Need Some Advice

[nachoman91]

There's so much info on these forums that I am getting overwhelmed so I'm hoping you experts here can give me some advice on this thread.

I'm a 6'5" 210 pound male who has been fairly athletic my entire life. Now that I've hit my mid-40's staying in shape has become increasingly more difficult. I'd like to lose 10 pounds from my mid-section and put on 25 pounds in the right places to be a lean 225.

1. What kind of workout program would help me? All weights? Cardio? How many days a week? Low reps/heavy weights or high reps/lower weights?

2. What are the best compound exercises to make part of my core routine?

3. What kind of diet should I be shooting for? Calories/day? Protein/fat/carbs per day?

I'm not new to exercising and working out but am new to developing and sticking to a plan. In the past I've just done whatever random exercises I wanted to do and it's always kept me fairly in-shape.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[congore]

At your height, you are probably fairly lean already so putting on muscle with a good strength program should be fairly simple. However, it may take a year or two for you to develop the muscle density you are looking for, but good things take patience and dedication. Every person is different, but the following would be my suggestion:
1. Primary Compound Exercises: barbell squat, bench press, dead lift, and overhead press.
2. Supplemental Exercises: pull/chin ups, barbell or dumbbell rows, glute-ham raises/stiff leg dead lifts/ or hamstring curls (some type of hamstring exercise).
3. Cardio on Off Days: sprints, swimming, jump rope, rowing machine. Not a fan off jogging due to potential long term joint (feet, ankle, knee, hip...) problems.
You can stay or get fairly strong in your 40's, 50's, and beyond. One of the most important things for you to do is find a good lifting program and stick to it. You can start with Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" as a primer to go over the basics. He even has a beginner 5x5 program you can use. If you are feeling more advance them move on to Jim Wendler's 531, Chad Smith's Juggernaut, or Ben Pollack's Think Big. Remember to be patient, humble, and follow the each lifting program for at least a full cycle before trying to modify anything. I know things can seem overwhelming at first, but its worth the effort. As for diet, eat healthy whole foods. I personally am not a fan of counting calories/carbs/protein...

Equipment Required: rack with safety bars, barbell, weights, flat bench. Everything else is extra icing/gravy...

Good luck and enjoy the journey. I got back in the iron game after my kids started getting heavy into sports in middle school/high school in my mid to late 40's. I played around in the gym before that, but had pretty much laid off squats and dead lifts since college. I probably look better and definitely feel better now than I did in my 30's. Lots of good information on this forum, so take the time to educate yourself. Learn what works for you, discard what does not, and keep building on what works. And have fun! Good luck.

[Cantplankwell]

Good advice from Congore

This is the program I am using right now, for a busy mature lifter this is another option:

https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/3-...s-all-you-need

Cardio: stay active on off days but dont overdo it.

For Diet this is a good read:

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

[dazlittle]

To add a bit of perspective, Arnie won Olympia in 1980 weighing in at 225Lbs and he is 6'2".

However, regardless of your ultimate target you can definitely make massive changes to your physique.

I'm 6'4" and around 200Lbs in the photo below that my daughter took a few weekends ago. I've been up to 230Lbs and down to 185Lbs but I feel the best at around 200.

[supramax]

There's so much info on these forums that I am getting overwhelmed so I'm hoping you experts here can give me some advice on this thread.

I'm a 6'5" 210 pound male who has been fairly athletic my entire life. Now that I've hit my mid-40's staying in shape has become increasingly more difficult. I'd like to lose 10 pounds from my mid-section and put on 25 pounds in the right places to be a lean 225.

1. What kind of workout program would help me? All weights? Cardio? How many days a week? Low reps/heavy weights or high reps/lower weights?

2. What are the best compound exercises to make part of my core routine?

3. What kind of diet should I be shooting for? Calories/day? Protein/fat/carbs per day?

I'm not new to exercising and working out but am new to developing and sticking to a plan. In the past I've just done whatever random exercises I wanted to do and it's always kept me fairly in-shape.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1/ Check out Daily Undulating Periodization. Do ultra short duration supramaximal sprinting about ten minutes before a workout. If you do it properly, you'll be energized rather than fatigued. Save the longer stuff for off days. Find a short and comprehensive flexibility/mobility routine that challenges you and do it a lot, just not immediately prior to lifting weights.

2/ For me, they're hard style explosive kettlebell swings, deadlifts, some form of picking a weight up (or from the hang) and putting it overhead, ie. power clean and press, muscle snatch, etc., some kind of squat, Farmers' Walks and finishing with some form of spinal decompression exercise.

3/ I've eaten a vegan diet for a long time, so you would not like my advice.