Perfect Age for Bodybuilding

While athletes of virtually all ages exist, you can train your body more easily at certain stages of your life. Bodybuilders require a high muscle mass and low body-fat percentage to be competitive. The hormone testosterone influences body composition and athletic performance involving explosive power and speed. Testosterone levels vary with age, and estimating the most advantageous times for bodybuilding involves determining when peak levels occur. However, factors other than age can influence successful bodybuilding, such as competitiveness and work ethic.

Testosterone Levels in Adults
Testosterone plays an important role in building muscle mass and lowering adipose tissue content in the human body. It exists in the blood as free testosterone, which is biologically active, and bound testosterone, which serves as a “reserve.” Together, these two values constitute serum testosterone. In men, serum testosterone levels remain about constant throughout adulthood. However, according to a study published in “Human Biology,” free testosterone levels decline steadily after age 20, suggesting that the age when you benefit most from free testosterone levels is around 20.

Testosterone Levels in Children and Adolescents
Serum testosterone levels increase with each Tanner stage of development, with maximum testosterone levels reached upon adulthood. Scientists commonly use Tanner stages, based on the development of sex-specific traits, to describe the progression of puberty. There are five Tanner stages, with stage 1 describing preadolescent development and stage 5 representing development close to that of an adult. At Tanner stage 2, or the onset of puberty, serum testosterone levels begin to increase, and at stage 3, testosterone levels are near half the levels of an adult. At stages 4 and 5, levels are approximately 80 percent of adult values. Testosterone-related advantages in bodybuilding are likely to become more apparent as you approach adulthood.

Resistance Training for Children and Adolescents
While testosterone’s effects may be most evident around age 20, you may be interested in starting bodybuilding at an earlier age. One reason could be to gain an advantage over competitors in your age group. In preadolescents, or those in Tanner stage 1, strength gains are usually due to the body making better use of its nervous system as opposed to increasing the size of its muscles. In adolescents, or those in Tanner stages 2 through 5, as well as in adults, resistance training causes increases in muscle size along with neural adaptations. The earliest age where you can expect to see gains in muscle size from resistance training is at the age of adolescence, which is defined by the World Health Organization as about age 10. The current position of the National Strength and Conditioning Association is that “a properly designed and supervised resistance training program is relatively safe for youth.” However, always consult your physician before starting a new exercise program or for any treatment, diagnostic and medical concerns.

Age of Champion Bodybuilders
Testosterone levels throughout the lifespan can theoretically predict the age most advantageous for bodybuilding, but numerous other influences can contribute to success. Having free time to work out, financial resources to afford a gym membership and maturity and work ethic are some important factors that may be influenced by age. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a well-known bodybuilder, began weightlifting around age 15 and won Mr. Olympia at age 23, becoming the youngest bodybuilder ever to win the competition. He continued to win Mr. Olympia for the next five years. On the other end of the spectrum, Chris Dickerson was the oldest person to win the Mr. Olympia competition at age 43. The average age of Mr. Olympia winners is about 34, showing that there is a wide age range where competitive bodybuilding is possible.

What is the Right Age to Start Using Steroids

At what age should you be, before you consider using steroids? This question is not as easily answered as you may think it is. You cannot randomly just pick an age and say that this is the point at which you can now start to consider using anabolic steroids.

    Between the ages of 12 and 26 a male's hormone levels are on a steady rise until the age of 26. This is when these levels slowly start to decline until they are almost nonexistent by the ripe old age of 40.

    When puberty starts in males at the age of 12 there is a huge flux in hormonal patterns in the body, which cause the growth of male characteristics, . These hormone levels increase by themselves so much that they can be compared to that of a mild steroid cycle. Therefore trying to add to what the body is doing on its own by adding in exogenous (outside) Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) is very counter productive.

