Stronger, Meaner, Leaner

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

Well, I’m Decosta and semi new to lifting.

Well I’m not over 35, I’m 29 but I think I’ll feel more at home here rather than in another section. Plus I’m getting older, not younger (things start to take longer to heal).

Well I’ve been active since April last year and started when I hit 20 stone (280lbs) and over the year, I am now at 16 stone, 2lbs. Although now I feel that I’m at a bit of a plateau. Although I have done well I think as I have a gynecomastia (more than just the puffy nipple, gland and all) and when I first went to the doctor, he wanted to go for one type of surgery. A year later, I went to see him again and he had to reconsider and reschedule my surgery as my body shape had changed and a different surgery is needed.

However, I think that’s more down to losing focus with the diet and training methods. Towards the end, I tended to just go through the motions rather than have a determined plan.

The activities that I do are

Gym - Hence why I’m here
Capoeira - Once a week with practising moves almost every day.
Gymnastics - Once a week

I have access to 2 gyms through work, but my wife wants to hit the gym to lose weight so I joined the one closest to where we live to give her motivation and support. (This is why I pop over to MWA to get advice for her, although I do plan to get her onto free weights when she can handle it/has the confidence).

So yesterday was the first day that I had this renewed focus, so upon joining I did the following

Bench Press - 3 x 50kg (rest 30seconds)
Deadlift - 3 x 50kg (30 seconds)
Assisted Pullups - 3 x 166kg (I’m assuming that 226 - the weight which it took off, therefore 60)
Handstand Pushups - 1 x 5

It was good and I felt pumped, but I just want a routine that I can really focus on, so today after my workout (Bench, Deadlift and Squats), I asked the trainer to book me in to see what they suggested for a routine.

The biggest area of my refocus is my diet, therefore what i had yesterday was

4.5 litres of water (over the course of the day)

  1. Breakfast - Bowl of Oatmeal, Eggs and Sardines

  2. Midmorning Snack - Banana, Apple

Workout - See above

  1. Protein shake + Banana + Sunflower seeds (Also had Cod liver Oil, Multi Vitamin)

  2. Stirfry with tons of vegetables (Courgettes, Carrots, Onions, Mushrooms) with chicken & jacket potato

  3. Smaller portion of meal 4 (without the potato) with a spoonful of peanut butter

Bed

Today’s meal is

  1. Breakfast - Bowl of Oatmeal, Eggs and Tuna

  2. Midmorning Snack - Banana, Apple

Workout - See above

  1. Sunday Dinner (Beef, 2tblspoons of Mash Potato, tons of peas,cabbage and spinach, no gravy or yorkshire pud). Drink was protein shake

  2. Natural Yogurt with blitzed fruits of the forest, banana, protein shake. Very tasty.

Meal five is going to be yesterdays leftover dinner.

What I plan to do is go to MWA’s Chef Lisa’s recipe threads and cook most of the meals there as it will suits wife’s tastes as much as mine. That sesame chicken dish sounds lovely.

It would be nice to get feedback as this progresses.

My goals is to get my body fat down to the low teens, get strong and generally look good.

If I had to say who would I like to get like, it would be


2

I have never heard of the stone means of weight, what is the origin? and Good luck

3

Stone (unit)
From Simple English Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Jump to: navigation, search
The stone is a unit of mass in the imperial system. It is equal to fourteen pounds.

[change] Equivalents
1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.350 kilograms
2 stone = 28 pounds = 12.700 kilograms
3 stone = 42 pounds = 19.051 kilograms
4 stone = 56 pounds = 25.401 kilograms
5 stone = 70 pounds = 31.751 kilograms
6 stone = 84 pounds = 38.102 kilograms
7 stone = 98 pounds = 44.452 kilograms
8 stone = 112 pounds = 50.802 kilograms
9 stone = 126 pounds = 57.152 kilograms
10 stone = 140 pounds = 63.503 kilograms
11 stone = 154 pounds = 69.853 kilograms
12 stone = 168 pounds = 76.204 kilograms

Retrieved from Stone (unit) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4

Stay focussed and best of luck to you mate.

5

You learn somthing new everyday Thanks

[quote]Decosta wrote:
Stone (unit)
From Simple English Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
Jump to: navigation, search
The stone is a unit of mass in the imperial system. It is equal to fourteen pounds.

