Having just lamented my lack of hypertrophic progress over the years, I dug in and did some research to find likely causes for the stall. What I found has given me new perspective on the matter, and while I’m still disappointed, the edge of my angst has been dulled.
The average adult male begins to lose lean muscle mass at a rate of 3-5% per decade starting at age 30. This decline continues until we reach the clearing at the end of the path as a smaller, weaker, more shriveled version of the man we once were. Obviously I don’t know how much lean muscle I had in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, but I do know how much I had roughly 5 years ago, and it’s the same amount I have today.
An additional consideration is that I shed 30 lbs of body weight over that time period. To do that, i.e. to lose weight, one must eat at a caloric deficit. This forces the body to use some of the stored energy it has in the adipose tissue to make up the difference, making us leaner and probably a little meaner. However all of the weight less is not fat, as much as we’d like it to be. There is also some loss of lean muscle, which is why slow, steady weight loss is preferable to anything drastic which will only increase the ratio of muscle to fat that is being lost.
In summary, I have not only not lost muscle as I’ve aged another half decade, but I didn’t lose any muscle from my fat loss process either. I’ve essentially stopped biology from taking its toll on my body by lifting heavy things and eating like a thoughtful, intelligent person who has a clue.
I will never be as jacked and tan as I want to be, but my lean, strong healthy body that is still capable of squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting is a testament to the power of strength training.
Lift heavy things & screw biology.
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