At 55+ is it even possible to show a six pack?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Ok, I probably shouldn't have but I did it. As you can see my chest is falling, I've gotten thicker in the middle, and definition isn't that good anymore. But I'm lucky since what I have is natural & not all that bad for 74

Dang bro that is great for 74!

I'm a chubby hubby... my big thing is being on a strict diet trying to get off my type 2 diabetes. No sugar, dairy, grains... I have dropped from 200 to 190... if I can get down to 180 and off my meds I will be a happy camper, but even at 180 I don't expect to have a six pack.

I have been as heavy as 220

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

Reading this thread makes me feel like a fat slob.

Oh, and it make me want an apple fritter too. Man those are good.

[2porscheguy]

Jeez Marv, you look....well,..... MARV-elous!

And 74? Good on ya!

[wildthing]

Shoot. That means I have to start now at 42 to get a six pack at 55.

[Charles Freeborn]

Much of our woes, as said, are due to falling testosterone levels. If you don't want to do replacement therapy (like me) then the supplement DHEA can encourage your body to produce more. The weight lifters eat it like candy.
As for me I'm now 6'3.5" (was 6'4" @ my peak and tip the scales around 185 +-5. I feel best at 180-5. Never had a 6pack, but did do long distance rowing events , so was pretty fit well through my 40's. Still get out for tennis 2x week and hit the water or rowing machine 2 or so x per week. What concerns me most at 59 is blood numbers which are great - BP 110/70 on average and cholesterol total @ 150+- a few points. Good diet , active and most of all a good attitude are far more valuable to me. And sorry, not gonna quit beer....

[LeeH]

52yo - I'm 6' tall 165, 32" waist... athletic physique, but no 6 pack. Think I'd have to lose close to 10 pounds before it'd be visible. Don't do any real ab work, but more core strengthening.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

Much of our woes, as said, are due to falling testosterone levels. If you don't want to do replacement therapy (like me) then the supplement DHEA can encourage your body to produce more. The weight lifters eat it like candy....

I've been meaning to look this up, looks like it's not for me.

DHEA Supplements
DHEA Supplements: Uses and Side Effects

DHEA supplements are used by some people who believe they can improve sex drive, build muscle, fight the effects of aging, and improve some health conditions. But there isn't much evidence for many of these claims. And the supplements have some risks.

Possible roid rage, possible hair loss, banned by NFL................


http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/dhea/background/hrb-20059173

DHEA may increase the risk of prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers. It is not suggested for regular use without a health professional's care.

[Don Ro]

^^^
.
My urologist said, "No, No, No!!! Flush 'em."

[Oracle]

To show a six-pack you need to have a very low body fat level and frankly speaking at 35+ makes you look a lot older cause the cheekbones, neck and everything is just too skiny to look healthy.
Just like you I work out everyday but no signs of a six-pack... I know is somewhere there..

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Oracle

To show a six-pack you need to have a very low body fat level and frankly speaking at 35+ makes you look a lot older cause the cheekbones, neck and everything is just too skiny to look healthy.
Just like you I work out everyday but no signs of a six-pack... I know is somewhere there..

Good point.

My goal has been to look good with clothes on, meaning not having my gut sticking out. A shirt must be able to drape gracefully in some manner.

In order to do this my chest must stick out further than my rib cage and gut. A simple goal but difficult to achieve in real life unless you had a good base as a teen or have kept up your core strength all those years.

I've sort of upgraded my goals and definition as I go along. Now those mannequin torsos with form fitting Under-Armor shirts on them at the sporting goods store are starting to look achievable. My bone structure is all wrong for something sleek looking, I have to go muscular to balance out my stout frame.

Some of the biggest compliments I got was when my face thinned out last year. No more double chin, no more fat cheeks and a more square chin and jawline.

A six pack is too hard to maintain without losing muscle elsewhere. Been there, done that, people said I was too skinny then (early 20's).

[kach22i]

I stumbled across this old Arnold photo today.

A partial 4-pack?

Daha Hacimli Göğüs Kasları İçin Yapılması Gereken Hareketler - Ofpof

[Don Ro]

The big dog!...admired and respected by his peers for what he did for the body building universe, no question about that.
.
When he was just becoming a name in his early years and asked on the Johnny Carson show about his having trophies and if he had a trophy room, Arnold proclaimed, "I have my share of trophies, but I don't pay much attention to trophies. I carry a trophy with me every day. I am my trophy."
.
I bought his #1 book back when I was working out...some 2 1/2" - 3" thick, 20 lb. (?) huge encyclopedia of everything anyone would want to know...wherein he wrote about why his workout routine was so superior to the routine of his competition.
One point that he made was that he was able to put his mind into whatever muscle group his was working...even into the singular muscle...he became that muscle.
.
The Real Reasons Arnold's Physique Was Ahead Of Its Time

[2porscheguy]

Seeing as Marv stepped up to the plate, as the OP it's only fair that I do the same:



NEXT?!?

[Jolly Amaranto]

All I have with no shirt on is this photo from when I was 17. The 6 pack started to recede into the "comfort" padding a decade or so after that. I don't think anyone wants to see my old man moobs. I love my groceries but I do remain quite active. Took a long time to get my heart rate up to 135 bpm during my last stress test at the cardiologist a few weeks ago.

[Evans, Marv]

Hey, I'd say you're in very good shape for mid 50s. I imagine there are a lot of people who would trade for what you have. Keep up the good diet and calorie burning activities on as regular a basis as you can. It takes guts to show your gut on here.

[impactbumper]

6 PACK is overrated. It comes out at really low fat percentage levels. You get sick easily, always cranky. I have done it for too long. Always a battle. Couple of burgers, you feel guilty. And it shows. Regardless of age, having low fat percentage is good, but 6 pack is a commitment. It happens through diet. There is no core exercise that will give you 6 pack. Just plain simple diet. Very low carbs, protein and healthy fat heavy diet. And a lot of cardio...

[impactbumper]

and OP, to answer your questions, yes possible. One of my friends at our gym is 57 and has 6 pack. He has been working out for 30 years, religiously, and on strict diet all this time.

[timchar]

You guys who've posted pics, you look pretty darn good. I was going to post one, but figured you guys know what Frank Zane looked like? Pretty much the same. Tim

[2porscheguy]

Frank Zane, you say? In that case you're next..... Post away Tim!

[timchar]

Originally Posted by 2porscheguy

Frank Zane, you say? In that case you're next..... Post away Tim!

Lol Alex.... I used to work at a body building gym in the 70s, I know what it takes to look like you currently do.....It ain't easy....kudos to you for keeping it up....
Chuck Sipes used to train there on occasion, believe he was Mr. Universe and 4th in Mr Olympia. Im in tennis shape but taking the shirt off? Maybe when I'm 60 in 3 yrs.
We can have a Mr. Pelican contest, I better start the steroids now...Tim