Is it possible to build muscle at 55

The best way to train so that you can build muscle, Clark advises, is to make sure you target every muscle group from head to toe in each workout, but take one day off in between each strength-training session. This gives your muscles time to recover and rebuild , and it also ensures that the workout schedule is not so intense that you will get discouraged and give up.

If you are concerned about being too inactive on your off days, do something more moderate like taking a long walk, swimming, dancing, bicycling for pleasure rather than speed, or playing with children or pets.

There are about as many ways to start a bodybuilding program as there are different types of bodies. The best way to start building muscle after 50 is to set small, attainable goals. You will not be competition-ready in 30 days, and setting goals of losing inches in your waist or gaining them in your biceps are not always easy to attain with any predictability. Feeling that workouts are too hard is the main reason most beginners quit, according to Tim Henriques, owner of the National Personal Training Institute of Virginia.

Henriques recommends that your beginner workout should include all of the following, in this order:. The most important fuel you can provide to your body when you are trying to build muscle is protein. Proteins are found in meat products such as meats, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy. You can also get it from plant sources such as legumes, nuts, spinach and kale. And you can combine foods to get a full complement of amino acids, such as when you eat beans and rice together.

The protein found in animal products is considered a complete protein because it contains the entire set of 10 amino acids that your body needs to process protein efficiently. The amino acids in proteins are sort of like molecular Legos.

They come in an almost endless variety of shapes and sizes; they can be put together, taken apart and reconfigured to suit whatever need your body has for them. While nutritional supplements are very popular among bodybuilders, certified sports dietitian at the University of California - San Diego Suzanne Smith explains that a diet based around lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables should be enough to fuel you as you build muscle. Smith goes on to say that while certain supplements, such as creatine can boost performance in high-intensity bursts of training, a healthy diet is the best place to start.

Read more: 20 Best Muscle Building Foods. There are many different elements that all need to come together to form a successful bodybuilding program, especially if you are over 50 years old. The main part of the program, of course, is designing a workout schedule that fits in with your daily life and also ensures that you can reach your fitness goals, whether they are for competition reasons, to achieve your preferred physical aesthetic or to become stronger to more easily accomplish daily tasks.

Nutrition is the second part of the equation. While it may seem like a good idea to rely on protein powders and supplements , keep in mind that a fresh, homemade diet is best because it allows you total control over the amount of fat, sodium and sugar in your diet.

Lives get busy and the unexpected often occurs, so keeping portion-controlled, ready-to-eat meals in the freezer is an excellent way to make sure you will not be tempted to reach for a doughnut or head for the drive-thru. The factor that most people overlook is the need for enough sleep.

We tend to need less sleep as we age, but this can actually thwart your goal of building muscle. According to the experts at the International Sports Sciences Association , while you are sleeping, glucose is stored in your muscle tissue as glycogen. This is necessary to fuel the human growth hormone, or HGH, which repairs and builds muscles when your body is at rest. Additionally, improving muscle mass directly influences aerobic capacity. Movement is medicine, so get moving!

Ready to get your strength training routine started? Aaptiv has workouts you can do at any fitness level. Starting to think about packing your hospital bag? There are actually many parallels to your race day bag! Welcome to the guidebook to your healthiest life. Aaptiv delivers the highest quality fitness and health information from personal trainers and industry experts.

Subscribe now for a weekly dose of inspiration and education. Written by Julia Dellitt. Why does muscle mass decline with age? Is it possible to regain muscle mass after age 50? How can you build muscle mass as you age? Wednesday—Training: four to five sets, six to 12 reps each of sit-ups as many as possible , barbell bench press, lat pulldowns, seated rows, bicep curls, followed by stretching and cool-down.

Friday—Training: four to five sets, six to 12 reps each of push-ups and pull-ups as many as possible , lateral dumbbell raises, leg presses, medicine ball twists, followed by stretching and cool down. What should I eat to build muscle mass? Health Older Adult Fitness. Subscribe Welcome to the guidebook to your healthiest life. I would like to receive weekly fitness articles and inspiration from Aaptiv Magazine. However, this isn't a foregone conclusion -- addressing your training and diet can increase testosterone levels.

Another consideration is the potential for injury. As you age, joints can get stiffer and muscles weaker, meaning there may be some exercises or movements you can't do, and others that you have to build up to very gradually. Weight training is the No. Fifty-five-year-old novice lifters will do best following a full-body workout performed two to three times per week, says Caleb Lee of strength-training website Critical Bench.

Full-body workouts are better for increasing testosterone and growth hormone production than split workouts, where you exercise one muscle group one day and another the next day. Full-body workouts also stimulate your metabolism more than split workouts do.

Focus on compound exercises such as squats, dead lifts, bench presses and rows. Pick four exercises per session that work your whole body, and do five sets of eight to 10 reps on each. Use a weight that is challenging but allows you to complete all sets with perfect form. Start light, and gradually increase your weights and reps week after week.

Just behind training comes nutrition.