Yes, even older men can still build muscle naturally well into 80’s and ’90s. While losing muscle mass is a natural part of life, it can be countered by some simple steps to add into your routine.
The best natural ways to build muscle is by Progressive Overload training. This is a guaranteed way to build muscle for men as we age.
What is Progressive overload training? It can be done in more than one way. It’s best to either increase weight, sets, and reps.
Another critical component of building muscle as we age is by consuming enough protein. Your body will break down the amino acids and your muscles will use the protein to help them rebuild and grow.
A general rule of thumb for protein intake is thought to be somewhere between .8-1 gram per pound of protein.
How to Build Muscle for Older Men
The most important thing we can do to build muscle as we age is Progressive overload training. There is more than one way to increase resistance to weight training.
Progressive overload training is done with weight training resistance. This happens by increasing the weight, sets, and Reps. You should be gradually increasing one of these categories during each of your workouts to help your body grow.
if we are not increasing the weights, sets, and reps we are not challenging our bodies to grow and they will stay the same. We will essentially be doing warm-up sets during each workout.
Which I did for many years until I started training this way. on the contrary, to popular belief, it is not all that difficult to get into shape. You do not have to lift as much weight as possible to get into better shape to ditch the dad bod.
Form and Intensity are big keys that are Often Overlooked
It’s recommended to make it at least three times to your workouts to help build muscle for older men. It’s best to always get cleared by your doctor before you start weight lifting or doing any kind of exercise.
Then from there, it’s recommended to work with a personal trainer or health coach that way you can learn the proper form of each exercise. after many years of me trying to lift as much weight as possible, I’ve become wiser in my older age.
Your form is extremely crucial for the muscle being worked and in the speed at which you lift the weight. it’s very important to get the Mind-Body Connection that way you know which muscles you are actually supposed to be training. not only is correct form important for building muscle. it’s really crucial to help prevent injuries as well.
How much weight should I be lifting? as I mentioned previously, you don’t have to lift as much weight as possible to get in shape and build muscle. The sweet spot is between 8 to 15 reps per set while rarely training to failure.
The intensity at which you lift to build muscle should be moderate. Think about it as a scale of 1 to 10, it’s best to be somewhere between 6 to 10 on the scale. If you lift too much weight you will not be able to finish the sets with proper form, which is more important when trying to build muscle.
Why You should be Focusing on Compound Lifts vs Isolation
Isolation Exercises
Isolation exercises are great but they are just that they focus mostly on one muscle group at a time. Well I was selection exercises do work and they are better than doing nothing, they should never be the staple of your workout. think of an isolation exercise of being more of the supplement to the compound exercises.
you get more bang for your buck with your compound exercises because you are working more than one muscle group at a time versus isolation exercises.
Isolation Exercise Types
- Shoulders-Dumbell front and side lateral raise
- Biceps-Seated dumbbell and cable concentration curls
- Triceps-Skull crushers or Tricep pushdowns
- Back-Seated Row
- Chest-Pec deck or Dumbbell flys
Compound Exercises
Compound lifts work better because they focus on working for more than one muscle group at a time. well they also may be working on more than one large muscle group at a time, they will Focus Less on some muscle groups than others.
There are five lifts that should be the staple of all your workouts. compound weight lifting has the most backed science evidence-based research on building muscle.
Compound Exercise Types
Even if you are an older guy trying to build muscle naturally the same principles should still be used for a younger guy who is naturally trying to gain strength. Both exercises are good, but you get more bang for your buck with compound lifts as mentioned previously.
Shoulder Exercises
- Shoulders-Arnold and Military Press
- Biceps-Barbell curls and closed grip chin-ups
- Triceps-Close grip Bench Press
- Back-Deadlift and Pull-ups
- Chest-Bench Press and Dips
Here are some good modified compound movements for beginners
Shoulder Overhead press
Barbell Row
Deadlift
Bench press
How Many Sets and How Heavy Should I Lift?
The ideal rep range is somewhere between 8 to 15 reps per muscle group. If you are doing less than 6 to 8 reps you are doing more of a powerlifting program and if you are doing 15 and above you’re doing more warming up then working out.
