It's all about hormones
In fact, there is only one main reason. It's called testosterone . This hormone in the male body is responsible not only for libido, but also for many other physiological and psycho-emotional functions. In particular:
- Thanks to testosterone, men have an athletic physique (broad shoulders, narrow pelvis, significant muscle mass), a deep voice, increased hairiness on the body and face, and psychologically they are more aggressive than women, more purposeful, and able to work until muscle “failure.”
- Testosterone has a stimulating effect on all male genital organs: the prostate gland, seminal vesicles, epididymis and the penis itself. By the way, the average amount of testosterone in a given race is partly responsible for the size of the penis. The world record holders are Africans (average length 17-18 cm in an erect state) and they also have a more athletic physique than their pale-skinned comrades (average length ranges from 12.7 cm for Romanians to 16.5 cm for Icelanders).
- The male sex hormone is of great importance in activating metabolic processes (affects the metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, cholesterol, microelements and erythropoiesis) and the synthesis of protein tissues, that is, muscles.
- Stimulates sexual behavior, the emergence of sexual desire, the ability to erection and ejaculation, sperm formation.
I am sure that so far the bunch of clever words written above do not make an impression. “Well, testosterone affects something and that’s okay.” Well, I’ll add some intrigue and tell you what problems arise if the level of this hormone decreases significantly in the male body to the point of deficiency (which is quite easy to achieve, but we’ll talk about that later):
- obesity, mainly in the abdominal area (but female obesity also occurs, when fat accumulates on the hips and buttocks);
- a significant decrease in the amount of muscle tissue (arms, legs, and pectoral muscles are especially affected);
- muscle weakness, deterioration in general health and performance;
- absent-mindedness, insomnia, severe irritability, fatigue, weakening of memory, depressive states;
- increased sweating, as well as flushing of the face, frequent feeling of heat;
- decreased bone density (increases the risk of injury even with a weak impact), sagging and dry skin;
- decreased hair growth or thinning on the face and body;
- decreased libido up to partial or complete impotence, lack of acute sensations from orgasm;
- infertility.
If this grim list seems to be something like a list of drug side effects where negative consequences may or may not occur, I will disappoint you. Usually they appear en masse, but the intensity of this manifestation differs, and it does not always depend on age.
Speaking about the causes of problems with testosterone , it is worth mentioning bad addictions (alcohol, nicotine), lack of adequate physical activity, nutritional problems (imbalance in BJU, systematic overeating). I partially raised this question in this article.
the age of the man also matters . After 25-30 years, a gradual decline in testosterone levels usually begins, provided that the person leads a more or less healthy lifestyle. Doesn’t go crazy with food, indulges in socially acceptable drugs (alcohol, nicotine) within reasonable limits, is physically active from time to time, be it football or basketball with friends, jogging once or twice a week, swimming pool, horizontal bars, or work itself is related with physical activity.
A gradual decline in testosterone levels is 1-2% per year, but depending on lifestyle, a sharp decline in the male sex hormone (by several times) can also be observed. Especially after 40 years. In the process, such a nuisance often happens to men as “Gray hair in the beard, devil in the rib.” Yes, yes - this is precisely a hormonal problem, or rather, one of its manifestations, against the backdrop of a general deterioration in physical condition. After all, due to low testosterone levels (or a sharp decrease in it), depression sets in (even to the point of apathy) and the desire, in principle, to do something, to strive for something, to somehow develop disappears.
It's funny that in modern society it is easy to find even a 25-year-old guy with all the signs of testosterone deficiency described above. Age is not a barrier. But there are often cases when an older man looks and feels better than the mentioned young man, without having any problems with the so-called “male menopause” even after 50 years.
Actually, we have come to the main leitmotif of the article...
Poker
Photo: www.russianlook.com
Russian Sports Poker Federation. Have you heard of this one? And she is. And this means that poker is not only a game of chance in which you can either lose or win millions, but also a real sport in which national championships were held. The best poker players in the world flock to world championships every year. Live broadcasts from the largest poker tournaments in the world have already become a part of our lives. You can start playing poker at any age, as long as your hands are still capable of picking up a couple of cards, and you have enough brains to distinguish a “straight” from a “flush”, one combination of cards from another. True, to become a world champion, you will have to seriously focus on mathematics. But this can hardly become an obstacle for a true enthusiast, no matter how old he is.
...What does strength training have to do with it?
It is working with weights that is the most effective way to maintain the hormonal system in balance and maintain high testosterone levels in men (research on the topic), and even raise it to extreme maximum values. Naturally, subject to a more or less balanced diet. In fact, even at 40-50 years old, it is possible to maintain testosterone at the level of a 25-30 year old person with all the positive aspects for health.
But it's not just about testosterone. Reasonable strength training, in principle, allows you to greatly slow down the aging process (studies once and twice) due to the increased production of growth hormone, the active work of the joint-ligamentous apparatus (if the joints do not move, they begin to ossify, and the intervertebral discs begin to shrink, lose elasticity, atrophy, speaking about the deterioration of connective tissue nutrition), the effective functioning of the cardiovascular system. Plus, no matter what, but still the person tries to follow the diet. After all, you want to not only “pull iron,” but also see the result in the mirror.
