25+ Veeky Forumsness

26 here, just gotta get in the right mind set, I really enjoyed lifting in college and cut back going to the gym the past few years. But after a 4 year relationship ended I've been hitting the gym hard and in and in the best shape I've ever been in. Breakup gains ftw

Forgot picture

You fucking pussy!

I didnt even hit my best shape / strength until I turned 31!

I just turned 30. Been training for 7 years.
There are lulls and peaks in motivation.
I haven't noticed any difference in recovery, but that is probably because I was a fat piece of shit smoker most of my teen and early 20s life, and had the athletic abilities and recovery of a 50 year old. Maybe I'd feel differently if I was a school athlete.

I have a very active job now which helps a lot.
I honestly think a lot of what people put down to "aging" is actually down to being less active as the years go by and the effects that has on muscle and joints.

Wearing sunglasses when you drive/ride is the quickest way to stop this in its tracks. You're unconscious of how much you squint when out in the sun.

I'm 33 going on 34 and doing keto + fasting and I'm in better shape than I've been in over a decade

I fucking love those. They look like shit on women, but great on men.

Joke's on you, I only started halfway seriously past 30, ten years later it still feels great. You peaked too early.

31 here, agree with all he said.
I get fewer aches and pains now and have more energy since lifting (and my routine is pretty shit)
It's pretty sad to see fresh out of college ppl come to my work and balloon up and think it's part of aging and not realize they used to walk everywhere and didn't have the cash to eat so bad.

I’m 25 and have constant bags under my eyes like a homeless alcoholic.I Consistently get 6+ hours of sleep, and moisturize daily, and almost never drink/do drugs. I just want off this ride

>get 6+ hours of sleep,
At least 8 my dude

wtf is that elpresador lmao

Try waking up naturally for a few days
No alarm clock

Just go to bed and sleep all the hours your body needs

25 in 2 Months but nevertheless: I second that mindset is everything. During times without problems, you just perform better.
I'm currently facing some family hardships which did have it's impact. Practically reduced my training weight while attempting to raise the number of repetitions, but even that kinda fails.

25 and i want to kill myself, not gym related though i just have no job and am a loser

Likewise. 28 in July.

I think late 20s-early 30s it's the best time period for you to decide EXACTLY what you want from life

You're still young but you are no longer a kid, and you're mature enough to understand how the world actually works
These days, your early 20s are just an extension of your teen years. You are just a naive kid.

watch "bug sports" on youtube

I just turned 27 and over the past month I've been a little low-energy when it comes to hitting the gym, but I think I'm just generally a little depressed in January-February.

>lifting through depression
anyone do this?

I'm 28 and I still don't know what I want to do with my life long term. I'm currently working as a guy who shows potential buyers around houses for an estate agency. It's a pretty comfy job but it doesn't pay all that fantastically.

saved my life. Well that and therapy, but lifting helps a fuckton

sounds like a good idea to me, lifts are always better with emotional fuel in the tank.

27 as well here
I actually feel like I have more energy going to the gym now and I can't wait for each session. Recovery is no problem either. Don't know what you're talking about

I do feel more alienated from my peers than ever before though.
>drifted apart from all of my childhood friends
>older people seem to constantly complain about their shitty lives while unironically asking why I haven't gone down the same path as them
>rest in their early 20s or younger oftentimes strike me as absurdly immature and naive

24, and I think im way past my due date. Weight loss probably won't gonna change that.

34, feel great, just finished a cycle, look better than I ever have in my life, graduate school for my FNP starts in a few months, just got a new house, have a beautiful wife who is more successful than I am.

Parents are old and disabled and I had to move them into our house and it's causing all sorts of strife.

Mixed bag bros.

It doesn't really matter, so long as you're content with your existence. If you want more out of life, work towards it. there's no point in pressuring yourself into a career unless you want it for yourself.

27 here.
Didn't start working on my body until about 25-26. I enjoy it though and seeing my body change has be wonderful.

I could work out at home but the gym is full of Cardio bunnies so that's always a plus.

Son, I'm 38 and I feel like i am in the best general shape of my life. But you are right, there are some age related changes, and here's how I combat them:

#1. Volume over intensity. I do strongman training, so let's take the super yoke as an example. I can plod along with 500+ on my back for 100 foot runs maybe once a week. If I do more than that then I start to really fry my CNS. On the other hand, I can do 300-350ish for 200 foot runs pretty much every day. Ditto for squats, etc. The 1-3RM is pretty much dead to me. When I was younger, I did Hepburn power and pump. Now I periodize between 5RM and 8-12 RM style.

