Any advice for an old fart getting back in the gym?

[edro]

Hello All,

I'm about to get back to lifting after many years off, I'm in pretty awful shape right now and wonder if there's any sage advice out there for someone like me for diet, supplements, routine, etc. I'm specifically worried about hurting a tendon or something else right off the bat and putting the kabosh on it all. Especially rotator cuff's and elbows, knees, lower back, ok....everything.

I plan to start light (very light) with high rep's. Eat maintenence calories to start, saving wieght loss for later after I get some muscle recovered.

Just got put on HRT (androderm for now) and am feeling up to it for the first time in years, it's made an amazing difference in how I feel. I'm 52 yrs, 6'1", 255lbs, lotsa bodyfat.

Thanks,

Ed

[jasthace]

Good on ya buddy,Yes take it really easy for a year or so and just enjoy the breathing and fitness{also get to check out a bit of nice ass here and there}.
Hopefully the joints wont play up on you too much and will get used to it.
Good luck big bro.

[Bayou230]

Ed,
Hope you enjoy the experience, as I have. My bio looks a lot like yours. Early fifties, away from the gym for a number of years, now on HRT. Yikes! if I'd known how hard I'd have to work as a 50s somthing guy in an attempt to get back to where I was in my thirties, I'd never have stopped. Oh well, hind sight is 20/20.

The best advice I've seen is actually contained in one guys signature. It talks about persistance being key to reaching one's goals. How true! We all see the masses flock to the gym after new years...but most have quit. Stick with it! Even when you feel like you're stuck, not making any progress you realy are, simply by being there, putting in the effort.

Keep at it and good luck.

[unt0ld]

Yeah goodluck with it.

You might want to look into HGH for a man at your age.

[Rugger5]

HRT? Where can I find info on this. I am in somewhat same situation. I am just a little younger at 48 years old. Would like to find out what that is. maybe it is some training technique or program that can work for me.

[Phreezer]

Well, the best advice is just to take it easy at first.

Start off with a low impact circuit style routine with about 1 and a half to two minutes in between each set. Pretty much stick to the machines for the first couple of months.. Do low impact cardio first like Walking or riding the exercise bike for 20-30 minutes until you can build up to about 45 minutes.
I'd advise something like this... And I advise you do 1-2 light warm up exercises for each exercise...no sense pulling something...

Monday:
Cardio (walk on treadmill for 20-30 minutes)
bench press 3x10 (using a weight that is somewhat challenging for all three sets)
shoulder press 3x10
Seated Rows 3x10
Bicep curl machine 3x10
Tricep pushdown machine 3x10

Tuesday: (make sure to use a good weight but one that doesn't hurt your knees)
Cardio (ride the exercise bike or walk on the treadmill)
Leg extension 3x10
Leg Curl 3x10
Abs 3x10 (crunchs not full sit ups)

Wednesday:
Cardio (again something light like walking or riding the exercise bike)

Thursday (repeat MOnday's workout)


Friday (take this time to do something with your wife girlfriend or buddies)

Saturday (repeat Tuesday's Workout).

Sunday Rest

Monday start over...with Monday's workout.

This will give you 5 days a week of low impact cardio and 4 days a week of low impact resistance training..

Try this for about two months or so.. and then come back and I'll help you kick it up a little bit..


WRT to diet..

I'd shoot for no more than 2,000 calories a day.. eat nothing fried (give yourself one cheat meal or one cheat day a week but no more than that)

Good supplements for you would be glucosamine, a multivitamin, flax seed or fish oil and be sure to eat from good protein sources like Skinless boneless chicken breasts, tuna (in water not oil), lean beef like sirloin or round steak. (again do not fry any of it).. eat lots and lots of vegetables...

Try what I'm lining out for two months and I promise you will not only feel better, you'll look better too!

[greyowl]

Originally Posted by edro

Hello All,

I'm about to get back to lifting after many years off, I'm in pretty awful shape right now and wonder if there's any sage advice out there for someone like me for diet, supplements, routine, etc. I'm specifically worried about hurting a tendon or something else right off the bat and putting the kabosh on it all. Especially rotator cuff's and elbows, knees, lower back, ok....everything.

I plan to start light (very light) with high rep's. Eat maintenence calories to start, saving wieght loss for later after I get some muscle recovered.

Just got put on HRT (androderm for now) and am feeling up to it for the first time in years, it's made an amazing difference in how I feel. I'm 52 yrs, 6'1", 255lbs, lotsa bodyfat.

Thanks,

Ed

Well, I've been where you are (starting over in the early '50s) , so if my experience is any guide, here's what I would do if I had to do it all over again.

During the first phase of about three months, you're only preparing your body for the work to come, so don't look for any major gains. During this phase, I would emphasize improving your general fitness instead of strength per se, so you should be doing cardio and lots of it. A total of 30 minutes per session is too short a period. Assuming you don;t have heart problems. You should slowly increase your heart rate up past 150 beats per minute, which takes me about 9-10 minutes, and then held it above 150 for 30 minutes, then cool down for a few minutes. Do this at least four times a week. If you can join a gym, elliptical trainers are real easy on the knees, which is a consideration at our age. Cross-train on different types of machine if you can. Rowing machines are wonderful if your knees can hold up.

For the first three months or so I would lay off free weights and work with machines only. This will allow you to isolate and train the main muscle groups with a much lower risk of sustaining injuries, which are much more common at our age than for guys in their 20s, and harder to shrug off. At the start I would aim for 15 reps per set, three sets, at a weight that's heavy enough to cause failure just at that point that you reach the final rep of the 3rd set. Remember that good form on machines is just as important as good form lifting free-weights if you want to make any progress.

The downside of machines is that they won't do anything for the stabilizer muscles, so after three months I would start to make the transition to free weights and stop working machines at all at the six-month mark (except for a smith machine).

For the next six months after that, the standard 12 reps per set x 3 sets works fine. During this phase I found that leg presses were almost as effective as squats, especially if I alternated narrow stance with wide stance, with a lower risk of injury. Similarly, I found that chest-pressing by lying on a bench under a smith machine worked just as well as barbell presses.

After the one-year mark, you shoud aim to be using free weights exclusively and might try the 5 x 5 program mentioned in some threads in this forum.

Good luck, hope this helps.

[edro]

Thankyou Gentlemen, the excellent advice and encouragement is appreciated more than you might imagine.

Ed