What pearls of wisdom would you impart to a 46 year old that has been lifting for approximately 6 years? Lifting, nutrition, stretching, etc. I guess my question in a nutshell is - does all the advice people give apply to the "older" (said tongue-in-cheek) lifter? e.g., do you recommend bulking/cutting phases? If there were 5 things you would tell that person that you should or shouldn't do, what are they? What can that person expect given the late start? I'm looking to the Mahlers, OldGuys, etc. of the board. Thanks.
FYI - 46 years old, 5'11" 165 lbs., no idea of body fat but carrying around the love handles and lower belly fat.
Like austintwo said you really need to tell us what you have been doing to get better advice. What is your lifting program, what does you diet really look like, etc. But I would say at 5'11 and 165 you need to put on muscle, albeit slowly so as not to add fat. More muscle will help lose the love handles.
__________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
I've tried various routines, some with some success, others with less. In an attempt to gain muscle, I used Waterbury's TBT and upped the calories from about 1,800 per day to about 2,400 per day. I gained about 10 lbs. but some fat with that. I've struggled, like many people do, with the "gain muscle or lose fat" and it seems that I have more success with the gain muscle, albeit with the fat (is that difficult for everyone to lose fat?)
I'm currently doing a 4x6 variation of a 5x5 routine that Mike Meija (sp?) had in MH a couple of months ago - 3 days a week total body, mostly all major lifts (squats, deads, chins, benches, rows).
Your maintenance calories should be in the 2300 - 2400 range. If you want to gain slowly add 100-200 cals per day and stay at that level for a few weeks to see what happens. If you need to add more then add another 100-200.
Also, how long have you been doing the 4x6 routine? If you have been lifting for 6 years I would think your body adapts quickly so you may have to change the routine more frequently.
Just my $.02
__________________
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
You should:
- never think of your age as being a limitation
- work out and challenge yourself
- eat and exercise like your life depended on it (because it does)
You shouldn't:
- make excuses unless they are legitimate medical reasons
- take it easy on yourself
- think that starting late will inhibit your progress
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
I'm 50, 5'11", 160 lbs, 10-11% bf and I have had my best success, in the last 2 years, with the basic compound exercises......bench press, row, pullup, dips, squats, deadlifts & shoulder press. And as you had lifted for 6 years, you know there are many variations for these 7 exercises - and you need to vary your rep/sets, which is the flavor of the year. And what you eat is very important for muscles growth.
And please ignore the 165 lbs is too small talk. You can be as physically fit at 160 (with a good muscled appearance) as you can be at 190, you just can't press or squat as much.
I'm not over 40 -- Just a baby at 38 -- but I've found a foam roller (progressing to baseball and PVC pipe) as well as mobility work to be invaluable. Improving my ROM and just generally working out all of the kinks has made working out that much more pleasurable. Not to mention safer (lower risk of injury) and more effective.
Advice from the Over 40 Crowd
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