    Whenever any extra amount of anabolic steroids is added to the body, the body recognizes this extra level through a feedback loop in the human body known as the Hypothalamus. Once the Hypothalamus recognizes the increase in hormones which happens usually between 14 and 21 days, the body will shut off its own production of hormones until these levels decrease, along with increasing hormones to decrease these extra levels in the body (cortisone, estrogen). Cortisone and Estrogen are 2 hormones in the body that BBs do not need any extra. The easiest way to try to explain this without getting to complicated, is that the more anabolic steroids you put in your body, the more your body will try to lower those levels. When this happens BBs get all the side effects that are normally associated with anabolic steroids use, gynecomastia (growth of fatty tissue underneath the breasts in males), hair loss, kidney damage, liver damage, and high blood pressure, just to name a few).

    Before you consider the use of anabolic steroids you should have already reached your genetic potential. What is your genetic potential? To figure this out you should first look at the weight, height and build of other members in your family. Is this exact, no, but it is somewhere to start. If every male on both sides of your family is approximately 5'7" and weighs between 150lbs and 170lbs and they are all bald by the age of 25, then it would be a good guess that you will also fall somewhere in those ranges by the time you stop growing. Now with working out and eating correctly for 4 years lets say, you would be able to put on 15 or more pounds of muscle tissue (that would mean you now weigh 165-185 lbs.). This is what your genetic potential would be. Now if you started to use steroids at that point, 165-185 lbs you may be able to put on another 15-20 lbs (180-200lbs). If you had started using when you were 125 lbs., and gained 25lbs through the use of steroids, you would still be well short of what you could have gotten naturally (150lbs as compared to 180-200lbs), and now it will be much harder to try to gain another 30-40lbs.

    So for a starting point lets say that you need to be at least 18 years of age before you consider using steroids. Now that we have a starting point, lets look at a few other factors that should be considered. Steroids DO NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM makes up for a good diet and workout program. Most people who use anabolic steroids feel that this is the time where they can be a little more relaxed in their workouts and diet. Actually this is when they should be even more strict. So before you can think of using at the age of 18, you will need 3 more solid years of good training and eating habits. Minor changes in diet and workouts can result in great gains in mass and muscle as well as strength.

    No matter how much assistance you get from anabolic steroids, without proper nutrition and workouts you will be lucky to have any gains at all, let alone keep them after the cycle is over. The goal of using any substance, legal or not should be that after you stop using it you don't loose all of that which you have fought to get. What would be the point of spending all that money (steroids are not free) to gain that 30lbs when you will loose it after the cycle is over anyway?

    So the better question to ask instead of when can I take steroids, should be, what can I do to get all that I can out of my body without needing steroids?. In order to calculate my progress, I need to talk with my family and doctors, before I try to make a choice like that.

    We will start with the age range of 14-16; this is when your hormones are raging. Your body is in full swing of making the best steroids that you can ever get, and it does all this without you even needing to do a single thing. At this point you should start with a solid exercise plan and a basic supplement plan in addition to the regular food that you need to be eating on a regular basis.

    For workouts focus on the basic compound movements (Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts, Barbell Curls, etc.) Working out 4 days a week with at least 8 hours of sleep a night is a great start. Add to that the extra protein that you should be taking and you will definitely start seeing a difference in your body. As for supplements, at this point all I would suggest is a good Meal Replacement Shake, multi-vitamin and creatine. Any shake will work, just add 2 shakes a day to the 3 solid meals that you should already be eating. Creatine has more benefits then I could start to explain in this article, but what I can say is that it will help your strength, muscle, speed, and recovery without any negative side effects.

    By the age of 16-18 you will have had most of your growth spurts and you will be ready to change a few more things in your overall plan. You workouts can become a little more specialized as you start using different exercises. As for your nutrition program, all that I would think of adding now would be something such as extra glutamine before bed and maybe a ZMA supplement. You still don?t want to take anything that would alter what your body is doing on its own, so using ZMA and glutamine is just what you need.

    Somewhere between 18 and 21 you should be just about done growing, so what should you do differently now? Add more protein! You should be getting at the very least, your body weight in grams of protein per day! And that?s at the very least! By now you will have been working out consistently for quite a while and should know your body very well. What will work and what won?t work should be old news. There isn?t really anything new to add to what is already a great program, other than Tribulus and maybe a pre-workout supplement such as Ultimate Orange. After this point, you can start to consider the use of steroids. What about them? Are they as terrible as everyone seems to think they are? As long as they are used correctly, I don?t think so. When considering their use, I feel that orals should be used as late as possible. These are most harmful on the body and therefore should not be used for a very long time.

