Top 6 Tips For Building Muscle Over 50
If you’ve been around the fitness industry, or have some hands-on experience as either a trainer or a trainee, you know that building muscle (and losing weight) is something you can do regardless of your age! Of course, the results will vary, but progress is inevitable.
Being in the business we are in, we get a lot of inquiries from people who are relatively skeptical to the whole notion of exercising past a certain age (in this case 50). Society has really managed to convince them they won’t be able to make a noticeable difference and they are scared to even try.
This is, of course, not true! You can and will build muscle if you stick to a solid routine, but you also need to work on your psyche – start believing it is possible. Today’s article is going to help get you in the right mindset but also give you some actionable tips you can follow to achieve your dream physique even past the age of 50.
The Difficulties Of Building Muscles Past 50
As we already said, your main obstacles in building more muscle and looking better past the age of 50 are your mind and your limiting beliefs. Building muscles will not only make you look better in the mirror, it also:
- Increases your bone density
- Boosts your metabolism
- Increases mobility
- And has an overall positive effect on your mind
So, there are plenty of reasons to start building muscle, but where to start?
1.Change Your Perspective
We were pretty much taught to see old age as the “age of deterioration” – whether it be our mental capacities or muscle composition; this is why you need to change the way you look at getting older and allow the possibility of improving your muscles as something real and achievable.
You won’t be able to put on a ton of muscle like you did back when you were younger, but you’ll definitely see improvement.
2.Resistance Training Is Crucial
There is no replacing resistance training for building muscle, regardless of your age! Many researchers suggest engaging in light aerobic exercise to improve your heart health and prevent stroke and heart disease. Though this holds true and is definitely something you should do, to build muscle you need resistance training.
Not only will you be able to build more muscle, but also reverse slight muscle loss that occurs naturally with age. You don’t have to lift insane amounts either, just enough to make your muscles work harder, get your muscle fibers to break and rebuild.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to hire a personal trainer, at least in the beginning, to help you figure out the right intensity.
3.Increase Your Protein Intake
Eating more protein increases the amino acids available for your body to create and repair muscles. Simply put, your muscle fibers need more protein to grow and you can be doing every exercise right, but if you’re not giving the body the nutrition it needs, you won’t see muscle growth.
How much protein do you need? This depends on your age, sex, physical build/fitness level, but as a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended to take between 1.2 and 2 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight.
There are numerous protein calculators available online which you can test out and see for yourself.
4.Using Supplementation
Whenever we mention the word supplementation to our clients, everyone’s mind goes straight to steroids, but there are so many different, less harmful options you can opt for. One such option are peptides. As one of the latest health crazes around the world, peptides took the spotlight as being one of the supplements being able to help with both muscle building and weight loss.
Numerous studies showed they stimulate protein synthesis, enhance collagen production and promote the release of growth hormone, vital for muscle cell hypertrophy. But, if you want to order these substances online, you need to be very careful and find a reliable Peptide Shop you can trust. Once you find a solid supplier, make sure you stick to them to minimize your risk.
5.Maintain Healthy Body Weight
Of course, this is one of the goals of weight training in the first place, but as we said at the beginning of the article, you need to combine it with some aerobic exercises to make sure you keep your weight in check.
Because, if you are overweight and engage in strenuous, challenging resistance training exercises, you will put a lot more onto your joints and might even cause some damage. So, if you are a bit overweight, try engaging in some weight loss exercises first, then move into weight lifting.
6.Smoking And Drinking
It is well documented that smoking and drinking has a negative effect on muscle building in both younger and older individuals.
Smoking narrows your blood vessels and limits the delivery of the essential nutrients required for your muscles to fully recover and grow. It will also lower your endurance, testosterone levels and increase inflammation through your body.
Alcohol, on the other hand, disrupts muscle protein synthesis which further slows down your muscle rebuild, recovery and growth process. Alcohol will also lower your testosterone and increase cortisol levels through the body, further promoting muscle breakdown.