Turning 40 years old seems like a long distance for some of us. Away as we enjoy our 20s and 30s without care. However, every year we creep up to an age where we won’t be able to recover as quickly as we could in our early 20s. Our natural testosterone levels start to drop. The gains in muscle mass seem to slow despite doing everything right inside and outside the gym.
No fear, however! Although we can’t completely stop the aging process. We can take many measures and precautions to ensure an optimal hormonal environment for the best muscle mass gains yet to be achieved. Note that the following suggestions are for entertainment & educational purposes only and are not meant to substitute the advice of a licensed physician. Consult with your healthcare practitioner before starting any new exercise regimen. Take prescription medication under the care of your physician.
Next, exercising and eating healthy it's the best thing you can do for yourself. As you age, desirable hormone levels often start decreasing, and undesirable hormone levels often start increasing. It's nature's way of giving you the finger. Primary among these diminishing hormones is, of course, testosterone.
Must Read: Maintaining the Proper Testosterone Levels in Men
Not only will it help you look and feel younger, but low testosterone has been implicated in heart disease. A meta-study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association looked at over 100 testosterone studies and reported that low testosterone was associated with a host of possible conditions:
Get your testosterone levels measured
Ask for both "total" testosterone and "free" testosterone. While the numbers may indicate a "normal" level, you can ignore it and use it as a baseline. We're more interested in symptoms of low testosterone.
Signs that your hormonal low fuel light is flashing include an inexplicable rise in body fat and loss of muscle tone. An inability to make progress in your workouts, a faltering or non-existent erection, Difficulty in concentrating or a waning memory, depression, a lack of "appropriate aggressiveness", and premature codgerdom in general.
If you exhibit any symptoms, consider testosterone replacement injections, which are the creme de la creme of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). 100 milligrams a week is sufficient for most men. Here's a complete guide to TRT.
Subcutaneous shots have recently proven to be more efficacious than intramuscular injections because there is less aromatization and muscle scarring.
As you get older, more and more testosterone converts to estrogen. Once estrogen levels rise unchecked, the risk of degenerative disease skyrockets. Atherosclerosis rates go up. The incidence of stroke increases. The risk of developing Type II diabetes goes up. Emotional disturbances become more prevalent. The risk of prostate cancer increases. It doesn't stop there. Erectile function suffers. Waistlines grow thicker.
Must Read: Estrogen Dominance: The Effects of Estrogen on Body Composition
It becomes harder to put on muscle. And most seriously, high estrogen significantly increases the risk of flat-out dying. When researchers monitored the estrogen levels of 501 men with chronic heart failure. Men with estradiol (the most "potent" form of estrogen) in the normal range (between 21.80 pg/ml and 30.11 pg/ml) had the fewest deaths during three years. Men with the highest levels (above 37.99) had 133 percent more deaths during the same period.
However, the men with the lowest estrogen levels (below 12.90) fared the worst as they experienced 317% more deaths. Estrogen levels play a big part in the health of your ticker, in addition to the health of many body parts, body systems, and body functions.
These include:
This framework should give you more than enough to work within maintaining the best health into your 40s, 50s, and even your 60s as you continue pumping iron. While we can’t stop the aging process. Following the steps above will help you reach a muscular physique and levels of strength beyond anything you’ve achieved in your 20s. The best gains are yet to come!
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