This article is particularly aimed at people who – like me – may have done some bodybuilding earlier in their life and are considering taking it up again after a long layoff, although I also hope it is of use to anyone beyond their mid 30′s who is considering taking up the sport.
If you are way out of shape or older than, say, mid 40′s then the first thing you should do before embarking on strenuous exercise is to get checked out by a doctor. There will most likely be no problems at all but it’s better to be on the safe side and make sure. The doc will probably run some tests and then actively support your efforts to start taking regular exercise anyway.
In my own situation I trained for 6 years in my late teens and early 20′s, took a 20 year break and got back into it a year and a half ago, now in my 40′s. That’s just so you know where I’m coming from!
The first big difference I became aware of is that it takes my body longer to recover from workouts now that it did when I was in my 20′s. As a hard gainer that’s probably a good thing as it helps to prevent me from overtraining but I have found that I need at least 24 hours longer for any given muscle group to recover than I used to. I find that using a 3-way split and training each body part once a week (or maybe 3 times in 2 weeks) is enough these days.
If you’ve never trained before then the same advice applies as it does to any new starter. Learn how to do the exercises properly first and begin with an all-body workout three times a week.
If, like me, you’re resuming after a lengthy layoff then one of the things you’ll have to do is set realistic aims. I could squat 450lbs, deadlift 400lbs and bench press 300lbs 20 years ago whereas now I struggle to lift half that weight. But I believe there’s no reason why I shouldn’t get close to my old lifts because progress does come, even for the older trainer.
I think progress is a bit slower when one is older – and, as I said, recovery takes a bit longer – but there’s no reason to use age as an excuse because you can still achieve a great deal.
One thing you may need to watch out for is changes in your metabolism. Some people find that they start to retain weight in their 30′s and 40′s even though they could get away with eating anything in their younger days.
There are advantages of course. When you get a little bit older you’re more likely to have a steady approach and be less affected by peer pressure. You’re unlikely to try lifing weights that are too heavy just for bragging rights and your training will be all the better as a result.
The most important thing though is to enjoy it. And if you’re training on your own then take extra care – you need to make sure you’re safe and might consider investigating something like the Body Solid Powerline Smith Machine to make sure you don’t get any unnecessary injuries.
Tags: bodybuilder, building, muscle, older