Hi!
I'm 51, 6'2", skinny-fat ecto and currently around 217, been lifting off and on since I was in HS. Intensely for a few years around 20-22 then a big fat (literally) break until I decided I needed to get my act in gear in 2004.
12 years military, but crippled my hands (lost both thumbs... surgically corrected by moving my index fingers, makes my grip suck) due to a dud (yeah, right) mortar round and they gave me a permanent disability retirement.
Tried the cardio route first (ran three marathons, dropped my weight from 230 or so to 200, which popped right back after each event... lost what little muscle mass I had at the time... it sucked). Lifted during that time using the age-old Arnold 3 hr marathon system. That sucked, too, and was hard to keep up.
Floated some thereafter (5x5, Gironda stuff). Limited progress... peak weights were lame. Even after dumping the endurance cardio in 2007, 5 years of effort gave me a little more mass but nobody would look at me and think "he must lift or something."
Diagnosed with Low T just this year and am finally (argued with docs for years) am getting treated.
As a result, I feel a renewed vigor for the gym and want to get cranking and (finally) making some real progress.
Goals:
1) Enough muscle mass to peek out from under a 10-15% BF. Current BF (looking in the mirror is around 20 (I think). Obviously, cutting BF to get down to the better numbers.
2) Look good nekkid for the wife of 30 years (gotta inspire her somehow!)
3) Now that I'm in the old fart zone, finally compete after I meet the above and am ready to cut back below 10% at least a little.
Probably in that order... by sequencing if not importance.
I don't want to be a freaking underwear model (as seems popular with the kids today) and actually like the bit rounder look of the BB's of the 60's.
I can eat and love to do so... but while with Low T, it rounded me up a lot more than built mass. I hope that is different now. I've been OCD on diet before, now I'm eating fruit, modest amounts of other carbs (I found I don't do well on very low carbs) and am ramping up to 2g per lb of protein (400g a day is the goal).
Current pics (try not to laugh too much) to follow.
Max 1RM lifts at the moment: Bench 200, Squat 250, DL (trap, because of hands) 380
(Yeah, I know... way short on all three.)
I have found I grow best with some volume... for example, strength budged a little with the 5x5 with no apparent growth. I've done best (for me) with 8x8 or (especially) 5x10 work.
Current program:
General Cardio:
Walking, 2 mile per session, fasted, 3-4 times a week.
Sprints: 4-5 a little over 100m, in a 10 min session, 2 times a week (mainly for the HGH effects).
Lifting:
M-W-F. Rotation and selection of exercises based on DC stickies, volume (5x10 min) hidden in warm ups, heavy set w/ RP ranges (straight sets where called for by Dante), followed by extreme stretching.
Complete logging of weights and reps with a make the logbook my bitch goal.
I'm ready to get to work and make those goals finally. Tired of fucking around.
Journal exists to keep my ass in line and on target.
I'm 51, 6'2", skinny-fat ecto and currently around 217, been lifting off and on since I was in HS. Intensely for a few years around 20-22 then a big fat (literally) break until I decided I needed to get my act in gear in 2004.
12 years military, but crippled my hands (lost both thumbs... surgically corrected by moving my index fingers, makes my grip suck) due to a dud (yeah, right) mortar round and they gave me a permanent disability retirement.
Tried the cardio route first (ran three marathons, dropped my weight from 230 or so to 200, which popped right back after each event... lost what little muscle mass I had at the time... it sucked). Lifted during that time using the age-old Arnold 3 hr marathon system. That sucked, too, and was hard to keep up.
Floated some thereafter (5x5, Gironda stuff). Limited progress... peak weights were lame. Even after dumping the endurance cardio in 2007, 5 years of effort gave me a little more mass but nobody would look at me and think "he must lift or something."
Diagnosed with Low T just this year and am finally (argued with docs for years) am getting treated.
As a result, I feel a renewed vigor for the gym and want to get cranking and (finally) making some real progress.
Goals:
1) Enough muscle mass to peek out from under a 10-15% BF. Current BF (looking in the mirror is around 20 (I think). Obviously, cutting BF to get down to the better numbers.
2) Look good nekkid for the wife of 30 years (gotta inspire her somehow!)
3) Now that I'm in the old fart zone, finally compete after I meet the above and am ready to cut back below 10% at least a little.
Probably in that order... by sequencing if not importance.
I don't want to be a freaking underwear model (as seems popular with the kids today) and actually like the bit rounder look of the BB's of the 60's.
I can eat and love to do so... but while with Low T, it rounded me up a lot more than built mass. I hope that is different now. I've been OCD on diet before, now I'm eating fruit, modest amounts of other carbs (I found I don't do well on very low carbs) and am ramping up to 2g per lb of protein (400g a day is the goal).
Current pics (try not to laugh too much) to follow.
Max 1RM lifts at the moment: Bench 200, Squat 250, DL (trap, because of hands) 380
(Yeah, I know... way short on all three.)
I have found I grow best with some volume... for example, strength budged a little with the 5x5 with no apparent growth. I've done best (for me) with 8x8 or (especially) 5x10 work.
Current program:
General Cardio:
Walking, 2 mile per session, fasted, 3-4 times a week.
Sprints: 4-5 a little over 100m, in a 10 min session, 2 times a week (mainly for the HGH effects).
Lifting:
M-W-F. Rotation and selection of exercises based on DC stickies, volume (5x10 min) hidden in warm ups, heavy set w/ RP ranges (straight sets where called for by Dante), followed by extreme stretching.
Complete logging of weights and reps with a make the logbook my bitch goal.
I'm ready to get to work and make those goals finally. Tired of fucking around.
Journal exists to keep my ass in line and on target.
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