As athletes get older their performance is no longer what it was. This varies widely by sport. Golfers can remain champions right through their forties, and those over the age of 50 still compete among themselves. Very few football players are still able to compete in the NFL once they hit 40. Female gymnasts are rarely still world-class once they cease to be teenagers. And you won’t see many male bodybuilders over 40 competing.
Success in bodybuilding at the pro level generally requires a lot of physical maturity. Only a few competitors, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Casey Viator and Lee Priest, have had a lot of success right out of their teens. Bodybuilders have historically tended to peak in their thirties — and nowadays even their 40s.
But nothing lasts forever, and that definitely applies to muscle mass. Some champions, however, have been able to maintain impressive physiques at age 50, 60, or even beyond — though not at the level of their competitive best.
All of these bodybuilders have two things in common. For one, they never quit training. We’ve seen a few physique competitors try to make a comeback after laying off from training for a number of years. It’s possible, but it evidently takes a number of years to achieve this. Trying to do it in just a year or two won’t work.
Another thing they all have in common is that they stopped lifting really heavy after the age of 40 or so. They trained lighter and relied more on machines than free weights to avoid injury. Look at how legendary trainer Charles Glass trains the veteran bodybuilders who seek out his services, and you’ll see this approach in action.
The following are a few examples of how male bodybuilders over 40 can stay fit and injury-free:
When I first met Robby Robinson in the mid 1970s, he was one of the very best bodybuilders in the world, and he was extremely strong. He told me that at the gym he had trained at in Florida, they had a set of 30-pound dumbbells and a set of 60 pounders. So once the lighter weights were too light for you, there was no choice but to move up to the heavier ones.
But when he hit about 40 and had already developed a lot of mass, I remember how light his workouts were. Instead of curls with very heavy dumbbells, he would take a light dumbbell in two hands and curl, squeeze and hold a peak contraction with a lot of intensity. His training partner was not a pro bodybuilder, but a young woman trapeze artist.
Training this way, Robby avoided injury as he got older and just worked at maintaining the muscles he had already developed. As a result, when I photographed him as he hit 80 years old, he was probably the most muscular man of his age on the planet.
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Bill Dobbins
Tony Pearson
Tony Pearson essentially retired in 1993, although he was at his best in the late 1980s and made a brief return with some success in 2014, competing for NABBA.
But when he asked me to do a photo shoot with him on his 50th birthday, I was amazed at how good he still looked. He told me he still trained and dieted like he did in his competition days and never took more than a day or two off to rest and recuperate.
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Courtesy of vincetaylor50/Instagram
Vince Taylor
Vince Taylor was born in 1965 and won 22 IFBB titles during his long career — a world record until it was surpassed by eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman with 26 wins. The current record is 29 wins, held by Dexter Jackson.
As a young bodybuilder, Vince enjoyed lifting heavy and challenging his muscles to grow as much as he could. But as he neared 40, he changed his training style and starting working with much lighter weights or with machines. He realized that the careers of many athletes, including bodybuilders, were often cut short not by age, but by injury.
I remember Vince telling me he had cut beef out of his diet but, since that made him feel less strong, he’s added it back to his food choices. His attention to avoid injury and eating a diet that he felt supported his training efforts resulted in his being able to earn five Masters Mr. Olympia titles (1996, 1997, 1999-2001).
