As you know, I write a great deal of material for fitness magazines like Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Exercise for Men, and others. In over a decade of writing for such "rags," I am chagrined that their pages speak (almost) exclusively to the 35-and-under crowd, with little content relaying the scientific and physiological discoveries pertaining to more mature men. I am currently working on my first book, "The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick," with a dear friend of mine, New York Times bestselling non-fiction author, Gene Stone, who happens to be over 40. In our discussions about fitness over 40, I discovered the dearth of information on weightlifting and the forty-plus man. I want to ameliorate that here, so I turned to a colleague, Dave Draper, who is a 40-plus professional bodybuilder, and together we formulated this sample of FAQ's… fitness and the man over 40.
Q. Is it true that men over 40 lose the ability to pack on mass? I want to get bigger. Can I?
A. Two truths should be revisited and underscored at this point: we all age, and as we do, our bodies respond to exercise less efficiently. A third truth can be added: 40 to 50 are still very good years for growth. Our smaller muscle groups -- rear delts, calves, obliques and the like -- that have not been overtrained in the previous 40 years still hold tremendous potential for growth. At the end of the day, everyone is different, and genetics will play an integral role in your ability to add mass. The most important thing: the over 40 lifter must be careful not to be dominated or...
