389 thoughts on “4 Things I Do To Maintain An Elite Physique”

1. I’ll turn 40 this year and I don’t look a day over 33.
   I used to say the same when I turned 40. lol
   Some men look much older than they should do, so the rest of us have the impression that we look younger. But no, we simply look our age.
   Truth is, after 40 the body starts to age in seriousness and you can only slow the process a little bit but never to a degree that you would look ten years younger.
   p.s. injecting testosterone is very risky business – just go out in the wild, chop some wood logs and after that screw an young hottie in your log cabin – watch your T shooting through your cabin roof.

   1. Disagree. I see men in their 40s who like like 20s.

      1. Put your 40 years old looking 20 next to any real 20 years old and ask 20 people to write on a paper who they think is the younger one.
         Come back and report.

         1. It must suck to be you.

         2. Every person I’ve spoken to, who doesn’t know my age, generally pegs me to my mid 30’s, without fail. And I’m not talking women or people being complimentary. Usually my actual age comes out when I start making “dated” cultural references and the person/people I’m talking to have no idea what I’m talking about, so I’ll explain and they’ll get the “wait, how old are you” question going. When I say 49 half of them flip their lid.
            You speak of your experience only. Some people just have good genetics and can pull of “young” better than others, and some can’t pull off “young” even at the age of 19. Physical health, fitness etc. go a long way towards helping, but a genetic “freak” can easily look in his mid to late 20’s up through the age of 40.

         3. I’m 35 and almost unanimously come out as 28 with girls, which I ask often … because I’m an arrogant fucker

         4. As you often like to tell me – show us the proof! lol

         5. The pipe in your picture makes you look a bit older.

         6. Lol

         7. And I don’t look a day older than 44 although I’m 45. lol

         8. You want me to post a picture of myself on a public forum do you?
            Are (((you))) trolling for ways to Dox me, chief?
            Some others here on this thread have seen me (or most of me) physically. Ask them.
            When I ask you to solicit proof, it’s because you’re making claims about some scientific question.

         9. you aren’t going to solicit dick picks dude.

         10. A red pill man looks younger because he keeps himself in shape, dress well, eat well and has his shit together. Even if he dont look younger, he still look good. But the normal 40 years old look like shit because he spent last 20 years eating pizzas and drinking.

         11. Same for me. Only thing that gives up my age is when I start talking about Commodore 64 🙂

         12. You look 65.
             😉

         13. And that’s exactly my point but you’ll never make a mistake between two people with a fairly large age gap unless some extreme circumstances have been in play.

         14. The question is why do you want people to think that you look young?

         15. The Commodore 64 was quite a video game playing machine. My older brother and his friends traded and copied hundreds of games for it back in the day.
             It beat the heck out of our Atari 2600, although the Nintendo was a little better game machine (but you had to buy the games) when it came out.

         16. Gonna have to disagree with you. I’ve encountered a pretty decent sample size of 40+ year olds looking 26-30-ish.

         17. Yup. I’m a year older than you and I regularly get pegged in the 26 -28 year old range.

         18. Thank you.

         19. Mine is movie references. It’s to the point now where young girls have no idea who Sean Connery is (!!) for example. So I’ll make a reference in passing to him or one of his movies and get a blank stare. Then I’ll explain who he was, etc. They’ll ask how I know and I’ll say “Because I watched some of his movies growing up” which inevitably leads to “Wait, how old are you anyway…?”
             I do tend to avoid “old person” slang when in public, like saying “hip” or “groovy” (that was old when I was a little kid) etc. and tend to talk neutrally with regard to slang, or I’ll fall back on timeless “cowboy slang” (“You look like ten miles of bad road!” or “Rains coming down like a gully washer!”) because it sounds exotic and quaint to the untrained Midwestern ear. But that’s about it.

         20. I don’t one way or the other. But they do, and I’m just telling you that your pronouncement is wrong. Others on here experienced the same thing.
             It’s ok to not always “be right”, you know.

         21. Unfortunately, I am always right, look:
             Tillerson Backs Sanctions Against ‘Dangerous’ Russia
             http://news.antiwar.com/2017/01/11/tillerson-backs-sanctions-against-dangerous-russia/

         22. Im not sure. I’m 45, people think I’m 30. At least that what they tell me.

         23. 64 was more interesting to me because you could make your own apps (or “programs” as we said back then).

         24. Somebody who thinks that he’s always right rarely is.
             Your pronouncement about age and differentiating it among the rabble in public is not valid. Not always false, but not always true either.

         25. Sounds like we’re more or less in the same age group. The first programming I ever did was on a Trash 80, and moved on to a VIC 20. Both featured really snazzy tape drives. You could start loading a program (hit play, not play + record on your tape recorder) and go get some lunch and by the time you came back you might actually be ready to run it!

         26. What has happened is the sedentary lifestyle is what is expected now. 100 years ago, a 40 year old would look beat up and tough, not sloppy and fat as most guys are now. Now, if we have self-discipline, we can look tough, but not beat up.

         27. I’m a few years younger than you, and I wasn’t much of a computer kid, like my older brother.
             My brother had the VIC 20 with the snazzy tape drive. Then my folks bought a Commodore 128 (which had a 64 mode allowing us to play all the 64 games). We were amazed how much faster the 5 and 1/4 inch floppy disks were over the tape drive.
             In elementary school, some of the classrooms had the Trash 80, and started getting into the Apple 2 series as well.

         28. My brother use to do that as well. I was never as much of a computer guy. My brother would buy magazines full of code, which he would take hours entering into the computer to make a program. That seemed horribly boring to me.

         29. dont get pegged – it’ll hurt your bunghole

         30. I’m 45 so so yes I’m old enough to remember storing programs on tapes lol. That was the times ! A Commodore 64 had 64 kb of memory, you’d be hard pressed to find an image online with that size.

         31. Bro why are you interrogating him ? does it matter ? If he says so, it might be so, might not be so, anyway it’s none of anyones business. It’s a fact that some people look younger than their age when they are in their 40ties.

         32. Yeah, I’m 51 and people usually think I’m in my thirties, even with the gray hair.
             I tell em I’m 65 just to make their heads spin.

         33. they dont know who Sean Connery is what the hell! I’m not gonna lie i didnt know who Sean Connery was until i watched the James Bond marathon on G4 about 5-6 years ago.

         34. I’m 25 but look 35. Not much to it gents, just good old fashioned Australian sun exposure and hairline recession 😉

         35. Hah. That usually happens through the belly button for some of us 😀

         36. Did you ever do ever do any programming in FORTRAN using 80 column cards?

   2. It really depends. I have a coworker who is 60 and doesn’t look much older than 38. Myself it took a while for women to place me above 21 and now at 33 I have a easy go at women 21-25. I typically don’t date over that but you know. Only due to stress, losing close loved ones, have I started to crack in terms of aging, so I’ll shoot for an early start on the health bandwagon. All in all working out from a young age and living stress free goes a long way in curbing the aging process some.

      1. Never trust women on these things. If a woman says your cock is the biggest she’s ever seen it’s only her hamster trying to rationalize her slutty behavior.

         1. I don’t think it is really so much about looking younger as it is about looking damn good for your age.
            I’m 43, and probably look about my age (glad to still have hair though I am getting a bit of silver on the temples).
            I want to be a strong, ripped, masculine, healthy looking man in his 40’s. I am much stronger than I was back in my 20’s (flabby wimp back them). There is no reason I can’t be better looking overall than I was back them.
            That said.
            I have known some people who look far younger than their age. My 40 year old sister was recently at a church service with my 45 year old sister in law (our older brother’s wife). An older lady in the pew asked my sister if her sister in law was her mother. My sister in law wasn’t amused. She doesn’t look bad. She just looks like a typical 45 year old mother of three teenagers, while my sister is slim, petite, and very young looking and attractive for her age.
            My sister largely stays out of the sun. Sun exposure ages the skin.
            I also had a professor in graduate school who looked like he was in his late 20’s when he was actually in his early 40’s. He said his secret was a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.
            Still, I’d rather look badass than young.

         2. I’ve seen brothers who are 2.5 years apart in age that people sometimes think are a generation apart, same genetics.

         3. Genetics won’t do it all, but if you have good genetics and live well, you’re going to look younger and be healthier than somebody else with the same genetics. And if your genetics suck and you’re going to die at age 40 regardless of what you do, then I’d suggest a highly hedonistic lifestyle and letting the good times roll because ultimately, it won’t matter one way or the other.

   3. Eh, looking old for men is all about gray hair or baldness. It’s such a huge and obvious marker.

      1. That’s true. Baldness you can solve with a buzzcut or shaving your head. Gray, well, they make some pretty damned good hair and beard treatments now that look pretty natural.

         1. I’m earning my grey hairs as we speak. Nothing wrong with grey hair as long as you are physically fit. Baldness is the same way, as long as you are not doing a lame comb-over or trying to hide it with a wig, who cares?

         2. Doesn’t the Bible say something about gray hairs being a crown of glory? (Proverbs 16:31)

         3. Why yes it does, must of missed that last time I read it.

         4. 👍🏻 more people need more of that encouragement.

         5. I started getting gray hairs in HIGH SCHOOL. Now I’ve got the total Silver Fox thing going. But, the good news is, both my younger brothers have no gray hair but are going bald!

         6. Damn straight!

2. Be careful with TRT.
   https://www.drugwatch.com/testosterone/side-effects/

   1. everyone I know who uses it also stacks it with other things to negate negative side effects. The average joe whos sticking a needle in his ass with no medical supervision is who this is for. Plus, in all honesty, once you hit 40-50’s unless their is some outside reason for you to live till your 60’s-70’s i say fuck it. I’d rather die 5 years early feeling like a god than i would wasting away and ending up in some ICU getting fed through bags

      1. I plan on living to my 90’s, and being healthy and strong till the end. Why not?

         1. That’s a pipe dream.

         2. My grandpa died at 96 or 97 just a couple years ago, and he never worked out, or paid much attention to what he ate. If I combine his genetics with better diet and exercise, there is no reason I can’t live that long, and be strong and healthy for a good long time.

         3. It’s achievable though, assuming decent genetics that don’t kill you at 55 regardless of what you do.

         4. Once you hit 60 how long you live after is luck of the draw. At the rate this world is going i don’t know why you would want to live that long anyway

         5. That is patently false. Your diet and exercise play a huge factor in this. My family has a basic truism: Men in our family who eat well and stay in shape live into their 90’s, men who don’t eat well and are slackers die by or before 55 *without fail*. This has held true for as long as anybody can remember in my family, there are NO exceptions.
            Genetics may kill you off at any age, but if you’re normal and not prone to catching cancer when somebody else sneezes next to you, you’re in charge of a whole lot of how you age and how long you live, to a certain degree.

