A Pro Card at Age 60
No Nonsense Magazine Vol 23, #3
By: Matt Davis, IFBB Masters Over 60 Physique Professional
During my wife’s first pregnancy in 1990, I was by her side 24/7 preparing meals and giving her massages to alleviate pain. After she gave birth, she said that it was time that I should do something for myself. I decided to join a gym and started working out. I weighed just 135 lbs. and my goal was to gain weight. Over the next six years, I gained 30 lbs. of good muscle and people at the gym started suggesting that I should compete.
I was extremely shy, but finally took a chance at age 39 and competed in my very first show. I placed first in Men’s Novice Short, Men’s Novice Overall and Masters over 35! Yes, I was hooked. Over the next 12 years, I participated in 10 competitions and always placed in the top five. Then I took a nine-year hiatus.
I continued to work out and eat fairly clean as a lifestyle from 2010 to 2018 and then decided to jump back into competition. My goal was to earn an IFBB pro card in the 60 and over division. I hired a coach, Alex Pomeroy (@alexpomeroyfitness), and joined his team. I began with an off season workout and diet to gain mass. Then it was time to start competition prep. In my first contest of 2019 I placed first in Men’s Open Physique and second in the Masters 40 and older class. Then it was on to the 2019 NPC Universe where I achieved my goal and was awarded my IFBB card by placing 1st in the Men’s Physique Over 60 class!
In Closing
I always pride myself on giving one-hundred percent no matter what my contest results. Always remember to smile and enjoy the journey. I hope this story will be someone’s “fitspiration”.
Diet
Here is a look at how I eat both off season and in season. I eat the same foods, but are much more precise with the portion sizes during contest prep.
**Each morning before meal one I drink 4oz of warm water with1/2 squeezed lemon.
Meal 1: 12oz egg whites cooked in 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, 1 cup spinach, and 45g oats
Meal 2: 6oz fish or chicken, 1/2 cup rice/quinoa (or 3 rice cakes in place of the rice)
Meal 3: 6oz fish, turkey, tuna or chicken, 1 cup brown rice or 6oz red potato or sweet potato, and 1 cup broccoli
Meal 4: 6oz fish, chicken, or turkey, 6oz veggies (broccoli, asparagus, green beans, spinach, kale or lettuce, 1/2 oz raw nuts. Large salads are ok too, but no dressing - just use pepper or Mrs Dash and lemon juice.
Meal 5: 6oz fish, chicken, or ground turkey breast (twice a week lean red meat or salmon), 6oz veggies
Meal 6: 12oz egg whites
Post Workout: 2 scoops UMP Protein and 40g Cream of Rice
Favorite Supplements
Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP) – I mix two scoops UMP into my Cream of Rice (40g) for my post workout meal. I love the taste.
Creatine Select – one scoop before workouts.
Up-Lift – Up-Lift is my pre-workout supplement of choice. It provides me with energy and focus during my workouts.
7-Keto MuscLean – I take 7-Keto MuscLean prior to cardio to keep my metabolism amped up during contest prep.
Lean Out – During competition prep for fat loss, I take 8 capsules spread out through the day.
Fast-Up – Fast-Up really gets me going before fasted cardio and workouts.
Training
I am a strong believer in stretching and warming-up before a workout. I learned the hard way as I have had my share of injuries and setbacks. I like to stretch 5-10 minutes while in the sauna before working out.
I generally do four sets per exercise. For the upper body, I use rep ranges of 8-10 and slightly higher reps for legs, with calves/abs at 15-25 reps per set. I generally do straight sets. When training any body part, I will start with two warmup sets. I usually train six days a week as follows:
| Day 1: Chest & Abs | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline DB Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Decline Barbell Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Flat Bench Press Machine | 4 | 8-10 |
| Low Incline Flyes | 4 | 8-10 |
| Crunch Machine | 4 | 15-25 |
| Roman Chair Leg Lifts | 4 | 15-25 |
| Rope Crunches | 4 | 15-25 |
| Day 2: Quads & Calves | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Leg Extension | 4 | 15 |
| Front Squats | 4 | 10-12 |
| Leg Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Hack Squats | 4 | 10-12 |
| Standing Calf Raises | 4 | 15-25 |
| Seated Calf Raises | 4 | 15-25 |
| Donkey Calf Raises | 4 | 15-25 |
| Day 3: Back | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Supinated Grip Lat Pulldown | 4 | 8-10 |
| Seated Cable Rows | 4 | 8-10 |
| Wide Grip Machine Row | 4 | 8-10 |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 8-10 |
| Day 4: Shoulders | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Machine Front Raises | 4 | 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Front Raises | 4 | 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Upright Rows | 4 | 8-10 |
| Machine Shoulder Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Pec Deck-Rear Shoulders | 4 | 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | 4 | 8-10 |
| Day 5: Hamstrings & Calves | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lying Leg Curl | 4 | 8-10 |
| Seated Leg Curl | 4 | 8-10 |
| Lying Single Leg Curl | 4 | 8-10 |
| Stiff Legged Deadlifts | 4 | 12,10,8,8 |
| Day 6: Arms | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Preacher Curls | 4 | 8-10 |
| Incline Curls | 4 | 8-10 |
| Rope Pushdowns | 4 | 8-10 |
| Lying Triceps Extensions | 4 | 8-10 |
| Bench Dips | 4 | 8-10 |
Cardio
The Stairmaster is my favorite cardio machine. I do 40 minutes of fasted cardio in the morning 6 times a week during contest prep. Additionally, I do 20 minutes of post workout cardio. At both sessions I keep my heart rate between 120 – 130 - just enough to burn calories but not lose muscle.
