The Age(ing) Factor in your Workouts

[Jungnaut]

Do you adjust your workout accordingly due to your age? At least, do you adjust your workout goals? I feel that when I was in my 20's, bodybuilding was all about looking good and pulling chicks, now at 30 I guess that is still in the back of my mind but I am increasingly concerned about maintaining good health foremost and making sure that I am in good condition to get the best mileage out of all my working bits!
I dont feel older than when i was 20. But i do notice that i now injure more easily. At 20 i could exert myself with no ill effect – drop into a sprint or heave something heavy. Now if i do that without warming up i will pull a muscle.
I also find that it takes longer to recover and sometimes my joints are sorer than I have ever remembered them to be.

 

[kaz]

I'm 31, and even while I try to prevent/avoid injury, I have not even thought once about slowing the workouts down or reducing the load!

 

[TLS]

Yeah, but did you used to play or train hard as an 18-22 year old?
At 38 I don't have the recovery speed I had then, and if I injured myself training, my family has to go without food.

 

[Darkoz]

I haven't needed to make any significant adjustments to my workout over the years, how I trained 30 years ago when I was twenty is pretty much how I train now, I've had the usual aches and pains but never any injuries.
I think if you've trained most of your adult life then potential injury is less of a risk than for someone who started training later in life.
My goals of course have changed though, at 20 years old weighing only 60 kilos all I wanted was to get bigger and look good whereas now at 50 years of age weighing around 80 kilos my goal is to look and feel healthy and to maintain as much muscle mass as possible,it's also my only stress relief.

 

[dave]

Dude you are 30. Get back to everyone once you get in your forties then the older guys will let you know.

 

[Beau]

I know what you mean. I cannot train and play like i used to. Eating perfect and resting well but still taking longer to recover. I am slowly getting back to 25 and feel 25. I am With a younger woman and it seems to help!

I am just annoyed that i didnt get my act together when i was 18 and ate right and trained harder.

 

[Jungnaut]

I know what you mean. I cannot train and play like i used to. Eating perfect and resting well but still taking longer to recover. I am slowly getting back to 25 and feel 25. I am With a younger woman and it seems to help!

I am just annoyed that i didnt get my act together when i was 18 and ate right and trained harder.

Too true that! I wish I knew what I know now back when I was 18 and then applied it. Having said that, I wasnt concerned with keeping healthy at 18, I believed that I was invincible back then lol

 

[Bazza20]

Interesting point from glenn pendlay where he said in his experiences strength athletes who start in high school keep getting stronger untill there late 30s early 40s. If you start later you will probably get stronger even longer.

Many people seem to sell themselves short and when they hit 30 think it's all downhill from there, which is not really the case.

 

[Darkoz]

Interesting point from glenn pendlay where he said in his experiences strength athletes who start in high school keep getting stronger untill there late 30s early 40s. If you start later you will probably get stronger even longer.......

I'd say that if you start later in life then strength and lean mass gains would be harder and certainly would not last longer than someone who's been training from a younger age.

 

[Bazza20]

I'd say that if you start later in life then strength and lean mass gains would be harder and certainly would not last longer than someone who's been training from a younger age.

Not longer but a bit later in life. If you start weight training at 35 you should keep getting stronger to an older age than someone who started weight training seriously at 15 because the person starting later is further away from there potential. The bloke starting at 15 is very close to his genetic limit at 30 and more gains are tuff to come by.

This done not mean you get better gains by starting later.

 

[D1cko]

I'm approaching 30 and just getting into the swing of it, I do wish I got into it at 18, but can't dwell on it. I definitely don' feel 30, in the past few years I had and ongoing sore left knee and right shoulder from football days...don't know if it's got anything to do with lifting but they've been non-existant since I started...

 

[Goosey]

At fifty, I still work as hard as I can on the day.
Between thirty to forty five was my best period in terms of progression.
Now, I will get an extra rep or kg here and there, but not every workout.

Your ability to recover from one workout to another, sets and reps and how many days a week you train is up to you, this appears to be even more relevant as we age.

 

[Darkoz]

What is it with you 30 year olds talking like you've got one foot in the grave?
If you feel you need to adjust your training routine at the age of 30 then me thinks there's something seriously wrong with the way you train.

 

[Goosey]

Up to the age of 28 we are bullet proof.

On reflection, i was more upset turning 30 than I was turning 40.

 

[Darkoz]

For me 40 was the big depressing one, 40 now looks pretty good to me!

 

[Jungnaut]

Fark I can't imagine turning 40. Probaly mope at home LOL. Turning 30 was bad enough, 40 must be so much worse.

 

[Darkoz]

^ It is, once you hit 40 it's all over, stock up on razor blades.

 

[Goosey]

^ It is, once you hit 40 it's all over, stock up on razor blades.

Yep, eating through a straw and wearing a nappy stuff.

 

[Darkoz]

Yep, eating through a straw and wearing a nappy stuff.

haha I gotta remember to use them, I just shit everywhere and use old age as an excuse.

 

[Jungnaut]

Wow I cant wait for the privelege of being able to shit everywhere on cue, to know that I can finally let it rip during those last set of squats or whenever I do a whole heap of leg raises.