A 50-year-old man can get ripped, shredded, jacked, or whatever other adjective you want to use to describe yourself.
I’ve worked with dozens of men in their 50s who’ve been able to not only put muscle on but also get leaner.
They’ve been able to build a bigger chest, larger and more defined quads, and also increase the size of their biceps and traps.
Key Points For Getting Shredded and/or Gaining Muscle
- Eat one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day.
- Eat the recommended amount of leafy greens per day.
- Minimize processed food and alcohol
- For each muscle group that you want to grow in size and definition, you must do between 15-20 sets to a relatively challenging rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Read this article if you don’t know what RPE, is.
- Walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes a day (ideally, an hour or longer if possible)
- Do this for 6 months.
If you do those three things above, in 6 months you will notice a huge difference in your body composition.
You’ll likely start to see some changes around the 6-week mark but they will be less apparent.
In three months you will also see some changes but in my experience working with clients, 6 months and then a year is when you really see some changes.
If you stay consistent for two years you’ll have completely changed your body.
In the remainder of this article, I’ll discuss each of the important points of body recomposition.
Why Is So Much Protein Needed To Build Muscle?
There have now been numerous studies done on how much protein is the optimal amount to build muscle. It’s pretty clear that the amount needed is 0.8 g/ lb up to 1g/ lb and beyond. There are some recommendations even going up to 1.5 g depending on the person. Competitive bodybuilders will need much more protein than a normal person.
Protein is the building block of muscles. As you train and strain the muscles, this tension causes micro tears on the muscle. This is one of the many signaling mechanisms to the body that stronger muscles are needed and more protein is needed to build the larger muscles to withstand more force.
How many sets of exercise do I need to do to build the maximum amount of muscle?
20 sets per muscle group per week seems to be the most optimal amount of volume for growing muscle.
This was recently shown in an article I read in stronger by science, where they reviewed several articles related to muscle growth.
You will still gain muscle by lifting less than this, particularly if you are new to lifting, however as you get more advanced, increased volume is required to increase muscle size and strength.
Why is walking important in getting ripped?
Walking at a brisk pace is good for the cardiovascular system and will reduce your risk of all cause mortality but it will also burn more calories. If you are staying more physically active by walking throughout the day, this will help to balance your caloric expenditure and intake.
The American Academy of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends adults of all ages get 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise five times per week. This is the minimum recommendation.
If you want to be in the 1% of health getting between 10,000 to 16,000 steps per day should be your goal.
I’ll write another article on how to manage a day that seems too busy to work out at another time.
Why does it take so long to build muscle?
Muscle is being built on a microscopic level. When you work out and more protein is deposited to the muscle fibers, this takes time to really build.
Some people who are missing a myostatin gene gain muscle at a much faster rate and it is true that some people just gain muscle much easier than others, but overall, for most people, it takes a while to really gain a serious amount of muscle and to “get ripped.”
Is it easier to maintain fitness than build it?
It is vastly easier maintain a physique once you’ve built it than to build it.
Where it will take two to three times a week in the gym and potentially even more to build a shredded body, it likely will only take once a week to maintain it as you aren’t trying to gain (which requires more volume).
So, if you can put the hard work in for a couple years, it’s actually pretty easy to coast and not have to work quite as hard.
It’s like learning any new skill; it’s very difficult in the beginning and then it gets more comfortable as you get better at it. Sure, if you want to continue to improve it’s going to continue to be difficult, but at that point hopefully you enjoy what you’re doing!
In any case, good luck with your gainz and if you want some help putting together a program and making sure it’s optimized, just shoot us a text.
