In a recent video on Six Pack Shortcuts, Jonny interviewed his friend Mark Mcilyar. Mark is a 53 year old fitness model and he’s in ripped shape. He’s got veins on his biceps and he looks nearly as good as Jonny himself.
In the video, Mark explains how he managed to get in such good shape at his slightly riper age.
Let’s see how he did it…
Background
Mark starts out by explaining his background and how he was always interested in sports. While his friends started gaining weight, his interest in football and basketball kept him lean – and his competitive nature was a big driving factor for that.
He also hated the idea of becoming like his friends and gaining fat around his midriff. He loves going into gyms today and looking at guys 30 years younger who are in much worse shape!
What’s more, when he works out, he feels more energetic – which allows him to keep working out! It’s a virtuous cycle that has a ton of benefits.
Lifting Advice
So onto the hard advice for those over forty. The first thing that Mark says is to be realistic with your goals. Consistency is key, so even if you can only go twice a week, that’s fine – just make the commitment.
He also says not to beat yourself up if you miss a day. It’s probably your body telling you you need som recovery – don’t give up, just get back up on that horse! Likewise, he points out that it’s important not to have an ego in the gym. Lifting heavier for the sake of lifting heavier is a good way to get injured and actually to slow your gains – especially as you get older. Pick weights that you can get to 10 reps with and don’t go heavier than that.
In terms of losing weight, Mark focusses on HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training might seem tough, but if you have sore joints then actually it’s going to put less of a toll on your body than going for long runs that will wear out your knees. HIIT is also great for increasing mitochondrial function that will improve energy levels as you’re getting older. This is another way to sidestep one of the big challenges of working out as you pass forty.
Testosterone
As you get older, one of the challenges you face is your testosterone starting to trail off. This results in the accumulation of fat and in less muscle growth. The key is to fight that decline – Mark does this with compound exercises in the gym as well as the right diet. Another great tip is to use a good testosterone booster that has been proven to drastically increase testosterone in a way that is safe, healthy and completely natural.
Mark knows what he’s talking about – he’s in great shape and he shows that it absolutely can be done. Need more proof? Just look at Arnie and Stallone – they’re both over 60 and rocking bodies that they had in the 80s
