Better Living Through Iron

Training Over 35 Lifter
1

It’s time for me to rededicate myself to this.

I turn 40 this coming Saturday. I’ve been lifting now for 10 months – the first time I’ve ever lifted in my life. I’ve never been athletic. I was always the quiet (but big) nerdy guy.

I had my E, T, and thyroid tested in December:

Estrogen Total <50
Reference range: 130 OR LESS
Unit: pg/mL

Total Testosterone 454
Reference range: 250 to 1100
Unit: ng/dL
Note
Total Testosterone was measured by LCMSMS. The LCMSMS method correlates well with our extraction/RIA method.
% Free Testosterone 1.58
Reference range: 1.5 to 2.2
Unit: %
Free Testosterone 71.9
Reference range: 35.0 to 155.0
Unit: pg/mL

TSH 1.78 (0.34-4.82) uIU/mL

Since I had never touched a freeweight or a machine in my life before last June, I’d like to think I’m making fairly decent progress on my lifts. I’ve been following a basic, full-body 5x5 program.

My current set weights:

barbell back squat: 295
barbell flat bench: 190
bent-over barbell row: 200
barbell overhead press: 110
barbell deadlift: 280 (yeah, I know it’s disproportionate)
I also do a lot of accessory work, mostly dumbbell shoulder raises (front and side, seated), dumbbell overhead presses, pushups, pullups (recently with bands, since I’m trying desperately to get myself to use the full ROM for wide-grip pullups), pulldowns, cable pullovers, high cable flys, inverse rows, weighted dips (currently at 50lbs).

My weak areas:

My back: My deadlift is comparatively weak; my pullups, well, suck. Wide-grip anything is much harder for me than narrow-grip (that includes bench presses).

My shoulders: Primarily due to neglect since I started exercising. I’m focusing on them now.

My fat ass: I’ve gained 15 lbs since I started working out (I went from 220 to my current 235). I’ve no idea how much of that was muscle; I didn’t get immersion tested until March, when I discovered I had 26%(!!!) BF. Fuck. :frowning: I thought I was more like 18%. I’m getting re-tested in June, to see if I’ve lost any BF and/or gained any lean mass. It seems no matter what I do diet-wise or exercise-wise, my body refuses to get into the 220s and stay there. When I eat at a deficit, I can’t lift near my maxes. When I don’t eat at a deficit, I gain weight just by being in the same county as food. I’ve had my basal metabolic rate calculated 3 different ways, I’ve had my activity monitored for a week to determine my daily caloric requirements, and so on. When I eat at that level – hell, when I eat at my BMR level – I gain weight. So I’ve stopped caring (at least, I pretend that I don’t care) that I’m gaining weight. Because I’d rather build muscle right now than lose weight. But fuck if I don’t get tired of seeing my moobs.

I tried the Velocity Diet, and it worked. I got down to 221. And put all but 5 lbs of the weight back on in 2 months. My lifts also suffered quite a bit…I followed the routine that went along with the diet, and then tried to go back to my 5x5 plan when I was done. I’m just now getting back to feeling strong again, and I finished the diet mid-February.

I eat clean, except on weekends. On weekends, I may allow myself dinner out one night where I’ll have some starches or carbs, or possibly some processed food. I may have pancakes for breakfast one morning. But that’s the extent of my cheating. The rest of the week, it’s meat, meat, and more meat, along with green veggies (not as much as I should, but I try to get several servings a day).

Anyway, I’m hoping this can be a bit of a running log of my …progress? Experimentation? semi-weekly bitching about how much I suck? Basically, I’m holding myself publicly accountable for my goals.

My goals:

  • Get down to 15% BF by the end of 2009.
  • Increase my major lifts:
    squat 400
    deadlift 400
    bench 300
    row 300
  • Manage 10 honest, full ROM, wide-grip pullups.

My current supplementation:
4 Flameout/day
4 Alpha Male/day
12 BCAA/day
1 multivitamin/day
2 hot-roxx/day
10g creatine/day

A typical day’s food:

First breakfast:
2 scoops low-carb Metabolic Drive, 2-4 tbsp natural PB, 2 tbsp flaxseed oil, 2 tbsp milled flaxseed. (I know, I know. It’s not ideal. Ever since that damned V diet, I haven’t had an appetite when I wake up, and it’s the only thing I can stomach. It still takes me an hour to drink the damned thing!)

2nd breakfast: 1-2 servings fruit, 1/4 cup cashews.

lunch: spinach salad with chicken, hard-boiled egg, vinegar & oil, sprouts, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato.