         6. You also have to beat cancer (which is on the rise) and neurological issues. Genetics play apart, so does diet and exercise, but alot is just luck of the draw.

         7. And that is true for your family because of genetics, lifestyle and luck. I’m not saying you’re on borrowed time once you get to sixty. Just don’t count on know you will live till X. Shit happens

         8. A good friend of mine was recently killed in a car accident, at age 41. We never know how long we’ve got. We will all face our Maker sooner or later, and give an account for ourselves.

         9. I think you’re putting way too much emphasis on luck. There is a certain amount involved, sure (like, say, avoiding being hit by a car) but many factors are controllable.

         10. They used to tell us that as medical science advance we could all look forward to living to 100. I think that depends on family genetics to some degree.

         11. I think that we’re both on the same page and are probably talking past each other, heh.

3. I would love a Q and A article about TRT. I have been active and athletic all my life. I am a weightlifter par excellence. I do not stop. Day in and day out. Every day. It is my passion. While I am older than you it is only by a couple of years, so I too have the ben Johnson steroid boogie man. I have never tried any kind of test or anabolics but have been reading about them for years. I just never had it in me to pull the trigger. Do think you (and maybe others who use test and anabolics) would open an email address for questions kind of the way Roosh does question and answers and address questions of people who are curious or considering trt?

   1. I’m not using TRT but im researching to cycle right now. Going to use it for some goals i have in mind

      1. I’ve been researching for a decade lol have never found it in me to pull the trigger. Nancy Reagan says just say no

         1. I would suggest getting medical supervision. Roids have come along way in the past 20 years

         2. Don’t forget about the egg in the frying pan – “your brain on drugs”.

         3. I can’t remember. Must be the drugs.

         4. Nothing I like more than eating three of my brains and a side of bacon for my first meal of the day.

         5. Dependency is my big worry on that front. I’ve been lifting since I was 19 and never juiced

         6. That is mine too! Even if it is great and even if there are no side effects I wouldn’t want to be dependent. I am kind of waiting until I just can’t get any results. Sooner or later age will show. Until then I think I will go natty mostly because of your reason

         7. You’ll probably be good til mid 50s these days with an optimim diet

         8. That’s what I think. I don’t want to trade what I have now for the possibility to make it better and the possibility I do something bad. I’m not not a gambler. Never have been

         9. This is *exactly* the right attitude. Don’t even consider anabolics (I didn’t say don’t *research*) while you are still gaining naturally…

         10. Optimum diets will go a long way, but T decline is inevitable and inexorable.
             I’m 53.

         11. Yeah, that is my thinking. The first time I seriously considered doing anabolics was when I PR’d my deadlift at 505. After that there was nothing. No amount of different types of workouts, strength builders anything that would enable me to add even another 5 pounds. I just couldn’t do it. Now, post injury the temptation is back to get myself back into my pre injury shape faster. But with only about 2 months of really hard pushing under my belt I am already more than half way to where I want to be and gaining on goals fast. So the temptations to see how inhuman I can make myself and to take short cuts are always there, but I just can’t do it. The very same day, however, that I am unable to hack it without I will be starting a cycle even if that is in my 60’s

         12. That’s a damn fine deadlift anyway, so I wouldn’t worry if that’s your plateau (won’t be long term, though may take *months* to shift up – maybe try micro-weights? 5lbs is a *lot* to jump once you are approaching your genetic max).
             Also there are different dimensions to work in if you are after hypertrophy rather than pure strength… 500lbs deadlift puts you in *already strong* by any standards, and unless you want a career in powerlifting (doesn’t pay well) I’d be thinking about the long-term health of my joints…
             You can make gains on *much* lower weights by improving the mind-muscle connection and *really feeling* the lift across the full range of motion… like *flexing* the muscle with continuous tension but with a weight in your hand…
             Anyway, the 60s thing works too… fact is waiting to do T and anabolics until *much later* in your life (maybe late 40s, maybe 50s, even 60s though I have no personal experience of that) is entirely valid, especially if not reached genetic potential naturally yet…

         13. My days of deadlifting that kind of weight ended with my last injury unfortunately. I have moved from straight powerlifting to more bodybuilder routines. I can do the reps, but putting up big numbers in deads and squats are simply never going to happen again. Right now my working set is 225 which I hit 12 times or I will lower it to 135 and just rep it out on hamstring day like 20-25 reps. I think I would be comfortable pulling 315×3 but that is about the limit I expect to ever see again. My weights have dropped considerably and my routines are being supervised by an IFBB trainer now. I will be honest, I miss the weight. I miss the light headed feeling, the world disappearing and then the huge thump on the floor bringing me back to my senses as the world comes back into focus and I realize I am walking around the gym but don’t remember leaving the platform….sweating blasting from me. That feeling I truly miss. But my current workouts are also totally blasting me. I am going away at the end of march and I fully intend to be shredded for a way that seems fucking inappropriate for a man in his 40’s.
             Totally agree on mind connection which is why I love my dmaa. I was doing dumbbell kickbacks with 25 pound dumbbells superset with Bench Presses and planks (I do this crazy Chest Tricep core day. If you have never done a day isolating chest tris and core you should…..by burning out your tris you really force isolation on your pecs) and those kickbacks were so slow and mindful that I could feel them working, feel the muscle growing. They burned for days. Great stuff. I have never done body building style workouts. It has always been for power. I mean, I liked the physique but the primary goal was always more and more weight so this is all very new to me and I really am enjoying it.

         14. We all of us go through the “how strong can I get” thing, and it is right and natural. I *love* bodybuilding style, and if you’ve got yourself an IFBB guy you are getting it good… dumbbell kickbacks? *love* them… underrated by most, but they rock! (look at Larry Scott’s triceps, and he was a big fan!).
             “in a way that seems fucking inappropriate for a man in his” – Man I love that! You have a way with words!
             Thats it, isn’t it? getting to look totally fucking inappropriate for our age? nailed it…

         15. Of course ‘appropriate’ for whatever age is a pretty low bar…
             Most people haven’t a fucking clue about diet, exercise, supplements, looking after their bodies…

         16. Yeah, this guy is good. He still competes in the over 40 circuit (recently won one because he was the only guy competing, but still went out there). He trains several people who are on the circuit currently and I got him by knowing the right people. He is fucking awesome and is teaching me much more isolated body movement. I will check out lary scott.
             Funny, yesterday was Hamstrings, Biceps and lower abs. Never would have thought to break leg day up and have hams on one day and then the rest of the leg on another but today when I went to hit my quads (light weight leg extension 5×30 as slow as possible) and my hams were totally burned out I felt the burn in my quads like never before.
             Looking inappropriate for our age is really the best thing we can do. I want girls to be confused the day after I fuck them. I want them to have moral dilemmas and not be 100% sure if they did the right thing.

         17. I consider you one of the leading moral philosophers of the age, as well as a gentleman.

         18. Why thank you sir. I can’t lie…I see myself that way as well. However, the confirmation is wonderful.

         19. To subscribe to any alternative moral philosophy in this feminised age is to invite despair and self-destruction. Keep showing young men the way…

      2. Check out ‘John Doe Bodybuilding’ for perhaps the most plain speaking advice on cycling online. Most bodybuilders won’t even ‘fess up, this guys tells it like it is…

   2. I do not stop. Day in and day out. Every day.
      Too much weight lifting can actually lower your testosterone.

      1. Dude, the day I take fitness advice from you is the day I put a gun in my mouth and paint the walls with my brains

         1. Are you from “My body, my Choice” brigade! lol
            See my response to GoJ above.

         2. No I am from the “you are a moron” brigade

         3. You’ve been sniffing cognitive dissonance again, haven’t you?
            LOL

         4. I know you are but what am I?

      2. I’m not saying that you’re wrong or right, but can you back that up with actual evidence (articles with other people saying it, without evidence, is not evidence btw)?

         1. I think he’s talking about adrenal fatigue. But there’s no such thing as overtraining, only undereating.

         2. Then why do the body building and exercise magazines say that testosterone is increased with intense exercise? Many studies have shown that after intense exercise, testosterone levels are elevated for about an hour. Both weight lifting and endurance exercise like running and biking will produce this phenomenon. What the mags don’t mention is that this effect is due almost entirely due to “hemoconcentration” and “decreased clearance” which is a polite way of telling you that the increase in testosterone is NOT coming from your testes (or adrenal glands).
            http://www.peaktestosterone.com/Overtrain.aspx

         3. That makes sense.

         4. CT Fletcher or die baby.ISYMFS

         5. Ok. I think Tim is onto to the answer in shorter form. You’re right that there is a bit of an over-boost after exercise, but there is also an overall boost to T if you exercise regularly that you won’t have if you don’t.

         6. Its hard to believe but people who have lived the Joe Walsh lifestyle have died doing beginner cardio.

         7. Adrenal fatigue is just the latest fad in the alternative health industry right now. The article I linked shows that over training has a myriad of negative effects on the body .

         8. The main reason for low T phenomenon TODAY is that lack of outdoor activities. We spend too much time inside, including while we’re in the gym trying to boost our T and arguing about it in forums. Sweet irony!
            But I don’t expect you to agree with me! lol

         9. IMO over-training is real. Going for that extra pull-up can get shooting pain in one arm, that’s tendonitis like tennis players get. You have to back off and do light for a while until you feel normal again.

         10. Being in the gym is good for your T, as long as you don’t hit adrenal fatigue. I’m sort of on the anti-overtraining thing myself, which is why I subscribe to HIT and not living in a gym. Being outside and being sedentary will not give you high T. I do agree people need to get out a lot more of course, but they need to be active when they do or it’s for naught.
             And if you’re on forums like I am, it’s because you’re in a work-from-home job that gives you ample free time to goof off while still requiring you to be “digitally available” (chained to your home office) for a certain amount of hours.

         11. On overtraining: My background is in exercise physiology and sports medicine. Yes one can over train, but most people will not reach that point (mostly due to time). Over training is most often caused in endurance athletes and guys that max lift a very few muscle groups, three or more times a week. Giving oneself enough food and rest in between workouts (and rotating muscle groups) will largely handle over training. For the most part overtraining is rarely an issue in people outside of elite athletes or competitive endeavors.

         12. HIT workouts of all forms (HIIT, Tabata, etc) are a godsend. A typical fighting or martial arts gym trainer considers it non-negotiable, a must. And, often, these workouts include A LOT of resistance movements as well. And, for those of us who love the outdoors, they’ll make you run a half-mile while holding a 12 pound medicine ball in front of you. And this is before the actual training session begins in earnest. After even 6 months of this, it will feel like someone pinned your butt-cheek with a full ampule of bull testosterone.