[change] Equivalents
1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.350 kilograms
2 stone = 28 pounds = 12.700 kilograms
3 stone = 42 pounds = 19.051 kilograms
4 stone = 56 pounds = 25.401 kilograms
5 stone = 70 pounds = 31.751 kilograms
6 stone = 84 pounds = 38.102 kilograms
7 stone = 98 pounds = 44.452 kilograms
8 stone = 112 pounds = 50.802 kilograms
9 stone = 126 pounds = 57.152 kilograms
10 stone = 140 pounds = 63.503 kilograms
11 stone = 154 pounds = 69.853 kilograms
12 stone = 168 pounds = 76.204 kilograms

Retrieved from “Stone (unit) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”
[/quote]

6

Wow, haven’t visited this for a while.

Well I had the surgery to remove the gyno and it’s improved quite dramatically. However, there is some loose skin left that needs to come off. So went to the doctors about a month ago and I measured at a bmi or 31 and he wants me to get down to 27.

Why they still use bmi still baffles me.

Anyway in the meantime, I’ve been hitting the gym twice a week to do

back/legs/bi’s
chest/shoulders/tri’s

The rest of the week is hill running between a mile and 3 miles. Depending on how I feel.

So right now, I’m looking to lose the fat, gain strength. I still do the capoeira exercises as it keeps me flexible… On the rare occasions I can’t do anything, I tend to do an hour on the wii fit :stuck_out_tongue:

Eventually I want to build the muscles, but first, it’s more important to lose the fat, and get the weight down a bit then look to put on the muscle. I’ve already go down to a 36 again (i gained a bit of weight after the op)

On a tangent, I do photography as a hobby, I might look into do shoots with fitness guys/girls and see how that turns out :slight_smile:

Any tips would be great.

7

Building the muscle will help you lose the fat.

8

I too had a case of Gynocomastia. When I was 13 I had an injury and the next thing I knew I was growing a boob! It took on a life of its own. Some sort of a fibers tumor. Anyway glad to hear all went well. And yes the more weight you lift the more weight you will lose.

9

Thanks, yeah I know about the whole muscle/losing fat thing, I mean I’ve already changed my body shape from when I first started this weight loss. I was 280lbs and now I’m fitter, stronger and alot slimmer now that I’m 230lbs.

Just need to get a good program. :slight_smile:

10

Well Im not an expert but,What is your program now?

God bless Lonnie

11

My program at the moment is

Day 1

Chest

Bench Press - 3x6
Decline - 3x6
Incline Flys - 3x6

Shoulders

Military Press - 3x6
Arnie Twists - 3x6
Lat Raises - 3x6

Triceps

Dips 3x6
Push Downs - 3x6

Day 2

Back

Pull ups - 3x6
Dead Lift - 3x6
Close grip pulldown - 3x6

Legs

Squat - 3x6
Calf Raises - 3x6

Biceps

Barbell Curl - 3x6
Hammer Curl - 3x6

12

28th July 2008

Well today, I decided to get really serious and write down everything I can, so that I can see any trends in my training.

So first the meals

Breakfast (7:00) - 75g Plain Museli, 1 scoop of protein powder, 1 boiled egg and a stick of celery.

8:30 - Cup of Tea (with a dash of skimmed milk)

9.33 - 750ml of water and cod liver capsule and glocusasime.

At this point, my general mood was that my energy levels were good and I was not flagging or tired. Work was ok, not boring yet.

10:30 - Pinch of raisans (approx 8-10), small celery stick with some peanut butter on it. 750ml of water.

At this point, feeling satisfied. Tired, but that’s because I was reading a 110 page document relating to IT business processes.

12:00 - Tuna nicoise (salad leaves, spring onions, 1/2 egg and red onions)

Also had a salad with cucumbers, dijon mustard mushrooms, sweetcorn, lettuce, cous cous and beetroot. Also had some tuna mixed in.

14:48 - Pinch of raisins, 5 cherry tomatoes, small celery stick with cream cheese, cup of green tea.

Enery levels good, just bliming sweaty at hot. Lack of fresh air, although wasn’t feeling tired. Which is all good.

16:06 - 2 Cherry Tomatoes,1 scoop of protein powder and some more raisins.

At this point, I know that I’m prob OTT on the raisins, but it was the last in the pack, so I thought I’ll use them as snacks today to finish it off.

Then I finished work, hit the gym (which I’ll describe later) and then after wards had a dbl scoop of protein powder and then got home and had

200g of chicken, about 50g of the sweet potatoes chips that’s from Chef Marie’s recipe thread and some roasted vegetables. Very nice…

In terms of what I did at the gym, it is as follows:

4 minutes of skipping (how do i know it was 4 minutes, because I played ‘4 minutes’ by Madge and JT).

