What Hollywood Got You Believing About Being Jacked After 40
I’m going to make a confession here: I think Marvel’s Thor looks amazing. And yeah, I know that’s not a unique thought. However, I also am completely clear that he “probably” had some assistance achieving that look. I inserted “probably” so that there’s no risk of me being sued for a statement I can’t prove. But c’mon. His results are not those of an everyday Joe getting jacked after 40 naturally.
But why just pick on Thor? We all see it, and we know it. There are dozens of examples of guys who used substances to achieve a certain appearance both in movies and on social media. Some are open about it, and others either hide it or deny it. An egregious example of this is Brian Johnson – The Liver King, who adamantly denied using steroids, until his pharmacology contact leaked his “stack” to the media.
My Thoughts on PED’s
So before I go any further, here’s my thought. If you want to use steroids or other PED’s, that’s your call. They have consequences. If you still choose to move forward with them, fine. But just be honest about it.
When you claim to have achieved an extraordinary physique naturally, and it wasn’t, you set an unrealistic standard other people get discouraged when they try and cannot achieve the same result. Yes, celebrities have personal trainers and private chefs. That helps, but human anatomy still has built in limitations to how much muscle can be grown and how much fat can be shed within a certain period of time. It varies between people, for sure, but unnatural results are easy to spot if you’re looking for them.
Sadly, many people feel like failures when they can’t get the Thor physique. The problem isn’t you, or your diet, or your training. You simply aren’t using drugs.
As a side note, one of my wife’s lifelong friends just lost her husband to a heart attack at 53. He admitted to steroid use, which was indicated as a contributing factor to the heart attack. Consequences, like I said.
Role Models Who Prove Getting Jacked After 40 Naturally is Possible
If you read my post about getting jacked after 40 naturally, you saw that I put photos of Jason Statham and Daniel Craig on my vision board as honest benchmarks for what I wanted to achieve. Both over 40 at the time in these photos, and well into their 50s now, they both looked absolutely phenomenal – but in a realistic, healthy, and achievable way.
If you like, go look up some pics of them now. Then look up almost any of the super hero’s you’ve seen in film over the last decade and compare. As I said, it gets pretty easy to tell who’s getting their results naturally, and who isn’t.
I used those two gentlemen as models for what I wanted to achieve, that seemed perfectly reasonable, if given the right discipline and time. And, it was (is). I highly recommend doing the same. Find examples of people who didn’t set an unrealistic standard, but who clearly are still admired for their physical appearance.
What PEDs Actually Do (And Why the Physiques You’re Chasing Aren’t Real)
Here’s a tough truth, and yeah, it even bothers me sometimes: PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) work. They help you recover in ways you wouldn’t naturally, so you can train harder and more frequently. Candidly, this becomes more of an issue after 40. They also assist your body in pushing past your natural genetic limitations to grow muscle faster, burn fat faster, and the results can honestly be pretty amazing.
Sounds great, right? I totally understand why so many men turn to these enhancements when training plateaus or progress comes too slowly. But there’s also a downside. If there wasn’t, everyone would use them, and we’d all look like Adonis.
Some Risks of Using PED’s
Here’s what a quick google search said about the risks, but please do your own research:
Steroids (anabolic) Cardiovascular damage (enlarged heart, elevated LDL, increased clot risk), liver toxicity, testicular atrophy, infertility, mood swings and aggression, hormonal disruption that can be permanent, acne, hair loss. Long-term use is genuinely dangerous. [I mentioned my wife’s friend’s husband and his related heart attack above.]
TRT (when not medically indicated) Suppresses your body’s natural testosterone production — possibly permanently. Elevated red blood cell count (clotting risk), sleep apnea, infertility, testicular shrinkage, cardiovascular risk at high doses. The risk profile is much lower than steroids when properly prescribed and monitored, but the men’s clinic model often skips the monitoring part. [Personal opinion here: if you genuinely need it, you should take it, but I think it’s over-prescribed and the risks are often down-played.]
Peptides Less studied than the above, which is itself a risk. Some (like BPC-157 for injury recovery) have a reasonable short-term safety profile in research. Others used for fat loss or muscle gain (like CJC-1295, ipamorelin) have more unknowns. The bigger practical risk is that most are sourced from unregulated suppliers with no quality control — you often don’t know what you’re actually injecting. [I can say, they definitely prescribe BPC-157 after surgeries and for injury recovery. I support that. But no one knows the effect when taken long-term yet. Caution is appropriate.]
The Day I Walked Out of a Men’s Health Clinic
Before I had started my fitness journey, I felt exactly how they described in radio commercials for men’s clinics. “Tired? Not sleeping well? Low energy? Lost your “edge”? Unable to lose fat fast enough? Maybe you have Low-T.” Yeah, check, check, check, check. They were describing how I felt.
So I made an appointment to go get checked. And this is when I realized what a scam that industry is. When I arrived they took me back to an examination room. I thought, cool, they’re going to draw my blood and see if I need testosterone therapy.
