That's true. However, if we look at one's peak, your 25 yr old self had a higher peak than your 35 yr self. If you had exercised as a 25 yr old self and reached your potential, you would be physically better than your 35 yr old self.
It's like driving 25 mph in a porsche vs 50 mph in a SUV. In this instance, the SUV is faster because you chose to go 25 mph in a porsche. You didn't fully explore the full potential of the porsch.
Your physical peak could be at 25, but you also could choose not to exploit it fully.
That's the "natural potential plateau" question - if we are to believe this theory, then it means that you can reach your absolute maximum potential in 10-15 years.
I am not so sure - I wonder if there are ways, in some fields, to keep getting better well into your 50s. For example, I don't really know of the ability to gain strength decreasing. So it seems like you could lift well into your 50s and end up stronger than a peak 25 year old.
I.e. an elite 25 year old wouldn't drop off in strength.
Seems like 35 is where Olympic weight lifters stop winning medals. There is also this: "Harvard University says the average man loses up to 5 percent of muscle mass every decade, starting at age 30; most men lose about 30 percent of muscle mass as they age."
Well, I guess I am going to have to stick with the guy who posted "older people just stop giving a " to comfort myself about getting old.
It's like driving 25 mph in a porsche vs 50 mph in a SUV. In this instance, the SUV is faster because you chose to go 25 mph in a porsche. You didn't fully explore the full potential of the porsch.
Your physical peak could be at 25, but you also could choose not to exploit it fully.