Mens Guide to Building Muscle Over 50

When men get older, it’s natural that you begin to lose some of your muscle tone and strength. There’s good news — you can still bulk up and build plenty of muscle mass after 50. 

However, you’re going to need to commit to a complete lifestyle change if you want results. There are a number of steps that you can take that’ll help you in building muscle and the rest of your fitness journey. Keep reading to learn more about building muscle mass after age 50. 

Get a physical and check your testosterone levels

First things first, you need to rule out medical issues. The biggest reason it’s difficult for men to build muscle when they’re older is that testosterone levels drop over the years. 

There are several signs of low testosterone, including fatigue, depression, trouble getting erections, low sex drive, hair loss, and additional body fat. Whether you’re feeling symptoms or not, stop by for a physical to get your testosterone levels checked, on top of your cholesterol, blood pressure, and any other aspects of your health that need to be taken care of. 

From here, you can figure out ways to build your levels back. Weight training and building muscle is actually one of the best ways to build testosterone, so your efforts will be rewarded no matter what. 

Control your diet and plan out your meals

The old adage says that you can’t outperform a bad diet. Even if you’re in the gym day in and day out, building muscle happens at the dinner table. And the lunch table. And the breakfast table. And, most importantly, the snack table.

Make sure that you’re getting plenty of protein with your meals, and map out a meal plan that lets you slowly increase your healthy calories. This will help you during your bulking phase and will make sure that you’re fueling your body to get through your workouts. 

Omega 3 fatty acids are also excellent for your heart and for the production of testosterone. You can get omega 3’s with hemp seeds that you can put inside a smoothie, in your oatmeal, sprinkled on your salad, or any other food. You can also find them in fatty fish and as supplements. If you go the supplement route, make sure you find one hat has proper amounts of FHA and DHA within a serving, such as 1st Phorm’s Full Mega.

Exercise four to five days a week

Come up with an exercise regimen that will let you build muscle groups all over your body. Carve out no fewer than four days per week to resistance train so that you can strengthen your upper and lower body. 

Make sure to include workouts like squats, bench press, deadlifts, rows, and lunges. Those are known as your compound lifts, as they move at more than joint. Take the time to also do pushups, pullups, and other calisthenics that build muscle, also known as isolation exercises. 

Cardiovascular exercise will also help strengthen your total body, but, more importantly, will strengthen your cardiovascular system.  

Prioritize sleep

Quality rest is the final piece of the puzzle when you’re trying to build muscle. Working out breaks the muscle down, and it’ll take 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night to allow your body to build it back up. 

Take control over your sleep environment so that you get several restorative sleep cycles each night. 

Look into building muscle in a way that gets results

Building muscle is more than possible, even well into your 50s. When you commit to results, you’ll be able to sculpt your body in ways that you never imagined. 

We would be happy to help you with all of your training and fitness needs. Use our contact form to reach out to us for more information. 

Let Us help You Out

At CONDITIONerd we are here to help you achieve better physical and mental health through exercise. Check out the plans we offer to our customers and see if you could benefit from working with our team. And if you have questions, you can always contact a CONDITIONerd team member. 

Personal trainers, like those found here, can help guide you on your pathway towards reaching your fitness goals, whether that is getting bigger, stronger, faster, more lean, or just generally feeling better.

We can get you setup with a periodized workout plan, supplement information, and advice on nutrition to help you reach your goals.

The only thing you need is some motivation and a willingness to change some old habits.

Get into contact with us to find out what membership is right for you. In a CONDITIONerd program, you’ll be surrounded by others who can help you to get where you want to be.

Generally, our clients start to see some pretty awesome changes in 2-3 months time, some sooner