#2. Dynamic over static events. I suppose this is where "old man strength" comes from, and part of it is that I do have to do a shitload of yardwork so I like training with sandbag carries, farmer's walks, etc. It's my hunch that as you grow older, you need to work all those stabilizers and keep working proprioceptive elements like fascia and tendons and shit over their full range of motion.

#3. You have to be kind to your tendons. People make a big deal about joints as you get old, but your tendons become tougher and less elastic over time. I ruptured a distal biceps tendon flipping a 650lb tire. It heals SLOWLY. I will usually put in some sort of 30-50 rep movement (like axle curls/reverse curls) to play with trouble tendons. Yoke and farmer's walks are hard on the achilles, so I like to do things like pause SSB/full zerchers with a long pause to give the achilles time to stretch a little. For active recovery I do a lot of cross fiber stimulation, as well as scraping (westerners call it Graston, asians call it gua sha,but it's the same thing). I probably spend 3-4 hours a week just doing some sort of soft tissue work. PS. A random orbital buffer with the wool chamois cover is god tier for active release.

#4. Sleep is key. DO NOT SKIMP OUT ON SLEEP.

>abnormal pains

I'm 42 and I just want to lose some weight. I'm 5'11", 194lb and I want to get down to 170. I do cardio on the rowing machine and elliptical a few times a week, and I count calories to ensure a meaningful deficit.

My biggest challenge is not lack of motivation or temptation, it is my body failing me. I know I will get stronger and that will help, but right now it seems like I wake up with a new pain every day. I have to watch how I position my arms when I sleep, or else my shoulder will throb the next day. It's not stopping me, but I live with the fear that I could injure myself too easily. It makes me afraid to lift anything that could hurt my back.

26 here, have a few odd wear and tear pains from a physical job, but still have more than enough energy and motivation to stick to my lifting schedule. Been seriously training since 22 (did highschool meme shit before, bench+curls) and I still feel like I'm progressing exponentially

Mentally and emotionally, I'm a lot better off than in my early 20's. Took me a while to figure out how things work and what I need to do with my life, but I'm on the right track now.

Godspeed aging anons, we're all gonna make it, together

Sounds like a severe lack of mobility. You should seriously give a shot to something like yoga and I'm not even joking.

No one should feel old in their 20s unless they had some bad injury. If you do you probably just need to lose weight or do cardio

im 28 and i have no fucking clue what to do

MY NIGGA

(cont).

#5. Anything that one can do to reduce cortisol levels is key. From a supplement stack perspective, I take vitamin D, fish/krill oil, curcumin, rhodiola root, ashagandha, and holy basil. SInce I've got some blood sugar issues, I also stack it with milk thistle, berberine, c3g, and bitter melon, but I don't know if this will matter for people with normal a1c. However, for the anti-inflammatory/cortisol reduction stack, it seems to work pretty well.

#6. as you get older, bone spurs grow, bursae dry out, etc. Overhead pressing wasn't a problem for me, but now, I need to take extra care to shrug to release my acromion, or better yet do neutral grip stuff. Pretty much all of my work, unless it's an axle clean and press, is neutral grip (log, swiss bar, cambered swiss bar, ring pull ups and dips). I just accept this is part of the changes.

#7 and finally, I prioritize any movement that braces the abdominals over any other body part. Things like hands free SSB, Zercher squats/deadlifts/full zerchers/good mornings, yoke and farmers walk and sandbag carries, etc. It is my experience that in my 20s and early 30s I would overcompensate for mediocre ab strength with hyperextension/locking of the lats. Now it's a constant battle to keep the abs trained and engaged. Even if that means my leg development is slower, I'd rather not fold under pressure.

Other than that - enjoy getting old, it beats the alternative.

Definitely feeling you on lower reps fucking you up. I'm trying to figure out how to program with higher reps. Currently I'm doing 8/5/3 variation of 5/3/1 and doing 3 working sets instead of one maximal set, then doing a set to near failure as my last set without fucking my form.

Neck strains with OHP have been hampering me for months, gotta figure something out. Tried so hard to hit 225 on ohp bet not sure if it's going to happen. Feels bad and old bros.

