Muscle/Strength gains after 40?

[showstopper83]

Hey guys, I just turned 40 last June, and at the moment i am horribly out of shape. Currently, at 5'10, 220lbs and I am guessing somewhere north of 20% bf.

Looking to get back in shape and want to try and cut to around 12% bf before hopping back on gear to put on muscle. I am thinking keto, 20mg cardarine and 60 min of cardio + low resistance/high rep circuits.

When i am ready to put muscle back on, is it realistic to be able to expect to put on more muscle than in my youth if diet/training and gear use is in effect? I never competed of came close to maximizing myself before.

Or should i just be happy with getting kinda close back to where i was?

 

[Alan1]

At a basic level I don't see any reason to not begin a weightlifting routine that has you focused on regaining strength/muscle via progressive overload and other proven means. Let the diet and hour of cardio chip away at the fat, but I don't think low resistance circuit training is going to do any favors for retaining the muscle you have.

 

[cage99]

Muscle memory is REAL. Once you’ve dialed everything back in the muscle comes back much quicker than like when you first started out building muscle. Just gotta get back to being consistent across the board and the muscle will come back!

Good luck on getting back in shape. The first month sucks, but once you’re past that you’ll be rolling again!

Cage

 

[hawkmoon]

I was at my overall biggest and best at 48. Legs were hard to maximize, but everything else was at my peak.

 

[qbkilla]

I'd think that at 20 percent.. eating right, training hard, and especially AAS you will change quickly. You can probably recomp even starting at that bf for a good while.

 

[showstopper83]

I'd think that at 20 percent.. eating right, training hard, and especially AAS you will change quickly. You can probably recomp even starting at that bf for a good while.

I'm thinking this, too- but i have never waited until i was lean to cut before, and thought maybe it would help.

Should i just say fuck it and hop on gear from jump?

 

[buck]

I lifted for 20 years naturally and put on about 40# of muscle. Got into my 40's T levels dropped to the low 400's and started TRT and soon after with my first cycle. Soon put on another 20#. and more over then next few years. Was probably at my best just when i go into my late 40's.
I would think if you would just get back to lifting like a BBer and watching what you eat and you would accomplish quite a bit as you have plenty of room to grow naturally. Save the cycle till you have trimmed down.

 

[showstopper83]

Muscle memory is REAL. Once you’ve dialed everything back in the muscle comes back much quicker than like when you first started out building muscle. Just gotta get back to being consistent across the board and the muscle will come back!

Good luck on getting back in shape. The first month sucks, but once you’re past that you’ll be rolling again!

Cage

Oh trust me bro, this wont be my first rodeo from getting horribly out of shape and diving back in.

Ive been completely off gear for close to a year, so whenever i get on gear, it will hit me hard.

I am just trying to decide if it would be better to wait before getting on gear so i am not wasting gear in a calorie deficit.

 

[qbkilla]

I'm thinking this, too- but i have never waited until i was lean to cut before, and thought maybe it would help.

Should i just say fuck it and hop on gear from jump?

I think when to introduce gear is really up to you. Just thinking in general.,at 20 percent, you can probably make some gains in size while cutting down to 12. If you were starting lean say 9 and trying to get to 6 probably impossible, but simply going from 20 to 12 a good chance you can rexomp

 

[K Bomb]

Just my .02 but I would wait until I had some solid progress and time back in the habit before blasting anything. When I came back I held off until I wasn’t making any “gains” without.

 

[showstopper83]

Just my .02 but I would wait until I had some solid progress and time back in the habit before blasting anything. When I came back I held off until I wasn’t making any “gains” without.

I am thinking it's best to try and shed some fat and cut up BEFORE going into a cycle so i can just start off trying to bulk into a blast and take advantage of using some fresh receptors for muscle growth instead of just using it to get back to my previous muscle memory.