         13. Quite so. The point of resistance weight training is to break down the muscle to the max so it can rebuild, but it is NOT to deplete the muscle of all energy (sugar energy). Doing that “one last” whatever to complete exhaustion strains your body to recover the energy first and then the muscle later. I like to break down the muscle in the shortest amount of time with slow reps of extreme weight for 5-8 reps and then move on to the next group to exercise. Energy depletion, to me, is pointless in anaerobic training.

         14. Tendonitis isn’t big deal it heals itself without doctor. It throws off your workout for a month, you have to do high rep low weight, its only critical for pro athletes.

         15. My favorite gym was my old garage gym, where I could carry the weights outside and lift in the sun.

         16. Every year, there is always one fat middle-aged office jockey who dies hiking Mount Whitney in California. The low O2 level at high altitude is not to be underestimated.

         17. Some of the strongest guys out there never set foot in a gym. They get it through swimming, skiing, heavy yardwork, flipping tractor tires, etc.

         18. Well, I find it critical as well. I don’t want my workout routine interrupted if I can help it. I’ve been lifting since I was 17.5 without fail, it’s an integral part of my life and not having it would really put me off.

         19. Consider Mt Whitney is only 14,500 ft that’s kind of pathetic. That altitude should only get you a good buzz. Maybe the trail is super steep I dunno.

         20. Well, the issue I think is folks who don’t bother to acclimatize themselves. You can drive up to a base camp at Whitney Portal ~ 8,700 MSL and walk to the top in a day if you push it. Most folks are coming from places less than ~2,000MSL so it is a significant change. I hiked it when I was a kid and it wasn’t too bad for me- we came to it from the back side from Mineral King taking a week along the Kern River with our last camp at Guitar Lake at ~11,000 MSL. It wasn’t too bad, had to go a bit slower and one heavy kid had a really hard time but still made it.

   3. I remember when Sports Illustrated had a big article on Lyle Alzado, and how he probably got terminal brain cancer from using steroids. I also remember people talking about “Roid Rage” plus steroid induced impotence and shrunken testicles.
      Apparently that was a bunch of crap (like much of what we get from mainstream media).
      I don’t use steroids, don’t plan to, and don’t encourage it, still, it seems like the health risks are totally overblown, and the health benefits are probably understated.

      1. Every time th government doesn’t want you to take a drug they say it effects your dick
         Roids
         Coke
         Crack
         Pot
         That is like number one in the playbook

         1. Cock and Ball threats are the most effective kind!

         2. It is, and it is unforgivably misleading.
            It is true that some anabolics (Deca springs to mind) if used without due care and attention can cause ‘impotence’, but it is *easily* avoided and FFS improper use of Alcohol or many other substances can cause the same thing! Whilst on the subject of alcohol, it will do more liver damage than any *sane* T and anabolics usage, and that’s a fact.
            Poor liver readings can easily be mitigated with supplements like TUDCA,
            Shrunken testicles is certainly a possibility with exogenous Testosterone, but again can be completely mitigated with substances like Human Chorionic Gonadotropin.
            In short, Government advice is wrong. It massively overstates the (avoidable) downsides and massively understates the (obvious) benefits. Of course if you abuse anabolics all bets are off, but they are if you abuse *anything*…

         3. I love when people talk about negative impact. Without fail, every single time someone tells me about possible damage to my liver or kidneys from pre workout or some such nonsense it is always someone who is eating a diet so unhealthy that it makes my cheat days look like a cut diet and consuming more alcohol in a night than I do in a week.

         4. So true!
            I’ve had people who look like *shit* (and deserve to because of what they pig down and guzzle, including damaging quantities of alcohol, sugar and other socially acceptable drugs/poisons) tell me ‘facts’ about such negative impacts which I *know* (without a doubt) are untrue.
            I generally sneer…

         5. “don’t you think you are over training?” Ugh. It is always the fucking same. Have another doughnut or cigarette you fat fuck and leave me be.

         6. LOL

         7. the level of bullying and “fit shaming” is off the charts. Good thing those people’s opinions don’t count because they are losers.

         8. Yup.
            I make it a rule to completely ignore anything that comes out of the mouth of somebody who obviously has not achieved what they talk about (broke ‘financial advisors’, fat or skinny ‘bodybuilders’)…

         9. The guy who owns my gym is a typical 65 year old former body builder. Middling rank when he was in his prime and now is a fat fuck like meatloaf in fight club. He and his old man cronies sit around all day talking about how awesome they were when I was like 10. But when I see him I think that he is a backwards before and after picture. Yes, he was great but he is just disgusting now with food stains on his shirt, total fat ass. Not just like injury and age to a body builder, he gave up. I would rather see a fat guy pushing his ass 100% in the gym than a guy go like this and thus his words and ideas mean almost nothing to me. I don’t care how great of shape he was in back in the fucking early 80;s

         10. I’ve had similar experiences. He is just a sad fuck… compare and contrast with the awesome Frank Zane, now in his 70s and still looking fucking amazing.
             A whiner is a whiner, and a loser is a loser, no matter how great he used to be…
             Time moves in one direction only, and it is our job to look forward, not back!

         11. Gyms, as you are well aware, are full with people who totally “used to be” something. The easiest way to separate men in the gym are the ones who talk about future goals versus the ones who talk about past greatness. The later I have no time for.

         12. Not just gyms of course…
             This is a good rule for life! give time to those who talk about future goals, not past glories…
             nice…

   4. I’ve been looking into it for the last couple years. Just recently (2 days ago) went to a doctor & had blood drawn & I’m waiting on the results. I’m in my 40’s & the last couple years the energy & focus just isn’t what it used to be. I’ve been working out, eating healthy, & taking good care of myself since my teens. Never been able to put on a huge amount of muscle but I’ve always been solid & athletic. Never tried any type of steroids. I hate the idea of becoming dependent on an outside chemical to regulate my body’s hormone level, but at this point I’m willing to give it a chance.
      Here’s a good informational overview article:
      https://www.t-nation.com/pharma/complete-guide-to-t-replacement
      And here’s a link to their forum:
      https://forums.t-nation.com/t/about-the-t-replacement-category/38
      It appears that you can enter your information & get good feedback from knowledgeable people. I’ve been looking into this for a while so that I’ll know what to demand from my doctor & hopefully not end up with the unforeseen negative side effects. I hope this helps.

      1. I am in pretty much the same boat as you with the exception that I have always been able to put on lean muscle…still can. But the focus is starting to go a little. That might be a result of having my soul eaten by Moloch for a living, but a little high test in the tank couldn’t hurt….I hope. Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

      2. Same here. I workout and keep trim, but I find many more excuses and can’t push into the same place I was even 7 years ago. I get that we all age, but I don’t want to end up where most 50yo’s are, fat and lazy and waiting to die.
         I told my gf the other night that I am going to up my workouts and give up soda/sugar/alcohol for awhile just to see if I can lean out more and get back to where I want to be. I also told her that if that fails I am getting testosterone. Her reply is “I am not sure my vagina can take you on testosterone.” LOL

         1. I’m convinced that all forms of external sugar are poison in some form or another. Giving that up, and alcohol, and I’d bet that you feel like a million bucks within 2 weeks, and that your T will skyrocket.

         2. Your gf is talking the *actual* truth about exogenous testosterone. Far from the ‘official lie’ that it and anabolics will make you impotent, it will actually make you horny as fuck whilst boosting your ability to, multiple times.
            Testosterone is testosterone is testosterone. It’s functions in the male physiology are well understood…

   5. Look into SARMs. (For informational purposes only — not for human consumption!).
      The effects, while very obvious, are not as dramatic as the conventional anabolics, but neither are the side effects. In fact, a 6 week cycle usually requires no PCT. (So I’ve heard)
      Plus, with SARMs, you get to keep the gains, assuming you don’t stop your training regimen or mess up your nutrition. (Allegedly)

      1. Never even heard of that. Will check it out…for informational purposes only. Speaking of no human consumption…for anyone out there that has thick and dense muscle they should research, though never use Equine liniment. It is essentially tiger balm but made for the muscles of race horses
         http://absorbine.com/products/muscle-care/absorbine-veterinary-liniment/
         It penetrates so deeply into the muscle. It is a god send when your muscles are aching. T

         1. Oh snap. I will look into that. Thanks!

         2. it is great. In my research on it I have read that some humans who use it use it on very small sections of very large muscle groups (like their quads) first to gauge sensitivity. a 12 ounce gel from horsehealthusa.com is less than 11 bucks whereas .64oz of tiger balm is 6 bucks so it is a lot cheaper. It is seriously potent. I have read, in my informational studies, that it actually feels like it is inside you.

         3. I will look into it for sure. Already got the link you sent up.
            For a good intro to SARMs, check out the Newroids and Mature Muscle Fitness YouTube channels. Or ask me, whatever.

         4. Will do! Thanks.

         5. btw, aside from any other benefit….saying that you use horse strength tiger balm fucking rules. The fact that there is a horse on the container is icing on the cake.

         6. Nice tip…
            *Love* tiger balm… (permanently in the gym bag as I do full-contact martial arts)

         7. Once you try the horse strength stuff you will never go back to tiger balm I promise that.

      2. IMHO (and experience) SARMS are overrated, and not really comparable to anabolics.
         They look good on paper, however do not live up to the hype in the real world.
         Of course YMMV…

   6. I’ve suggested a few times that a neutral, no-BS guide to Testosterone and Anabolics would make a great RoK article.
      WRT TRT there are a few good sources online… I’d say Jay Campbell is worth listening too, he wrote a book called the TRT manual which gets straight to the point. Also Dr Brett Osborn, a jacked Neurosurgeon who definitely walks the walk, knows his stuff… he’s the author of a book called ‘Get Serious’ which, while not only about TRT most definitely takes a good look at it and attempts medical objectivity (whatever that might be).

4. The injectables cause some apprehension. Besides limiting alcohol intake, what foods help build testosterone? Which vitamins help? Which foods (besides obvious junk food) are bad for testosterone?

   1. In terms of food, I am not certain although some people go with liver and steak. In terms of products, Yohimbe bark, L-Arginine, Pycogenol, Horny Goat Weed, Omega 3, Grape seed extract, 5000 steps a day, stretches, and planks go a long way in terms of boosting your performance in and out of bedroom. Haven’t seen tests done to rate the amount it increases your testosterone by but here is a notable sex drive and potency difference.

      1. Thank you, any amounts you recommend?

         1. That end is kind of tricky. Off the top of my head Grape Seed Extract rolls in at 100mg but L-Arginine can be as high as 3 1000 mg pills a day. The pills are like horse pills so not fun. However, the best way to gauge would be consult your doctor based on needs but the larger pills are typically from 500 to 1000 milligrams a day. Save for maybe the pycnogenol which is likely also 100 mg.