WORKOUT
During and PWO: sipping on a serving of Surge w/10g creatine throughout.

dinner (usually 1 hour or so after workout): 12-16oz. red meat of some form, with 1 cup broccoli.

evening snack: 2 scoops low-carb Metabolic Drive.

EDIT: Some days, the 2nd breakfast is more protein, like this morning: 3 hard-boiled eggs.

I work out 3x/week right now.
EDIT: Weight: 235 lbs. Height: 6’1". BF: 26% (immersion tested)

Goal by June: Weight: 230 lbs. Height: you thought I’d put something here, didn’t you? :slight_smile: BF: 24%.

2

Welcome and have fun here in the old fart zone.

One thought on your weight loss efforts - did you get your thyroid function checked along with the hormone panel? Could be a significant factor. And nobody can lift max when eating at a deficit. Chase one rabbit at a time: fat loss or strength gain.

[edit] sorry I reread the first part and see that you did have your thyroid checked. Next thought is how do you handle carbs? That’s what kills me.

3

[quote]mcl wrote:
Anyway, I’m hoping this can be a bit of a running log of my …progress? Experimentation? semi-weekly bitching about how much I suck? Basically, I’m holding myself publicly accountable for my goals.
[/quote]

I can tell already you’ll fit in well here with those three things. Another voice in the choir.

It looks like you’re doing all the right things, and, as another who just recently joined, believe me, you’ll not find a more supportive group as you go for your goals.

Welcome, and keep posting!

4

[quote]soldog wrote:
Welcome and have fun here in the old fart zone.

One thought on your weight loss efforts - did you get your thyroid function checked along with the hormone panel? Could be a significant factor. And nobody can lift max when eating at a deficit. Chase one rabbit at a time: fat loss or strength gain.

[edit] sorry I reread the first part and see that you did have your thyroid checked. Next thought is how do you handle carbs? That’s what kills me.[/quote]

Thanks. I’m chasing strength gain until I’ve got enough muscle that there’s something to show after losing a bunch of the fat. :slight_smile:

When I started, I thought I’d have plenty of muscle once I was squatting 300. Now, I think I’ll have plenty of muscle once I am squatting 400. :slight_smile: I’ll probably bump that up to 500 once I’m squatting 400. :slight_smile:

5

[quote]mcl wrote:
Thanks. I’m chasing strength gain until I’ve got enough muscle that there’s something to show after losing a bunch of the fat. :slight_smile:

When I started, I thought I’d have plenty of muscle once I was squatting 300. Now, I think I’ll have plenty of muscle once I am squatting 400. :slight_smile: I’ll probably bump that up to 500 once I’m squatting 400. :slight_smile:
[/quote]

I hear ya there!

6

[quote]soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
Thanks. I’m chasing strength gain until I’ve got enough muscle that there’s something to show after losing a bunch of the fat. :slight_smile:

When I started, I thought I’d have plenty of muscle once I was squatting 300. Now, I think I’ll have plenty of muscle once I am squatting 400. :slight_smile: I’ll probably bump that up to 500 once I’m squatting 400. :slight_smile:

I hear ya there![/quote]

I live in fear that this is how powerlifters get started. :slight_smile:

7

[quote]mcl wrote:
soldog wrote:
mcl wrote:
Thanks. I’m chasing strength gain until I’ve got enough muscle that there’s something to show after losing a bunch of the fat. :slight_smile:

When I started, I thought I’d have plenty of muscle once I was squatting 300. Now, I think I’ll have plenty of muscle once I am squatting 400. :slight_smile: I’ll probably bump that up to 500 once I’m squatting 400. :slight_smile:

I hear ya there!

I live in fear that this is how powerlifters get started. :)[/quote]

As maraudermeat would say: you hear the call of the dark side…

8

As a side note, I now have an appointment with an endocrinologist to discuss my test results and options. My primary care doc didn’t want to refer me (you’re normal; TRT is dangerous, blah blah blah), but did anyway.

Of course, he referred me to the endo department, not a particular doctor there. And, annoyingly, the appointment is exactly a month from now.

9

Welcome.

It appears you have your head in the right place, and have the dedication to succeed in your goals.

I echo Soldog in his thoughts about losing fat and gaining strength at the same time. Initially, you will find that you will be able to accomplish this, but at a much slower rate compared to if you pick one of these goals at a time.

Any questions you have can and normally will be answered in this forum. There is a plethora of expeience in any and all topics in here.

Good luck!

