Post: #1

Hi all,

I turned 30 a few months a back I am pondering on my body's condition and capabilities compared to when I was 25.

I've had an LTR for over a year now and slapped on a solid 15 pounds. Before that, my weight was pretty consistent in my 20s at around 155-160 lbs (5' 8").

I have done casual jogs fairly consistently the last two years at once or twice a week for around 4 miles.

Looking at my running app, when I was 25 I would do a solid three 6-8 milers per week.

A lot of 7.30 min miles in there.

Now I get a few 8.30s but mostly 9 mins.

Clearly, I am carrying a bit more weight and my routine is not at all what it used to be.

Thus, my fitness overall is way down.

I am wondering to myself what a portion of that is to do with being 30 as opposed to 25z

I would have thought that your body at 30 is something like 90% as capable as it was at 25.

Has anyone any thoughts or experiences on this?

I am determined to get back to how I was.

Post: #2

It's not because you turned 30. If you said 35, and you dropped *a little* that might make sense. Or if you had injuries (possibly due to age). 25 to 30 isn't a that big of a drop in athleticism. Just look at NBA players.

The only reason could be that your T dropped enough to the point you put on extra pounds, which would slow you down. The most likely culprit is simply your fitness.

Get fit, lose weight. Do what you did when you were 25, then come back and let us know.

Short answer: Fitness (endurance, strength, etc) drops maybe 5% between 25-30, barring injury or treatable low T levels.

Post: #3

You said it yourself, your routine isn't as good.

Fitness is a house you lease, cept you gotta pay rent every day.

Use it or lose it mothafucka.

Post: #4

Personally I think for a man your fitness and strength should increase late 20s and into your early 30s. I'm about to turn 28 and I feel fitter, stronger, and more supple than I ever have done.

Post: #5

Thanks for the excellent replies.

Common theme is it's mostly a reflection of my routine dropping not my age.

Definitely motivating to hear.

If you look at pro athletes such as football players - Ronaldo is a beast and he is 33 nearly. Most peak around 28-33 so I think that says a lot.

Post: #6

Agreee with H1N1. I turned 30 this year and I have never been in better shape.
Far better than 25.

Post: #7

Quote:I would have thought that your body at 30 is something like 90% as capable as it was at 25.

I'd put it higher than 90%. You might lose a yard of speed, but nothing major. Your strength shouldn't suffer at all.

But what might suffer, is your ability to keep grinding, day in, day out. An older body takes a bit more to recover than a younger one, but this shouldn't even be that noticeable unless you're an elite-level athlete, and even then, can be overcome by simply being mindful of it and working smarter.

I didn't do a goddamn thing to enhance my recovery in my 20s, but in my mid 30's I'm supplementing, making sure I sleep right and eat well, and most importantly in my case, taking care of injuries rather than working through them.

Post: #8

It's possible you may notice a slight drop in energy and your ability to recover but shit, 30 isn't "old."

I turned 30 this year and I'm in better shape now than I was when I was 25, and I plan to be in even better shape that that over the next few years. I also fuck a lot more and feel like I have a stronger sex drive and I do not take test supplements.

Post: #9

30 is still solid for mens fitness.

35 little things start to seep in, but overall mens fitness is still good. Strength is, overall, still very high.

I am approaching 40 and things are mostly the same as 35, but still not too different than 30. I have more mass around the torso, with a bit more fat in the gut.

The one thing that is starting to bother me is my shoulders seem to be narrowing, or sloping, so that some of my suits from when I was 30 are a bit large in the shoulders.

This is likely when shit like yoga will start to make more sense. Most of my 30's were all about lifting. Through my 40's I think yoga will make more of an impact.

Post: #10

Take this as a warning sign, if you keep complacent you'll be far worse off in another 5 years.
25 - 30 isn't a a bad decline at all. You should still easily retain muscle mass and be flexible.

I found 30 is when guys who did nothing for their fitness and diet started their decline.

Nothing wrong with taking a bit longer to warm up joints and warm down.
Injuries can longer to recover and time out on the sidelines will have a bigger effect now.

Good luck getting back on track.

Post: #11

Im better now at 38 than I ever was during my 20s.

Post: #12

If you are living the standard post-college bro lifestyle (hit the gym hard 3-5 days per week, get wasted and stay up too late 1-2 times per week, live off protein shakes by day and DiGiorno pizzas by night) at 30, you will certainly feel worse than you did at 25.

Luckily, it's totally possible to be in the same shape or even way BETTER shape than at 25 by making a few lifestyle changes:

-Cut out alcohol and drugs as much as possible. Don't be afraid to be socially awkward and turn down the shots people buy you during a night out.

-Make it a point to catch up on sleep when you need it. Cancel plans and go to sleep at 8pm on Friday night if you have to.

-Don't stay up late watching TV and eating snacks. Make a promise to yourself to not eat or drink anything besides water after 7-8pm.

-Exercise every single day, even if it's just a walk around the block.

The first three on this list were next to impossible for me to do during my mid 20s. At 30, I am wise enough to realize all those extra shots will not make me a cooler person, that I'm rarely missing out on too much when I decide to stay in, and that staying up for the end of Monday Night Football just isn't a good time investment.


Also, I don't have any personal experience with this since I haven't had a relationship in half a decade, but men must do everything in their power to actively avoid the laziness and complacency that plagues nearly every LTR. Just because someone will probably still love you even if you get fat and start skipping showers doesn't mean you should do it. It's a recipe for disaster, yet nearly every guy (and most girls, too) let it happen before 35.

