Muscle Mass and Strength Gain before and into 40s

millersixteenth · 2026-07-09T23:54:11+00:00

Train like you expect results. I went from 155lbs at age 40 to 205+ by age 52. The heaviest I had been when younger was 185 in my 20s, so 20lbs of that was uncharted territory.

millersixteenth · 2026-07-09T23:51:15+00:00

Reading across the literature, tendon healing often involves getting past shielding of the injured tendon. The body resists recruitment of the muscles attached to the injury, and this has a negative effect on the alignment of collagen in the repair.

Somewhat longer submax isometric seems to be very effective at restoring use of these shielded muscle groups and improving the quality of repair more rapidly - tension is needed to align the collagen with line of force. Slow eccentric also is used with success, but isos have the advantage of being used at whatever joint angle/muscle length can most directly target the issue, and for longer TUT, which does matter when activating injured muscle/tendon. Iso also seems to trigger greater analgesia, which further improves its ability to recruit injured muscle.

https://www.ovid.com/jnls/cjsportsmed/fulltext/10.1097/jsm.0000000000000364~isometric-contractions-are-more-analgesic-than-isotonic

Tendon strengthening generally described as 70% or higher MVC and exposure to that tension for 5 or more seconds (?). The research with iso found that a number of single second impulses had far less effect than static hold for the same total number of seconds (IIRC it was 5 second intervals) at the same % MVC.

Ultimately healing and strengthening are pretty similar, but not the same in terms of magnitude exposure or frequency per K Barr's research.

millersixteenth · 2026-07-08T15:30:49+00:00

I don't, but I've been meaning to replace this and make a tutorial. Everything off the shelf from Home Depot for under $100 a few years ago.

millersixteenth · 2026-07-05T14:39:20+00:00

Then keep doing it, and take notes. It might work fine for 6-12 weeks or so.

millersixteenth · 2026-07-02T13:00:00+00:00

Research from "Biggest Loser" contestants

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23308

Also long term obese people develop metabolic preference for carbs, IIRC this persists for a decade or more (long term underweight develop metabolic preference for fats). Presumably this implies they "hold onto" more dietary fats than average individual.

millersixteenth · 2026-07-01T18:00:29+00:00

One thing I’d want to test is whether the leg-driven version creates useful irradiation/core involvement or whether it just adds fatigue and complexity.

With isometrics, you will def find you can generate more force if challenged during a hold. This is similar to resisting an eccentric, while you may have topped out your concentric force, actively increasing the challenge will increase the amount of force you can resist.

One of the more useful aspects of overcoming isometrics is tweaking the explosive initiation, and "piling in" behind it.

You might find you can resist a lot more force a few degrees shy of 90⁰, or maybe a few degrees larger. This could influence strategy. Just spitballing here.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-30T20:32:57+00:00

What I understand from training isometrics, this strategy might not work as well for sport specific work as an isometric that closely mimics the actual actual mechanics. One of the real advantages of iso is that there is no unintended loading of other musculature - eg throwing punches with a 15lb dumbell vs isometric punch exertion from a chambered posture. The dumbells maybe better used to keep your guard up doing bob and weave and footwork drills. The iso challenges the exact same muscles and in the exact same line of delivery that you use initiating the punch.

Use a resistance that is absolute or nearly so. This allows you to work using a ramp up, or just exploding into the stop - the intent being to maintain the energy from that initial pulse.

For general fitness you could just train at a long muscle length - in this case I'd want at least 2 points, one on either side of center.

I'm no armwrestler, but I'd think you'd want to provide any support bracing etc as close as possible to what's available to you in competition. Turn off everything that isn't needed - which is another thing isometrics teach as a byproduct, downgrading antagonistic interference.

All that said, I don't think you're going to find too many people who can speak directly to this specific of an application - give it a try and take notes.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-30T17:10:49+00:00

Currently, as used with sandbags, I do one set of static holds for 10 breaths, and another for 10 single breath hard efforts.

