Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire At what age did you lose your athleticism?

At age 61 it is easy to see I have lost my athleticism from my teenage to twenties years. I played all three competitive sports through high school and extended my basketball years through college and early 30's in the military. I can look back and see the start of the breakdown of my physical athleticism beginning around age 36. How about you?

I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good ONCE as I ever was......

Thirty pounds ago.

Never had any to lose -
I just work a little bit, every day.

Mark

I just started back in the gym last week -little tired and sore ,but will be back in good shape in six weeks'ish.
Very thankful to not have any health issues -like bad knee -shoulder etc...
Don't ever give up you can get in shape when you're 75 years old as long as you aren't dead.

I have some isms but athleticism was never one of them.

Mike

40.

And whatever I have left is leaving fast.

Getting old sux balls!

Depends on how you define athleticism. If you're talking quickness, I'd say early thirties.

6

Yep. We can't stop getting old and grey but damned if we have to get fat and weak at the same time.

My prime was probably 30-32. At 45 I could keep up with any aerobics instructor in the gym step for step and play softball on a city league as vigorously as anyone.

Around 48-49 I noticed that it was getting a lot more difficult to keep up like that. At 55 I noticed that the poundage that was my "low weight high rep" workout at 50 was now my "high weight low rep" workout.

But at 61 myself I hit the gym 3-5 times per week - weight training and cardio. Not going to beat some 20 year old or probably even a 45 year old in a race and certainly not a power lift but I am happily amazed at what I still can do compared to a lot of the fat old coots that are my same age but are officially "old".

I think the poster Benchman here is around 56 or so and he recently set a record for bench press. If he sees this he can fill in the correct details.

There are a couple of guys in their mid-80's at least at the gym. I see them in there working with the 5 and 10 pound dumbbells and even with older skin you can tell they have good muscle tone and I think, "good for you!".

Just keep moving. Like I said at the start, we can't stop getting old and grey but there's no reason to get fat and weak in the process.

I'm getting older at 57 and it's taking it's toll but I still have some athleticism left. I'm not in the best shape of my life but I wouldn't be afraid to go downhill skiing.

I can ride a snowmachine like a twenty year old. (ok, maybe 30)

And ...

I have no doubts about being able to kick the schit out of the most interesting man in world.

I approve this message.

I am 42 and feel comparable to what I was when I was in my early 20s. I still do my old lifting routine from my high school football days and my lifts are right at the same. If I did not work at it, this surely would not be the case. I can still burn a lot of calories on a Stairmaster. I think the key is to never quit a fitness routine for very long. I only take off Christmas and Independence Day week.

Somewhere in my 40's. Up until then I felt I could still do most anything I could have done in HS. Maybe a little slower, but still do it. In some ways I was better. I started running a lot in my 30's and was running distances then that I would have never attempted in my teens and 20's. Never was fast, but surprised myself with some of the endurance I picked up.

I severely sprained an ankle at about age 45 and couldn't run for 2-3 months. I gained 20 lbs and never got back to where I had been.

I felt pretty good until I was about 66. Then, I couldn't run anymore, a shoulder separation kept me from throwing anything overhanded and my balance was shot. Arthritis had crept into my hands along with carpal tunnel. Got the bum knee fixed and the shoulder is next on the list. Can't do anything about the arthritis and the balance--it's just part of aging.

Has TAK posted yet?

quickness and speed goes first, usually a decline starts in the 30's somewhere

strength is easier to maintain, but it too starts to dwindle as others have noted.

40's is what I miss the most, I've outwalked more than a few 20-30 year olds that thought they were in decent shape till they donned a full pack and hit the mountains with me.

I've no illusions about what I can or cannot do. I just trust and pray that some of the young guys have illusions about it. (grin)

I found that in one area at least, quickness increases...

You all are making me feel like an extraordinary average guy. I'd agree my speed and agility started to wane around my mid-thirties. But I was still running 5 miles a day and doing sets of 250 on the bench-press at 44/45. I started having lower back issues shortly after that and the old body started going downhill quickly.

September, 20 2001.

I've always been a sprinter. I'm still very quick at 41,its just the distance is shorter that I can maintain the burst of speed. That and I hurt afterwards if I don't really warm up first.