Post: #13

I've been surprisingly loosing weight as I reach 30. In my early 20s I was so annoyed with being skinny that I went on a perma bulk and just got massive. In the end I got fat so I've been cutting back. Trying to regain the suppleness and agility I had in my early 20s with some muscle to show for it.

Post: #14

I doubt there's any real age-related decline from 25 to 30 barring a few elite-athlete level movements. Even the elite are increasingly finding it possible to sustain top performance into their 30s. An ordinary guy who is fitness conscious should be able to still be in peak general condition until 40.

Post: #15

30/35... best shape

tough after 40... you need to eat lots to build/maintain muscle but all that food sits around the gut like never before...

Post: #16

I'm 28 and I'd beat the shit out of the guy I was at 25. No contest.

Post: #17

Just because many are in better shape than they were in their twenties doesn't mean there isn't a decline - there most definitely is. Potential at 25 is most definitely higher than potential at 30. The biggest issue I've noticed myself is that my joints can't take as much as they could before and I'm far more easily injured. Thorough warm ups and a sensible approach to weight increases helps but my body just isn't what it once was, even though I look better visually.

Post: #18

I'm turning 35 in a month and have been playing basketball since I was 10. Sure, I have more muscle now than a decade ago and look better naked, but I just can't go as hard as I used to. Also, the recovery takes way longer.

I went to the gym on Monday (deadlifts), played hard yesterday (2 hours) and today cycled about 20 km. I feel exhausted and need a break. 10 years ago, I'd go to the playground today without a problem.

Post: #19

Hard to gauge these things, because I work harder and more efficiently now than I ever did before. I am more tired, sure, but also work more intensely; I am also more aware of my tiredness, so I work more efficiently. That makes it hard objectively to gauge whether I'm more tired simply because I'm getting older. Talking about mental and physical work here. I'm 30.

Post: #20

(07-17-2017 07:35 PM)Laner Wrote:  30 is still solid for mens fitness.

35 little things start to seep in, but overall mens fitness is still good. Strength is, overall, still very high.

I am approaching 40 and things are mostly the same as 35, but still not too different than 30. I have more mass around the torso, with a bit more fat in the gut.

The one thing that is starting to bother me is my shoulders seem to be narrowing, or sloping, so that some of my suits from when I was 30 are a bit large in the shoulders.

This is likely when shit like yoga will start to make more sense. Most of my 30's were all about lifting. Through my 40's I think yoga will make more of an impact.

I don't recall much of a difference until I started to hit 40's.

The biggest problem I found was the fact it took a lot longer to recover from injuries. Yoga and stretching will help avoid injuries. I try and do a 10 minute stretch routine 4 or 5 days a week. It helps a lot.

I don't worry so much about putting up big numbers when hitting the weights. I just try and up my weight 5 pounds whenever I can finish a set. That is to avoid injuries more than anything.

I am more about remaining healthy at this stage in the game.

Post: #21

I'm 40 and the only really significant difference from just a few years ago are joint problems when lifting - primarily elbows, shoulders and more rarely knees.
Shoulder impingement for months (more or less over that but still occasionally shoulder pain in either shoulder), elbows popping and snapping and cracking loudly from something as light as standard push-ups - also have more or less severe elbow and wrist pain (including but not limited to a trapped ulnar nerve for a while) that comes and goes.
I used to be able to lift heavy in the gym for two decades with just light warm-ups (which in hindsight might be what has caused some of these later issues) but the last almost two years I've completely dropped my gym membership and switched to calisthenics, heavy duty elastic bands (from Bodylastics) and still dumbbells for some exercises. All of it with a lot of focus on and changes to hand positions and angles to minimize direct heavy load on elbows and shoulders in problematic positions.
I still think it's possible to improve these joint issues though as they are most likely more from muscle imbalances than actual joint problems - some of the small surrounding muscles not keeping up well enough anymore perhaps without further strengthening.

Other than that I'm slightly leaner than I was through most of my 20s and 30s - and on track with my diet to lose the remaining 3-4 kgs to get down to around 10-12% body fat, no obvious drop in muscle mass that I've noticed (I've never been "jacked", just athletic), core strength has never been better, recovery time still seems good, rarely feel tired and cardio health is better than it has been at many times throughout my life.

Post: #22

I'd say late 20's vs 20/21 is more noticeable than 25. Longer to recover from injuries, need slightly more recovery time from workouts, don't get as good of a pump in gym, can't push yourself quite as hard with overall workout volume, overall strength level doesn't seem to be affected by age at this point.

Post: #23

Like others have said I think any change in the age range 25-30 is mostly dependent on lifestyle.

I'm right in that bracket and and am losing weight that has hung around for years. This is because of a change in job (more enjoyable work) and change in eating habits (probably from not being depressed and binge eating).

Post: #24

I have noticed though that my eyesight is not as sharp long distance as it used to be. Probably due to the amount of time I spend at a computer and looking at smart phones... Not sure what to do about that yet. I'm definitely conscious of things like this now I'm "getting on a bit".

Post: #25

There was a guy at my gym in Canada who is in his early 50's. He could pass for 40 give or take and he's in phenomenal shape. Plus he more than keeps up with basketball, although I've noticed a dip in his endurance over the past couple of years.

If guys in their 40's and 50's can look good, there's no reason why you shouldn't reach your peak potential in your 30's.