Did anyone out there start lifting later in life (over 40)?

[lonestar777]

I got serious about strength training at the age of 44, and six months in things are progressing well. I know a lot of people got strong at a younger age and continued to train as they got older, but I'd like to hear from some people who started at an older age. What has been your experience training? Have you pretty much been able to do the same things as younger folks, or have you had to modify things more extensively? Have you been able to achieve your goals, or have they been harder to achieve than you expected?

[mbasic]

It's all high individual from what I've seen.

[Wilhelm]

I started shortly after i turned 55, just turned 57 recently.

I haven't thought much about those questions.
Rather than go into the various different schemes i've done, (simple stuff i've tailored a bit), I'll say consistency is king.
It almost doesn't matter what style of programming you use if you make all your sessions all the time.
I have some goals for my upcoming meet, and there is a certain bench number i'd really like to get.
But even if i don't get it at the end of november, i will soon, and hope to drive my bench up in 2019.

I lift at home and don't have a job, so maybe it's easier for me than some.

I track all my food, all the time.
So i never miss my calories or protein numbers.

Seek out information, and try to turn that into knowledge of and for yourself.

Sounds slightly corny, but just pay attention to how you respond to things.
Read, watch, study.

[KyleSchuant]

I'll say consistency is king.
It almost doesn't matter what style of programming you use if you make all your sessions all the time.

Agreed.

I also agree that as a person ages, things become more individual. There is worse sleep from aches and pains and gut problems and worry over kids and mortgages and businesses, and more years have passed in which to accumulate illnesses and injuries.

But if you're doing some sort of squat, some sort of push, some sort of pull, and so on, and progressing them - well, good things happen. As you age it becomes less about being swole or a great sportsperson, and more about health. And done properly, this stuff makes a profound difference to a person's life.

[Jerry]

I only started a couple of months ago, aged 59.
Don't do cleans or olympic movements, but I'm happy doing the main compound lifts.
Stalled quite early in LP, but I'm learning with help from this forum to adjust and progress.
Overall, super happy to have discovered after all these years that actually I can lift barbells and get better, and however small the weights are they're bigger than last week and smaller than next week.

[hbriem]

I started at 41 (2003), now 56.

I think I did reasonably well, not as well as @Wilhelm, better than most guys that start at 20 or 30.

I started at a bodyweight of about 80kg, now 95ish, somewhat leaner than I was back then.

I peaked at about 51 (SQ 195, BP 140, DL 242.5), have since had shoulder surgery, some knee and back trouble and am now getting back into the swing of things (SQ 165, BP 130, DL 230).

I did the Olympic lifts for a couple of years (2009-11) but have had trouble with them since my shoulder surgery and got weaker when I spent too much time on them so I don't do them currently.

[cwd]

I started at 45.

I was 152 lbs at 5'10" and my initial challenging deadlift was 85 lbs. SS lasted me about 9 weeks, ending with a 210 lb squat for 3x5, despite gaining a lot of weight.

I'm built for endurance but want to be strong instead. If I'd picked marathon running like my brother did, I'd be a decent athlete.

Since I started training with more patience, volume, frequency, and lower intensity a couple years back, I've made better progress.

My log starts with an updated summary post of all the things I've tried and what happened. I.e. my 5 (!!) attempts at SS NLP before I gave up on the idea that 5x5 would ever take me to a decent squat...

[slowmotion]

I started lifting in January 2015 at the age of 56. I didn't know anything about it, so I tried different stuff. Started on SS in mid March 2015, and that lasted just over two months. Then four day TM. That didn't last long, so after that I tried HLM and so on. Did do a stint in Andy Baker's Barbell Club as well. Now I follow a four day Sheiko template, and that suits me just fine.

[Sloop]

Great topic. I exersized for over 20 years doing all kinds of time wasting stupid shit(P90x,Athlean X, Mens Health,etc). At 41 , I had an awakening and realized how pathetically weak I was and transitioned into barbell focused training. In the last 3 years I've added considerable size (6'1" 180 to 220 now) and strength and have worked up to a respectable 415 S, 300 B, 200P and 450DL.

I don't feel too restricted in how I can train although some programming has been too much for me. I've done most of the major popular programs; SSLP, Texas Method, HLM, DUP, 531, The Bridge. Most have worked quite well for me. Don't get caught up in trying to find magic/optimal programming. Almost anything works as long as it has a progression and your consistent. The further you advance, the more you'll have to tailer your own training.

I have achieved many goals along the way. The 500lb DL has been my struggle, but I will get there. Overall barbell strength training has been fantastic and is my current favorite hobby.

[BenM]

Yes! Started lifting a couple of months before my 40th birthday, having just lost a bunch of middle age paunch, and having never touched a barbell in my life. Played a lot of sport as a kid (and right up to a couple of years ago) but it was always more athletic activity than anything requiring strength. I ran cross country, and played soccer, cricket, basketball and golf.

I am lucky enough that I think I have a fairly resilient body, so I've not really had any major issues training aside from a persistent lower back injury early on which (touch wood) hasn't flared up for a while. But for me the gains were very very slow - partly due to my light weight (and unwillingness to gain much) and partly, I suspect, due to low T. I'm 42 now, been training almost 2 and a half years, and am slowly working through those issues and still learning a lot. So I'd say my goals have been harder to achieve than I expected but I'm not sure that's all due to physical limitations, there have certainly been some psychological ones as well. That's one of the aspects that I really enjoy about lifting to be honest - challenging yourself mentally and physically is rewarding.