For the weights, I’m including the bar (20kg)
Chest

Incline Bench - 2x10 @ 30kg, 1x8 @ 50kg (next time will do 3x10 @ 40 and then see how that goes).

Bench - 1x10 @ 70kg, 1x10 @ 70kg (3 assisted reps), 1x10@70 (4 assisted reps)

Decline - At this point, I must not have given enough rest as the first 1x10 @ 50kg was quite hard towards the later part of the set. However, I then managed to do 2x10 @ 50kg afterwards.

Shoulders

Military Press - 1x10 @ 20kg, 1x10 @ 25kg, 1x8@ 25kg.

Arnie Twists (had to use plates instead of db) - 3x10 @ 10kg.

Shrugs - 3x10 @ 25kg.

Triceps

Dips - 1x5 @ bw (226lbs), 1x3 @ bw (By this time, my tri’s and general body was sore.

Pulldowns - 1x10 @ 18kg, 1x10 @ 27kg, 1x10 @ 22kg (6 reps, rested for 10secs and then did the remaining 4).

Total time in the gym - 1hr 15 minutes. I was not actively knackered, but generally sore and I doubt I could have down another rep of any exercise without sacrificing form.

Goals

As I was looking in the mirror, I realise that I have got quite a long way to go. Before my operation, I had gyno which was pretty severe. Due to going to the gym and going from 280lbs to 217kg meant that the procedure wasn’t as invasive as it should have been. However, it did leave some loose skin. Therefore I’m going back to the doctors on the 22nd September to look into more surgery to tighten up the skin.

Anyhow, I was looking in the mirror and I have the beginnings of biceps,triceps and shoulders. However, my back is slowly getting there, but needs alot of work and I basically have a flat chest (although I can feel the pecs underneath).

Therefore my goals are as follows:

Lose the fat to at least 12% bodyfat. I need to find out what I am now.

Work on my chest so that I have some form of muscle development that you can see when shirt/top is off.

Want to get to at least 13/14 stone so that I can evaluate how I look.

Obviously when I get to a low bodyweight, I then want to pack on some mass. I need to find some sort of inspiration/goal pic so that you can see what I’m aiming for.

316×626 27.7 KB

or

http://www.hecangetit.com/images/1127686940_Shirtless%20%20Will%20Smith%20+%20Bulge.jpg

Part of me wants to get like that, so that come xmas, I can ask my photographer buddies to arrange a photoshoot for myself so that I can surprise my wife with some pictures of myself.

Anyhow, I’ve probably rambled on and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve timeouted. Look forward to hearing some comments. Good or bad as long as it’s constructive and helps me in the long run.

13

Just some thoughts. Again Im not an expert.
On chest day I would open with the flat bench first. It will give you the most bang for the buck. And by opening with it you are your freshest and can hit it harder. Just warm up (bar x 10,add (2) 25 lbs (95 total) x 8, (2) 45 lbs (135 total) x 6, then 150-160 for 3 x 5. When you can work up to 5 x 5 add weight.

Then I would move to the incline for no more than 3 sets of what ever youre comfortable with.
Im not sure I would even fool with the decline right now.

I also like Military presses. I do 2 sets. I also do 2 sets of press behind the neck. About half the time I pick a light weight and go to failure, the other half I go fairly heavy.

If your up to it grab a plate and do plate raises for 2 x 8.
Finish off with a couple sets of dips.
I only do this once a week. Any more and you can get fatigued pretty easy.

Give yourself a minute or two between sets.
Im sure some of the guys will chime in and add/correct me…
God Bless Lonnie

14

[quote]63Galaxie wrote:
Just some thoughts. Again Im not an expert.
On chest day I would open with the flat bench first. It will give you the most bang for the buck. And by opening with it you are your freshest and can hit it harder. Just warm up (bar x 10,add (2) 25 lbs (95 total) x 8, (2) 45 lbs (135 total) x 6, then 150-160 for 3 x 5. When you can work up to 5 x 5 add weight.

Then I would move to the incline for no more than 3 sets of what ever youre comfortable with.
Im not sure I would even fool with the decline right now.

I also like Military presses. I do 2 sets. I also do 2 sets of press behind the neck. About half the time I pick a light weight and go to failure, the other half I go fairly heavy.

If your up to it grab a plate and do plate raises for 2 x 8.
Finish off with a couple sets of dips.
I only do this once a week. Any more and you can get fatigued pretty easy.