         2. Be careful with Yohimbe and be sure to cycle it correctly. That shit will give you a dick that is harder than fine honed steel, but it can also make you super jittery and elevate blood pressure to a huge degree, not to mention drive your temper through the roof.

         3. I have done a yohimbe cycle. It didn’t bug me too much with the standard side effects but I didn’t get any benefit from it.

         4. Shit gives me a major case of the shakes. It’s great for a pre-workout energy boost, but it just keeps going on and on and on and I then lay awake at night with insomnia and a raging boner.

         5. It is possible that I don’t get the shakes as much because of my frequent use of DMAA. As for laying awake with insomnia and a raging boner…I call that Tuesday.

         6. I mean the kind that a highly dedicated and sexual woman can’t make go away. The kind that you’re supposed to call a doctor about if it lasts over 4 hours. I don’t do any other real supplements (outside of what I’ve mentioned already) so maybe my system is just sensitive to that kind of thing.

         7. Yeah, but then what makes the woman go away? Have to move to zihuatanejo and get a boat and fix it up real nice. Speaking of mexico, I know you are a karaoke fan. Did I ever mention to you that while I am, at the very best, a middling karaoke singer and, probably, not even that good I did sit and memorize all the words to La Bamba. I do not speak a lick of Spanish. None. But I know every fucking word to la bamaba. You should see the looks on peoples faces at karaoke nights. Now I am missing karaoke. It has been years.

         8. I can sing all the words to “El Perro” by Cilantro: I don’t speak Spanish.
            

         9. Cilantro – I don’t know anything about the group, but I love Cilantro and Lime on my Mexican food (pretty good on a lot of Asian food as well).
            Maybe I’m starting to get hungry.

         10. La Bamba is one of my go to songs. I can Richie Valens the fuck out of a room, heh. I had no idea you actually sang karaoke, outside of a lark.
             The one that gets the chicks swooning, for me, is Sea of Love as done by the Honeydrippers. Robert Plant actually put on a good rendition of that without his normal “I’m having a weird orgasm thing on stage” thing that he did with Zepplin.
             The one that impresses everybody because I’ll do it after a few tenor songs, is Ain’t That A Kick In The Head. My Deano voice is *on point* on that song.
             And the two party songs that get everybody going “Wooooo!” and buying me drinks afterward are “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” by the Georgia Satellites, and Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi (I can clone his voice almost perfectly).
             Yeah, I’m missing karaoke now too actually. Hate these shut in winters here in the snow belt.

         11. By itself yohimbe wouldn’t show much results. In concert with great cardiovascular structure, arteries, and horny goat weed, you can easily become a bit flooded with testosterone. I’ve definitely had the experiences GOJ is referring to, but I was trying this out at 26 which might have been too young.

         12. I did a full on course of stuff that was recommended by Kris Gethin who at the time I really liked but now I have soured on after a few bad interactions with him that taught me the age old lesson about meeting your idols. Some things have good effect on me and some things don’t. Right now I am still on my DMAA which I find to be the absolute best for pre workout energy as well as focus (focus, in my opinion, is the single most important part of lifting)

         13. Oh no, it is a lark for me. Always intoxicated. Almost always for fun. I can play a hand full of instruments pretty well and I can play another handful poorly but I have never had singing voice. However, people in a bar getting drunk and singing…I knew I was going to a place with karaoke once and made it a point to memorize la bamba….I knew everyone there and none of them was under the impression I spoke Spanish…it was funny.

         14. It was doing that to me 10 years ago, so late 30’s at the time.

         15. Should be using that raging boner to wear yourself out. Then fall asleep.
             The stuff is great. Is it also the DMAA which gives you porn star cum shots or L-Arginine? (I used to take the original API Mesomorph, it had both ingredients and turned me into a *god damned sexual tyranosaurus.
             *Jesse Ventura starring as Blain, Predator 1987

   2. I feel best on eggs (boiled, yolk runny) and broccoli. Cholesterol is the precursor of ALL steroid hormones.

   3. Most people are short on Vitamins A,D, and K. Make sure to get enough of each of those. Also eat a lot of eggs, and leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, broccoli).

   4. In addition to keeping a decent diet, getting lots of quality sleep is key to maintaining your T.

   5. Zinc and magnesium.

      1. Two great additions right there, I do them both.

         1. Too much zinc can give you grey hair.
            Do you want to know how I know? lol

         2. Too much of anything is bad for you.
            You over-zinced, eh?

         3. From red meat, maybe – love it too much!

         4. Too much Iron seems to cause problems. Maybe donating blood helps.

5. Sounds like solid advice.
   I’m 43, and am in better condition than ever. I am way stronger than I was in my 20’s. I didn’t start lifting until I was 39, and was pretty much a pussy to that point. Like Donovan, I focus primarily on the compound lifts (dead, squat, overhead, floorpress, plus pull-ups and chin-ups) and pretty much follow the Strong Lift 5X5 method.
   I also bike, and do a lot of jump rope. The jump rope is cheap, highly portable, and offers great conditioning.
   I really recommend pull-ups and chin-ups if you aren’t doing them. I just started them about 9 months ago, and have noticed huge improvements since. I use to do the barbell row, but seemed to get back pain. That isn’t an issue with pull-ups (which pretty much work the same muscles as far as I know).
   I haven’t done the TRT (or even really researched it). I prefer to do things as naturally as possible. I know that heavy lifting, eating cholesterol rich foods like eggs, and leafy greens (kale, chard, spinach, broccoli), and sleeping adequately all help increase T. Those are the things I’ve been focusing on.
   My diet isn’t too intense, but I try to get more protein, more fat, more vegetables and fruit, plus less carbs and processed crap than I use to eat.
   I’m finally starting to feel like a man. My wife, my mom, and my sister have all noticed and commented on the physical improvements.

   1. Good for you, same here. I kind of kick myself that I let myself go through my late 20’s and 30’s. By the time I hit 40, I realized I needed to get back on track. Although not as intensive as you describe, I have a half-hour routine of pushups, situps, jumprope, squats and arm curls I do at home. (nearest gym is 40 miles away). Whoever thought carbs should be the main part of that USDA food pyramid needs to be shot.

      1. A lot of the dietary advice we’ve received over the years has been a bunch of crap.
         At least we are headed in the right direction now, with diet change and exercise.
         That sounds like a great fitness regime you’ve got going. The weights, and bodyweight exercises built the muscle, and the rope is great for cardio and conditioning.
         Like you, I don’t go to the gym. I just have a barbell on jack stands in the basement, and built a pull-up bar in my back yard. My barbell is just an inexpensive 300 pound weight set, which I’ve now maxed out on for my deadlifts. That $200 weight set was one of the best investments I’ve ever made.

      2. The Food Pyramid was an obvious fraud even back when I was a kid, strictly through observation.
         The old farmer eats a high fat, high protein diet accented with greens and maybe some potatoes. He is healthy, vigorous and is still farming at 80. So, clearly, fats and proteins were not bad for you, and his lack of carbs outside of the taters and the piece of bread he’d sop his plate with (and most farm families were short on carbs, but high on green leafies and protein/fat/real butter) didn’t seem to do him any real harm at all.

         1. I am not a carb nazi like some out there, but I do avoid them. Simple sugars are of the devil. I used to have a problem falling to sleep at work, changed my breakfast from cereal to a couple eggs and some fruit with a glass of milk. That problem went away.

         2. Farmers also perform physical labor tasks and most Americans don’t so while diet does play a role, the inactivity is what I think is really the issue.

         3. Right, but keep in mind that when the Food Pyramid was all the rage and pushed in schools initially (1970’s) it was also noted that you should be physically active. At the time, we were, but you see my point? Physically active with a lot of carbs, versus without a lot of carbs, will see two different result sets I’d wager.

         4. Fortunately I’ve been blessed with a total aversion to sugar. I loathe sweets in any form. I can’t even eat ketchup any longer, because they put sugar in it and I can taste it. Nasty, nasty, nasty.
            When I was 4 my family stopped making birthday cakes and giving me ice cream, because I just stopped eating them. We switched to Birthday Pizzas at age 5.

         5. You lucky SoB! Lol

         6. The key was that Farmer Joe was doing physical work.

      3. You remember the cereal commercials that showed an “ideal breakfast”? A bowl of cereal (sugar, carbs), a stack of toast (carbs), a glass of orange juice (sugar), and a glass of milk (decent). It makes me angry remembering it.

         1. total propaganda!

   2. I prefer calisthenics. Can’t seem to wrap my mind around weights.

      1. Weights are these heavy things that you pick up and put down. They are usually made of metal.
         Calisthenics rock too! I don’t care for sit-ups and crunches, but pushups, pull-ups, chin-ups, body weight squats (want to do pistol squats too) are great.

         1. “these heavy things that you pick up and put down”
            Exactly. I’m bored as shit doing that.

         2. I was actually thinking of saying the same thing that you did in your first two sentences, heh.
            There’s a snazzy comeback I use when people ask me “Do you lift weights?”
            “Why yes, and I also put them down as well”

         3. yeah – I just couldn’t hack walking around with them all day….

         4. Isn’t calisthenics basically doing the same thing, using your body as the weight?

         5. Try it and you’ll see the difference.

         6. Correct. Just combine both body weight and iron. No need to be a wanking nerd and pretend one is better than the other for everything.
            For example, I do pull ups but when it comes to squats, squats are infinitely more effective loaded up with iron than without.

   3. I am the same age as the author. I have read about TRT but quite honest, unless I was given the role of Wolverine to start filming in 6 months now I do not need it. Otherwise I would have to use something to build the extra muscle. What I have right now is a lean and muscular body and overall better looking than most guys 10 years younger. I do weightlift, cardio and BJJ for excercise. Combined with good nutrition and rest my testosterone levels are great and I feel like 1M$.

6. I can see the power of TRT is great to become faster, stronger and so on. Unfortunately it sounds to me like a shortcut to heaven.
   This thing doesn’t help you to become a better man, it actually makes you dependant and artificial, in my opinion.
   I think testosterone comes naturally when your habits are those men have born to practise, such as fighting, lifting heavy weights, taking big risks and all that exclusively masculine stuff.
   I like your articles, by the way, Mr Donovan. Don’t give up your fight, we are all in, but stop with that shit. Just cut down some wooden logs like 5 hours a week and go hunting when you can. That’s way more enriching and enjoyable.
   Regards.
   Kalur.

7. Thanks for this Donovan. I just turned 30 couple months ago and this article makes me optimistic about holding onto a solid physique.
   My only question is regarding side effects of TRT and altering my body chemistry.