    Another thing to consider, other than the side effects I have already spoken of, is your sex drive. Some anabolic steroids will make your sex drive almost nonexistent and will have a big effect on your sperm count. These drugs in particular should try to be avoided. That leaves mild anabolics. Although they are the safest to use, they are expensive, illegal, and require the use of a needle. Which most first time users do not want to use.

    I told you that this is not something that should be passed off very easily; you shouldn?t have to make the mistakes that most of us make by using steroids to early in your life. If used correctly, I think they are fine, but look at what it takes in order to use them correctly. Have you been working out for 5 years straight without more the 2 weeks off every 6 weeks? Do you eat every 2-3 hours, 6 times a day without missing a meal? Do you get 8 hours of sleep every night? This is something that can have a huge effect on your body for the rest of your life, so don?t make that choice in 10 minutes. Good luck and keep growing.

Can I Start Bodybuilding in My 50's?

By the time you reach 50, your body has been losing muscle mass for at least 20 years unless you have been exercising your muscles regularly. You can arrest and even reverse the process of muscular degeneration with a regular bodybuilding routine. Although your muscles will not respond as quickly as they would have if you had begun bodybuilding in your 20s, you will almost certainly achieve results you can see in the mirror.

Health Concerns

Bodybuilding puts strain on your joints. Consequently, if you have a history of joint problems, either abandon bodybuilding or stick to weight machines instead of free weights. Holding your breath while lifting, not recommended for bodybuilders of any age, is particularly dangerous for bodybuilders with high blood pressure. To gain muscle mass, you need to eat more. However, if your calorie consumption outpaces your body's ability to build new muscle, it will store the extra calories as fat. If you are seriously overweight, concentrate on dieting first and building muscle second.

Training Routine

Take your age into account when planning your training routine. Always warm up with about 10 minutes of light calisthenics before working out. Select a weight that you can lift eight to 12 times without stopping ; if you can complete 13 repetitions, it's time to increase your weight. Perform your first set of any exercise with half your workout weight to get blood circulating through the targeted muscles. Then perform one or two more sets of the same exercise at your normal workout weight.

Rest

After 50, your body needs more time to recuperate than it did when you were younger. Even younger bodybuilders should not work out two days in a row until they reach an intermediate level of muscular development. Over-50 bodybuilders should avoid working out a particular body part more than once a week, advises "Iron Man Magazine." Get eight hours of sleep every night, and reduce your workout intensity or take a week off if you start feeling sore more than 24 hours after working out a particular body part.
Benefits

Weight training increases muscle mass, which causes your body to work harder to supply your new muscles with nutrients, according to MayoClinic.com. Your body will burn more calories 24 hours a day, even when you are at rest. Bodybuilding also reverses the loss of bone density that typically occurs with age, making it less likely that you will break a bone in a fall. Former Mr. Universe Dave Draper asserts that weight training can improve skin quality by improving blood circulation. buy bodybuilding supplies online at www.halfpricegear.com

Do People Really Die of Old Age?

A recent National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report delivered some good news about the death rate in America, which dropped to a record low of 746.2 deaths per 100,000 people. For the first time in 45 years, homicide did not make the list of the top 15 causes of death, which included heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, diabetes, and accidents.

But what about people who reached an advanced age and died peacefully (we hope) in their beds? Where is "old age" on the list of death causes?

Officially, no one dies of old age in the United States. That's according to the NCHS, which is the government agency responsible for collecting statistical information on how we die. In the NCHS’s instructions for filling out death certificates, "old age" is discouraged for use as a cause of death: "Terms such as senescence [the process of growing old], infirmity, old age, and advanced age have little value for public health or medical research." Instead, physicians are told to list the immediate cause of death and any conditions that led up to it (for example, acute kidney failure as a consequence of diabetes).

Another related phrase, death from "natural causes," means that the person died of either an internal disease process or normal wear and tear on the body. But that's only used in certain circumstances, when a doctor has reason to suspect that a death is due to something else — for example, an accident, suicide, or homicide. In those instances, the case is turned over to a medical examiner or coroner (depending on the jurisdiction) to make that determination.

