucky to have a guy who was a runner up in the Mr Universe who took a liking to me and trained me every summer. He trained one body part per day with the intent to overtrain the muscle then give it a week to recover. So this been my routine since 85? I started seriously bodybuilding til 89 when i took 2nd in the Portland Rose Cup. I had a kid then totally stopped l competing and messing with gear til 2010 so i basically took a 21 year break. When i got back into it i was a chubby 275. I Dieted down to 210 and picked a show 6 months away and got at it. With my high volume only tthe 1st exercise is a heavy compound movement example bench 405 max, bent rows 365 max seated dumbell press 125 max i no longer squatt leg press 1200 max. Rep range 12-15. Then i use machines for most of workout. 1 min rest weight not important but i increase it every set. No force reps but everyset to failure. I try to complete my workout in a hour. Inhave a partner and the rest is when hes doing his set i go he go. The pace is only slower during the 1st heavy exercise. I use 500 test 300.eq and 4 iu black tops. I take 4 months off gear and a month out the per year.

Thanks for response. Did you say you take 4 months off a year from gear or a month..? Are you on HRT during that time and if so how much.. Glad your sharing this

 

[prostock]

hello sir

Like to get some other members feed back. I'll admit to being over 50 (and then some LOL) As I got older I decided to try and be leaner. I competed in power for 22 years. I've really focused on BB type work outs for the last 10 years. I managed to get in the best shape of my life but I'd love to get bigger. Have any of you experience in this. I know all the basics, I work full time as a trainer. Love to hear from some bros who managed to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle later in life, don't know if I can. I also have been lifting for 40 years, so joints are hurting, which is another reason it's hard to gain size. Not afraid of a little blast and cruise either. I also write precontest diets for clients so I know the drill. Still hard to gain size without getting fat though LOL
Sorry for long ramble.
GB

A thought on your joints that may help. Collagen Hydrolysate from GREAT Lakes Gelatin 8 lb bag. 12 gr 2 times a day. Give it 4 to 6 mons. for some folks its a great help.. pro

 

[graybass]

I'm sure I speak for most when I say I wish I knew at 20 what I know now. Destroyed my shoulders and most other joints going for the almighty poundage! I always did what I called heavy power bodybuilding. Going for major doubles and singles for all major muscles all the time!
Now Being a trainer my WO, Cardio, and diet is on point 99% of the time. Still incredibly hard to gain size. I guess I'll just be grateful for what I have. Most my non bodybuilding friends think I'm 20 years younger.

 

[squatster]

Great post - thanks for putting this up graybass
I agree alot with Concreteguy- i am 49 now and can't gain how i used to at all.
I have to kill it but in a totally different way. I can't eat junk and gain muscle any more. I canny skip body parts at all .
I also need to do that thing called sleep. - one thing I can't do still.
I find I need to pay attention to my juice and not skip shots. And most of all i need to stay on at least 200mg of test inbetween cycles.
Youth is wasted on the young.
Naaa - I am finally comfortable in my skin after All these years.
Never thought I would say that.

 

[emeric delczeg]

Forget about being real big. Be happy you are healthy and look better then most guys your age. This way you will live longer.

Best post of the day.

 

[graybass]

Forget about being real big. Be happy you are healthy and look better then most guys your age. This way you will live longer.

Definitely best answer! I say this all the time. Problem is younger guys I trained or helped are blowing me away in all my favorite lifts LOL

 

[dale338]

I'm 49 and did my first blast for only 8 weeks and am now going into my first cruise. ALL I TOOK was 300mg of test and ate super high protein and lean. Simple! Ill give some stats before hitting this first blast. I don't "max out" anymore, as my joints are older, but I would typically top out benching 275, like 8 reps, no issues. I was typically at that weight range for the past two years. Got on my 8 week blast at just 300mg test C and my last chest workout, I benched 315 8 reps. I don't know how much mass I've gained exactly during those 8 weeks, but it's a significant amount I plan to keep my cruising now and then doing another. You could say I wasn't even trying, but at age 49, my body still responded quite well to a low dose cycle of T.

 

[aussiebulldog]

53 myself. Changed the way I train to follow John Medeawos mountaindog training , and it helped me grow, while even getting slowly leaner.
I have to listen to my body more carefully now . taking days off when needed , changing some exercises that do not agree with me , but there is nothing like watching improvements in this age , when people telling that you are on boat load of gear , and you are not.

keeping cardio fitness helps too.

 

[concreteguy]

CG - I'm really interested in your split, # of exercises/body part, sets, reps, etc. if you don't mind sharing. I'm heading into my later 40's and need to try this type of training.

Much appreciated.

I go to the gym M.W.F and do 1 exercise for each body part. Almost all moves are primary. I do three (working)sets with one worm up when necessary. Each set is done to absolute muscular failure coming between 6 and 8 reps. If I have more in the tank because the "old dog" is strong that day I will always continue repping until complete failure.

