Are You Too Old To Build Muscle?

You probably think old age comes with a potbelly, a slacked set of muscles, and a weird-looking biceps, possibly that’s why you gave up the idea to keep fit or build a muscle.

With countless myths and self-imposed unverified stories and assertions flying around, you are forcing your mind to conclude that you are too old to pump some iron.

But have you seen 73 years old  Arnold Schwarzenegger? Doesn’t that tell you something is wrong with that myth? We’ll find out soon.

What percentage of elderly people are obese in the US?

According to Statista records, in 2019, an average of 28.5% of adults within the ages of 65 and above in the US were considered to be obese.

What percentage of people are obese in the world?

In 2016, over 650 million adults around the world, within the age ranges of 18 and above were obese, with over 1.9 billion adults in the same age group classified as overweight.

What percentage of adults are obese in 2020?

Drawing analysis with past and present records and the population of the adults in the world, it is clear that an average of 13% of adults in the world today are battling obesity, while 30% of adults are considered overweight.

As an adult, probably hitting your late 50s or 60s, I am not going to nudge you into having a body like Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), Kurt Angle, Mohammed Ali, or any bodybuilder you can think of. I am only offering hope that you can still burn out some calories no matter how old you are.

Obesity is a state where an individual’s body mass index is greater than or equal to 30.

Overweight, on the other hand, is a condition where an individual’s body mass index is greater than or equal to 25.

Your body mass index is the division of your weight in kilograms with the square of your height.

Quickly shows you that short people run a larger risk of getting obese or overweight, considering an over-proportioned weight hanging on their not-so-tall frame.

Looking great is always the dream of every adult. You will prefer to be the 60-year-old sexy grandpa than to look like you are in a pregnancy contest with your daughter-in-law.

But the truth remains, it tends to seem more difficult to build a muscle at an older age than it was when you were a teenager or in your youth.

It is due to the loss of strength, mood swings, hormonal imbalances and shifts, accumulated injuries that begin to tell heavily on your age.

The bottom line always remains; ‘If you don’t work out, it won’t work out.

What age does muscle stop growing?

I should say as long as you grow and blood flows, tissues build, your body muscles will continue growing, probably at a slower rate as you age, till it starts deteriorating.

Many factors can stop the muscle from growing entirely. However, this assertion can be greatly disapproved.

It is speculated that the human muscle stops growing around ages 30-40. However, there is no substantial medical evidence to back up this claim; there are medical illnesses that can make this happen.

What is Sarcopenia?

Sarcopenia is an age-related ailment that can stop your muscles from growing as you age in your 30’s or 40’s.

Sarcopenia is a medical condition associated with aging that causes failure in muscle growth, mass, and function.

It is highly prominent amongst older people.

Factors That Can Stop Muscle Growth

Aside from Sarcopenia, there are a lot of reasons why your muscles have stopped growing.

They include;

1. Body Dehydration

2. Low Protein Diets

3. Overstressed Daily Schedule

4. Zero Carb Meals

5. Smoking

Best Age To Build Muscle Mass

The best age to build muscle mass is when your testosterone levels are at its peak.

Over the years, we usually liken testosterone as a hormone for sex drive and production of sperm in men. However, this hormone works extensively in building muscle, bone mass, and tuning up a man’s appearance.

This hormone becomes significant as a teenager approaches puberty. There is a presence of broad shoulders, spring ups of biceps, and broad chests which grow bigger and more enhanced when subjected to minimal gym sessions.

The best age to build muscle mass is between the ages of 18-25 years old.

How Does Testosterone Affect Your Exercise?

Testosterone and exercise are interlinking elements. Both greatly affect the status of the other with respect to the state of the body’s muscle mass.

High testosterone levels bring about high rates of muscle builds, as well as more muscle mass brings about higher testosterone levels.

An excellent exercise habit increases your testosterone level, just as lower testosterone levels will significantly inhibit your exercise results.

This is why I am wildly against smoking, especially during the period of bodybuilding. Smoking damages the body cells, and most of these body cells are responsible for the production of testosterone.

Becoming deliberate in your exercise habit, training session and dietary plans can help boost your testosterone levels.

Bottomline: The Best Exercise to Build Muscle as You Grow Old

As you age, your bones and joints grow weak; not every exercise is fit for you.

I will not recommend a 240lbs weight lifting schedule; you wouldn’t want to break a waist while trying to build muscles.

The best exercises that build muscles are exercises that are targeted at the desired growth parts.

However, the best exercise that builds muscle faster, irrespective of your age is multi-joint exercise.

Multi-joint exercise is a combination of physical activities that challenges multiple joints and muscles in your body, all at once, to achieve a harmonized build of muscles.

You can also add up your exercise schedule with press-ups, pushups to build muscles in your chest and stomach region, squats, tricep dips, supine pushups, jumping jacks, deadlifts, Russian twists, leg raises, abdominal crunches, spine lumbar twist stretch, triceps kickbacks, inchworms, mountain climber.

You are free to get creative with your workout session but always exercise with the intent of giving attention to all of your body parts, laying out time for rest, and listening to your body needs to avoid breakdown.