Hitting the big 3-0 doesn't mean you have to slow down in the gym. Discover the techniques and principles you need to use to continue muscle growth well into your 30s and beyond.
Gaining Muscle the Easy Way As You Get Older
The iron game is a tough one to play and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. As you age, a number of factors contribute to weight gain and a decrease in the speed of your metabolism.
The number 30 is a magic number for men and women alike because it is the age when the many people experience a decline in metabolism and an increase in body fat. So, when you hit that magic number, will you still be able to easily gain muscle?
What Happens at 30
At the age of 30, you are at the beginning of the part of your life cycle that is labeled middle age. For men, it is when testosterone levels begin declining at a rate of one percent per year. This is just a slight decrease in the hormone, but over time, especially in sedentary individuals, this decrease is noticed in a variety of ways.
You can continue to build muscle well into your later years.
Sedentary individuals will notice a decrease in energy levels, sex drive, and an increase in body fat. For athletes, the changes may not be as noticeable because they are staying active, but they are still happening.
If you want to continue gaining muscle easily after 30, you have to be vigilant about monitoring what you eat, listening to your body, recovering properly, and focusing on foods that help raise testosterone levels.
Monitor Your Diet
When you are over 30 years old, it’s a good idea to start keeping track of what you eat. Now, some may be aware of their dietary intake before the age of 30. If that’s you…then kudos!
For those who aren’t aware, this is the time to calculate how many calories you need to consume per day to maintain your weight, and how many calories you are actually consuming.
Since your metabolism will begin a gradual descent, you may need to decrease the amount of calories you eat per day. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting on your bodybuilding journey, or you’ve been in the game for years, these assessments need to be conducted at least yearly.
Another thing to be vigilant about as you age is your protein and carbohydrate intake. Protein is the key to building and keeping muscle, and if you aren’t getting enough protein you will lose muscle and you will gain fat.
Carbohydrates aren’t necessarily the enemy, but it will be necessary to focus on eating the right kind of carbohydrates. This includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Listen to Your Body
It’s a fact of life that as you age, you are going to have to make adjustments. Your ability to recover decreases and you may need to change the way you train – or if you are starting out, choose the right training routine.
None of this means that you have to do endless amounts of repetitions or lift light weights, it only means that you should focus on stimulating your muscles and not annihilating them.
If your workout routine leaves you feeling exhausted all the time, do fewer repetitions, change the exercises you do, or lighten the load a bit.
You may think that this course of action will doom you to having small muscles or never gaining more lean mass, but it will actually do the opposite. If you give your body what it needs, it will respond by giving you what you want.
Proper Recovery
If you want to easily gain muscle after 30, you have to always ensure that you are recovering properly from your previous workouts. You must get enough rest at night and give your muscles adequate time to rest between workouts.
Each muscle group should be trained roughly once a week. Everyone is different and some may be able to train more frequently, but if you have been listening to your body you will know when to exercise hard and when to rest.
Testosterone Boosting Foods
There are a number of foods that can help you raise your testosterone levels naturally. Foods like shrimp, pumpkin seeds, and coconuts.
Shrimp contains high levels of vitamin D, pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc, and coconuts are a healthy source of saturated fat. All of these nutrients are associated with helping keep testosterone levels elevated.
It’s Possible, Not Easy
Gaining muscle after 30 is definitely possible, but it won’t be easy, even if you are a mesomorph body type. You will have to keep track of what you eat, listen to the cues your body gives you about training and recovery, and focus on consuming testosterone boosting foods.
With a bit of patience and lots of attention, you will continue to gain lean mass well after the age of 30.