 

[Utopia_Haze]

Get back in the gym and become consistent again to the exercise and clean eating lifestyle. Once you're able to start throwing around some intense weight and rigorous training sessions, then consider a cycle. Don't start back up on gear prematurely. Prep your body to adapt again to the diet and Training, then smash a nice recomp/cutting cycle.

 

[alfresco]

I trained consistently for like 30 years before I got on testosterone. Started as a true TRT then bumped it up as far as I could handle, 600mg per week and grew like a friggin tick along the way. Almost effortlessly with no changes to diet, zero supplements or exercise routine changes. It was crazy. I just grew, simple as that.

I consider myself lucky. Had I hopped on the train earlier, like in my twenties I would have abused it.

I am 69 now.

 

[Virtuous]

You will lose more fat and retain more muscle if you have elevated T levels. I see zero reason not to spend $100 running like 3-500mg/week of test while you cut.

Sure, you MAY retain a tiny bit of water, which is cosmetically annoying, but it’ll enhance your cut.

Steroids help make you leaner and stronger. Unless there’s health/fertility/legal reasons not to use them, use them.

 

[Tomgrass]

I am thinking it's best to try and shed some fat and cut up BEFORE going into a cycle so i can just start off trying to bulk into a blast and take advantage of using some fresh receptors for muscle growth instead of just using it to get back to my previous muscle memory.

Exactly cause getting to 8% naturally shouln’t be a problem and from there it will be amazing add some test. Even go keto for a 2-3 months - you will get amazing insulin sensitivity plus saturated fats from keto will help you keep your testosterone level high enough. Make sure you take enough minerals witamin ,d3 , creatine on a cut.

 

[UnholyAlliance]

I've noticed as I got older it took more work to keep what I had. Everyone's different but in my view older guys had to work harder to keep what they worked hard for over the years.

 

[A50#]

When I was 43 I was the strongest, biggest, leanest I had ever been. Don't listen to people who say u can't put on muscle as you get older. Maybe they can't because they already have a negative mindset that it can't happen.

 

[control]

Should i just say fuck it and hop on gear from jump?

I would. At least a TRT dose of test. The only concern with test at a higher body fat level would be increased aromatization, but you could just run masteron.
200 test cyp/100 mast E will get you to your goal a lot quicker than trying to lose fat naturally without losing muscle.

If you're already over 40 and you've been on gear before, I don't see why you would want to take the long road; unless it's a mental thing and you want the challenge, which I totally understand. Either way, good luck

 

[alfresco]

I trained consistently for like 30 years before I got on testosterone. Started as a true TRT then bumped it up as far as I could handle, 600mg per week and grew like a friggin tick along the way. Almost effortlessly with no changes to diet, zero supplements or exercise routine changes. It was crazy. I just grew, simple as that.

I consider myself lucky. Had I hopped on the train earlier, like in my twenties I would have abused it.

I am 69 now.

More on second thought . . .

Sadly I don’t have my training journals with me now, I am hiking in Bhutan at the moment. Yes, have a rare few days with internet.

And I should have mentioned that I went from the high 150’s (I have the bone structure of a small bird) to the high 180’s soaking wet on about 4 to 6 months. And if I had any fat on me it was between my ears.

What convinced me to lower my dosage was a host of yellow flags on my blood test. And, if memory serves, I was in a Patagonia store in North Beach in SF and could not find any clothes to fit. Couple that with being at an antique auction at Fort Point in SF where my wife was volunteering which left me plenty of time to wander around always looking for a place to sit down I was so tired being on my feet. Not like me, not good for me.

Guess I am not cut out for real bodybuilding. I was just pretending. Never had the confidence to step on stage (kudos to those that do) so I would never consider myself a bodybuilder. (And to paraphrase Jay, like him or not, agree with him or not, you are just a weightlifter unless and until you get your ass on stage.)

 

[UnholyAlliance]

Sadly I don’t have my training journals with me now, I am hiking in Bhutan at the moment. Yes, have a rare few days with internet.

@slesh ought to have been with you on that one and be so memorable lol. Hiking is great as an exercise no doubt!