[heidikay]

I started training at 40. The only thing I did up until then was run; I didn't really have any prior weightlifting experience.

I'll be 44 in a few weeks and the weights aren't taking any greater toll on me now than they did when I was 40. I feel like my strength and work capacity has actually increased in the past year; I hit PRs on all my lifts this year (small though they may be). I don't feel like my age is keeping me from any strength goals: for me right now it's mainly form issues and insomnia (which I've had since I was a child, not an age thing). I haven't had any injuries/persistent pains resulting from strength training; all my most significant and persistent injuries occurred when I used to run a lot

[JohnHelton]

I lifted a little in high school and then freshmen year of college...and then nothing until XFit 3 years ago. I just ran. XFit killed me. Herniated disc and all. Upon turning 44, I started an LP that lasted for a couple months and then returned to running for another half marathon. Finally in April of 2017, I dedicated myself to lifting, restarting my LP.

Since then, I haven't had any real injuries. I also try not to make any excuses about my age. I'm sure it probably affects my recovery some, but who knows. Intelligent programming should give some feedback as to whether or not you are having recovery issues and make adjustments. I attribute my gains to pretty good genetics and dedication. I very, very rarely miss workouts.

[lonestar777]

Thanks everyone for the responses! It's great to see so many people getting into this later and making great progress. Several people mentioned it and I've already discovered it for myself - consistency is the key. For me the nutrition part is even harder than the lifting, and I never really give myself a day off of that. It's hard to eat right and maintain or even build a little muscle without becoming a fat weak mess.

[cwd]

For me the nutrition part is even harder than the lifting, and I never really give myself a day off of that. It's hard to eat right and maintain or even build a little muscle without becoming a fat weak mess.

I started training consistently and intelligently in December 2016 (after a few years of re-trying SSNLP and injuring myself).

This consisted of:
4 months of SSNLP that gradually morphed into HLM
8 months of HLM
4 months of HL 4-day upper/lower split
2 months of Montana Method

... and all that time I was just letting my bodyweight drift around, mostly at maintenance. After 18 months of gains w/o controlling my diet, I stalled. Recomp lasts a long time, even for old people!

I then decided to take on diet as well as exercise, and did a 4-month cut. Now I'm attempting my first controlled bulk.

My point is -- you don't have to perfect all this stuff at the same time. Feel free to get a handle on intermediate programming and being able to progress slowly & steadily w/o injuring yourself first, and work on diet later.

[alek]

I lift at home and don't have a job

#goals

[perman]

I lift at home and don't have a job

#goals

People talk about motivation and inspiration and shit, but no movie ever inspired me as much as Office Space and I have no clue what to do with that fantasy about not doing anything.

[Jerry]

For me the nutrition part is even harder than the lifting, and I never really give myself a day off of that. It's hard to eat right and maintain or even build a little muscle without becoming a fat weak mess.

... My point is -- you don't have to perfect all this stuff at the same time. Feel free to get a handle on intermediate programming and being able to progress slowly & steadily w/o injuring yourself first, and work on diet later.

I agree.

Everybody is different, but I find the nutrition part easier than lifting.

I know from past episodes of dieting and gymfoolery that I can lose weight on the scales just by reducing calories input and increasing calories output (cardio). But of course I ended up skinny-fat and dissatisfied. So now I'm enjoying chasing whatever strength gainz I can get without worrying too much about diet except to eat above maintenance and get enough protein. For me, I think it will be easier to cut after a few months whilst trying to retain as much muscle as possible.

[alek]

I lift at home and don't have a job

#goals

People talk about motivation and inspiration and shit, but no movie ever inspired me as much as Office Space and I have no clue what to do with that fantasy about not doing anything.

It's more a "I want to be financially independent right now so I don't have to work anymore " goal. I could definitely retire tomorrow and would not be bored.

[perman]

I lift at home and don't have a job

#goals

People talk about motivation and inspiration and shit, but no movie ever inspired me as much as Office Space and I have no clue what to do with that fantasy about not doing anything.

It's more a "I want to be financially independent right now so I don't have to work anymore " goal. I could definitely retire tomorrow and would not be bored.

Sure, that's a goal of mine too. Though more in the sense of "I would like a pile of money to magically arrive in my lap" than in the "I am willing to bust my ass for a decade or too in order to get rich" sense. Though as a teacher, there's only so much some extra substitute classes will give me.

[alek]

I lift at home and don't have a job

#goals

People talk about motivation and inspiration and shit, but no movie ever inspired me as much as Office Space and I have no clue what to do with that fantasy about not doing anything.

It's more a "I want to be financially independent right now so I don't have to work anymore " goal. I could definitely retire tomorrow and would not be bored.

Sure, that's a goal of mine too. Though more in the sense of "I would like a pile of money to magically arrive in my lap" than in the "I am willing to bust my ass for a decade or too in order to get rich" sense. Though as a teacher, there's only so much some extra substitute classes will give me.

How do you know so much about me?!?