Over 45: What Issues Are You Facing In Your Workouts

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fitnear50

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Did not see this concept tackled anywhere else. If I have missed that thread please advise.

I am 47 (see profile) and have started seriously working out for really the first time in my life. I work with a great personal trainer 3 times per week and have lost 20 lbs, reduced cholesterol by 60 points, and quit smoking after 35 years - all in the last 18 mos. or so.

During this period of time I have developed tendon soreness in my left elbow, minor joint issues in my left knee and have reconfirmed that unless I stretch everyday I am stiff as a board at 6'3" tall/194 lbs.

During that time I have also discovered the importance of a sound diet and the correct eating pattern within the day.

So why this topic: I am simply interested to know what successes and what issues the over 45 crowd is facing and how they are fairing. From what I see in my gym there are more and more folks our age getting in great shape.

How are you doing it?
What benefits have you seen?
Do you have advice for others?

Hope this topic is of interest.
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I have occasional soreness of the left shoulder tendons/joint and sometimes both, and have learned the muscle were more than willing to work the @ss off, but the tendons were not. I have learned that my body cycle 9 days (diet enumeration sequence I call it). I have learne to allow 4 days rest on muscle (which is enough body tells me), but not enough for tendons, and I allow 1 to 2 days extra, or about 5 days in-between weight stimulation.
 
Yes, I do. Each body part gets worked out with weights every 5 to 6 days--with the exception of abs and cardio. ONLY because this is what my body is telling me as ENOUGH REST. Cardio is nearly every day and in May 2007, I did over 50 cycles in the month (not recommended, but everything held up good, and I was focused, and had a personal goal).

The 9 day body cycle is a LEARNED process which I mean, is WHEN I actually SEE the wieght loss occurring or occurred and since I am veru meticulous about the data in my excell spreadsheet the deficit caloric equation was actually matching the weight loss (-3500 for each pound of tissue).
 
chillen, i think you are the most technical person i know when it comes to losing weight lol. you can probably track back every calorie you have consumed since you started "dieting"
 
Yes, I agree. But this has paid off dividends of learning bodily responses and being able to adjust, and is beyond explaining the value and importance it brings to the table.

Yes, I train EACH body part through weight training (exception bis) every 5 to 6 days. Bodily response reason AND deficit dieting reasons.

Chest/squat 5 to 6 days, but while chest and legs are resting, I may do back and bis during this time of rest and so on, if you uderstand what Im referring to.

Yes, I could give you data on all calories consumed for the past year, the totals and the deficit range and the accompanying fat loss rates. I had to make adjustments based on bodily feedback over time, but now I have my bodily caloric expenditure PEGGED according to what I am doing, and this is SO VALUABLE I cant state it enough. Knowing VERY CLOSE to what your body is burning IS A KEY ingredient on EITHER side of the equation (gaining or losing, cutting or bulking) and can MINIMIZE fat accumulation when bulking, which I am still THINKING about doing. I have a mental compliction in dealing whether to do this or not......But working on it.
 
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ahh man. just do whatever you think will make YOU happy! if you are happy with how you are now, just maintain. get stronger if you want.
besides, you arent going to lose anything with bulking! especially with a slow bulk, i bet you will gain a minscule amount of fat. you can rip that off anytime you want with your determination and work ethic!
 
Thanks Protein Boy. The fact is I am happy with where I am at (albeit a little small). I have worked hard (no supplements of any kind-except flax and fish oil) and have so much work in where I am presently, and the SHEER WORK it took mentally to get to the present, and without this mentality, I wouldnt have made it. Going the opposite will bring a transposition of thoughts and then repositioning back again. Im just working on my frame of mind (or sort of preparing myself for the work and road ahead, planning, calculating the estimates on the caloric end, and positioning the type of training, and then putting it all together to see what I have--knowing how your body responds--and recording it along the way, is a tool worth more weight in gold than any other). Thanks for the encouragement, it meant alot. thank you.
 
Does 5 to 6 days mean alot of rest or not enough to you? At the beginning, I did the tradional 2 to 3 day inbetween bit, and my body screamed at me saying this was NOT CORRECT (breaking it down then just plain not enough recovery time). So I had to adapt, and just train smarter And listen to this aging body--it WILL TELL YOU what is on the up and up and what is not.


Other than some minor tendons screaming at me once in a while, of which I have remedied, I havent had any major issues physically to complain about. If anything, I feel better than ever. I have no back pain, like I once had when I first began my personal quest.

For being nearly 46, my body seems to adapt and overcome the stresses given it, BUT I have learned to give it JUST ENOUGH training (exception cardio argueably over doing it), with plenty of rest.