Youtube, whole body workouts. You can even look some badass programs up in PMs articles forum. But honestly, they scared even me. Don't think my bones are going to take that shit any more, (dragging weights), )flipping tractor tires). I'll have to put up a pic or to remind you kids what *some* old heads can still look like. lol

CG

 

[raizer]

warm up sets

I go to the gym M.W.F and do 1 exercise for each body part. Almost all moves are primary. I do three (working)sets with one worm up when necessary. Each set is done to absolute muscular failure coming between 6 and 8 reps. If I have more in the tank because the "old dog" is strong that day I will always continue repping until complete failure.

Youtube, whole body workouts. You can even look some badass programs up in PMs articles forum. But honestly, they scared even me. Don't think my bones are going to take that shit any more, (dragging weights), )flipping tractor tires). I'll have to put up a pic or to remind you kids what *some* old heads can still look like. lol

CG

I changed my training to something similiar to yours recenty. Maybe just one problem that i have with it that the workouts last 2 hours. Not a big deal but sometimes i lose focus on the end. I have just question: How can you get away with just one warm up set? I mean til the time i come to my all out sets Squats 440 pound for 5-7 reps i need atleast 4-5 warm up sets, maybe some other exercises 3 warm ups but never les than 2.

 

[LATS]

I go to the gym M.W.F and do 1 exercise for each body part. Almost all moves are primary. I do three (working)sets with one worm up when necessary. Each set is done to absolute muscular failure coming between 6 and 8 reps. If I have more in the tank because the "old dog" is strong that day I will always continue repping until complete failure.

Youtube, whole body workouts. You can even look some badass programs up in PMs articles forum. But honestly, they scared even me. Don't think my bones are going to take that shit any more, (dragging weights), )flipping tractor tires). I'll have to put up a pic or to remind you kids what *some* old heads can still look like. lol

CG

YEP.. The old three day a week program never fails.. I do a upper body / lower body split.. I only stopped it when the knee got so bad I couldn't do lower body.. I get my knee replacement this week.. I'll go back to that split after with some lower body modifications..

Same as Concrete I do three sets but my reps are higher.. I might do two sets of a press then 1 set of a fly.. I just mix it up.. Legs will have to be felt out and how the replacements feel.. But I will do two sets of the ab/ ad machine..mtwo sets of one legged leg press ( feet a bit higher on platform) , romanian deads and calves.. My legs grow easily so I'm hoping just the stimulation after all these years of having to avoid them brings them back a bit at 49

I also have to add.. We here at Pro M try to be as health conscience as possible.. I know many who tell those in their 40s and over to get smaller and just be " healthy".. I get that.. We want to be health and there are certain precautions that need to be taken that you could get by without in your twenties and thirties.. But if that drive is still there don't try and discourage it., if this is what they enjoy let them alone.. Give healthy advice.. But if you love this silly ass game then continue to do if possible ( with some common sense and limitations) .. My point is try and give sound advice not " you need to stop".. I still have that passion to add size.. I still train very intense., I know the limitations at my age with my injuries and such,, but no one tells a guy with a bad back to stop play ing golf if he loves it.. You help them find a way to continue playing what he loves.. So let's stop with the " just stop and be happy " stuff.. Give sound advice.. Let the persons own common sense utilize the advice.. Because a internet board is most likely not going to get a guy to stop what he loves.. But he might take away great advice and make the adjustments on his own..

 

[concreteguy]

"Get small and get healthy" LMFAO!!!!!!! I couldn't walk in the gym (healthy) if I wasn't trying to grow. Who does that?

LATS, Please keep us up to date on your complete experience with the knee journey. I could be a player in the future for this as well. My knees have been hurting so much as of late I will just do three all out working sets of super deep stepper sets with the resistance turned up way to high for normal use. This lack of impact seams to work well and as long as I go to full failure it works wonders.
I'm very interested in your recovery post surgery.

BEST OF LUCK LATS!!!! I'll say a prayer my friend.

CG

 

[alfresco]

Just my 0.02 cents worth.

I changed my training to something similiar to yours recenty. Maybe just one problem that i have with it that the workouts last 2 hours. Not a big deal but sometimes i lose focus on the end. I have just question: How can you get away with just one warm up set? I mean til the time i come to my all out sets Squats 440 pound for 5-7 reps i need atleast 4-5 warm up sets, maybe some other exercises 3 warm ups but never les than 2.

That is a loooong ass workout. Staying focused, having some gas in your
tank in the end . . . just wow.

Using your squats for an example, do one warm up set, but increase your
reps to 20 – 50 on your ‘work’ set. And decrease your time between sets,
that is if you can do, or intend to do, more than one set. Increasing your
reps will have the warm up set sorta built in.

Really decreasing your rest between sets is one way to increase the intensity,
keep the weight down, and decrease the need for excessive warm-up sets.

Multiple sets with a lighter weight with very little rest (30 seconds max.)
between sets or super super-setting opposing muscle groups with zero rest
between sets not a bad way to go sometimes . . .

 

[Massive G]

YEP.. The old three day a week program never fails.. I do a upper body / lower body split.. I only stopped it when the knee got so bad I couldn't do lower body.. I get my knee replacement this week.. I'll go back to that split after with some lower body modifications..