10

Not that it’s particularly impressive, but it made me happy: I deadlifted (Romanian) 315 lbs Wednesday, twice.

That means I’ve achieved all my birthday goals: DL 315, squat 300, bench 205 before my 40th birthday (Saturday).

11

As an added birthday present, I managed a 315-lb squat yesterday.

12

Happy birthday and congrats on reaching your goals - onward and upward now!

13

Today’s workout: Lifted 8755 lbs total.

Squats: 10@165 (to determine my 5/3/1 max)
3@275
3@305

Bench: 10@165 (to determine my 5/3/1 max)
3x3@195

Bent-over bb row: 3x3@225

30 minutes elliptical, 350 kcals burned, 1.5 miles.

Next week is the final week of this 5x5 cycle, so I’m going to start 5/3/1 a week from Monday.

Computed 5/3/1 maxes (the MP and deadlift I did Wednesday):

MP: 90 * 11 * 0.0333 + 90 = 120
Deadlift: 235 * 10 * 0.0333 + 235 = 310
Bench: 165 * 10 * 0.0333 + 165 = 215
Squat: 250 * 10 * 0.0333 + 250 = 330

I rounded down to the nearest 5 with the above calculations, to be conservative. The squat surprises me, since the most I’ve been able to put up is 315 for 2, rack, and then unrack and grind out a third.

14

[quote]mcl wrote:
Today’s workout: Lifted 8755 lbs total.

Squats: 10@165 (to determine my 5/3/1 max)
3@275
3@305

Bench: 10@165 (to determine my 5/3/1 max)
3x3@195

Bent-over bb row: 3x3@225

30 minutes elliptical, 350 kcals burned, 1.5 miles.

Next week is the final week of this 5x5 cycle, so I’m going to start 5/3/1 a week from Monday.

Computed 5/3/1 maxes (the MP and deadlift I did Wednesday):

MP: 90 * 11 * 0.0333 + 90 = 120
Deadlift: 235 * 10 * 0.0333 + 235 = 310
Bench: 165 * 10 * 0.0333 + 165 = 215
Squat: 250 * 10 * 0.0333 + 250 = 330

I rounded down to the nearest 5 with the above calculations, to be conservative. The squat surprises me, since the most I’ve been able to put up is 315 for 2, rack, and then unrack and grind out a third.

[/quote]

I don’t put too much faith in the projections of max lifts. I’m just using them for a comparison point during the cycles. You also might want to knock off 10% and call it a training max.

15

[quote]soldog wrote:

I don’t put too much faith in the projections of max lifts. I’m just using them for a comparison point during the cycles. You also might want to knock off 10% and call it a training max.[/quote]

Oh, I intend to. Those numbers are before the recommended 90% modification. This is just computing the 1RM from which to base those modifications on.

Though it’s interesting that the rest of the computed 1RMs are either completely right, or 5 lbs. lower than what I’ve done in the past 2 weeks.

16

[quote]mcl wrote:
soldog wrote:

I don’t put too much faith in the projections of max lifts. I’m just using them for a comparison point during the cycles. You also might want to knock off 10% and call it a training max.

Oh, I intend to. Those numbers are before the recommended 90% modification. This is just computing the 1RM from which to base those modifications on.

Though it’s interesting that the rest of the computed 1RMs are either completely right, or 5 lbs. lower than what I’ve done in the past 2 weeks.[/quote]

huh - that’s a good data point. Come to think of it, my predicted numbers fr MP and bench based on the first week are close as well. Deadlifts are off cause I didn’t re-test a few days after missing a pr. But that’s all to the good, I building a base this first cycle.

17

I think that if it’s in the ballpark (5-10) pounds, it’s fine. You’re going to improve if you stick to the program.

18

[quote]sfp wrote:
I think that if it’s in the ballpark (5-10) pounds, it’s fine. You’re going to improve if you stick to the program.[/quote]

True - I was more thinking that the estimate may be too high leading to working sets too high contrary to the recommendation of starting light.

19

That’s no problem. If you end up stalling out along the line (and it will happen) Mr. Wendler recommends dropping the poundages a bit and ramping back up over time. You’ll pass the weight at which you stalled. Classic “two steps forward, one back” periodization.

20

[quote]skidmark wrote:
That’s no problem. If you end up stalling out along the line (and it will happen) Mr. Wendler recommends dropping the poundages a bit and ramping back up over time. You’ll pass the weight at which you stalled. Classic “two steps forward, one back” periodization.[/quote]

But it would be a bit harsh to have that happen on round 1…