True my muscle growth isnt extraordinary (deficit caloric intake as the major player) nor as FULL as a younger person, but its good for the conditions, and good for what my goal was: getting the abs to show,,,,,,PERIOD! With as much muscle loss CONTROLLED through a higher defict range (meaning around -300c). Even with ALL the cardio the last 8 weeks, there has been no muscle loss, my wgt has stayed reletively the same BUT fat loss has occurred (IDEAL in anyones arguement when deficit dieting). This information has alot FUNCTIONAL MEANING TO ME.

I have an occasional plateau that surfaces, and at this time, I have diet plan for this (and training plan for this), and sometimes will eat at nearly exactly at my estimated MT line to provide an assist to break it. Other than this normal type training issue, I dont have any complaints--------I just have to get my mind together on whether to bulk or not. LOL 5' 7" 154 isnt huge by any imagination, but it is a NORMAL and natural weight for me though.
 
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Proteinboy said:
ahh man. just do whatever you think will make YOU happy! if you are happy with how you are now, just maintain. get stronger if you want.
besides, you arent going to lose anything with bulking! especially with a slow bulk, i bet you will gain a minscule amount of fat. you can rip that off anytime you want with your determination and work ethic!
Click to expand...

i agree u must have an amazing attention to detail and its obviously working all power to you
 
Fitnear50, are you having any age related things, other than what you have stated?

What have you been doing abou them?
 
Thanks again for your insights Chillen. As mentioned your attention to detail is impressive. Don't know that I will ever aspire to this level of detail. Whatever works for each of us, right?

Any other older (wiser, seasoned, mature ;) ) readers looking to add 2-10 cents?
 
Oh, dont sell yoursefl short, you mentally CAN do what your body THINKS it cant. And in reverse: Your body CAN do what you mentally THINK it cant.

When I first began there were a few things I had to accept: I knew that I was never going to grow muscle like a younger person, as my normal testosterone was lower and just the age process in general, and with age comes a bit more recovery period.

I have learned to accept the things I can change and the things I couldnt change, and TRY to have the wisdom to know this difference. I tend to be "overly rambunctious (ms)", but I have passion, and have learned that passion toward ones goal a is key and essential element in achieving ones goal. I have fallen many times on my journey, but I always gotten back up, and applied its meaning in the correct way. I have proven to my kids that if they have will and desire they can do practically anything humanely possible, and this is the most beneficial thing out of this journey to me.

They kid me, when they try to give me my favorite candy and refuse to eat it (reeses PB cups), "oh, dad, this one PB CUP, isnt gonna make ya into the michelin man!" LOL
 
Well I am 43 so I sort of fit into your group!
I no longer lift REAL heavy, my 1RM for Bench was 315, I can still get 275 when I want it, but typically I stop my bench at 225. I have always stunk at squatting, but like someone said here, it really is the KING exercise. It does so much to your body. And I have started deadlifting after never having done them! I have recently taken up jogging again after a many-year layoff, and I mix that in with some HIIT when I don't feel like going long distances.

All that being said, I have been in a cutting phase for the last month or so, I have dropped about 10 pounds. At 5 ft 9 I am clocking in at 157 pounds, the lightest I have been since high school.

I believe in FBW, but if the mood isn't there, then I adjust. I believe in six meals a day, no soda, no candy bars, no fast food, no alcohol. Hell, no TV for that matter! lol!

Age is just a number. Find what works for you, stick with it. When it doesn't work anymore, change it up. But I believe that exercise and a good diet are the fountain of youth.
 
dougp25

Thanks for the reply - hell over 40 is over 40! Some of the "no's" you mentioned are beyond where I want to go. As mentioned in my profile one of my great motivators for getting/staying in shape is to keep the calories from the grape off the waste line. Also love diet coke. I do firmly believe in the 5-6 meals a day with portion control concept. Fast food does not happen anymore - unless the occasional breakdown for pizza. That doesn't count, right.?!
 
Chillen said:
Fitnear50, are you having any age related things, other than what you have stated?

What have you been doing about them?
Click to expand...

Heck yeah I have other things - thankfully nothing major. All in, I am in better shape than most our age but not near as good as some.

Going for a full body evaluation here
HTML: 
http://www.wetzlerptcenter.com/
as suggested by my trainer. Main reason is back related issues that result in, among other things, occasional numbing of the hands and arms.
 
It looks like you have a plan of action to deal with the issues: Good for you!

I hope it works out for you (it will, with determination and using your ultra human skills!)
 
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