In walks a very large, body builder type gentleman, who introduces himself as the nurse. He asks me a few questions about why I’m there, and how I feel. Then he asks about erectile dysfunction. Thankfully, I wasn’t experiencing that issue, and I told him such. However, his response surprised me. He said, “that’s great, but we can make you like an 18 year old again.” My first thought was – please don’t! I didn’t enjoy being ruled by my hormones as a young man, and I certainly didn’t want to feel that way as an older guy. Eesh.
It Gets Worse…
Keep in mind, they hadn’t run a single test yet. But he was clearly already in the mindset of getting me on TRT. Anyway, in walks the doctor. Now this may sound judgemental, but keep in mind I’m in a “performance clinic”, where they’re supposed to help men optimize their health and vitality. The doctor was easily 150 pounds overweight. His belly hung over his belt and had forced his shirt to untuck from his pants. He hadn’t shaved in days, and smelled like cigarette smoke, from which I think he’d just returned from a smoke break. Point is, this is the physician who’s supposed to evaluate my hormonal health, and help me reach optimum performance. Ummmm…. no.
I said, “I’m sorry, I’m extremely uncomfortable right now, and I’m going to see myself out.” I walked out of the exam room, and told the front desk to please cancel my appointment – I wouldn’t be staying.
It was explicitly clear, that regardless of any testing or examination, they were going to prescribe hormone therapy for me. So this next point is important.
Get Checked – By a Legitimate Health Provider
The next day I contacted my PCP (primary care physician) and scheduled an annual physical. As part of that, they draw blood. And I learned that I’m naturally high in testosterone for my age. To be clear, that’s not a brag. It just is. But if I hadn’t walked out of that men’s clinic I am 100% positive they were going to prescribe TRT, and I didn’t need it. It confirmed for me that icky feeling I had when I walked out. This is a scam. Get everyone on it, then they’re hooked because their bodies stop producing it naturally, and you’ve got a customer for life.
When TRT and Peptides Actually Make Sense
I touched on this before, but ultimately, here’s how I feel about PED’s, and honestly just about all drugs. If you need them, clinically, to treat a condition, by all means you should take them. If you’re naturally low in testosterone (or other hormones), please, get on TRT. I’m told you’ll feel so much better by friends who are on it. And if you need peptides to heal from an injury, or recover for a short period of time – no problem. Be the best you can be, and when it’s prescribed by a legitimate practitioner and not a clinic who’s clearly pushing it to everyone, great.
I can honestly say that if I ever needed it legitimately, I’d take it. Provided it was under the supervision of a physician. So don’t think I’m anti-therapy no matter what. I’m not. I’m just against every person getting it, even if they don’t need it. I can’t even imagine what chaos my body would have gone through if I’d started taking testosterone when I already had naturally high levels of it. Just be careful.
What Jacked After 40 Naturally Actually Looks Like
So if you’re wondering now if it can be done, well, it can. If your expectations are realistic and you remained disciplined and patient, you’ll become the best version of you that you can be. No shortcuts or enhancements necessary. Will that look like Jason Statham or Daniel Craig? I don’t know. You have different natural genetic tendencies than I do. You may naturally be a larger or smaller person than me. (I’m almost exactly the American average size when you look it up. 5’11”, 180 pounds. But I’m definitely not average when you examine leanness and muscle mass. I’m average height and weight, but I’m much lower body fat, and higher muscle mass.)
Find a realistic role model for someone about your age, height, and desired lean and healthy weight. Then go after that. Avoid the beast on steroids, or the single-digit body fat influencer who’ll only be that lean for a photo shoot or filming.
Healthy, sustainable, and longevity promoting is what we all should aspire to. Not artificial, temporary, or unhealthily lean or huge. As I always say to my wife and friends, “I just want to be the best [whatever age I am] that I can be. And that’s what I hope for you too.
The Levers That Actually Work to Get Jacked After 40
Here’s the straight scoop about getting jacked after 40 naturally. Metabolism slows. Muscle mass starts to decline. Joints and connective tissue are less resilient to strenuous demands, and thus become more susceptible to injury and require longer periods of recovery. And all of that is OK.
Don’t overdo it. Take your time. Give yourself plenty of time to rest and recover. Don’t pick up the heaviest weight you can. Focus on form. Push yourself, but cautiously. Be consistent. Sleep enough (no less than 7 hours a night, 8 is better). Eat healthy food. If you’re trying to get leaner, track all your calories and macros (protein, fat, carbs). Listen to your body. If a joint aches, modify your training. If you aren’t recovering enough between workouts, reduce the weight or number of sets or number of repetitions. Drink lots of water. Think you’ve drank enough? You haven’t. Drink more water. One ounce of water per 2 pounds of weight is a t good guideline.
When I first started my journey, I told my trainer at the time I wanted to look like Statham. He promptly said, “I don’t think I can get you there in 6 months. But you can get there, over time.” He was right. I think it was about a year and a half to two years before I looked in the mirror and thought, yeah, I’m there. Don’t quit. And don’t give up. You’ll see results. You deserve it. Just be the best you, you can be. And if I can support you in any way, contact me. Sincerely.