I'm 27 and in the best shape of my life. Fiance and I split about a year ago and I funneled all of my anger and sadness into lifting. I look great and am getting more attention than ever from the career women that waited to settle down. The only concern is my hairline is slightly receding.

Athletes hit their prime at 26-29 you retards.

I'm 28 and completely fucking crushing it career wise and living my dream but I'm a little bitch at the gym and probably will always be a skinny babby

lel, i feel you. i have a five head and my worry lines are starting to stick around. i also have a wrinkle around the edge of my mouth that i know is going to get deeper over the next decade or so.

c'est la vie i suppose

But those athletes started as 8-12 year olds.

I'm 24.
Missed out on prime virgin pussy (11-13yo) and now it's pretty much fucking over. Just passing time until I die.

I'm 28 and I'm stronger now than I was 10 years ago. Don't give up. It's never too late to get strong and healthy.

Are you chuck the freak from WRIF?

>excuses
NGMI

27, starting lifting and dieting properly, never felt better

>not peaking at 30
30 is the new 25 my friend

Holy shit man. Are you legit scared of women?

Wrong faggot, I started losing weight when I was 24 and I've dropped 40 pounds in 8 months. Started lifting and running after losing about half the weight and I've never felt better. Still have a ways to go to reach my goal but I'm definitely going to make it. You just have to start now man.

30, feel fine. Only difference is I have to pay attention to my diet a bit more than I did a decade ago.

What's the average age of Veeky Forums anyway?
23, don't know where I belong

what's my age again takes on a whole new meaning when you hit mid-20's

I'm 30 and never been in better shape.

mah nigga

27. I can't run like I used to - knees and ankles get sore if I try to put in too many miles per week, but lifts are all good, and I've never been more aesthetic.

I'm 25, I'm much fitter and healthier than at 20-23 when i was a lazy overweight shit.

All you guys are making excuses, your health recovery doesn't start going down until at least 30

Well, you're a fat slob. You spent 5 years eating like a prick now you want to get back into the swing of things in 5 days. You fat fucks are disgusting.

>I Consistently get 6+ hours of sleep
Thats the problem. You need 8. I still need 8 hours 30 mins at 25. It's just me, I need a lot of sleep. It's random, some people are lucky enough to only need 4 hours of sleep like Margaret Thatcher.

People don't really become adults until their mid 20s.

I'm 22 and the idea that you start deteriorating at 25 but you still have at least 50 years to go scares the shit out of me.

You don't.

There's so many bullshit myths around ageing. I once heard that you can't make new muscle after 30.

It isn't really until 35 that you'll start noticing a slow down.

damn looking good. Stats?

26 years old, didn't take working out seriously until recently. i feel like i have more energy since i eat plenty and im not winded after doing things.

>Currently 27, almost 28
>In last semester of my B.Ed, 6 years on
>Been going to the gym for 3 years
>Never felt better
>Some of the grade 1 students asked me if I am a gymnast

I used to be 100kg+, and had no motivation. If I didn't work out, I'd have no motivation to work around kids. I need the energy I get from the gym to be focused on 26 students in grades 5/6.

Going can be hard, and there are days where I do not want to go. Are you doing ANYTHING with your gains? Seriously, you need one of two things: [1] To put those gains to use in the form of a hobby such as rowing, rock climbing, or hockey, or [2] You need some good friends to lift with. Consistently. It can be hard to have the motivation to go. If you are not moving forward, and doing anything new, you're regressing.

>Deterioration
Not so much

>Slower recovery
Yes, but only on some lifts. Slower, yes, but not stopped.

>Abnormal pains
None I'm aware of. What are you getting?

>That post gym nap
Am i the only one?

its never too late. Your life will improve so much its worth every effort. Start counting your calories. Eat less of them. Eat better. I still eat a fuck ton but its all homemade stuff.

try doing something new like a new excercise or increasing weight or try lot of reps fast. Usually keep me entertained for a month or two.

43, and I took the last four years off of lifting. I've started up again with a rowing machine and the r/BW routine with rings, and may transition back to barbell after I lose the excess weight (down 20 pounds so far, 20 more to go).

It's rough going getting old, but on the whole the exercise makes me feel a lot better. I'm also starting to get mires from younger chicks, so that helps, too. But, yeah, the DOMS lasts longer and it's harder to wake up and get going in the morning. It isn't futile, though. It's a lot rougher being a sedentary 43-year-old than an active one.

