40 YO newbee looking for advice

[40andNew]

First of all, congratulations on a great forum and a great community. After reading your forum for a few months I finally decided to register and ask. I am looking for your advice on how to improve my diet and exercise routine to move me closer to the goal stated below

My stats:

. 40 year old male
. 5’9”, 170 lbs
. 18% bf according to my AccuMeasure
. My goal: Stay at the 170-175 lbs range, but with 10-12% bf

My history:

. I started working out in April 2005, after leading a very, and I mean VERY sedentary life (I always dreaded physical education as a kid, so no exercise AT ALL after high school). In spite of that, I was never fat.
. As I approached my 40th birthday, I reflected on my health and what it would be needed for me to see my daughter grow up to be a woman and have kids of her own (she is 6 now). This provided the motivation required to start exercising
. I started lifting weights 3 times a week (at home), after purchasing a set of selectable dumbbells and a reclinable bench. Thus, all of my exercises are dumbbell-based (this is also good as I travel quite a bit and most hotel gyms have dumbbells)
. I was amazed to see that I actually stuck to my exercise routine and that it started yielding some results
. After a while I started watching what I ate, cutting down on my carbs (being Latin my diet closely resembled a carb orgy), and eating more protein. I also started trying to eat 5 times a day, not always successfully (difficult while traveling)
. I also changed my workout routine a couple of times. Now I lift 3 days a week, each day a different muscle group.
. Doing this allowed me to drop from 178 lbs to my current 170, with a drop in bf from 26% to 18%
. For the last few months, however, I feel I have hit a plateau – no increase in strength, no further reductions in bf%
. As of this year, I have started doing cardio 3 times a week (30-40 minute jog), hoping to get my bf down, however fearing to lose muscle

My current routine

3 sets of 9-12 reps for each one of the exercises below, unless stated otherwise. Please keep in mind that my choice of exercises is somehow limited since as I stated above, I workout from home using my selectable dumbbells and reclinable bench.

Mondays (Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps)
― Seated dumbbell shoulder press
― Seated side shoulder lateral raise
― Bent-over shoulder lateral raise
― Dumbbell biceps curls
― Alternating hammer curls
― Concentration curls
― Incline dumbbell hammer curl
― Lying dumbbell extensions
― Overhead dumbbell
― One-arm kickbacks

Wednesdays (Quads, Hamstrings, Calves)
― Dumbbell squats
― Ballet dumbbell squats
― Dumbbell lunges (the exercise from hell)
― Stiff-legged deadlifts
― Romanian deadlifts
― Dumbbell standing calf raises (3 sets of 20-25)
― Dumbbell one-legged standing calf raises (3 sets of 20-25)


Fridays (Chest, Back and Abs)
― Flat dumbbell bench press
― Flat dumbbell flyes
― Incline dumbbell bench presses
― Incline dumbbell flyes
― Decline pushups (2 sets to failure)
― One-arm dumbbell rows
― Two-arm dumbbell rows (chest resting on an incline bench)
― Dumbbell upright row
― Legs raises (3 sets of 25)
― Crunches (3 sets of 25)

In addition to that, 30-40 minutes of cardio on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Can’t do cardio on Thursdays as my legs are usually destroyed from my Wednesday leg workout.

My diet

I think this is probably the weakest link in my routine, as I am not that disciplined in relation to quantities – I do not record a log of what I eat and have no idea of how many ounces of each thing I eat in each meal. Also, But I eat mostly clean.

First meal:
― One envelope of Quaker instant oatmeal (before my workout)
― Protein shake (after my workout)

Second meal
― Fish or chicken
― Rice or vegetables

Third meal
― Protein shake or protein bar

Fourth meal
― Can of tuna
― 3 table spoons black beans

Fifth meal (sometimes)
― Protein shake


So, this is me. Your comments are very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

40andNew

[zootalors]

My first thought would be to increase the weight and reduce the reps.
Also cut the number of different excercises in half (roughly).
Increasing the weight and lowering the number of reps (4-6 per set) should help you break the plateau.

I think thats what I would try first, anyway.

[Baldsnake]

Welcome...we knew there was someone sniffin around and looking over our keyboards...it was you all along. You are going to get some great guidence in here.

[ChocoChick]

Bump to the suggestion to change up your routine. Heavier weight and lower reps should get you growing again... if you are eating enough. I know you say you're not tracking quantities of food but this looks like a really tiny amount. Are you eating enough to fuel growth?

First meal:
― One envelope of Quaker instant oatmeal (before my workout)
― Protein shake (after my workout)

Ok, these should be two meals.