High rep ranges and training to failure sometimes have their place for certain muscle groups. However, it’s not ideal to train large muscle groups ie compound movements in high rep ranges.
This is a good general rule when trying to figure out how many sets per muscle group is needed. You may need to lower it to 10 working sets per muscle group if you are a beginner and add a set each week and work up to the highest set range.
The number of working sets that are needed per week
- Chest: 12-15
- Back: 14-18
- Biceps: 14-18
- Triceps: 10-14
- Legs 15-18
- Abs: unlimited
It’s a really good idea to back off 4-6 weeks in to let your body heal up and rest. I will usually take this week to only do 2 sets per muscle group with moderate rest. You might need to use this week of light sets sooner, there is no cookie-cutter approach. If you feel like you are overtraining, use a week to take it easy. Here are some overtraining symptoms.
- Muscle fatigue
- Reduced immunity
- Workout performance decreasing
- Tiredness
- Waking up feeling tired
- Increased hunger for more calories
- Slower Recovery
Remember this, more is not always better! This is a slow gradual climb to the top of a mountain, not a sprint. Doing too much weight and sets is a recipe for failure.
Trust me I’ve been there too many times because that’s what all of the latest fitness magazines were recommending that week. I’ve just dated myself with fitness magazines. If your my age or older you know what I’m talking about.
Remember your body grows outside of the gym, not by doing as many exercises as possible. If your an older guy and want to stay in shape, it’s critical to also get enough sleep as well as good nutrition and not a “diet”.
As far as intensity goes, you shouldn’t try to throw on as much as weight as possible to try to build muscle. This is one of the biggest mistakes I made in my years of training. It’s FAR more effective to use a moderate weight that you can control in perfect form than it is to try to lift heavy.
We want to make every rep count while we’re in the gym. If your a busy dad like me I don’t have time to waste in the gym. At my older age, I’m training smarter and less and I’m at one of the best shapes of my life.
This is because I dropped my ego at the door and focused on my form. While you do want to increase weight each week or sets for progressive overload, it’s important you pay attention to your form. Simple common advice that many overlook but it will impact your health and muscle gained.
Nutrition
There are a lot of fad diets out there. People will lose a ton of weight and will feel better than ever on their new diet. The sad truth is diets don’t work long term.
If you look up the number of people who are “dieting” and gain their weight back and then some you’d be surprised. It’s just unrealistic to do something like the Carnivore Diet or any other super restrictive diet for a long period of time.
It may come into play when you need to do something like a rotational diet and you’ve got some lingering food sensitivities or allergies. It can help pinpoint the cause of your issues.
Back to Nutrition the most important part of the whole staple when it comes to building muscle for us older guys naturally. This is a good link TDDE to use when trying to figure up your daily caloric intake. I used to grossly overestimate how many calories I was eating every day.
Generally, you want to set your protein at 40%, Carbohydrates 40%, and Fats at 20%. This is not a hard set rule and can be tweaked just a good starting point. Here is a free calorie calculator called my fitness pal.
Is it realistic for us to constantly be tracking every piece of food we put in our mouth? No, it’s not but what is realistic is teaching yourself portion control.
I do recommend tracking your calories for 3-4 weeks so you can get a visual of how many calories you should be eating. Here is how you can build muscle and lose weight without counting calories. Something I use to help with my portion control is by taking a plate and covering 40% up with protein/40% fibrous Carbohydrates/20% Starchy Carbohydrates.
You may have to do some tweaking in this process to learn what works for you. Another tool that I really like to use is IF Intermittent Fasting.
For guys, we should be trying to increase our calories by 300-500 calories per day to help build muscle. It doesn’t have to be exact as these numbers can be massaged.
What Supplements Help Build Muscle?
As we get older it can get a little tougher to build muscle, but not impossible by any means. This is where the right supplementation can come into play. While there are some over-hyped garbage cheap supplements out there, there are some credible companies out there too.
It’s best to try to buy from companies that have a GMP lettering on their bottle. This means that they have had a third party test their products for purity as this industry is not highly regulated.
Unfortunately, not all companies do third party testing so sometimes you have to do some research on brands to see which are best. Just as it is spelled “Supplement”, is exactly what it does.
