Help With Macronutrients For Ollder Adults That Train?

[mightywolf]

Hello there,

I have an older friend that I see every morning at the gym ask me how much protein he has to consume a day and I told him I wasn't sure. Do older adults that train daily have the same nutritional needs as younger adults do? Do they produce less testosterone and therefore require less protein? Should their macronutrients look the same as someone who is say 30 years old? I have spent the past two hours on the net looking for answers but all I could find are very general guidelines on what older adults' nutritional needs are, and nothing that applies to someone who trains consistently and is trying to put on lean mass rather then just maintain his weight.

My friend is 61 years of age, about 5'8'' tall and weighs 145lbs. He is very lean and if I were to guess I would say he has about 12% bodyfat or under. He trains everyday alternating between weights and cardio, with each session being around an hour and a half for weights and an hour for cardio. What should his daily macros and calories look like if he was trying to put on more lean mass? Does anyone know?

Edit: Misspelled "older" in the topic! My bad, finger spazzed.

[Back In Black]

There was a recent study that stated older athletes require more protein than younger ones. Having said that, if his protein intake has been fairly low anyway then just upping it to 'normal for a younger athlete' would be a good start. Although, at 61, I hope he is managing his expectations with regards to muscle gain. Suggest 1.2-1.6g protein per lb of Lean Body Mass. Fats at about 0.4g per lb of LBM and the rest made up of carbs. He will have to work the last bit out himself, he will need to know his maintenance calories though.

[mightywolf]

Hey Back In Black you're pretty much on the mark, from asking what his diet is like, he's probably only getting about 60-70 grams of protein a day so just getting him to up his intake would probably make a world of difference. As for his expectations, I think they're pretty grounded. I've seen this guy train every morning for the past 18 months, he said he never thought he would stick to it that long let alone think about adding lean mass at his age. I'll let him know to up his protein intake, thanks for your help!

[Bonaparte]

He should be eating roughly the same macros as anyone else, though he'll require less calories.

[Back In Black]

I'd increase his protein over a period of weeks then otherwise he will be nearly tripling his intake over night.

[Bonaparte]

I'd increase his protein over a period of weeks then otherwise he will be nearly tripling his intake over night.

If he's eating 60-70g of protein now, he only needs to double it. Not a huge difference.