Meal 1 (preworkout) should contain a carb and some protein and maybe some fat... depending on how long you have between this meal and your workout. If it's 45 min or more, I'd add some fat. Otherwise, protein and carb are good. If the instant oatmeal is the pre-sweetened stuff, replace it with old fashioned (best) or quick (ok) oats... something without the sugar.

Meal 2 (post-workout) should contain protein (the shake is good) plus higher GI carbs. So this is a good time for some fruit along with your shake.

Second meal
― Fish or chicken
― Rice or vegetables

Live large - have rice AND vegetables Brown rice is best.

Third meal
― Protein shake or protein bar

Can you get a real meal here? Much better for you than the bar or shake BUT if you have to do one of these, either go with a shake (add fat to slow digestion) or a homemade bar (best quickie choice, imo).

Fourth meal
― Can of tuna
― 3 table spoons black beans

3 tablespoons of black beans??? Have 1/2 - 1 cup. These are a great source of complex carbs. And add some veggies to this meal.

Fifth meal (sometimes)
― Protein shake

I thin you should have a sixth meal (since we split your first meal into two, this is really meal 6) but I don't think it should be a protein shake. I'd have a slow digesting protein here -- like cottage cheese -- and some fats -- like peanut butter or nuts.

Other stuff to consider -

- Incorporate more good fats into your diet. I don't see any. Examples: nuts, seeds (like flax), salmon and other fatty fish, EFA supplements, olive oil, avocado

- Eat more veggies

- You don't need to have any more carb orgies (although these sure do sound like fun ) but don't eliminate carbs altogether. They are your energy source and they are good for you when you eat the right ones

- Have protein at every meal and in roughly the same quantity, i.e., if you are targeting 200g per day and you're eating 6 meals, then aim for 33g per meal.

- Make sure you are eating enough. If you chronically undereat, all you will do is train your body to get by on less food.

[40andNew]

Thank you all - that is great info. I will reduce my reps and increase weight.

And especially thanks to dbflgirl - it is amazing how quickly you were able to write that thoughtful message. With your input and an excel spreadsheet I started designing a meal plan to ensure adequate nutrition for my goals. The spreadsheet says that for someone my age, weight, height and lifestyle, I should eat about 2700 kcals/day. Based on that info, I am splitting my food intake as follows: 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. The meal plan below is a draft that I have so far, that incorporates most of your comments except for the full meal for meal 4 (difficult for me to get, so I'm sticking with a shake). Any further advice is greatly appreciated.


1. Pre-workout (7am)
OATMEAL,CKD,INSTNT,PLAIN,FORTF 1 PKT
EGGS, COOKED, SCRAMBLED/OMELET 2 EGGS

2. Post-workout (9am)
METHOXYMEAL 1 PACKAGE
1 BANANA

3. Lunch (Noon)
SALMON, BAKED, RED 6 OZ
RICE, WHITE, COOKED 1 CUP 0.5
CARROTS, CANNED, DRN, W/ SALT 1 CUP 0.5

4. Snack (3pm)
METHOXYMEAL 1 PACKAGE
1 BANANA

5. Dinner (7pm)
TUNA IN WATER 1 CAN
BLACK BEANS 1 CUP
OLIVE OIL 1 TBSP

6. Late snack (10pm)
COTTAGE CHEESE,CREMD,LRGE CURD 1 CUP
ALMONDS, WHOLE 2 OZ

[ChocoChick]

This looks better. One change I would advise you to make now is to lose the banana at meal 4 and have something to slow down the shake... like some nuts. The fast action of the shake at banana at post workout help you, but can work against you at other times. (I'm saying this based on an assumption that methoxymeal is whey... if it isn't, let me know.)

Beyond that, take steps to incorporate more complex carbs (i.e., brown rice rather than white) and fibrous veggies (esp. green ones) into your diet. Veggies offer a ton of benefits... don't skimp on them.

Good luck. Maybe you will start a journal here?

[joed]

[QUOTE=dbflgirl]...You don't need to have any more carb orgies (although these sure do sound like fun )...[QUOTE]

Oh man, the guy's brand new, and look...(joed, shrugging his shoulders & breathing a deep sigh...)Jag, Kimsquit, GSC: whadda we do?

[GSCampbell]

Oh man, the guy's brand new, and look...(joed, shrugging his shoulders & breathing a deep sigh...)Jag, Kimsquit, GSC: whadda we do?

We ignore him and concentrate on the unbridled hotness that is dbflgirl?

[40andNew]

Thank you again dbflgirl. I will make the change you suggested for meal 4. And I will see how to get more veggies into the mix - I've never been big on veggies, but I will find a way.