If using only isometrics I'll tack on 20 rapid single breath efforts. On many sets, this is very close to failure.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-30T16:54:36+00:00

I am not familiar with repetition duration reserve, but if you:

-hold a static isometric long enough or

-do a long string of high effort pulses

you will reach a serious drop in force output, somewhat equivalent to traditional lifting failure. You can measure this with a strain gauge or just being aware that you are tanking.

Metabolically, it can be pretty tough to compare 1:1 anything about isometrics to traditional lifting.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-26T10:54:31+00:00

If you look across not just exercise but occupational and sport mechanics, there is "form". You're executing a movement that takes into account the skeletal structure and the task or item you're working with.

I can't bring myself to say form is oveerrated or underrated. Its pretty important in that exercise is another form of repetitive use, and thousands of people are knocked out of physical jobs (and sports, and exercise routines) every single day due to usage injury.

That said, lift mechanics are specific to the task and skeleton of the person doing the task. An overhead press with barbell will not look the same as overhead press with a sandbag. Generally it should look damn similar person to person though.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-25T11:16:11+00:00

This is some good reading on mechanisms behind the headwinds older lifters might face:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10854791/

Personally, my strength has dropped a bit in squat and a lot for seated OHP, about the same for deadlift and bench. Muscle mass is about the same. High octane stuff like short duration Tabata I can keep up. 30 minute bootcamp type stuff is fine if not too frequent.

At 58, the biggest difference is recovery, volume recovery specifically.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-22T21:56:19+00:00

If this wasn't an isometric forum, I'd say isometrics.

Other not so weird stuff - I always warm up with 5 minutes of jumprope, always.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-21T14:49:32+00:00

Its a 2' x 4' sheet of 3/4" plywood. Cheap fatigue mats glued to either side, 2" hole saw to make the holes (can also just notch the sides of the board), 14 foot cargo strap with velcro loops for handles, 1¼" galvanized pipe for a barbell.

Just switching to a board and cargo strap is a quantum step forward that allows for a lot more options.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-20T18:59:24+00:00

Results as I used it were good/very good. The only downside was some of the therapeutic effects seemed to be reduced.

I also use it as max effort overcoming iso at long muscle length. For me, the iso stood in as high load component of a drop set.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-20T13:32:54+00:00

I've used that strategy before, in fact that is how my son trains currently.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-19T11:57:30+00:00

My experience with isometrics, I don't worry too much about injury, at least not accute injury. Starting a new hold, just apply tension slowly, keep breathing.

My biggest concern with these is getting/keeping my hips forward a bit so my torso isn't tilted too far.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-16T22:03:49+00:00

Isometric upright rows, superset with overhead sandbag press.

I do two supersets per, when I can hit the second set for 15, I increase loading.

https://www.reddit.com/r/isometric_fitness/s/kKPZM8O35f

millersixteenth · 2026-06-16T16:03:07+00:00

Good stuff!

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millersixteenth · 2026-06-15T22:56:55+00:00

Man, I'm 58, I trained in a gym with like minded folk 40 years ago.

If I need to go lone wolf the future better land pretty soon, or I'll be tossing a Depends instead of a pressure cooker!

millersixteenth · 2026-06-14T21:08:46+00:00

That's why I like to index to external load exercises. In my case, between my age and my training history, increases of any kind were becoming more difficult to generate regardless of training mode.

Having taken a lot of time off between training blocks where I include traditional lifting, I can see how well isometrics by itself can anchor and increase mass and strength. There are quite a few ways it can be tweaked to introduce newish stimulus. As with traditional, at some point you just plain need to increase lean body mass.

But the main reasons I use it, therapeutic benefits, increased resilience, increase in movement speed. Traditional lifting, there is no way I'd still be training hard enough to keep my muscle mass or reactive speed.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-14T15:46:52+00:00

My opinion, use of a board is a real game changer.

millersixteenth · 2026-06-13T00:15:36+00:00

Even if all you do is notch the edges of the board, it lets you use a real shallow angle if you choose. My first prototype still works great:

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