What age is "prime" now?

It seems like late 20's used to be the pinnacle of athletic accomplishment. Yates was down and thrashed by 34.. now I see guys looking their best at early to mid 40's... Do you guys agree that these guys are going further and lasting longer? John Meadows comes to mind... what an incredible physique!! Bodybuilders, athletes, and even weekend warriors.. I just hit 36 and I feel it... but I find it MUCH easier to maintain and even make small gains as opposed to my 20's...
When do you guys think things start going south? I'm finally to a point where I like what I look like in and out of clothes... it's been more than 20 years in the making.. I'd like to keep it for 10 years or more.

I would agree Dude! I'm tested in PT twice a year and I'm in the top 3% of my unit at 49 for PT score. Most of the folks in their mid30s to 40s do better than the 20 sometbings. Not sure why that is but it would be a good study.

certainly would say i was in my prime overall physical shape in my late 20's but in terms of bodybuilding i didnt peak til 30's all throughout my 30s actually, i dont think any generation was more fitness minded then ours, with all the latest equpiment and such, and now the younger generation is into gadgets, and out of shape so i think we are the last of our breed, the breed that looks better in our 30's and 40's than most guys now in their 20's , but i think it all starts to go in your mid 40's slowly of course, but their is no more uphill or bettering your physique at that point in my opinion, maybe i will find that im wrong, but i have not gained anything in years, now its just a game to hold on to what i have worked so hard for all my life in the gym, and of course trying to stay lean while holding onto my muscleI guess it varies, but overall i would say we are the last of our kind

Athletically late 20's, physically 38-43 is primetime. Muscle maturity is at an all time high and it shows!!

yellow snow said:

Athletically late 20's, physically 38-43 is primetime. Muscle maturity is at an all time high and it shows!!

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yes well put! i was trying to say that, like for me playing sports, football ect 27 years old i was a fucking beast and in my prime when it came to any physical sport!

bodybuilding i peaked with muscle maturity much later, so yeah im with Yellow snow

Although i was way leaner in my 20s now in my 30s my body responds way better my muscles are fuller rounder and more anabolic looking if that makes any sense? My weight on the scales ,ay be similar but i look way differenct now and to be honest i think it just the beginning im not close to my prime at 33...i think i 5 years ill be at my best

My strongest most athletic was 21 and I quickly lost strength from there. My opinion is that tendons and ligaments are at their best shortly after puberty and then we wear them down quickly. Muscle on the other hand... there is alot more potential for improvement.. especially those of us that are handling our own hormones. I quite literally can't come close to anything in could do in my early 20's. Which is why I think strength has nothing to do with muscle size. At 21 I could do 315 behind the neck for like 6 reps. I was inclining 365.. squatting 500... deadlifting 600 for several reps... I did 405 on bent over rows for 6... I was so strong that it was stupid...

Boomer said:

Although i was way leaner in my 20s now in my 30s my body responds way better my muscles are fuller rounder and more anabolic looking if that makes any sense? My weight on the scales ,ay be similar but i look way differenct now and to be honest i think it just the beginning im not close to my prime at 33...i think i 5 years ill be at my best

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Makes perfect sense to me daddio! I know exactly what ya mean when you say a more anabolic looking muscle belly, and yeah you have some serious growth ahead of you if ur only 33 years old

I made some great gains from my mid-thirties to my mid-forties. After that it is all about maintaining what you have. And staying lean gets tougher every year after I turned 50.

BEASTZ6 said:

I made some great gains from my mid-thirties to my mid-forties. After that it is all about maintaining what you have. And staying lean gets tougher every year after I turned 50.

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meanning, you guys had better hit it fucking hard in ur 30 and 40's so you have enough to maintain in ur 50's lol.

now what age is prime for a female is the next question!

I would say for me 25 years old lmao

I always say, "I'm not getting older; I'm getting better!" I think some people actually believe me..... LOL

But really, 46 and bigger than I was at 19, 20. But like Dude, I was stronger then.

I also think the strength has to do with the "stupid" Dude mentioned: These days I'm scared of hurting myself, which screws me up at work, etc, so while I push myself to lift heavier all the time, at 19 and 20 I was way too stupid to be scared.....

At what age can you really tell you are getting old,to clarify when does it get very difficult to get lean. I have heard 50 from people that really know how to get lean not the fat poser that have never been lean in their life.

Im hoping to stay on test well into my 50s n 60s and probably start low dose hgh from 45 onwards... keep the body youthful