Programme advice

[djamesnz]

Hi there,

I'm a 43 yr old male. I've been going to the gym for about a year.
I weigh 110kgs and have more body fat than I should.
I've been doing a 4 day split of Mon-Chest/Tri's, Tues-Back/Bi's, Wed-off, Thurs-Legs, Fri-Shoulders
With travelling alot for work I have often missed a day, or sometimes an entire week.
Although I'm the strongest I've ever been, and I mean ever, I'm a bit disappointed with my physical progress and am looking at changing my routine.
I supplement with whey and creatine and very occasionally take pre workouts.

I know that I need to work on my diet BIG time. A couple of months ago, just when I was able to hit the gym really hard again, I've developed tennis elbow so have had to stop bicep work totally and most shoulder work too.

Currently I do a 4 day split (Mon/Tues on, Wed off, Thurs/Fri on) with 5 sets and 12-8 reps

Chest/Tris - Mon
Flat Bench
Incline Bench
Decline bench
Machine flys
Cable crossovers
Tri pushdowns
Cable rope Overhead Tri extension

Back/Bi's - Tues
Lat pulldown
Seated cable row
Deadlifts (3 sets of 10 reps)
Close grip pulldowns
Bicep exercises stopped due to tennis elbow injury

Legs - Thurs
Leg press
Leg extension
Leg curls
Calf press

Shoulders - Fri
Military press
Shrugs
Rear delt flys
all other shoulder exercises stopped due to tennis elbow injury

Like I say, I'm the strongest I've ever been and my girlfriend has noticed that my shoulders/back are wider but I'm gutted that I've had to stop shoulder work and biceps but I'm hoping that my bi's will get a bit of work from my back day.

To switch it up a little and focus more on what I can actually work on, I'm considering a 2 day split so I can hit each muscle group twice a week. I figure that this may give me the growth I'm looking for.
I'm also gonna hit the cardio, now Xmas is over, to drop bodyfat.

Any advice on 2 day splits or otherwise would be great.

Cheers

[SQ76]

It sounds like you're doing enough weight training, but the key to losing fat will be in your diet and of course incorporating cardio too.

Do you know how many calories you consume a day? It's a good idea to track this...

You will need to find out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), if you search on bb.com you will find a calculator for this. You then need to reduce your calories - 500cals a day would equal 3,500 a week which is the number of calories in 1lb of fat.

Myfitnesspal is a good (free) app that you can download onto your phone to track calories.

[TCO76]

Read the stickies in the nutritional section. It is your diet. I would add a link but I'm on my phone. Check out the counting macros thread by emma-leigh. And welcome. Forget everything you know and humble yourself to better future options.

[MoldyGopher]

Tennis elbow is very common, especially in the O35 section. Search around, there's been a lot of threads about it.

Good luck!

[geer_matt]

Legs - Thurs
Leg press
Leg extension
Leg curls
Calf press

Here is your problem, you don't squat.

[ironwill2008]

.

I know that I need to work on my diet BIG time.

Then start here:

No requirement for supplements at your level; learn how to eat first. This thread will explain all the steps to figure your baseline of required protein, fat, carbs, and calories:
*Emma-Leigh's calorie/macro thread: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=121703981



Buy an inexpensive digital food scale (~$30 at any big-box discount store), weigh your portions, and track them here: http://fitday.com

I've developed tennis elbow ...

Likely from overuse. Lay off it completely for at least two weeks, and then see if you can come back at about half your previous loads without pain. If not, it might be time to see your doc.

[djamesnz]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice.

[djamesnz]

Lol, I'm gonna add it in the New Year.
Oddly 95% of people in my gym don't squat or deadlift. In fact I get very strange looks when I do my deads.

Legs - Thurs
Leg press
Leg extension
Leg curls
Calf press

Here is your problem, you don't squat.

[djamesnz]

Thanks mate.

It sounds like you're doing enough weight training, but the key to losing fat will be in your diet and of course incorporating cardio too.

Do you know how many calories you consume a day? It's a good idea to track this...

You will need to find out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), if you search on bb.com you will find a calculator for this. You then need to reduce your calories - 500cals a day would equal 3,500 a week which is the number of calories in 1lb of fat.

Myfitnesspal is a good (free) app that you can download onto your phone to track calories.

[djamesnz]

Thanks for that. I appreciate it.

Read the stickies in the nutritional section. It is your diet. I would add a link but I'm on my phone. Check out the counting macros thread by emma-leigh. And welcome. Forget everything you know and humble yourself to better future options.

[djamesnz]

Thanks for you help.
I've had a look at the post you mention. It looks great.

Then start here:

No requirement for supplements at your level; learn how to eat first. This thread will explain all the steps to figure your baseline of required protein, fat, carbs, and calories:
*Emma-Leigh's calorie/macro thread










Likely from overuse. Lay off it completely for at least two weeks, and then see if you can come back at about half your previous loads without pain. If not, it might be time to see your doc.

[djamesnz]

Lol, thanks mate.

Tennis elbow is very common, especially in the O35 section. Search around, there's been a lot of threads about it.

Good luck!