As for exercises , everything is simple - the emphasis should be on basic multi-joint movements like squats with a barbell on the shoulders, deadlifts or deadlifts, platform presses, standing military barbell presses, weighted dips, weighted pull-ups, etc. K In short, heavy leg training usually produces the strongest release of anabolic hormones, since almost all the muscles of the body are involved in the process. Barbell squats also work the core muscles. In the deadlift - legs, back, arms. The more muscles are used, the higher the stress for the body, the more anabolic hormones will be released in response to stress. There are many options for training programs and their construction - check out the Healthy Lifestyle section, I’ve written a lot about this.
On the other hand, there is information that, along with anabolic hormones, due to severe stress, cortisol (partly a stress hormone) is also released in significant quantities, which supposedly neutralizes the work of natural anabolic steroids (but there is also a refutation). The advice is simple - train wisely, with a gradual increase in weight, with cycling training programs, with periods of rest and peaking, and everything will be fine. Again, I have written about these topics more than once in this section, and also talked about them on the BeardyBuilding podcast.
From personal experience and the experience of my clients, I will say that after a good leg workout, you want to please your woman no less well in bed. And the effect is clearly stronger than after training other muscle groups.
Shooting
Photo: Shutterstock.com
Like many other sports, shooting requires basic physical training. But this in no way limits the age of the athlete. This is especially true for such shooting disciplines as trap and skeet, in which shooting is carried out from smooth-bore rifles at plates fired into the air. For example, at the last Olympic Games in 2012, bronze medals were won by three veterans of the sports movement, among whom was the Qatari racer, the winner of two Dakar rallies Nasser Al-Attiyah, and even our compatriot Vasily Mosin . The first one turns 45 this year, the second one is already 43 years old.
Testosterone and women
Surprisingly, the female body also produces the male sex hormone, although it contains approximately an order of magnitude less of it in its free (most bioavailable) form. In women, it is responsible for libido, as well as some character traits.
Purposeful and tough ladies with character usually have high (for a woman) testosterone levels. This can also be expressed in good success in sports, or, if there is no opportunity (or desire) to show themselves in this area, ladies realize themselves in business or in their careers.
These ladies are 50 years old. Right - Christine Le Monde
Again, lifting weights allows women to look great after 35, 40 and beyond. That is, slowing down the aging process is also important for them. Moreover, thanks to the high level of testosterone, us men can live in a more relaxed mode and look normal after 30-40 years. Women cannot afford this. Or rather, they can do whatever they want, but if you let yourself go in terms of nutrition and physical activity, then even at 35 you will look like a 45-50 year old, excuse me, woman.
Lifting weights against the background of a balanced diet allows women to maintain a high level of production of growth hormone (the only anabolic and at the same time lipolytic hormone that is present in significant quantities in the female body), maintain testosterone at the upper limit and keep their main sex hormone - estradiol (its should not be too much or too little). More than once I have encountered such an effect as a significant reduction or disappearance of menstrual pain on the first day of the cycle in women after they brought a good balance to their diet and got involved in a training regime. This is a clear indicator that the hormonal system has returned to normal.
Also, dear ladies, do not forget about the quality of your skin, hair, and nails. It is much more effective and easier to improve them with the help of a balanced diet and reasonable work with weights than with various kinds of creams, shampoos or massage (gives a short temporary effect). Diet alone (especially with a sharp reduction in calories and fat) will only give you weight loss, while your health, external integument, and general well-being will worsen. Be careful with all sorts of mono-diets and extreme diets. They won't lead to anything good. At least when it comes to body shape and your reflection in the mirror. But this is a separate and very big topic for conversation.
Curling
Curling is often called chess on ice. And for good reason, because strategy in this sport plays a much larger role than physical readiness. The latter should only be enough to throw a 16-kilogram stone in a straight line across the ice. The rest is a matter of technique. And it’s never too late to work it out. It’s no joke, the Russian women’s curling team at one time became the European champion, although the team initially did not consist of professional athletes, but rather almost the first girls they met who became interested in this new sport as soon as it appeared in the Olympic Games program. Today this sport is one of the most popular winter sports in our country. But it’s still never too late to start practicing it, especially since curling centers in large cities appear like mushrooms after rain.
Go on strict diets
Success in fitness depends 90% on a properly designed diet.
If you want to lose excess weight and go on a strict low-calorie diet, it is better to leave the fitness venture until better times. You simply don't have enough strength to play sports. Have you decided to completely eliminate meat, poultry, fish and eggs from your diet? Without protein foods, you will not be able to strengthen and build muscles.
The main rule for creating a diet during training: it must be balanced! It must contain proteins, healthy fats, and slow carbohydrates.
Their percentage depends on your current fitness goals: lose weight, gain muscle mass or stabilize your weight.
The calorie content of the diet is also important; it must be calculated individually, taking into account the characteristics of the body and daily physical activity. Ideally, in order to maintain a stable weight, you should burn exactly as many calories as you consume. And if you are going to lose excess weight, your caloric intake should be in deficit, but no more than 15% of your usual.