   1. My advice to everyone who trains: don’t overdue it, 3 times a week is enough or you will burn out. Unless you are training for the olympics or is a pro your life will be completely stressful if you try to work out 6 times a week while you have to attend a normal job. Also, take a week off every 2 month. Be in it for the long haul.

      1. Na. I run everyday for 30 minutes. 4-5 miles. Lift every other day.
         You only burn out from jumping in to quickly.

         1. But how long you’ve been doing that ? I remember doing that too, after 2 years I hated training.

   2. What do you do now?

      1. wat do u mean? wats my routine?

   3. This guy should make you even more optimistic. Mark Sisson, founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, age 63. Exercises about 30 minutes a day:
      http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screen-Shot-2014-01-12-at-10.06.40-PM.png

      1. If he dyed his hair all black he would look even younger.

8. Personally, I find an hourly regiment of cheetos and masturbation really gets me going. My neck hair matches my pubes with that orange powder look.

   1. None of this stuff matters if you don’t have Kratom.

   2. make sure to use good form. You don’t want an injury keeping you down for a couple of months.

      1. Every now and then I get carpel tunnel. Somebody needs to invent lotioney wrist braces.

   3. Blisters gone and callouses developed? Concerned about the stinging situation you reported on the other thread….

      1. well it couldn’t be from herpes or anything like that, me being a virgin in my 40’s

         1. Rats!! Just realized we forgot to put being virgins in the response to the troll on the other thread, in addition to having small wieners, being fat, living in our mothers’ basements, playing video games, masturbating and eating cheetos. How could we have missed that? It’s such an obvious and basic component of the stereotype…

         2. I know, I kind of disappointed myself in that one. Until the next troll……..

         3. I have a template created for the next one…

   4. Don’t forget to switch hit. Helps to cut down on the blisters that develop.

   5. forearms like popeye

      1. Live look at Jim.
         https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/11466fdb26bbf78121927f66ccebdc68df2c85a9de820718d6f96bd6a484e40b.jpg

         1. That’s not me, I don’t have a dog on my couch.

         2. Nice try, but that’s a cat on the couch. We all know you’re a cat guy, Jim.

         3. That is so I can tell my friends that I get some pussy at home without lying.

   6. My morning ab routine is the fucking shit
      

      1. why was Adolf considered so evil again?

         1. He did no wrong

9. One tiny piece of constructive criticism
   “Since taking the red pill a few years ago….”
   Is a bit of a trite start to an article addressed at grown men.
   Good advice though!

10. All these claims yet no pics or evidence.
    I call bullshit.

    1. Was thinking the same thing. .. when I read these articles written by authors claiming to be good looking, physically fit, hooking up with pretty girls, yet posting no pics, I just take it with a grain of salt.
       I think the only author besides Roosh whose picture I’ve seen is Matt Forney’s, and that guy is definitely not pulling hot chicks.

       1. Try Victor Pride. He writes the same sort of fitness stuff (maybe some of his stuff gets plagiarized here) and he has pics to prove it.
          p.s. it’s clear that Forney doesn’t lift and from memory, he doesn’t write articles about it so that’s not very fair.

          1. I used to like Victor Pride, and enjoyed reading Bold & Determined in the past, but his latest articles are all just “I’m the best blogger! You should blog! I’m the best blogger! You should blog!” Every sentence in his articles nowadays are just a paraphrased sentence of the prior sentence.

    2. It’s true.

       1. So is my pet unicorn.

11. For the first time in my life (37) I have abs due to 1 through 3. Still a little chub on them but definitely a two-pack, much better than my demographic (boring married dudes in their 30’s). It has taken a while but I have fine tuned my diet so I can eat whatever and whenever (I hate strict dieting). No alcohol, no sugar, no dairy, homemade carbs only. I have gained and lost weight widely in the past 15 years figuring it all out. At my peak in college I was a fat loser weighing in at 245, in law school I was down to 167, I peaked at 205 after that, and I am right now sitting in the mid 170s and quickly shedding fat, full of energy, and on a sustainable diet.

    1. I have a 3 pack, looks a bit strange 🙂 Halfway there !

       1. I’m packin’ a half-keg….

    2. What body fat?

       1. No clue. Never really cared too much to find out.
          edit: Based on internet “looks like” pictures I’d say I’m about 17-18%.

          1. Skin calipers are the best method to check body fat. I used the tape method when I was losing weight a few years ago, but it’s not the most accurate.

          2. I’ve been meaning to buy some of the skin calipers. I’ve been curious about my %BF

          3. Can you pinch more than an inch? (Dating myself again)

    3. I got a 4-pack last year, at age 40. It was entirely through paleo diet.
       I’ve always had strong abs, but it was the diet that finally let me reveal them. 15% bodyfat for the win.

       1. Accodring to my bathroom scale my fat % is 12.5..but still no sixpack. I think all that fat just decided to sit right on my belly.

          1. I’ve heard that those scale measurements of bodyfat percentage aren’t very accurate.
             Not knocking you. I know I’ve got a ways to go to get a pack of any sort.

12. Not sure where I stand on this article. I love Donovan’s writing, but I’m half and half on this particular piece.
    A man can keep a high-T count going for as long as he wishes, assuming that he consistently follows a good diet and good exercise regimen. Even on your “Having fun” months where you drink, keep the diet healthy otherwise and keep going to the gym (and don’t be a freaking lush) and you’ll be fine. I find the idea of an injected Testosterone routine a bit too much, as I’ve heard from many reliable medical sources (not fitness articles, but actual medical doctors) that doing TRT for any length of time shuts down natural testosterone production and bam, you’re left dependent on your doctor for your “fix” just to remain, well, male. I can’t give somebody that kind of power over my life, but maybe that’s just a me thing. I do however find that things like Fenugreek and Longjack seem to fill the bill to some degree when you get them from a reputable source and dose them correctly.
    For exercising, I think you have to go with what works for you. I do a consistent old school HIT approach (very heavy weight, very slow reps, 5-8 reps max) to weights and have been since I first heard of Mike Mentzer (age 19). I’m in my very late 40’s and even when the end of the year comes and I’m “heavy” I still have some good muscle bulk and a V-shape (~50″ chest and just at a 36″ waist when I’m at the end of my “party all summer” phase). Now those pulley machines, yeah, unless you’re a beginner without a spotter, I generally recommend free weights where you can. I can’t get a spotter for my back exercises and can back row a good 495 pounds so I have to go to a “machine” which is basically no pulleys, but a seat with two seperate bars that each hold 5×45 plates (maxxed out) that let me row without assistance. Otherwise, free weights is where it’s at.
    Keep in mind with deadlifts that YMMV and you have to keep religiously meticulous form or you run the very real risk of hernias (which suck) or doing some back damage. Deadlifts are great, but the older I get the less inclined I am to do them.
    Diet advice is right on. Keto all the way. The only addition I’ve made to this, and it’s a very recent addition, is doing a keto on an 18:6 incremental fast regimen. The freaking body fat just slakes off.
    On cardio you have to be your own judge. Swimming is a high calorie burner, there’s no question of that. An hour doing laps in the pool (good luck with that) burns 3,000 kCal (!). I find it easier, in my experience, to sculp my abs “in the kitchen” by following a strict calorie restriction Keto diet combined with a bit less strenuous cardio and a very strenuous weight lifting routine. But if you can swim an hour a day, you’ll be a god in about 3 months, no question.

    1. Ghost I cant get used to your new avartar. The old one was the “real you”.

       1. I miss the old avatar as well. That is the image I had in mind for GOJ.

       2. I used to be on an actual forum many years ago, and used *this* avatar for the longest time. When I switched it up I got bitched at because people were used to my Clark Gable avatar and said basically the same thing you do in regard to it, lol.

    2. Tell me more about the 18:6 keto to fast regimen..

       1. It’s pretty easy to do. You have a six hour window in the day to eat (consecutive hours). Since your insulin goes up when you eat, this restricts fat burning necessarily, so if you keep your insulin spike to a small window, you actually end up having more time to burn fat. You have high insulin for 2-4 hours after you eat, then it drops and you go into post-eating phase (they call it something, I forget what it’s called) for a while, and then your body thinks it’s in “fasting” mode and moves to basically the same ketosis type “burn fat, quick!” energy conversion that you get from an Adkins-ish diet. So you get a good solid 6-8 hours of actual “use fat for fuel” uninterrupted by insulin spikes. Most people eat every 3-4 hours, for 12-16 hours a day, sleep for 8, wake up and start all over again with breakfast and never get to that point, ever.
          Basically I set my window from Noon to 6pm. I eat a good calorie count in that window, always high protein low carbs, maybe 1500-1800 calories if I’m trying to really shed fat fast. After 6 I do nothing but drink water, and drink lots of it, then sleep, then wake up and drink more water and coffee until noon. Your body adjusts to it and you don’t really feel hunger pangs like you think you would after a couple of days of doing it.

          1. great explanation thanks GOJ

    3. You wrote, “A man can keep a high-T count going for as long as he wishes”
       That is just not true. I’ve lifted weights and have always eaten clean all my life. My T just decreased as I aged to the point it was in the high 300s by my mid 50s.
       I saw my weight drop from the low 190s(in my 40s) to the high 160s, losing mostly muscle mass. Since I started HcG in my late 50s and now a couple years on TRT, I’ve gained back about 10 lbs of muscle.
       It’s just a fact of life that as you age, your T drops.

    4. If I cycle 60Km a day, my sex drive is gone. I asked a friend to cycle with me for two weeks as an experiment, his sex drive went too …. total erectile dysfunction within 2 weeks. Back to 25Km a day and everything worked for both of us again. Totally weirded out, but a repeatable experiment. Too much exercise = limp dick.

       1. How’s your seat, I don’t bike a lot but I read something about lengthy riding can interfere with blood flow around the groin.

       2. Yes! This is the second post you’ve made which points to your saddle, or too much time sitting on the saddle being detrimental to your health.
          Sore butt and reduced sex drive is an obvious sign.
          Good experiment!
          Personally, I’m happy with only one cycling session, mountain bike on the trails per week. Any more than that and it interferes with my lifestyle (time, lifting sessions and work).

13. Nothing against Michael Phelps here, but that body of his…uh…I’m nearly twice his age and I wouldn’t switch physiques with him. He’s got that tall and slender V-shape. I think most guys want that broader, shorter, more pronounced V-shape – heavy on the arm and shoulder muscle. But I don’t talk about this sort of thing with other guys, so…what the fuck do I know. Maybe that’s the “in physique” these days.

    1. Swimmers builds always seem freaky to me. I suspect that if you do heavy weights AND swim laps in a pool with the goal of shedding body fat, you’ll look great. Swimmers focus on swimming and specific exercises which focus almost exclusively on the muscles that they need to both swim and stay streamlined I suspect.