I keep a workout journal where I record my progress - Not yet decided about posting it here, will see.

[jaguarr]

First off, welcome! Secondly, big, big, big, big, big bump to everything dbflgirl's written. She's got you dialed in on the nutrition front, so let's look at your split. I'd suggest moving to something more of a push/pull split, dropping the reps and upping the weight (as others have mentioned) and not trying to do so much in a routine. You'll overtrain yourself in no time flat trying to keep that up. So, maybe something like this would serve you well. It's a pretty standard three day split and should work well for you. All exercises are in recommended, progressive order so that you can maximize the synergy between exercises:

Mondays (Chest/Triceps)
― Incline dumbbell bench presses - 3x8
-- Flat dumbbell bench press - 3x8
― Incline dumbbell flyes - 3x8
-- Bench Dips 3x8
― Lying dumbbell extensions - 3x8
― One-arm kickbacks - 3x8

Note: Way too many chest exercises in your original split, so I cut those way back. More is not better, better is better. Working chest and tri's on the same day lends synergy between the two body parts and by the time you've worked your chest you've pre-exhausted your tri's so you'll really feel the workout and reap growth benefits from that. In a split for a relative newcomer to lifting, this can bring some awesome results.

Wednesdays (Legs/Shoulders)
― Dumbbell squats - 3x8
― Dumbbell lunges (the exercise from hell) - 3x8
― Stiff-legged deadlifts - 3x8
― Dumbbell standing calf raises - 3x20 (calves need more to grow)
― Seated dumbbell shoulder press - 3x8
― Seated side shoulder lateral raise -3x8
― Bent-over shoulder lateral raise - 3x8

Notes: Don't overdo the weight on the shoulders. It's easy to try and do to much and FUBAR your shoulders.


Fridays (Back/Bi's)
--Pullups 3x??
-- Deadlifts (You can do these with DB's, it's just a bit awkward at first) - 3x8
― One-arm dumbbell rows - 3x3
― Two-arm dumbbell rows (chest resting on an incline bench) - 3x8
-- Shrugs (again, you can do these with DB's) - 3x8
― Incline dumbbell hammer curl - 3x8
― Dumbbell biceps curls - 3x8

Notes: WAY too many bicep exercises in your original split. Very easy to overtrain those puppies. I would also recommend getting one of those pullup bars that mounts in a door frame and getting some shoulder-width grip pullups into your routine. You might have to do reverse negatives by standing on a chair and starting at the top of the movement and then lowering yourself down as slowly as you can, but eventually you'll build the strength to do these and start cranking them out. Again, back and bicep lifts are synergistic and offer some pre-exhaustion benefits as I explained above regarding chest/tri's.


Try not to work to failure on purpose. It's hard on the CNS and can impede your recovery time. Use heavy enough weight that you come close to failure at the end of each set, but don't actually fail. Keep your workouts 45-60 minutes, get some good protein and complex carbs (oatmeal, yams, brown rice, farina) an hour before you lift and a good protein shake within 15 minutes after your workout. Follow dbflgirl's diet advice and rest, rest, rest, because that is when you will grow, not when you're in the gym!

If you have any questions about anything we've written here, such as how to do some of the lifts I mentioned or the suggested diet, just ask. We're here to help!

Good luck and kick some ass!
jag

[GSCampbell]

We ignore him and concentrate on the unbridled hotness that is dbflgirl?

Ok, so we don't do that.

You have already gotten some excellent advice and guidance here, just like the rest of us who came here with a desire to learn. The rest is up to you.

Apart from being a smokin' hottie, dbflgirl is a nutrition guru (which is why I avoid her like the plague because she would rip my lousy diet to shreds) who will put you on the right path in a hurry.

As much grief as I give Jag, he has been nothing but a great help and support to me (I'll forget about that whole picture post thread for the moment) as have any number of others on this board: joed, kimsquit, Gunn, Mark1T, baldy, battery, Hibby just to name a few.

This is a great place to glean some knowledge, have some fun, make friends and blow off steam. And if you can put up with (or ignore) smart asses like me, it's all gravy after that.

The only advice I'll give is this: in terms of your weight training - no one cares at this point how much iron you move and you shouldn't either initially. Concentrate on getting your form dialed in on each and every lift. Once you do that and can perform each with great, steady, consistent form, the weight will come (and on some lifts in a hurry.) The key early IMO is to concentrate on doing it right. It is much easier to go that route than to have to "unlearn" the wrong way later on down the line (trust me I know on that one ) Slow and steady wins this race IMO.

Best of luck. I'll drop in and say something stupid or inappropriate (or both!) every now and then.

