ATHLEAN-X founder Jeff Cavaliere is discussing whether it’s possible to gain considerable muscle mass over the age of 40 without testosterone replacement therapy. On March 16, 2025, he tackled this topic in a recent YouTube video, providing his viewers with an actionable plan to build a lean physique.
Cavaliere is a fitness coach with tons of experience shaping athletes and individuals from various backgrounds. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach to the MLB’s New York Mets and breaks down fitness information in a way that is easy to understand.
Retaining and building muscle becomes increasingly challenging with age. Health experts like Dr. Rhonda Patrick explain that this is due to a reduced sensitivity to amino acids, making muscle protein synthesis more difficult. Though, even with these challenges, Cavaliere has a strategy for helping mitigate these factors to achieve a muscular physique.
Jeff Cavaliere Reveals If You Can Build Muscle After 40 Without TRT
In a recent YouTube video, Cavaliere encouraged viewers over 40 not to feel discouraged by Joe Rogan and David Goggins, who prioritize health and fitness.
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“Joe’s actually someone I believe has been openly honest about being on TRT. But the thing that people will chase that with, is this gentlemen here would go, oh, I knew it that’s why we shouldn’t even bother training because I’m not taking that so therefore I can’t.”
He believes checking with a professional to understand your testosterone levels can be a worthwhile step if you’re struggling to build muscle over 40.
“First thing is, you might want to get looked at responsibly just to make sure testosterone is not an issue for you because it could explain why he’s struggling with his results.”
“He [Joe Rogan] is on a rigorous training program. He does jiu-jitsu outside of his training at the gym. His health and him putting in the donations of time toward improving his health is one of his highest priorities.”
To build a physique like Goggins or Rogan after 40, Cavaliere believes it comes down to a targeted approach to nutrition and training.
- Aim for 3-4 Resistance Training Sessions Per Week
- Train for Hypertrophy and Strength
“You take a guy like David Goggins on the other end there. He’s someone who claimed to be 100% natural and I believe him. He looks phenomenal too and he’s 50 years also.”
“How can we look like that? Well, it is possible. I’m here to tell all those out here that think it’s not possible that it 100% is, and the way to get there is to have a specific approach to training and nutrition.”
Ideally, Cavaliere believes three to four resistance training sessions per week will help someone over 40 build or maintain muscle mass.
“The first thing for me if you’re looking to build muscle and you’re over 40, the first thing I would do is try to aim for three to four workouts in a week.
Strength training workouts, lifting weights, if you can do four I’d do four. If you can only do three, I’d do three. If I was doing three I’d be doing total body workouts.”
He explained that training sessions should either be strength or hypertrophy-driven for optimal results.
“I want you to train both for strength and hypertrophy,” he shared. “Hypertrophy is when you are trying to build muscle as your main focus. Building strength is trying to become a stronger individual, being able to move more weight in space or move your body around against resistance more easily.”
Since sarcopenia or loss of muscle mass affects us as we age, he emphasized why building or maintaining muscle mass is so vital to long-lasting health.
“You’re going to need your strength because, with each passing decade, you’re going actually lose the ability to produce force. That can set you up with disasters down the road. Maintaining muscle mass is also important because sarcopenia starts to set in and you start to lose muscle mass and become more frail and become more susceptible to disease,” he shared.
As for body composition and leanness, Cavaliere highlights that diet is the ultimate lever for results.
“Nutrition dictates levels of leanness. Now, how can cardio help? Well, as you start to get older, what will happen is metabolically you’ll become less efficient. In other words, you’re going to start to see that you don’t burn as many calories as you used to.
A lot of that has to do with the declining levels of muscle mass that we talked about before that you’re trying to stave off.”
From his ‘perfect’ workout series to specialized exercise breakdowns, Jeff Cavaliere is committed to providing his followers with useful advice to better their health and performance. He believes muscle growth after 40 is possible without TRT, as long as you follow a routine that supports strength and hypertrophy gains alongside a healthy diet.
RELATED: Jeff Cavaliere Discusses Building Muscle, Says Stop Doing 3 Sets of 12 Reps: ‘It’s a Big Mistake’
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