[quote]The Myth wrote:
I am 52 years old, 6’1", weigh 185 pounds and am at about 14% body fat. I would like to get to 10%. I have abs, but would like to be leaner.
I’m confused about where to go from here and am not even sure this is the right forum, but figured I would throw it out there and see what happens.
I have been lifting off and on for thirty years, but have been in the gym pretty serious for the last two years. My diet is okay, but not great. I like to drink a few beers and have a sweet tooth. I lift 3-5 days a week on a three day split, do cardio three or four days a week, and do karate another two or three days a week.
Two years ago I was 215 at 25% bodyfat, so I am making progress, but I feel stalled, and am confused - should I continue trying to cut or should I try to add mass?
I know that muscle burns more calories than fat, and I know that at 52 it will be tough to add LBM, but I am on TRT. My LBM has gone up significantly in the last year on TRT, and I suspect if I just ride it out I might achieve my goals, but I truly wonder whether I should be cutting or clean bulking.
I’ve been fucking around with FFMI and realize I could potentially get to 170lbs of lbm, about eight more than I am now, and be at 10% BF at 185 pounds, my current weight, but again, wonder if I should cut or build mass.
Most of my friends tell me I am too skinny, and my female colleagues call me manorexic, but they only see me in clothes and don’t realize my BMI is borderline overweight.
So, lift and gain, or cut to get to 10% body fat.
Let er rip!
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DISCLAIMER: I’m definitely nowhere near 52, so if you only want feedback from those in your age bracket, feel free to stop reading.
I read your OP several times, read the various responses, and decided to stay on the sideline.
For some reason though, I have this itch I need to scratch so here goes…
BlueCollar states that, at your age, “the LBM ship as sailed.”
Consider the possibility this may apply to only those who’ve lifted/bodybuild at a high level from their 20s or 30s. For them, it does indeed make sense that, once you hit your 50s it becomes a maintenance game.
However, although you say you’ve lifted “off and on for thirty years” everything you write makes me suspect you’ve been doing so at a neophyte level. To use a karate analogy (since you study it), lifters like BlueCollar are weight room black belts; you, on the other hand, are probably closer to yellow…maybe orange on a good day.
If this is true, then it’s great news for you!
Like most lifters I see at commercial gyms, you’re probably doing little more than simply manipulating the weight from point A to B (which may be fine if powerlifting or Oly lifting is your goal).
In other words, most people who TRY to lift for hypertrophy don’t know how to use the weight as a tool to properly stimulate the targeted muscles. This is a skill the average gym rat will never possess…which is why he’ll always be average.
Let’s be realistic. Will you look like a Zane or a Nubret in their prime? Of course not. Hell, most 20-30 year old gym rats will never look that good.
But if you start each day with the belief that you still have some untapped potential, you’re off to a good start.
If you buy into the doom and gloom scenario, everything you do will feed this self-fulfilling prophecy.
Personally, I know what decision I’d make…
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You’ll have to make significant sacrifices. Much to my GF’s chagrin, I’ve blown off more than a few social events if it meant my training or recovery would be compromised.
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You’ll have to live a highly regimented life. You can no longer eat and drink what you crave when you feel like it; you’ll have to accept eating what you may not want when you’re not hungry. Conversely, you’ll need the discipline to pass on garbage, no matter how tempting (don’t justify it by saying you’re bulking). Get quality sleep as often as possible; I’m convinced this is critical.
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You’ll need to learn to stay healthy. Learn anatomy, exercise science, nutrition, the difference between intelligent/focused training and random shit that just makes you sweat. Learn to exploit book knowledge and empirical knowledge. Know the difference between a legit poster or author on sites like this and some DYEL loser who merely regurgitates what he read or heard elsewhere. Because your goal is bodybuilding oriented, this is easy: just look at their photos to see if they practice what they preach.
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Accept that more isn’t necessarily better. For example, you say you’re doing “cardio three or four days a week, and do karate another two or three days a week…” I studied Hapkido and Taekwondo in high school so I know just how strenuous those classes can be. In all likelihood, you’re probably in some state of gluconeogenesis during these sessions which absoFUCKINGlutely won’t help with LBM gains. Don’t know what that fancy word means? Refer to #3 re: exercise science.
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Cultivate an instinct for doing what your body needs. Very few, I believe, reach this level.
If I had to lay odds you can make reasonable changes to your physique, I’d say there’s a three percent chance. Hundred guys like you with the same ambitions, and three will succeed. Which is still better than zero.
And sometimes a long shot is better than no shot.