GSC

[40andNew]

Thank you Jag, that is awesome. I will start with the routine you are suggesting. Looks like I'm going to have a lot of fun.

[40andNew]

Ok, so we don't do that.

You have already gotten some excellent advice and guidance here, just like the rest of us who came here with a desire to learn. The rest is up to you.

Apart from being a smokin' hottie, dbflgirl is a nutrition guru (which is why I avoid her like the plague because she would rip my lousy diet to shreds) who will put you on the right path in a hurry.

As much grief as I give Jag, he has been nothing but a great help and support to me (I'll forget about that whole picture post thread for the moment) as have any number of others on this board: joed, kimsquit, Gunn, Mark1T, baldy, battery, Hibby just to name a few.

This is a great place to glean some knowledge, have some fun, make friends and blow off steam. And if you can put up with (or ignore) smart asses like me, it's all gravy after that.

The only advice I'll give is this: in terms of your weight training - no one cares at this point how much iron you move and you shouldn't either initially. Concentrate on getting your form dialed in on each and every lift. Once you do that and can perform each with great, steady, consistent form, the weight will come (and on some lifts in a hurry.) The key early IMO is to concentrate on doing it right. It is much easier to go that route than to have to "unlearn" the wrong way later on down the line (trust me I know on that one ) Slow and steady wins this race IMO.

Best of luck. I'll drop in and say something stupid or inappropriate (or both!) every now and then.

GSC

Thanks GSC for the kind words and useful advice. This is truly a great community, and I look forward to being a part of it.

[kimsquit]

Welcome aboard!

Ok, so we don't do that.

Speak for yourself!

[joed]

We ignore him and concentrate on the unbridled hotness that is dbflgirl?

That's what I was hoping for, something important. dbfl talks about carbs & an orgy in the same breath & everyone says "Ho-hum"?

Lifting? Nutrition? bah. Rats! These mid-winter blues have got to go. (GSC, maybe we've been in the brown cloud too long? 'Unbridled hotness', I like that one. Losing the appendix hasn't dulled your humor I see.)

40&New: don't take this personally. Instead, feel like you're being welcomed as part of the crowd when someone tries to trash your thread so early. Seriously, stick around. Great info here & lots of support to help anyone achieve more than they thought possible.

[40andNew]

All good humor is appreciated too. Laughing an important part of my daily routine. Highly recommended after 40.

Besides, I can understand perfectly why you folks would rather talk about dbflgirl than me. After all, I am also a guy. LOL

Anyhow, in a few minutes I will be doing jag's split for the first time. I'll let you know how it goes

[Baldsnake]

There you go....what did I tell ya? Good stuff....huh? Doing the Jaggy thing I see. I you are overheard mumbling PB PB PB in your sleep.....just a side effect to your choice of Guru.

[jtroster]

Welcome.

[ChocoChick]

40andNew - LOL at these guys. They have never even seen my pic... so I could be unbridled hideousness for all they know.

And if I keep eating these darned Girl Scout cookies that have taken over my house (my youngest, who's a year older than your girl, is a Brownie), someone's gonna come take my nutrition credentials away!

[vja2000]

Chiming in;

This is all good stuff - all of it. I would say follow the advice here for 2-3 months and see where it takes you. However, and you all know where I'm going with this already; if after you've tried this advice for a while and you STILL aren't feeling right about it all, or are starting to slow down, feel week, or just "off," it may be time then to start thinking about a supplement to manage Estrogen levels. 38 is when I started feeling a bit "off" and by 41 I "knew" without a doubt something was out of whack...

Vince

[Original Poster]

Welcome !
I can see you already have gotten some excellent advice from the good people here.

Stick around !

[bulletman]

Welcome 40andNew, I see you've already heard from almost all the gurus! I'm still a newb, but trust me you'll want to follow what these guys advise!

And if I keep eating these darned Girl Scout cookies that have taken over my house (my youngest, who's a year older than your girl, is a Brownie), someone's gonna come take my nutrition credentials away!

Regarding girl scout cookies: We are "the cookie house" for our troop, so we have literally hundreds of boxes around. I find that I can let myself have one or two (cookies, not boxes!!!) as part of breakfast once in a while, which cures me of the jonesing, but doesn't lead to uncontrolled consumption that a few in the evening would.

In the last few weeks, I've probably only had a half dozen cookies (again, no, not boxes, individual cookies)

[MarkY]

In the last few weeks, I've probably only had a half dozen cookies (again, no, not boxes, individual cookies)

You have a lot more will power than me. If I open a box, they're gone. Therefore, I don't get near the things.

