The realization hit me like a brick fucking wall.

 

Like a deer in the headlights I turned to Scott and said "MASTERS!!!!!"...

 

To which, in his typically chill vibe, said "Well any athlete in any sport is old in their 30's".

 

At first I was wildly offended at being called "an old athlete".

 

I will admit there have been multiple times, since hitting my mid 30's, I have thought "Am I too old to start!?".

 

When I picked my custom breeding, for Loki, and added up the years before he would be showing in my head.

 

When I left corporate to start my own business at 33.

 

And again when I got over my years of self pity over being taken out of training for the Crossfit Games due to a back injury and decided to start training again at 34 (turning 35 in September).

 

I think, whether we want to admit it or not, we start to believe starting over isn't for us when we hit our mid 30's. The "Why bother" mentality can be real and run deep.

 

So, what does the research say?

 

One of the first things I refer people to who are worried about age (Including myself as a reminder!) squashing their dreams of being fit is a study conducted by scientists at the University of Oklahoma, which had 24 college-aged (18 to 22) and 25 middle-aged (35 to 50) men follow the same weightlifting routine for eight weeks.

 

Researchers then analyzed everyone's body composition and found that the middle-aged men had gained just as much muscle as their college-aged counterparts had. Strength gains were very similar as well.

 

In my experience, this is equally true for women. Middle age isn't a physiological strikeout, even when compared to your 20s. You can do just fine.

 

People in their 60s and beyond aren't left out of the party, either. Studies show that they too can gain significant amounts of muscle and strength, and more importantly, that training and developing their muscles is a great way to fight the "dwindling health spiral" normally associated with aging.

 

Furthermore, despite what you've probably heard, your metabolism doesn't crater and your hormones don't implode as you get older.

 

Research shows that the average adult's metabolism slows by just 1 to 3 percent per decade and that the primary reason for this is muscle loss, not genetic programming.

 

Therefore, if you maintain your muscle as you age, you maintain your metabolism. And if you add muscle to your frame, you can increase it.

And as far as hormones go, it was once believed that the hormonal disturbance associated with aging was inevitable. We now know this isn't true. Research shows that lifestyle factors are equally causative of hormonal changes as aging itself, if not more so.

 

For example, here's a short list of the biggest lifestyle factors that can make your hormones a bit screwy:

 

Weight gain

Stopping exercise

Chronic illness ( Which can be fixed as well. I have many clients who had long term auto immune diseases that now have been cleared by doctors, friends with stage 4 cancers that had "miraculous" recoveries!)

Use of medications

Sleeping too little

Moderate alcohol consumption

 

These are all under your control. Your hormone health truly is in your hands.

For example, studies show that there are plenty of ways to naturally improve your hormone profile, including staying lean, doing regular resistance training, and maintaining good sleep hygiene.

 

You'll also be happy to know you don't need stellar hormone levels to get fit. If you're willing to work hard, you can have below-average hormones and a far-above-average physique.

 

All that said, there are several key differences between college-aged and middle-aged bodies that make fitness a little harder as you get older.

So, then if the research says you can STILL be competitive and have a bomb ass body in your mid 30's and beyond, what should you be aware of?

Research shows that after about age 50, your muscles recover slower from exercise and that you begin to lose muscle over time (only if you don't do anything to stop it of course).

 

Your tendons and ligaments also become stiffer and recover slower, which can increase the risk of injury, so programming mobility work (WHICH IS NOT JUST STRECTHING!!!!) is critical.

 

Overall, though, the science is clear: you can START training and stay in remarkably good shape well into old age if you stay active and take care of your body, and that's just as true for men as it is for women.

 

So what's my point?

 

Do NOT use age as an excuse. Do not use it as an excuse for why you can't get in shape and don't use it as an excuse on why you shouldn't go after your long held dreams.

 

Because the reality is it is just that: AN EXCUSE.

 

I have had clients START bodybuilding and compete in bikini in their late 30's and early 40's.

I have trained athletes in their 30's, that had no history of training, to the top of the sport in Obstacle Course Racing.

 

It isn't too late to start over. It isn't too late to go for your dreams.

 

So right now I am training with a "regular" athlete program and I program in aesthetic training as well.

 

The goal of strong.ER is to bridge the gap between aesthetics and performance. Where not only myself, but my clients, can go from the stage to the OCR battle field easily and effortlessly.

 

Where women, and men, can chase down all their dreams. Where the perky booty and smokin' abs are only matched by their strength & stamina.

And yes, if you are in your 30's and have spent most of your life in a caloric deficit, either knowingly or otherwise, there may be a period of time we have to look at repairing your metabolism. And that length of time can be different for everyone.

 

But the reality is you don't have to turn yourself out to pasture in your mid 30's because you are over the hill.

 

1:1 custom programs available now for the badasses that are ready to bridge the gap between the rockin' BOD of their dreams and the podium wins! Places are only available for those committed to their goals.

 

THIS IS FOR GO-GETTERS CRAVING A BADASS ASS, WASHBOARD ABS & STRENGTH THAT WILL CRUSH THE COMPETITION IN OCR'S & CROSSFIT.

 

Really, this is for the high achievers that want it all and won't stop, can't stop, until they have it all.

 

The rebels who dare enter will have the most transformative experience of their lives.

 

xoAE