It’s a supplement to your training and lifestyle habits. Supplements alone will not make you magically gain more muscle and become healthier. Think of them as a safety net to make sure you are getting optimal health and performance.
Protein Powder
This is the best place to start while trying to build muscle naturally as an older or younger man. Protein is what helps build and repair our muscles. A general rule is to take .8-1 gram of protein per body weight.
It can be tough to get your required protein needed, adding a shake is a quick easy way to do this. Also, another benefit to eating your required amount of protein is it is satiating.
This means it will help keep you full longer and help curb your appetite. The same thing is true when it comes to high fiber carbohydrates. As far as what type of protein powder to use, I recommend a good clean whey unless you have dairy allergies or sensitivities.
Creatine
Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most well-studied supplements when it comes to building muscle. In a nutshell, what Creatine does is gives you more energy to lift heavier weights.
While training our body will use up the natural stores of creatine already in your body. That’s why supplementing with it will give you more energy there in fore will help you lift more weight to increase muscle.
There are a few different types of creatine out there. The most well studied and recommended is creatine monohydrate. You can learn all of the awesome benefits of creatine here.
Hydration
This is commonly overlooked and we need to make sure we are getting enough water. The reason being is because our body is at least 60% water. Just like protein requirements, you will get a bunch of different answers on how much you need.
Starting with half your body weight in ounces is the best place to start. If you drink too much water it’s just as bad as not drinking enough. Drinking more water than needed will cause you to flush out your electrolytes in your urine.
Benefits of Hydration
- Regulates your body temperature
- Metabolizes the breakdown of certain macronutrients and uses them for energy
- Flushes waste through your body
- Lubricates your body’s joints
- Is a shock absorber for your spinal cord and brain
Water also helps your liver to function better and takes the stress off of it. Your body will use fat to burn as energy and this process is done in your liver.
Sleep is Important for Muscle Growth and Recovery
Sleep, water, and good nutrition is not a sexy thing when it comes to building muscle for older guys. It’s because we want the workout that will get us into shape and still be able to eat processed foods. I used to be that guy.
All of these things are not sexy and seem too simple, but they work! Sleep is important because this is when your body repairs itself. If you are not recovering you are not growing.
As we age the rate at which our body recovers naturally decreases. In other words, how we recovered in our 20’s is much different in our 30,’s40’s,50’s and you get the point.
You should be aiming for a minimum of 7 hours of sleep and a shoot be shooting for 8 hours a night. Your HGH and Testosterone levels also are repairing themselves at night. If you aren’t sleeping enough they are not optimally being used.
The good news is this is they can all be slowed down or stopped by a good weight training program. There have been guys that didn’t start training until their 40’s and are in great shape. It’s possible for older guys to add muscle well into their 70’s and beyond. It’s been proven.
You are never too old to get into shape. That is just an excuse to make yourself feel better. In fact, there was a study done with 57 adults ages were between 65-94 and showed that weight training exercises are done 3 times per week per 12 weeks increased muscle.
Other Causes of Why Older Men are Not Building Muscle
- Metabolism drops
- wear and tear on your joints and body
- Testosterone drops every year
- Natural Muscle loss due to aging
The fancy term for aging and muscle loss is Sarcopenia. It’s the deterioration of muscle tissue during the aging process. By doing the right weight training program 3-4 times a week can help slow the aging process.
There is more good news, there are four nutrients that help stop Sarcopenia.
Protein
It goes without saying that protein is the king for muscle growth. The same holds true as we age. Get your protein in to help build some muscle.
Vitamin D
Being Vitamin D deficient are Sarcopenia are related, but it’s not quite understood why yet.
Omeg-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oils studies have shown that it may directly signal the muscles for growth. Also, Omega-3 fatty acids are great for anit-inflammatory effects.
Creatine
Creatine is a very researched supplement and seems safe. One of the many studies done on Creatine involved adults taking 5grams of creatine. it was 357 adults with an average age of 64.
The study shows that they got benefits from resistance training that they were not able to get without creatine.
While yes the aging process slows us down a bit is true. But now since we know all of this information we are prepared to help slow the aging process. it is absolutely possible to gain muscle for older men. Try looking on Google, you will see a lot of results of guys into their 70’s and are healthy and ripped! Get after it!