Going Strong at Age 50

Again, I maintained through my 30’s and competed again at age 40. I took second place at the “Show Me Naturals”. It was such a blast; I competed the following year in the same show and won the middle weight open class. I competed several more times over the next 3 years with decent placings.

Last year, at age 49, I competed again. This time in a larger show, the “NPC Continental USA” and won the overall Masters. This was the first show where I used Beverly products seriously and boy what a difference it made in my overall physique. After competing this summer at the “Missouri State Show”, I would ultimately love to compete in the “NPC Masters Nationals”. But for me, the real accomplishment is just standing on stage in the best shape of my life. I heard a quote once that sums it up for me, “Your body and your spirit are gifts from above and what you do with them while on this earth is your gift back to God.”

Now that you know a little about me, let’s get into some things that I’ve learned along the way that might help you. We’ll start with a problem that I finally solved which may be relevant to many of you. I couldn’t hold muscle in the later stages of my contest diet. I solved it by keeping my body fat lower off-sea-son, increasing my pre contest food intake a little, and adding two specific Beverly products that helped me maintain muscle tissue, Mass Amino Acids and Ultra 40. Now, let’s go deeper into my diet.

Diet & Supplement Schedule

6:30 am:
2 caps of 7-Keto MuscLean

7 am:
5 egg whites, 2 whole eggs and ½ cup of steel cut Irish oats
1 Super Pak, 3 Mass Aminos, 3 Ultra 40 and Lean Out

10 am:
2 scoops of UMP and 1 piece of fruit

12:30 pm:
10 oz white fish, large veggie salad with homemade dressing consisting of seasonings, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and 1 ½ cups of brown rice
3 Mass Aminos, 3 Ultra 40 and Lean Out

1:30-2:00 pm:
1 scoop of Up-Lift 30 minutes before work out; 1 scoop of Creatine Select: drink while walking into gym, and 1 scoop of Glutamine Select in a water bottle to drink throughout training

2 pm:
Immediately following training, while walking out of gym: 2 scoops of Muscle Provider (Chocolate) with 1 piece of fruit

6 pm:
2 caps of 7-Keto MuscLean, 30 minutes prior to meal
10 oz of chicken breast, white potato, and large veggie salad with homemade dressing
3 Mass Aminos, 3 Ultra 40 and Lean Out

9 pm:
3 hardboiled eggs and 1 scoop of UMP
3 Mass Aminos, 3 Ultra 40 and Lean Out

I pretty much follow this diet year round, but it becomes more strict 12 weeks prior to competition, especially in terms of timing the meals, which is so important. 8 weeks prior to competition with the help of my trainer, Travis Wallis, we adjust the macro nutrients as needed.

Training

I alternate heavy and lighter weeks as illustrated below.

Week 1: As heavy as possible, but never sacrifice form

Day 1: Arms
BB Curl 4 sets of 8-10
DB Curl (seated) 4 sets of 8-10
Concentration Curl 4 sets of 10-12
Skull Crushers 4 sets of 8-10
DB Kickbacks (palm facing floor-not thumb) 4 sets of 8-10
Rope Pressdowns (with elbows wide) 4 sets of 8-10

Day 2: Quads/Calves
Hack Squat 5 sets of 8-10 reps
Inverted Leg Press 4 sets of 8-10
BB Squat 4 sets (deep) of 12 reps
Leg Extension 4 sets of 25 reps - you won’t be able to use much weight at all, but go slow and feel the squeeze at top
Standing Calf Raise 6 sets of 20
Donkey Calf Raise 6 sets of 20

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Chest
BB Bench Press 5 sets of 8-10 reps
DB Decline Flye (this kills) feel squeeze at top of movement 4 sets of 10-12
Cable Flye 4 sets of 10-12

Day 5: Back
Chins 5 sets to failure
Deadlift (in rack with stops 8 inches from floor to limit range at bottom of movement) 4 sets of 8
DB Row (with hand on bench and both feet on floor) 4 sets of 8.