    2. Hydrodynamic drag is a bitch. Of course he’s built like that.

    3. Because he’s pulled down his pants too much to look trendy whereas in fact it’s homo signaling.

    4. Hi body is perfect….for swimming. What most guys want may not equate to what phelps has, but if your a swimmer and your primary goal is swimming then Phelps is essentially perfect. He is a unitasking tool.
       That said, while I will always think that young Arnold had the perfect physique I will go on the record to say that I would take the phelps body over 80% of the bodies of americans.

       1. No doubt about the last part. Most Americans are fat. (And I’m being nice there.)

       2. Young Arnold’s physique was awesome, but was a little more bulky than I’d personally want. I’d rather look more like Ivan Drago on Rocky 4 (but I’m tall like Dolph).

          1. Arnold when he was on stage was a little more bulky than I would have liked, but if you watch the early videos of him just hanging out on the beach that is my ideal. I won’t reach it. That man was special. Yes he used some gear. Yes he admitted it. No it wasn’t anything like what Kai and Phil are using today. But Arnold was unique. There is no amount of fucking steroid and hard work and diet that can make a man into Arnold. Dolph was great. I am not that tall (6 foot even) and my shoulders and chest tend towards that natural hulking brute look so I could never pull off tall long muscle guy like dolph

14. I say the greatest way to get any woman is by having lots and logs of MONEY!!! Look at Hollywood, some of the most out of shape, FAT, tubby men, with the Hottest chicks on the planet! Why? Answer: Millions of dollars of cash!
    With enough cash, even I could be fucking Mariah Carey or Madonna!

    1. Not sure I’d want to bang those slags if I could, but otherwise agree that females aren’t going to stop being women.

    2. Yeah, Elliot Rogers was swimming in pussy.
       And what sane man would want to fuck either of those two old hags?

    3. Mariah Carey was pretty hot back in the day (20 years ago). Her looks have declined considerably, while her weight has gone up quite a bit.
       She is trying to stay “hot”, but not succeeding.

       1. Would still bang, if only to fulfill younger jammyjaybird’s dream. This version:
          https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d2/4d/f7/d24df7274b6dcc6b589eb17ad51f1026.jpg

          1. Too bad she ain’t that girl any longer.

    4. Well duh did you just figure that out ? it’s been like that since the beginning of times.

       1. It was counter point to having a trim body and mental health! You can small like dog crap, but have a few million in the bank, and thousands of bitches will suck you!
          I used to think that that being physically fit would bring the women in … I spent hours riding i the hills of Berkeley CA in the 90s … I should have just bypassed that and went for the $$$ = more gash!
          Women are into resource. The more a man has resource, the more women he will have to chose from. You don’t need a six pack, just 6 figures in your bank account!

          1. Have you considered that “Berkley California” is the issue here, and not being built well?

          2. I think today it’s not enough just to have money. It helps alot though. But if you have money AND fame oh boy..

          3. It’s the fame MUCH more than money. Check this guy out, chubby, broke, zero game, hell even his fake bodyguards don’t look real, they are fat slobs. But the women go GAGA:
             

          4. You’re right, $$$$ beats muscles every time.

          5. You didn’t enjoy riding? Please don’t tell me that everything you were doing physically was just for the ladies?

          6. Funny. Women are just total air heads, aren’t they? Just as shallow as they accuse us of being, if not worse.

15. Not an expert, but for those looking to start a lifting program- Mark Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength” looks like a pretty good way to start. Does go through the lifts in detail, has a basic recommendation on programming. (Also has a full book on programming – “Practical Programming for Strength Training” centered on the lifts mentioned in this article). Guy also has a website startingstrength.com
    His program doesn’t involve cardio work though, he is focused exclusively on building strength.

16. I disagree. Run on a treadmill while reading a book. 450 -600 calories minimum in < 30 minutes. Perfectly flat. Cushioned. Limits wear and tear.
    Chest – isolation/cables flys/machine fly produce pecs like a chest plate.
    You won’t look like a typical runner. You’ll look like a boxer.

    1. When doing aerobics it’s neat to see the “you burned this many calories” at the end on the machine, but keep in mind that you’d have burned probably half of them just by existing without ever getting on the machine. It’s kind of a “trick” that they do with the math. So you may see 450 calories on the graph, but in reality you may have only burned 200 extra calories than you would have if you’d done nothing.

       1. Not if you are actually running. Most guys burn less than 100 calories per hour if they are office workers. I burn that in just 5 minutes running. Basal metabolic rate for most people is real low.

          1. I see absolutely no point in running. Running, to me, is anti-exercise. I’d rather swim or bike. I’m a heavy weight gym rat, not a runner type. If I have to run from something, experience tells me, I’m fucked.

          2. I do all of them for the variety. Ride, run, bike, swim, elliptical, rowing machine, rope machine… and I honestly don’t really like any of them. Nice thing about elliptical, the bike, and the rope was working up the resistance, you had a challenge. Then you’re maxed out and the challenge of going faster is harder than increasing the resistance was….

          3. I used to despise running until I learned to breathe through Russian martial arts.
             Turns out running and sprinting is as natural a movement and exercise as it gets. Used for hunting and war throughout our history.
             Even short sprints would be better than no sprints. 10-15 minutes of high speed movement and breath work is all it takes to get your lungs working efficiently. If you’re ever in a fight, you want your lungs working efficiently and you want that stamina. All muscle and no stamina is almost useless (almost but not completely).

17. I finally started weightlifting this week. I did a Push-Pull-Leg-Split the last three days and actually wanted to do a second round every week (6 training sessions per week) but my muscles still hurt af (I didn’t do any kind of sports for the last 3 years).
    So what do you think, is training hard 3 times per week enough?
    Or will the aching be shorter in the future and I can skip to six times in maybe 2 to 4 months?

    1. Three times a week will work, I do 3-4 days a week with heavy lifting.
       For aching sore muscles, try Lysine and drink lots of water.

    2. push-pull split at 6 days a week is an excellent thing. It is my standard go to when I don’t have a particular goal in mind. So I will essentially go Chest/Back Shoulders/Arms Legs and repeat. This is the classic golden age of body building method. I will say that you really have to love being in the gym and lifting weights to keep it up for a long period of time. People burn out. It is funny, I never see people say “i have been going to happy hour 5 days a week I wonder if it is too much” it is about what you find fun.
       Is training hard 3 times per week enough? That question can’t be answered until you say enough for what? Set a goal and then reverse engineer getting there. My current goal would be totally impossible if I only went to the gym 3 days a week. To me a 3 day week feels like I haven’t gone to the gym. Different goals require different workouts so it is impossible to say whether 3 days is enough.
       As for aching…..you will eventually come to smile when you wake up aching. Laugh at yourself as you try to sit on a toilet 2 days after legs. As GOJ says, lysine helps. I am the biggest advocate of water in the world. I currently am drinking 2 gallons a day. Howveer, if you aren’t getting at least one gallon than you are under hydrated and that is leading to excess muscle soreness.

18. Skip the keto and fast 2-3 days a week…

    1. Do both and come out ahead of both.

    2. I’ve been using the the LCHF diet last 3 years now. Took me from 100 kg to 78kg in 6-8 months, without having to starve. I do fast once in a while though because it’s easy on this kind of diet.

       1. 78kg? Surely you look like a prisoner of war (or aren’t too tall)…

          1. Nope, 1.84 cm..I was a little fat back then, now I’m just slim.

19. Good general advice. The only major point out is that getting cut is simple: it’s calories consumed vs. calories expended. That’s it. You can get cut on anything- even Twinkies. As long as you are consuming less calories than you are burning you will lose body fat. Obviously, the quality of the calories, timing, and the macro-nutrient (at least 1g protein per pound of body weight, carbs for energy, etc.) ratios are important for health, energy, and body composition, but the basic principle is based on the simple math of total calories regardless what those calories consist of.
    The MyFitnessPal app is an effective and easy way to calculate and track your calories if you’re looking to cut, gain, or track dietary intake in any way. It beats out the old school hassle of writing in journals or using spreadsheets IMO.
    Also, isolation exercises definitely have their place. Compound exercises are definitely the best bang for your buck timewise, but any serious bodybuilder understands isolation movements are part of the overall lifestyle of bodybuilding. Telling noobies to stick to primarily, or even exclusively, compound movements as opposed to a regiment consisting mostly of isolation movements is correct advice, but there will come a point in any bodybuilding career to throw in isolation movements.

    1. I think all beginners should go straight to isolation for their weakest/ worst looking body part.
       It’s called low hanging fruit.

       1. I wish I would have discovered my one armed, dumbbell preacher curls back when I started out. My biceps lagged the most and now, years later, they are pretty beastly thanks to DPC. I do pull ups or lat pull downs then go into DPC one day a week.
          Other people may claim to have different experience, but there is no compound movement that is going to result in massive biceps compared to isolation movements.

          1. Exactly. For me and most Bench presses… even incline will not develop the upper pec near the clavicle. Upper cut pullies will turn that area into a cliff. I think my pecs can stop a bullet now

          2. Good stuff. I’ll have to try those. Chest has always been an easy area to build but tons of push ups work better for me than benches (even though I still include them). I’ve found dumbbell chest flies work better for pec mass than BP. I’ll have to try your UCP.

20. I lift weights (2 day split – 4 times per week) and swim 40 minutes 3 times per week. I also take supplements (Resveratrol, CoQ10, PQQ, the NAD+ enabler) that may or may not have life extension effects. But I do not do testosterone replacement at all.
    I will say something else that has worked for me, but is quite controversial. I have “chelated” with ALA (alpha lipoic acid) to remove Mercury from my body. The controversial part is the notion that Mercury, mainly from vaccines as well as other medical sources, is a cause of many of the medical problem we have today such as allergies, asthma, and autism. 3 years of ALA chelation completely cured my asthma, dramatically reduced (but not completely eliminate) my allergies, and has resulted in me having a physique that is as tight as that I have 30 years ago (I’m in my early 50″).
    Such is my fitness/life extension regimen.
    You mission, if you choose to accept it, is to live long enough to make it to a time that SENS and other anti-aging biomedicine is developed and commonly available.

