re: Can you realistically build muscle in your 50's?

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The one comment I would make is that bulking/cutting cycles aren’t the same for older dudes. I feel like I gain lean mass a little slower and drop fat a little slower too just because of recovery. So if I’m not careful I overgain and then spend a long time on deficit to fix it.

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This is what I'm slowly coming to realize. I wasn't drastically overweight, but for my height it was showing. I'm 5'7" and was hovering in the high 190s to 200 lbs. When I started a diet program, back at the end of 2021, I was at 189. I had cut back some and lost a little before going all in. I got down to around 155, looked sickly, and started exercising, trying to gain a little back.

I'm around 170 now, and the struggle is that little bit of extra around my waist. Strength wise and cardio wise, I'm probably in better shape than I was in my late 20s and early 30s. I'm 42 now. It is nothing for me to ride my Peloton 45 minutes 2-3 times a week and tack on a 60, 75, or 90 minute ride on the weekends. Strength training 3-4 days a week as well. My arms look great, my legs look good, slowly working more resistance training in there. Like most men though, I'd like more size in my chest and less size in my stomach.

I just can't shake that extra fat like I used to. I've never had a 6 pack, and mine isn't really love handles, it is more on the front lower abdomen. Would I like to lose it, of course. Do I have the discipline in the kitchen to do that, not so much. I've thought about supplements, but not sure if it is just snake oil and money down the drain. The only thing I'm currently doing outside of a good diet is creatine, BCAAs, and whey protein.