Originally Posted by Silock
Like everything, it's complicated. Yes, you need muscle mass to be able to lift. The more muscle mass you have, the more you will be able to lift, provided your CNS output remains stable.
Now, when you get older, because your ability to develop muscle mass begins to decline, your CNS output is much more of a factor. That doesn't mean an older lifter CANNOT build muscle. But he might not have as much mass as he did when he was younger. Due to CNS adaptations, he can still become stronger, pound for pound, and yes, he can still build muscle. He just can't build as much as when he was younger or as easily (unless he's supplementing with drugs).
EDIT for more clarification: Just like someone who is bigger than another person may not be as strong, you can be smaller in terms of muscle mass than at another point in your life, but also be stronger. It not only varies from person to person, but how you train can change the neuromuscular adaptations to lifting, as well. However, it doesn't usually happen that a person has a set amount of muscle mass and continues to work out at the same volume and frequency and simultaneously gets smaller.
For instance, if you're training constantly and consistently from the time you're in your mid 20s to your mid 40s, you're not likely to lose muscle mass. It's just that your ability to develop additional muscle mass will diminish over time. But if you have the same amount of muscle mass in your 40s as you did in your 20s, it is HIGHLY likely that you will be significantly stronger in your 40s because of the long-term adaptations to your CNS that consistent training develops. What usually happens is that someone takes a break as they get older, due to lifestyle changes or injury, loses muscle mass and then begins to train again. They don't grow muscle as quickly as they did previously, but can become stronger because they have learned how to maximize the muscle fibers they do have because of years of training. Again, that's not a certainty, but it is a possibility if you do it correctly.
It's certainly possible that someone peaks at 25 and just goes downhill from there, and they never develop any further. But that's why training programs that are proven to work are so effective. I'm just saying that it is possible to continue to progress on lifts throughout your life by training smartly. You just have to think long-term and not short-term. Daily or weekly fluctuations are irrelevant when you're looking at the long-term impact.
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