    1. Are you vendor of SENS?

21. I hate legs days, when I have to skip a day at the gym I sacrifice legs

    1. I fucking hate shoulder work. Lateral delts and traps make me homicidal

    2. https://www.spreadshirt.com/image-server/v1/designs/12237781,width=178,height=178/friends-don-t-let-friends-skip-leg-day.png

22. What if TRT gives short term boost, but in the long term results in accelerated aging?

    1. It doesn’t. Where did you ever get that idea?

       1. http://www.boredjunk.com/data/media/3/arnold.jpg

          1. First, that picture is several years old. I’ve seen more recent images of Arnold and he looks much better.
             Next, Arnold took massive amounts of T in the day. He was taking it at a time when his body would have been producing a healthy level on it’s own. Lord knows what this did but TRT only is intended to bring a deficient level of T back up to a normal level.
             Take it from me, having my T level back in the range that it was in when I was in my late 30s and early 40s is pretty nice. I have blood work ups done a couple times a year and carefully monitor my BP, BF and weight on almost a daily basis.
             If you believe TRT is harmful, it’s no sweat off my balls pal

    2. But does it?
       A poster above is in his mid 60’s and has been doing this for around 20 years..

23. Anyone here thinking about doing an iron man….2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run triathlon?

    1. You know my stand on “Fight or Flight”. If God wanted me to run fast or for long distances, he wouldn’t have built me like Thor. If a bear comes at us at a campsite, you’ll be the one not getting eaten, because I ain’t going to outrun you and will basically have no choice but to draw my blade and confront the bear face to face, like that Indian dude did in Terminator.

       1. I agree and I could never pull off an iron man, but the sheer extremeness of it really makes me wish I could.

       2. there is a joke about a man and a wife in the woods when a bear comes and the punch line is “i don’t need to outrun the bear” I can’t remember the whole joke though.

          1. it shits on the pope or something….

          2. Or pees on trump

       3. Wasn’t the Indian dude in Predator?

       4. Yeah that was my favorite part of the Terminator. That curry munching Indian had no chance against the robot bear’s thermal vision and ademantium claws.

    2. I thought about it just for bragging rights. I’ve ridden a century and run a half independently. But for what ever reason I can’t run after I’ve biked.
       Do you do any cardio or just lift?

       1. I have ridden century’s before and I think I could pull off that long of a swim (though probably not at the same time) but I could never run a marathon. I do a lot of cardio. No matter what I am doing I do an hour of intervals on the stairs every single day. When I am power lifting for size and strength I do “active rest days” which usually include crossfit (which I consider cardio) or sometimes parachute sprints (cool place near me which has a roof track and parachutes). Right now I am in cut mode extreme so I have lightened a lot of my weights. So my workouts go 6 Giant Sets plus 1 hours of stairs. My Giant Sets are 5 sets by anywhere between 12-20 reps depending on workout with three workouts per set. When I am done with the 6 giant sets (usually takes about 6 hours ) I am soaked to the fucking bone. Then an hour on the stairs in intervals. By the time I go on vacation in march I will be pretty lean and chiseled. But yeah, even when I am lifting less but much, much heavier and trying to bulk up and add strength I always do one hour a day on the stairs or vertical climber. I am a believer that an hour a day of cardio is something everyone should do for cardiovascular health in general even if you aren’t doing it for weight loss. (I will skip if I have the chance to swim, but here in NYC I don’t get that chance very often….also, aside from lifting, hobbies, and cardio, when the weather is nice I ride my bike to work which is about 6 miles each way…this is in and out of traffic in busy manhattan streets).

       2. as a side note, if I thought I could actually do this I would in a fucking heartbeat for those same bragging rights. I think I could probably train myself to do the swim and the bikeride if I worked my ass off for a year but with my knee which has undergone massive surgery (lolknee) there is no way in gods green earth I could ever run a marathon…especially on top of those other things.

          1. There is no reason to ever run a marathon. It’s idiotic, IMHO.

          2. I agree on that. However, to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 and then run a marathon is a fucking accomplishment.

          3. much quicker by car.

          4. do 2-3 ..no swimming unfortunately …. A 112 miles will take a good day for me though on a bike. 10-12 hours and then 4 hour run. Long friggin day. swimming would be by far the worst of all. i was doing 15 mile 70 this past summer. you run out of sweat if your not careful. Food and water maintenance is the hardest. there are guys in their late 50’s dong these; your a bunch of pansies. lol

          5. If I remember right the winners come in around the 8-8.5 hour mark

          6. Forget the running, take up cycling, very smooth and almost no joint impact damage.

          7. It’s a personal accomplishment… but what do you *really* accomplish from it (other than possible injury)?
             Nobody cares about that bushman in the Kalahari who runs for 3 days straight.

          8. Nah. I know. If I could do it I would because fuck why not.

    3. Nobody.

24. As an aside, I have greatly streamlined my supplementation. I use a preworkout with DMAA (to which I add a scoop of pure beta alanine) which I use in the beginning and in the middle of my weight training session. I gulp BCAA’s but only because I am doing keto for a cut now. If I was injesting carbs I wouldn’t bother. I take an animal pack daily multi vitamin and fish oil. Feeling pretty good with it.

    1. How do you know how much DMAA is safe?
       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylhexanamine

       1. Trial and error over many years. I currently use 75mg pre workout and 75mg mid workout. I have gone up to twice that much with no negative side effects but after 75mg the positive side effects don’t increase dramatically enough to be worth the amount. The hysteria over the safety of DMAA comes from a handful of cases where very stupid people took enough to make a horses head explode. You can also OD on aspirin if you take enough ya know. There is no better compound to bring energy and strength and cognitive abilities to their peak (though I admit I have not tried test or anabolics)

          1. you seem to like the DMAA.I did some recent reading and it is a drug-speed- so it probably gives you the hype and mind clarity. The problem is you dont know if its going to shut your kidneys down etc down the road. In 10 years you might be sucking food through a straw. There are no studies. Steroids are like as well…. Your life bet.. I would think if your not up each day its because of something in the diet missing. My issues are recovery

          2. I understand this risk. However, in the amounts I am taking with the huge quantity of water I take in I think the risk is minimal
             There is always a risk of course. My diet is hyper clean and monitored by a ifbb trainer. I am doing great but I also have other things going on that wear the mind out.
             What is the prob with your recovery? I would suggest that 90% of the problems people have could be solved with proper hydration and learning to properly stretch. I have never met a person who had recovery issues who did a proper pre and post workout stretch session religiously and drank a minimum 1g of water a day.

          3. Where do you buy your DMAA? I am going to try the glycofuse you are recommending. Looks awesome for recovery. I do the max insanity workouts daily for cardio…legs don’t hold up (and I run as well daily)…. Hydration; I work on but it sounds like I need to double it.

25. I don’t know, all this stuff sounds like a lot of work. Especially the diet part. That doesn’t sound enjoyable. And pills? Er.. no thanks.
    I think I’ll just stick to swimming laps in the evening instead. Simpler.
    😉

    1. Lifting is a must.

       1. OK fine, it is. But the diet thing…. 😉

26. Are there any good things about Nitric Oxide (NO) or is that another fad?

    1. Great for erections.

       1. Whats good NO supplement without all the caffeine?
          https://www.dangerandplay.com/2014/05/08/beetroot-juice-lifting-sexual-health-exercise-blood-pressure/

27. Most important thing about getting in shape is making it a habit. I really don’t care what method or program a newbie chooses, but you have got to get them to stick with it religiously for at least 3 months. Once you’ve gotten them showing up consistently, it’s easy to modify the workout.

28. If your recommending testosterone…where do you buy it? Is online real or you injecting water? A doctor isn’t going to prescribe if your close to normal and you certainly -in most cases -are not going to grow it your basement.
    and 6/1 225 is over weight by 25 lbs. BMI is 28+ Too high.

    1. Those bmi calculators and macro calculators are pure trash. 6’2″ 225 pounds is not at all fat for some guys.
       And to answer your question…you buy test from a drug dealer.

    2. You do realize that most NFL running backs are overweight according to bmi charts. Don’t use that shit.

       1. yes, and half those guys will die by the time there 50.Most NFL players; the speed guys are not overweight. If your a lineman; anyone can get to 300 lbs but speed is another dimension. Tyson, ali were not 225. but all have different goals. You can be a strong but look like a bowling ball. Your choice.

29. I am 55. I am a heavy weight lifter and do strenuous cardio. I have never used any steroids except during bouts of asthma. It can be done and you can stay strong completely natural. That said, your genetics must be a large part of that nature. Men in my family develop muscle very well.

    1. cool..

30. Great Article!
    I’m 45 now and I’ve been weight lifting / bodybuilding since I was 17. Nothing beats heavy compound exercises (5-8 reps) with a methodical approach.
    This is the system that I’ve been using for over 25 years, and it has never failed me:
    – 2 days on with 1 day off, or 3 days on with 1 day off, depending on workload/recuperation.
    – Biceps/Triceps, Calves
    – Chest, Abs
    – Back
    – Deltoids, Calves
    – Legs, Abs
    – I always keep Legs and Back at opposite ends of the week to allow for proper recovery of these large body parts.
    – Combine the weight training with low impact cardio (bike, swimming, etc.). I prefer swimming over almost anything.
    – Source the Highest quality fresh (not processed) food possible. Adjust the calories/nutrients according to your physical expenditure, age, goals, stress levels, etc. The more you learn about nutrition, the better – you will develop a keen sense as to how your body reacts to certain foods.
    – Eat Clean 6 days of the week and allow for 1 Cheat day (a nice dinner out).
    – Watch your alcohol consumption.
    – Get 7-9 hours of sleep. With enough rest, you can accomplish almost anything.
    – Learn to Listen to your body – it will tell you exactly what it needs.
    – Avoid injuries at all costs – if possible.
    There is no denying the “Obvious” Positive Effects of weight training and proper diet / lifestyle, but there are so many other benefits… I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH… Learning “Proper” weight training and diet will also provide you with an actual Structure to adhere to. It’s this very Structure that, with Repetition and Time, will help you develop Tremendous Discipline, Focus and Confidence. These qualities will have an everlasting positive effect on all aspects of your life (business, personal, etc.). This lifestyle will absolutely provide you with a much higher quality of life than the average person. I also can’t think of any disadvantages to having a strong physical presence. You’ll Command Respect, and if you Combine that with Intellect, you’ll Earn that Respect.

31. Barry Bonds before / after pics, he was injecting himself with elk splooge, milked from elk by virgin mormon girls.
    http://www.barrybondssteroids.net/bondsbeforeandaftersteroids.jpg

    1. His forearms haven’t changed.

32. 1. Testosterone replacement therapy
    If you can’t afford that take Inner Male Vitality. It’s the best testosterone precursor around.

    1. I think he is recommending something above normal range.

33. I see a few people saying TRT is bad for you. Is it?

    1. Depends if your low a quart….If your over 35; I would take supplements. Prior to that ; most men don’t need it. If you want to be savage- then inject this above the normal line.

       1. What do you mean low a quart?

          1. if your low on t. you will know it. Everyday your tired.