[ChocoChick]

My husband is an evil man, known to bring the box into the bedroom at 11pm and waft them under my nose

[bulletman]

My husband is an evil man, known to bring the box into the bedroom at 11pm and waft them under my nose

That is truly evil!!!

[40andNew]

Let's see how it goes. Starting with yesterday:

Wednesday Jan-25-2006

6:30am – First Meal: Instant oatmeal, unsweetened (OMG, the sweetened stuff tasted so much better). Scrambled eggbeaters (1/2 cup, equivalent to 2 eggs). This is much more than I used to eat at this time – I feel like I am eating for 3 people.

7am – Took NO-Xplode, Morning vitamins, and off to my Legs/shoulder workout, as designed by Jag. Workout felt good, still adjusting to new reps/weights, but overall felt good pumps. Also, could finish the workout in 50 min as opposed to 90 min. Doing less excercises is allowing me to do them with more intense focus, also.

9:00am – Second Meal: Post workout shake: whey and a banana. Off to a day of meetings at the office: this is a drag – I usually work from home when not traveling, but not today. So, today it is going to be more difficult to follow on dbflgirl’s diet advice.

Noon – Mushroom soup. Turkey and swiss cheese sandwich. Salad with Lettuce and carrots – made it a point to eat my veggies.

3:00pm – Protein shake.

6:00pm – Still at the office. Took a Tri-O-Plex bar to substitute for the hot meal I usually have around this time

8:00pm – Finally left the office.

9:00pm – Arrived home. Had dinner: Salmon, rice, cottage cheese. Not the best for this time but will have to do

I know this is not the nutrition plan that I had posted, but I would call it a good day considering that I had to deviate from my daily routine and still could stick to a reasonable meal plan. In any case, any feedback is appreciated.

[ChocoChick]

made it a point to eat my veggies.

You might want to get some stevia or Splenda for your oatmeal. And sprinkle some cinnamon on it, too or stir in a drop of vanilla extract.

[40andNew]

Chiming in;

This is all good stuff - all of it. I would say follow the advice here for 2-3 months and see where it takes you. However, and you all know where I'm going with this already; if after you've tried this advice for a while and you STILL aren't feeling right about it all, or are starting to slow down, feel week, or just "off," it may be time then to start thinking about a supplement to manage Estrogen levels. 38 is when I started feeling a bit "off" and by 41 I "knew" without a doubt something was out of whack...

Vince

Thank you Vince. I am going to track my progress closely, if I don't see any in 8-10 weeks I will definitely look to get a test of my hormonal levels.

[Analyst]

This is a very interesting thread.

I'm coming off of a 9-month weight loss period -- keeping to around 1700-2000 calories per day, while getting decent amounts of exercise walking, etc. Dropped 35 pounds, and am now getting serious about lifting.

And I have to say, I know exactly what "40andnew" was saying when he wrote above that he felt like he was eating for three people! Going from what I was eating to around 1000 calories more per day makes me constantly feel like I'm over-eating. I have to admit; I'm a little bit worried about gaining it all back.

I'll just have to trust that with the lifting, it will come back as muscle

Great site, I'm learning a lot.

[Hey-Iwas51]

Try not to work to failure on purpose. It's hard on the CNS and can impede your recovery time. Use heavy enough weight that you come close to failure at the end of each set, but don't actually fail. Keep your workouts 45-60 minutes, get some good protein and complex carbs (oatmeal, yams, brown rice, farina) an hour before you lift and a good protein shake within 15 minutes after your workout. Follow dbflgirl's diet advice and rest, rest, rest, because that is when you will grow, not when you're in the gym!

Hi Jaguarr... Let me make sure I understand this right... What you are recommending for 40andnew is to cut back on the reps, but up the weights a bit right? If he uses fewer reps, he needs more weight? I guess that is assuming he is not lifting to failure before for 9-12 reps...

I am questioning because I KNOW that half the time I am overtraining... But it is almost like I am scared not to! Sometimes I look at the clock and realize I have been at it for longer than an hour, and have 3 or 4 more exercises to do. Then sometimes I find myself wanting to work out again, three or four hours after finishing.

Maybe I need to start a thread on overtraining and see where the question goes. I wonder if there are others out there (maybe just a newbie thing, but it's been going on for months now) that I have this drive to keep going even when I know I should rest.

The other thing I have noticed is that on some exercises, I end up with higher reps than others. I find myself doing more reps because I am worried somehow that the exercise is not effective unless I am burnt at the end.

Thanks for any comments, but yeah... I am gonna start a thread... sorry 40andnew... I don't want to hijack this one... I am sort of bad about that!

Dan