Starting Out at Age 40

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
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OK For several reasons including family history of bad health, wanting to get back to my “old-self”, and just trying to be proactive and responsible about living healthy. Plus, I have always been told since my youth, that if I would just work out a little…I could have a very good body. Apparently, I am “cut” naturally and the addition of a workout would highlight and tone me good.

I hope I am using the right terminalogy here…I am basiclly just repeating what I have been told by some fittness gurus in the past.

Anyway, here is the thing…I am 40, 5’8, 173 lbs and thanks to my Dad I have inherited his “belly.” I don’t have a real big belly…but still…its a belly right? I look at it like this…I know I have a “Six Pack”…unfortunately, it is “packed in ice in the cooler” right above my waist!

So here is what I want to do…I want to get “CUT” and “TONED.” Not go crazy and become cut and ripped beyond normality…just cut and toned and have a six pack (without the cooler and ice)…plus practice a healthy diet.

So what I have done so far…I bought one of those “All-in-One” gyms ( think it is refered to as “Resistance Workout Machines”)

I am planning to do a serious diet to lose the belly at first…contemplating a low carb diet(Atkins maybe?) for a few weeks to lose the belly…then switching over to what ever you guys recommend to stay on a permanent life style diet.

I am planning to workout 3 times a week on this equipment…as soon as I figure out the proper workouts and techniques :wink:

So what I need is some recommendations, advice, and ideas of how to accomplish all of this?

Can someone guide down the right path?

Thanks in advance!
Zed

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Since nobody has chimed in, I’ll leave the link to the guy that knows diet. Not my field, so I’ll bow out gracefully here.

http://www.T-Nation.com/ALSAuthor.do?p=John%20Berardi&pageNo=1

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No matter your age, it all comes down to relearning how to eat right and having the will to continue doing the hard work.

Check out the threads at the top of the beginner forum.

Although people here are going to be a bit (or a lot) preferential to weights, instead of combo machines, you can do plenty with one, especially if your goals are pretty mild.

Oh, my advice, if you’ve been mostly sedentary for a while, start our a bit slow, ease into it. If you do too much or too many new things at once, you’ll probably end up very sore and regret it.

Nothing major will happen in a week or two, so don’t bother killing yourself to get there instantly.