Same as Concrete I do three sets but my reps are higher.. I might do two sets of a press then 1 set of a fly.. I just mix it up.. Legs will have to be felt out and how the replacements feel.. But I will do two sets of the ab/ ad machine..mtwo sets of one legged leg press ( feet a bit higher on platform) , romanian deads and calves.. My legs grow easily so I'm hoping just the stimulation after all these years of having to avoid them brings them back a bit at 49

I also have to add.. We here at Pro M try to be as health conscience as possible.. I know many who tell those in their 40s and over to get smaller and just be " healthy".. I get that.. We want to be health and there are certain precautions that need to be taken that you could get by without in your twenties and thirties.. But if that drive is still there don't try and discourage it., if this is what they enjoy let them alone.. Give healthy advice.. But if you love this silly ass game then continue to do if possible ( with some common sense and limitations) .. My point is try and give sound advice not " you need to stop".. I still have that passion to add size.. I still train very intense., I know the limitations at my age with my injuries and such,, but no one tells a guy with a bad back to stop play ing golf if he loves it.. You help them find a way to continue playing what he loves.. So let's stop with the " just stop and be happy " stuff.. Give sound advice.. Let the persons own common sense utilize the advice.. Because a internet board is most likely not going to get a guy to stop what he loves.. But he might take away great advice and make the adjustments on his own..

I ain't 50 yet but it's coming in a few years....but I have always done push -
Chest Shoulders Triceps, Pull - Back Biceps Forearms abs, and legs quads hams and calves.

I have had significant changes in training since I hit my 40's - knees, low back, and neck (thank you bone crushing poundages in squats all those years)and delts and now my elbows made me adjust to lower weights, slow negatives, reduce time between sets, and use more machines when needed.

I also have to train EOD. I do 8 minutes hit cardio to warm up for training and the at least 30 minutes cardio walking the neighborhood up and down the "hills", and may throw in abs and calves or something random on "off" days and as like you LATS I have pretty much a complete home gym, that unlike you I almost never use.

The company I work for has a small commercial gym on the ground floor that I train in during the week only because I can't get to the gym till work is done which is most nights.

I still have a lot of identity wrapped up in being big and massive and strong but I get a cold hard slap in the face anytime I go to a commercial gym and see some of the younger guys bombing and blitzing on the free weights.

The whole bigorexia thing is hard to shake and it's got to go away sometime, as I can't be close to 3 bills as the years tick by to 50 and beyond.

It's hard training down too, I had a rough week last week I murdered legs in the gym Monday night so bad I took and extra day off but that ran me into back to back push pull on Thursday and Friday and has me wiped out this weekend. My appetite was down yesterday didn't eat my second meal until almost 5 pm and breakfast was at 7 am then didn't have anything but some egg whites and veggies and went to bed late.

I am curious to the cycles you guys are doing as I switched early on in my late 30's to early 40's to only 600 mg a week 400 mgs Sustanon and 200 mgs Deca for 12 week cycles and 8 weeks off. One in a while I would throw in some Tren but would absolutely hate life on it so it wasn't much and I quit orals the first 2 years of when I started to cycle.

I have for the last couple of years just done sub q test injections of really low dose test deca mix less than 140 mg a week and done quite well, but recently a few months ago I ran into a rift of family issues - sis and husband were having some relationship problems and in laws were in and out of the hospital so it required me to go with some IM injections and higher doses as taking sub-q even EOD was impossible. I trained and ate on the road even having those mega fit meals sent to states I was going and ended up gaining like 12-15 pounds. I felt like I was in my early 30's again and just blew up, so now it's been a mind fuck to come back down and to reality.

I ain't got no time machine and went back to sub-q slowly trimming back the weight but it's like it always was when coming down from a higher dose, a bummer. I stopped MK 677 cause I got a skin cancer cut off me forehead last summer and that hit me hard cause I was always a beach guy, greased up and loving the sun, so it's been a really hard summer going to the beach covered up and that white shit called sunscreen that never stays on, and I miss my tan.

I have an appointment for a full body exam next month and I think I have a few more spots on my upper and lower body but the dermatologist will be the final judge of that. I haven't done GH in many many years as round 2010 2011 the rips and hyges and black tops just gave me too many damn side effects with irregular strong heart beats and incredible bloat and carpal tunnel at even 6 ius EOD. And Insulin has been long gone, as with everything I need to watch my glucose tolerance as I age.

I guess the short answer is HELL yes you can still gain mass after 40's and into the 50's but the stress on the body is hell-especially if you are stacking what you did when you were years younger, and in the times I have went back to bombing and blitzing I spend most of my time foam rolling massages heat ice TENS chiro etc. All that just to try and stay jacked and on track. Been there done that and as LATS mentioned diet is really tight now too or the skin loosens up real quick and here comes the water and fat gain.

Goals have to changes as we age I have loved this game for almost 30 years got great memories but can't chase those dragons like I used to.

I take a tons of supps and eat more fruit and veggies than ever now, so hopefully the grim reaper will stay by the wayside as the years go by.

Stay safe and healthy.