It was like hitting a wall after I turned 38. I don't know what happened; age, I suppose. Before that I basically didn't need sleep, didn't care what I ate, and just lifted regularly and heavily. I looked great and was jacked. Then, as suddenly as a door slamming, everything got harder and I gave up.

I probably should've just started getting more sleep and eating better. Well, live and learn. My advice, if you're asking, is when you really start to feel the weight of age, is to sleep more and eat better. I doubt anyone can pull a 1000 lb. deadlift at 65, but you can make the decline a lot easier and slower by simply taking care of yourself.

This tbqh, altough cutting might be a little too taxing, I've never looked as good as right now

Taxing in the way of
>slower deficit = cut takes fucking forever
>huge deficit = feel shitty all day and lose strength quickly and cannot perform good at muay thai
>reeeeeeeeeee

pic is like 3 years ago

I'm 31 and have been lifting from 19-20 and 29-ongoing. Have a home gym. Feel a lot better than before, in the course of lifting I quit cigarettes and started eating my vegetables.

6pl DL but doesn't look like it in shirt

You're a fucking faggot who probably needs to get his nutrition in order.

t. 30 year old rollerblading man child who's still learning new x-stream tricks

Recently I read an user posting this phrase, which I liked very much:
>The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The second best time is now.

Yeah, it was always best to start doing what you want the sooner you can, but most of us didn't. Now, you may go through life as an useless sack of potatoes or you may start doing whatever you want right fucking now, the choice is always yours.
I'm 29 years old and while I regret not taking control of my life more than a decade sooner, I'm fucking great right now, it beats never moving your ass.

26 here, I feel just healthy as I did in my early 20s. Definitively stronger but less agile since I played college ball

27 here, best shape of my life. Wish I would've started earlier though.

>tfw 26 and probably biggest loser on this entire board
>honestly, at this point, probably afraid to actively work to improve my life because i've been a loser for so long that i can't even comprehend how i would handle even a somewhat "normal" life, and think that i would probably feel even worse about myself if i put in all this work to improve and still remain a completely worthless loser because of my entire life to this point not developing any social skills

im sorry fit i have let you down

Start taking 10000 iu vitamin D a day.

Speak for yourself. 27 and I feel better than ever. Maybe if you had spent your early 20s trying to figure your shit out, you'd have a somewhat of a routine going

Oh please. If you feel like that at 27, which is still a man's prime, you need to check your health.

Eat cleaner, get more sun, get tested for low test. You should not be like that at that age.

Until you get into the legit senior years (or are striving to be a 1% elite athlete), age is mostly your body getting tired of putting up with bullshit. Your fatigue is probably because of some bad habit, or habits.

Second this

26..

I've been lifting since 21 and my bodies falling apart from work and not taking care of my body as a kid.

Fucking sucks.

30 here been training since I was 26.
Don't ever think it's too late. Like that other guy said its about mindset.

I'm 32 almost 33 and doing just fine. I look forward to the pain. I embrace the pain.

I'm kind of stuck now trying to balance running with lifting, if I gain too much weight my runs suffer a ton and if I lose too much my lifts stall.

I'm 165lbs and stuck at 1.5/2.5/3.5/5 and a 17:30 5k, if I bulk my 5k gets up to like 20 mins+ and when cutting my lifts go down to a 1/2/3/4.

I just wanna bench 315 while being 165lbs still.

I'm 24 and in the best shape of my life. I know that's not 25 but I know people IRL that act like the decline starts at 22. Just keep at it and try harder, age is a mentality to a certain extent.

I'm 30 and in the best shape of my fucking life.

It's also fun at the gym because all the 22 year old cardio bunnies look at me, and then look at the soyboys they're dating (who are also on ellipticals), and then look back at me...

Only problem is I might have a rotator cuff injury...

>Anyone here past 25? feel like you're over the hill already? I'm 27 and going to the gym is such a drag when before it used to be fun. now it feels like i'm at war. Anyone notice deterioration? slower recovery?abnormal pains?

Welcome to the rest of your life, man.

It ain't any better at 46.

>It's also fun at the gym because all the 22 year old cardio bunnies look at me, and then look at the soyboys they're dating (who are also on ellipticals), and then look back at me...

this delusion

>feel like you're over the hill already?
Seriously? Get a blood test, maybe you have a vitamin deficiency or mild anemia or something like that.