Some believe that old age as a cause of death should return as an option for death certificates. A 2010 The Washington Post article points out that it's often difficult to determine which chronic condition was most important in leading to a patient's death when they're likely to have several. According to the CDC, about 88 percent of adults over age 65 have one chronic condition, and 50 percent have at least two, with the most common being hypertension, heart disease, arthritis, eye disorders, and diabetes.

But what age is "old," anyway? We're living longer than ever, with the average U.S. life expectancy now a reported 78.7 years. And perhaps as a result, what's considered "old" is defined differently by different people. A recent survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion on behalf of Home Instead Senior Care found that "Millennials" (18- to 30-year-olds) considered old age to start at 62, Gen X'ers at 71, Baby Boomers at 77, and the "Greatest Generation" (World War II-era folks) at 81.

"If someone is over 100, I wouldn't quibble with old age as a cause of death," Robert N. Anderson, NCHS chief of mortality statistics, told the Post in 2010. "But I certainly wouldn't like to see 'old age' as a cause of death in someone who is 75. Even 85 would be pushing it."

However, there is one animal that really never dies of old age — the turtle. Unlike other species, the turtle's internal organs don't deteriorate over time, which means they can live almost indefinitely until felled by disease or an accident. Here are a few examples: A tortoise (one species of turtle) named Harriet, thought to have been discovered by Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands, lived to be 176 years old. And according to the Guinness Book of World Records, a 188-year-old tortoise named Tui Malila, who had been owned by the royal family of Tonga since the 1770s, died at age 188 in 1965.

Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age

Learn about which screening tests to get, whether you need medicines to prevent diseases, and steps you can take for good health. Get the Screenings You Need

Screenings are tests that look for diseases before you have symptoms. Blood pressure checks and tests for high cholesterol are examples of screenings.

You can get some screenings, such as blood pressure readings, in your doctor's office. Others such as colonoscopy, a test for colorectal cancer, need special equipment, so you may need to go to a different office.

After a screening test, ask when you will see the results and who you should talk to about them.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

If you are between the ages of 65 and 75 and have ever been a smoker, talk to your doctor or nurse about being screened for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). AAA is a bulging in your abdominal aorta, the largest artery in your body. An AAA may burst, which can cause dangerous bleeding and death.
Colorectal Cancer

Have a screening test for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. If you have a family history of colorectal cancer, you may need to be screened earlier. Several different tests can detect this cancer. Your doctor can help you decide which is best for you.
Depression

Your emotional health is as important as your physical health. Talk to your doctor or nurse about being screened for depression especially if during the last 2 weeks:

    You have felt down, sad, or hopeless.
    You have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things.

Diabetes. Get screened for diabetes if your blood pressure is higher than 135/80 or if you take medication for high blood pressure.

Diabetes (high blood sugar) can cause problems with your heart, brain, eyes, feet, kidneys, nerves, and other body parts.
High Blood Pressure

Starting at age 18, have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. High blood pressure can cause strokes, heart attacks, kidney and eye problems, and heart failure.
High Cholesterol

If you are 35 or older, have your cholesterol checked. Have your cholesterol checked starting at age 20 if:

    You use tobacco.
    You are obese.
    You have diabetes or high blood pressure.
    You have a personal history of heart disease or blocked arteries.
    A man in your family had a heart attack before age 50 or a woman, before age 60.

HIV

Talk with your health care team about HIV screening if any of these apply to you:

    You have had unprotected sex with multiple partners.
    You have sex with men.
    You use or have used injection drugs or injection anabolic steroids.
    You exchange sex for money or drugs or have sex partners who do.
    You have or had a sex partner who is HIV-infected or injects drugs.
    You are being treated for a sexually transmitted disease.
    You had a blood transfusion between 1978 and 1985.
    You have any other concerns.

Syphilis

Ask your doctor or nurse whether you should be screened for syphilis.
Overweight and Obesity

If you are obese, talk to your doctor or nurse about seeking intensive counseling and getting help with changing your behaviors to lose weight. Overweight and obesity can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.