Posted on 02/07/2012 1:23:59 PM PST by mamelukesabre
Is it normal for a male in his 40s to experience a rapid increase in muscle strength? I am mid 40s, and about 6 months ago I discovered by chance that I can now do one handed pushups. I just did 20 of them each hand (just to see how many I could do)just minutes before posting this. I have NEVER been able to do one handed pushups in my life. I am not working out either. In my 20s I was a fitness fanatic and did weight training, boxing, cycling, and running. I was never this strong even then.
About a year ago I shocked some people when I picked up a heavy object and put it on my shoulder and walked up a flight of stairs. After discovering the object was in fact OVER 200lbs I was shocked myself.
This whole one handed pushup thing has stirred up a childhood memory. I remember my dad talking one day and marveling about his own curious strength gains which he described as "unbelievable". He then proceeded to prove it to us kids and mom by going down to the basement and doing a bench press with every last weight in the whole weight set on the bench press bar. After he scared my mom out of her wits, I took all the weights off the bar one by one and counted it all up and it was around 350lbs. He was in his early to mid 40s at that time.
I’m over 40 and routinely bench over 400lbs, deadlift over 600, and squat 500+.
Of course, I was a professional athlete and still train 6 days a week.
Males continue to gain physical strength until early 50s, if they put their minds to it.
Cadiovascular peaks in the late 20s.
I am not experiencing any endurance increases...in fact my endurance is probably declining. But simple short duration strength is noticeably much greater.
Interesting. Does their rate of increase also speed up?
I had to quit all forms of exercise in my 20s. First a shoulder injury forced me to quit lifting weights. Then I screwed up my wrists by spending too much time punching the heavy bag. THen the knees went from too much running. I was running 20-25 miles every sunday and about half that the other days until about age 28 or 29.
Then all of a sudden a couple years ago I noticed my knees weren’t bothering me anymore. Last summer I started jogging again, very slow and for short distances. I seem to be sensitive to the cold more than I used to be and couldn’t keep up the jogging when mornings started to get chilly. I thought I’d try some very basic exercises in my living room to do SOMETHING besides jog. That’s when I discovered I could do one handed pushups.
I’m 47 and having the same kind of “strength spurt”. Have you changed anything in your diet? I did and my doc said I raised my testosterone levels because of it. Packed some muscle onto my forearms and thighs, too. Who knew that garbage about eating your greens was true?
The reason I asked is that muscle strength is related to both size and "tone" in the sense of muscle mass versus softened, embedded fat. We've all seen stringy strong guys and bulked up really strong guys, but there's usually some indication of unusual strength. Even the skinny strong guys have a knotty, wiry look. And since you've noticed a change in strength, I thought you might have noticed some physical changes in yourself.
Yes, I found that I was stronger in my early and mid forties than I was at any time prior, unfortunately I found that I was more sore afterwards.
I think it is a mental thing.
Actually, yes I have been eating differently now that you mention it. I decided to wean myself off of prilosec awhile back and through trial and error I learned if I wanted to eliminate heartburn the natural way I had to eat only fresh meat and fresh produce very plain with no spices or sauces.
You say your testosterone level goes up from eating greens? Fascinating.
I don’t think it’s beyond the norm, you’ve just noticed it, your body has probably been capable of it for a while.
I’m a bit envious though, I’ve hit the weights hard and have made tremendous strides in my strength and endurance while in my 40’s. My bench has more than doubled, my endurance has increased substantially, but every bit of it has come through deliberate planning, training and diet, every bit of it has come through hard work.
You’re pulling our legs.
And when you get mad, does your skin turn a little green?
Well, I havn’t exactly been a couch potato these last 15 years. I’ve had a physically strenuous job. Maybe what happened was I had been getting a little bit stronger every year all along from work and I just didn’t notice it since I never tried to test my limits.
They probably appear larger by contrast to your upper arms, which have shrunk LOL.
They probably appear larger by contrast to your upper arms, which have shrunk LOL.
They probably appear larger by contrast to your upper arms, which have shrunk LOL.
I’ve always been strong, so it’s hard for me to give a definative answer for myself. I benched 145 10 times recently without warm up.
really, 145, hmmm.
Is your house on fire?
According to the story, my mother’s sister and sister-in-law carried the upright piano out of the house during a parsonage fire in the 20s. They were average sized individuals. Later they could not budge it.
Excellent reply.
Well done.
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