34. Good article and 100% right but how could doing all five compound weight lifts AND Swiming/biking AND being on a Ketosis diet AND taking testosterone possible not get you into great shape!!
    I’m in decent shape watching more food and hitting the gym 4 times a week. If I did all the above me and anyone would be in Great shape.

35. As a runner, I just wanted to point out that the reason long distance runners do not carry weight is because it is “useless” and can actually inhibit speed. All that upper body bulk is simply weight you have to carry around.
    However if you are sub-elite to way above average like i am, you can have a decent physique.
    As for the injuries, its all about form (just like with lifting), wearing the proper trainers (sneakers) and rest days. A lot of people wear shit shoes and have poor biomechanics and their knees pay for it.
    So do yourself a favor: Stop heel striking, strengthen your core and get proper sneakers and you’ll be good. So says the well over 40 year old who’s been running for a VERY long time.

    1. Same for cycling, but no sneaker problems. At age 60 cycling cuts out most of the joint problems. Gave up trail running 2 years back, too many ankle and knee injuries. Weights and running is really for the under 40s.

       1. No- weights are always good. Particularly barbell in assisting with maintaining balance.

    2. Been running since middle school for exercise- not competitive. I found that switching from the typical padded shoes to minimalist shoes completely cured knee and back pain problems I started having when running a few years back. I’m over 50.

       1. Me too! My minimalist runners have saved my knees and improved my times. At 41 I run faster times than my mid 30s—where I was consistently bogged down with knee injuries.

    3. Minimalist shoes and mid foot striking has saved me in middle age. Yoga also helps when in training mode. Laugh if you will, but the stretching and core strengthening helps prevent injuries.

       1. I can’t vouch for minimalist shoes but definitely agree with the rest.

36. In regards to compound movement. I’m about 5,8 150lb. Long athletic history in hockey. Not skinny but thin forsure. My biggest issue is my appetite. I absolutely dread trying to get in over 2500 calories a day( what my fitness pal app says I need a day to gain) can you guys give any nutritional advice to someone like myself? Dairy always gives me wicked acne within a day or two so I try to avoid that. The working out for an hour isn’t what puts me off. It’s trying to stuff my face for the other 23 hours i find exhausting. Not looking for those Nasty sugar filled shakes either. Advice ?

    1. If you hit it hard enough in the gym, you’ll be hungry. I get an easy 50-75 grams a day of protein with shakes. No sugar and lots of super greens in them.
       Fact is putting muscle on takes eating protein. Look at it as a long term project. “stuffing your face” is the wrong ‘tude.
       Dairy is for babies, skip that shit.

    2. Same problem, I’m doing the sugar fruit smoothies. I see no alternative, else extreme weight loss and looking like a bag of bones.

    3. Add Nuts. Walnuts/ pecans etc.

    4. Egg shakes?

37. Is it possible to ride a bicycle like a man long-term?
    Seems to me that few who start biking can resist the temptations of dressing like Lance Armstrong, refusing to ride on bike trails (while petitioning the government for more of them), instead idiotically pretending that the bike is an automobile, and generally being a nuisance to everyone…aka a yuppie.
    Giving rise to:
    “When I’m walking, I hate drivers. When I’m driving, I hate pedestrians. But I always hate bicyclists.”

    1. Dunno, I’m in full Lycra, but mainly on jungle trails. My arse hurts without the padding. At least 25Km a day.

       1. Same here, but no lycra/padding and no seat pain. Could it be the saddle that you’re using?
          Does the terrain call for a soft tail bike or more out of saddle time?

    2. I live in an area with a lot of cyclists. You tend to notice the ones that are idiots and have to keep that in mind when looking at the entire group. For every stop light/red light runner, rider in the center of the road, there’s 20 following the rules. They just don’t tend to notice them.

38. Excellent article.
    I’m 65 and have followed this man’s path almost my entire life. I’m in excellent(knock on wood)health, never have been in a hospital, still put in 12+ hours every day in my studio, have lots of fun with my wife, sleep like a baby, have BF in the 15-20% range, low BP and all in all, am happy as a clam.
    Since I moved here to w Texas, there just is no fucking way I’m riding my bike on these roads. I used to mountain bike ride in CO all the time-ain’t no mountains around here. I do get in a good swim once a week though-great exercise for your heart.
    One point I’d make is if you’re considering TRT, after your blood test, if your testosterone in in the 3-700 range, try HcG for 6 months. It will stimulate your testicles to naturally produce more T. I used it alone for several years in my middle 50s to get my T up over 900. Finally though, a couple years ago, I did start TRT.
    I still use HcG to prevent testicle shrinkage. You do not want your jewels shutting down as they will when an outside source of T is introduced. The testicles produce more then testosterone and you don’t want them turned off.
    Also watch your estradiol, the sweet spot is 22 and too little or too much(over ~45) will start to cause problems like joint pain.

    1. How wealthy are you? That’s all that matters to your wife.

       1. You ever been in a long term relationship? That’s not ALL that matters (but yes, it matters a lot, especially if they don’t like you!)
          Lot’s of cucked wealthy guys with cheating wives around.

          1. My first marriage lasted 30 years, and my current marriage 7 years so far. Do those count as long term?

          2. Of course.
             There would have been more going on than money in that first marriage yes? At least during the first few years.
             Maybe with age, money is more important to them… because by that stage, women have more need for it.

          3. I thought there was, bit suspect there wasn’t. I was just the best opportunity she had at the time.

          4. Come on, it’s easy to get negative with age, I’m guilty of it too.
             Surely you rocked her world till it got boring several years later! As much as we carry on about the cold analytical side of relationships, we forget that chemical attraction does exist and oxytocin does play a part in “love”. It’s not all just money. That comes later (or right at the start when setting the hook)…

          5. “Maybe with age, money is more important to them… because by that stage, women have more need for it.”
             To that I would say…”who cares???!!!”.
             Why on earth would any male spend money on an old bag??? I’m 51, and I spend plenty of money on females. Young ones! It’s really the only thing I spend my money on. I live in a small Apt (just me here) and I drive an 11 year old Camry. Yes, I know that money is the only way I can get them, but I’d rather be with a hot 23yo escort or SB who doesn’t give a crap about me than with a wrinkled, sagging 45yo with stretch marks & cellulite who would “appreciate me”.

    2. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!

       1. Lift baby-it’s a key to a long healthy life. The iron is a man’s best friend.
          Thanks for the TU

39. Cyclists are freakish looking, same as marathon runners (no upper body muscle), I know I cycle 6000km a year. But essentially not important to shagging women. Women want money not physical good looks. They might shag you once or twice for your physical attraction, but if you’re poor they would prefer to live with Hugh Hefner.

    1. Um…Disagree 100%. I have a 6 figure income & 7 figure net worth and all that gets me is escorts. I have never once had a female show attraction towards me, even with my cash, so I have to believe it is looks and muscles that attracts them to males. BTW, I do moderate workouts 4x a week, pushups, dips, ab stuff, light weights, etc…so I am “fit and trim”. But no Brad Pitt or Tom Brady by a long shot. They want guys who look like and are built like that.

       1. Wear more gold, buy a better car, choose expensive shoes.

       2. Do you talk to women or just wait around till they show attraction?
          Openly showing attraction is quite rare (unless you count indicators of interest, which are involuntary and un-obvious to most men anyway).

          1. Honestly, the second one you mention.
             But I have to also honestly say that I see women throwing themselves at the “hunks” all the time. Throwing themselves at them.

    2. Biking 10 miles a day does not make a freak. And you obviously don’t lift.

40. You’re usually one of my favorite authors, but 17% BF is an elite physique? That’s insane. If I was 17% body fat I’d be embarrassed to take my shirt off at the pool, and I certainly wouldn’t be writing articles about it.

41. Isn’t TRT serious because you will have it for life? because makes testicles stop producing naturally testosterone? Also for 30s even men at 40s it may cause infertility? I don’t know for sure and the numbers of the probability. If it is in normal range not low Why someone would take extra testosterone?

42. is this a sponsored article ? terrible advice. Nice when you’re 20 but these heavy compounds will gradually destroy your joints because 99% of people do them wrong based on some bro lifter’s youtube video. Just listen to Steve Maxwell, he knows what he’s talking about.
    Keto diet is just Atkins diet rebranded, it’ll kill your metabolism and clog up your arteries. Follow Mike Mentzer’s advice, carb up and watch the gains.

    1. If you a high protein is clogging arteries it’s because they are eating the wrong protein sources.

       1. the saturated fat will, not the proteins.

          1. Right. So stay away from the saturated fat. Do you need a list?

43. Your built but bike that offen? Bikers are either fat turds or cancer patients. Got to see a pic brother

    1. / this comment is pure ignorance. im 5′-9″, 210 lbs, 36″ waist, i bike 3-5 times week, high resistance and i can add 10 lbs of leg muscle, low resistance and i can lean up my whole body.

44. It is not safe to ride a bike nowadays, between traffic and BLM types attacking you. And TRT can lead to prostate problems, balding and testicle shrinkage.

45. You’re missing a trick if you’re not incorporating a loaded carry into your regime.
    Also, I’m not sure I would characterise Keto as “high protein”. Too much protein will break down into glucose and kick you out of ketosis.

46. Any article suggesting TRT is off their fucking rocker, I cant believe that’s the first thing you jump to to recommend shit to people. You want a big buff bro body? have comment sense (most important), dont be an idiot, get your ass to the gym, watch your diet. I was diggin this site till i found this cancerous article.

47. I like the unintentional humor resulting from an article touting “eliteness” [ 4 Things I Do To Maintain An Elite Physique ] being followed on the homepage by this article:
    “The Elites Have No Idea What Is Coming”
    ___________
    btw, REAL men never work out. They don’t have to work out because they are fit and ripped from doing productive things that require strenuous physical activity.
    All this going to a gym, posing in a mirror, shaving your chest hair, and taking “supplements”- SUPER effeminate. Girly, girly, girly.
    “working out” is metro-sexual and kinda gay. Well, a lot gay, actually. Particularly when you workout-homos “spot” each other and stand with your tiny dicks over each other’s faces.

    1. my thoughts as well. fancy gyms have become hook up destination for gays.

48. you left out walking. cheapest simplest exercise most Muricans arent aware of.

    1. Walking has its place. I will do a mile with the wife most days problem is the time involved compared to the benefits is slow. I do enjoy it though.

49. At what age would you suggest trt? I’m fairly young. South of 30, but very close

50. Don’t be afraid of carbs. Keto works amazing for some people, and terrible for others. There is no one size fits all program for nutrition. You need to try everything and find what is sustainable, and induces the response you want. Carbs are not evil. If you want to cut something out of your diet, cut sugar. Zero benefit to any sugar that does not come bundled naturally with fiber(fruit).

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