What age is the male human athletic prime (in your opinion)?

[Drain Bamage]

I was a late bloomer. I feel physically more capable than ever @ 35. I seem to put on muscle a little faster now than I did in my 20's that might just be because I cut out a lot of the bad stuff I used to eat and drink. I'm 5'10 156lbs, trying to get up to 165-170 but its hard my metabolism is still really fast.

 

[HomerThompson]

https://www.usatf.org/statistics/records/byEvent.asp?division=american&location=outdoor track & field&age=masters&distance=100&distanceUnits=m&distanceType=run

A pretty good measure of raw physical ability

Oof. I'm 39.

 

[MRDOG]

Good point about world records. Most in track and field are by people in their mid-20s and into their 30s.

At the same time, in football and basketball, the most outrageously explosive players are in their early-mid 20s. Even by their late 20s they've lost a slight step. So it's kind of hard to tell.

For me, it was between 22-28.

You are forgetting to factor in skill. At age 30 these world record holders been doing their respective sports for a long time. If they had the same knowledge and experience at 21 as they did in their 30's then their 20 year old counter parts would out shine the older versions of themselves.

I am not sure when we hit our prime. It's likely different for everyone but once we near or hit the 30's our testosterone starts dropping and as the years go on we loose more. Lower testosterone is going to have an effect on our athletic primes.

 

[MaxMMA]

Now those of you saying you felt better later in life, does that just simply mean you were not in shape when you were younger, or were you in shape but continued to feel great?

I was competiting regularly in MMA fights in my early 20's, so I was close in physical conditioning as to what I am now. Years and years of repetition have left me a far more capable martial artist then when I was in my 20's.

Anyone that claims they are " in the best shape of my life " anywhere close to 40 was just performing so far below their potential while younger that it was easy to improve once they made an effort.

Changes in various martial arts Training methods have brought my skills to a higher level then when I was 20 so i kind of agree with you however a lot of it just has to do with experience and mass repition that has allowed me to excecute these techniques with a higher level of efficency then when I was 20.

As far as strength and conditioning im basically using the same tools/routines now as I was when I was 20. When I was 20 lets say I was at a level 5 in my physical conditionong. Now through years of using the same tools im at say a level 15.

I can still complete the same physical tasks now that I could complete at 20, except I've been doing the same things now for the last 10+ years so I'm usually doing more reps, more weight, doing the activity in less time etc. Plus over the years I've added more physical activities/tasks that I wasn't doing at 20.

Defiently wouldn't say I was out of shape in my teens/20's is the reason i say im in better shape now... I just keep trying to push the threshold day after day, year after year.

 

[Deleted member 409801]

Oof. I'm 39.

It would appear you'd better get on it if you wanna crack 10 seconds in the 100 meters then.

 

[HomerThompson]

It would appear you'd better get on it if you wanna crack 10 seconds in the 100 meters then.

Seriously though, that's a precipitous drop.

 

[cmw43]

I'm 31 no pain or injuries and ive been running distance since I was 19 and the last year I've been better than ever.

I don't lift as much weight as I used to but I don't have the same desire for it I used to.

I think I'm physically in my prime right now, I guess probably about to leave it in the next 2 or 3 years though.

 

[cmw43]

Is that because the 18 year old kids are not mentally mature enough or had enough time to train, or because they are not in their physical prime?

At 18 most guys haven't filled out their frames yet, compare most athletes at 18 to 25, I'd say the vast majority will have got bigger and stronger.

 

[Deleted member 409801]

Seriously though, that's a precipitous drop.

About a 10% decline from 35 - 50 , I was actually thinking that wasn't too bad.



But yeah 39.....sheesh , this ^ looms for you. I can talk shit because I'm only 38.

 

[DespicablePeep]

About a 10% decline from 35 - 50 , I was actually thinking that wasn't too bad..

10% is very little, but enough to be impracticable at professional sports. In amateur sports is common to see guys in late 40s doing very well, beating a lot of younger people.

 

[Deleted member 409801]

10% is very little, but enough to be impracticable at professional sports. In amateur sports is common to see guys in late 40s doing very well, beating a lot of younger people.

Very true


Ive always maintained that unless you're competing at the top levels , where a half percent ( or less) is the kinda of margin youve got between the top guys , than the 40s can still be very good athletically .