Day 6: Shoulders and Hams
Lateral Raise 4 sets of 8-10 reps
Front Raise with Barbell 4 sets of 8-10
Rear Delt Flye (bent over) 4 sets of 8-10
Hammer Shoulder Press 4 sets of 8
Seated Leg Curl 5 sets of 8
Stiff Legged Deadlift 5 sets of 8
Lying Leg Curl 4 sets of 8

Day 7: Rest

Week 2: Only 1 minute rest between sets, keep the intensity up and use supersets. Do ab work every other day.

Day 1: Arms
Hammer Strength Preacher Curl 5 sets of 15
Concentration Curl 4 sets of 15
DB Hammer Curl (standing) 4 sets of 15
Hammer Strength Triceps Extension 5 sets of 15
Hammer Strength (plate loaded)
Dip Machine 4 sets of 15
Overhead Rope Extensions 4 sets of 15

Day 2: Quads and Calves
Leg Press 5 sets of 15
Hack Squats 5 sets of 15 - narrow stance and keep constant tension on quads - don’t lock out and go deep, all the way down
Walking Lunges to failure - or you throw up
Seated Calf Raise 6 sets of 20
Standing Calf Raise 5 sets of 20

Day 3: Chest
Hammer Strength (plate loaded)
Decline Press 5 sets of 15
Smith Incline (only slight incline) 4 sets of 15 - keep bar moving, don’t lock out
Hammer Strength (plate loaded) ISO Wide Chest 4 sets of 15

Day 4: Back
Seated Cable Row with wide bar 5 sets of 15 - do movement slow and really squeeze as you bring weight back
Cable Pulldowns (with feet behind you, not in front) 5 sets of 15
T-bar Row 5 sets of 15

Day 5: Shoulders/Hams
Lying Leg Curl 4 sets of 15
Standing Leg Curl 4 sets of 15
Stiff Legged Deadlifts 4 sets of 15 - 1 leg at a time and keep opposite toe pointed toward floor at all times
DB Press 4 sets of 15
Seated Shrugs 5 sets of 12
Lateral Raise 4 sets of 15

Day 6 and 7: Rest
Repeat week 1

Tips on Turning 50

Before I close, I’m going to list some tips and observations I’ve made about my training since turning 50.

1. Spend adequate time warming up. If I’d paid more attention to proper warm-up earlier in my life, I might not have as many aches and pains as I do today. Now, I spend about 20 minutes warming up my joints before I train. I do this every time I go to the gym.
2. I have “bodywork” done weekly at Fitzmaurice Performance in St Louis, and more often if needed. There are various names for it, massage, myofacial release, etc… but I just call it “bodywork”. This has made a huge difference for me.
3. REST - when I was in my 20s it wasn’t a big deal if I didn’t get enough sleep. At age 50 and beyond, it is ESSENTIAL.
4. Get your micronutrients every day. I start every day with a Super Pak whether I am competing or in the off season. That way I know I am giving my body the essentials.
5. Have Fun! Even though we may not look like top pros, we are still trying to constantly improve. Think positive and carry this momentum with you as you age.
6. As I get older, I found that I must be much stricter in my pre contest diet. The days of putting on 10 pounds in the off season are over. I must now maintain my condition all year round. I allow myself planned cheat meals in the off season, but if my body fat increases too much, it’s not worth the extra time and lost muscle it takes to get it off.
7. Supplements are now more essential to my nutrition plan. Ultra 40 and Mass Aminos with every meal really help.
8. I have to time my meals and eat every 2 ½ or 3 hours. At 40 it didn’t seem to make that much of a difference if I went 4 hours without a meal. Now it’s hard to keep my lean mass unless I am eating on schedule.
9. I try to lift heavy to keep my muscle bellies full and dense. But it just kills my joints if I lift heavy all the time. When I follow the training schedule above it allows me to lift heavy week 1, and up the intensity and reps on week 2 for hypertrophy, but with less stress on my joints.

I have really dedicated my life to my family, my faith and my fitness. I really enjoy helping others. At this stage, I am just trying to maintain the amount of muscle I have and refine it to achieve a higher level of conditioning and separation. Wherever you are today in terms of fitness, be kind to yourself. We all want to be better and that’s a good thing. I believe the way to achieve your fitness goals is to have a plan and don’t be lazy. Seek the advice of a professional trainer if you need help and follow his or her advice. It’s not too late, I am competing at 50 years old and hope to still be walking out on the stage in an over 60 class someday….God willing.