Give yourself a minute or two between sets.
Im sure some of the guys will chime in and add/correct me…
God Bless Lonnie[/quote]

Thanks for the advice…I did think that about the bench first, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

15

Well today was interesting, I went on a course that dealt with optimising yourself. So it dealt on issues such as

Setting goals
Looking towards your goals
How you filter information and how you can use it to benefit

That State of mind affects physiology which affects how you act and vice versa.
Learnt about the reticular activating system (Basically what you think about all the time and what’s important to you - why is it you see your rare car on the road more. It’s because your rare car is important to you, so your ras points it out to you).

It was good, because it reinforced the concepts that are present on here.

If you keep on doing the same things, you’ll get the same results. If you want different results, do something different.

Also its no good saying things or even thinking it, you have to act.

So that’s the mindset I’m going to have, set goals that are meaningful and realistic (SMARTIE) and stick to them.

If you want more information, then let me know. It was a real interesting course.

16

Wednesday - 30th July 2008 Workout

At the gym

Warmup - 5 minutes run (Speed 6.7 - 9 minute mile)

Back

Modified Pullups - 3x5 @ BW (228lbs)
Deadlift - 3x6 @ 100kg (220lbs) - Will keep at this weight until I can do 10 reps
Seated Row - 3x10 @ 40kg (90lbs)

Legs

Squat - 1x10 @ 20kg, 1x10 @ 40kg, 1x10 @ 50kg (Usually I use a smith machine, but I did it freestanding, hence the lighter weights to get form right)

Lunges - 2x10 @ 40kg (Boy, the legs were trembling after this)
Calf Raises - 3x10 @ 30kg (freestanding)

Biceps

Biceps - 1x10 @ 30kg, 2x10 @ 20kg
Hammer Curls - 2x10 @ 10kg (biceps were burning at this point, should do better next time).

Took me 1hr 15 minutes to do the set. I want to be able to dl about 150kg and bench 100kg for 10 reps.

Misc

Nothing much, still looking for fitness models and work is fine…Just got moved onto a new project which should be fun as it means I’ll be learning new stuff. Yeah me.

17

I measured myself this morning (31st July) and here are the results

All measurement are in inches

Waist - 35.5
Hips - 39.5
Thighs - 27
Forearm - 12.25
Wrist - 7
Bicep - 16.5 (flexed)
Neck - 16
Calf - 15.75
Chest -39
Shoulders - 39.5

Wondering whether to post pictures of myself…Have to think about that one…Also need to get my bf tested so I know where I’m at.

No gym today but here’s my diet for today

7.00: 2 eggs and sardines, piece of chicken and a protein shake
8:30: Cup of Tea
9:45: Yerba Mate Tea + fish oils, glucosmine.
10:20: 100g Chicken, small celery, Raisins, Protein Shake
12:00: 50g Chicken, Falalels (oven baked), tons of salad
15:00: Chicken, Celery, Raisisn and cup of Yerba Mate
16:15: Protein Shake
18:00 Repeat of 12:00 meal.

It might not seem great, but it was tasty, never felt stuffed or full. I’m still in the experimental stage of finding the right balance.

18

Decosta, great detail in the logs…

If you keep up with the diet and exercise you will see results very quickly. It looks like you know what to do on the diet front. There are so many good training articles on the site. Pick one that fits your goals and you can’t go wrong.

Get the pictures so that you have something to track progress with. You will get a lot of support from this group if you decide to post them. If you decide not to post them now, you can always put them up later after you feel better about your progress.

19

Well yesterday was the work’s BBQ and because I’m on the committee, I had to help set up, run things and be behind the bar. Also was sober so it’s always interesting to see people get drunker and drunker as the night goes on. It’s also very interesting to notice how people suddenly become your best mates when you’re serving cheap booze behind the bar.

Obviously no gym, although I did go for a 1.2 mile run in the morning which I completed in 12 minutes.

Food wise, did ok at the start with my usualy muslei, boiled eggs and shake, followed by lunch of oven baked falalel and salad, but then at the bbq later, managed to have 2 huge burgers and a pork roll with apple sauce.

I’m not stressing about it as it was one day out of many. Might do some home exercises later as I didn’t get home until 1, although managed to get my 7 hours in.

I’ll get some pictures done today and post them up later.

20

Belated welcome. You do seem to have a handle on the diet. Some thoughts on your goals and routine. Your role models seem to have one thing in common. Total chest development. When Will Smith went through his transformation to play Ali this was the first thing I noticed. Don’t know what you’re starting with but to get the look I would definitely concentrate on the inclines for upper and some outer chest development as well as the flat bench. Probably the best total chest ever was Serge Nubret from back in the day. Good luck and stick with it.