How John Hansen Adjusted His Coaching to Win the Masters Trophy Over 60

In Episode 272 of The Menace Podcast, Dennis James was joined by Chris Cormier, Milos Sarcev, and particular visitor John Hansen, who defined the large change he’s needed to make as a mature bodybuilder with a purpose to win a Masters trophy.

Who Is John Hansen?

Hansen has been bodybuilding since 1979, and got here first within the 1998 and 2012 Pure Olympia occasions.  Extra lately, he earned an IFBB Professional card in 2025 after turning into the general winner of the Masters 60+ contest within the Masters Nationwide Championships, and at 62-years-young, he’s now trying to enter some professional exhibits.

Showing pumped and peeled for his July 19 Masters win, Hansen defined that he had entered three contests in fast succession, with the opposite two going down on June 28 and July 4.  “I did three exhibits in a row, so I actually peaked for the final one,” mentioned Hansen. Having been a aggressive bodybuilder since his teenagers, the gang needed to know the way Hansen’s coaching and prep in contrast now that he’s over 60.

How Bodybuilding Prep Adjustments With Age

“So, if you look again, you competed all these years, if you look again, and also you examine it with the prep now, what modified?” requested The Menace. “What do you need to do completely different from what you probably did, let’s say 25 years in the past.”

“Nicely, after I was youthful, I used to at all times bulk up within the low season,” defined Hansen. “So, if you become old you positively can’t do this.” It is because the prices by way of metabolic and physiological stress on older physique’s aren’t well worth the reward. “So, I stayed lean,” he added. The bodybuilder additionally defined that after returning to the stage in 2024, after an 8-year layoff, he stayed in persistently nice form. “That made preparing for the following one so much simpler, as a result of I used to be already fairly lean.”

Hansen mentioned that as a result of he was stage prepared, round 2-3 weeks earlier than his 2025 exhibits, this made the peaking course of so much simpler. “Then you definitely’ve simply received to fill out, and do the depletion and loading and stuff, however yeah, you positively can’t bulk up as you become old as a result of it simply doesn’t be just right for you anymore,” continued Hansen. “I did it after I was youthful, as a result of I began off skinny, so I needed to bulk as much as get the mass, after which I’d at all times bulk up within the low season, after which come down, however then if you become old you possibly can’t do this.” Along with his aggressive success, Hansen has a brand new ebook out, titled Bodybuilding Historical past: The Nineteen Seventies.

To look at the total episode, the place the panel additionally mentioned the upcoming Arnold Basic, longevity, and all newest bodybuilding information, see under.