Over 40s new lifters thread

[DieselBro]

New to this forum and just started on the Greyskull LP today. 5' 7" & 159 lbs.

A bit about me - I was in OK shape during my twenties, but between work, family and life I have gotten quite out of shape over the years. Am 42 now and have been experiencing all sorts of aches & pains. Posture is completely off, have a pot belly and I huff-n-puff like the Big Bad Wolf when I have to go upstairs. So decided to get back in shape - got a weight bench off CL and a 300 lb Olympic weight set from Sears around New Years. Have been doing random lifting with no proper routine or diet, but still managed to make some progress. Weight down from 164 lbs to 158-159 lbs, and body fat dropped from around 30% to 25% now.

Have been lurking on this forum for the past few months, got inspired/motivated and decided to commit myself to a program and follow it up with proper diet. Got a Titan T-3 HD rack, picked up another set of used bar & weights from CL, researched the various popular programs for beginners and decided on GSLP. Tested my max reps (as suggested in the AllPro's thread) a few days back, rested over the weekend and started the GSLP today.

I've decided to take it slow and steady and focus on getting my form & movements right rather than increasing the weights every workout. Here my starting numbers after two warm-up sets (10xbar-only & 8x65 lbs) :
Bench - 5x85, 5x85, 6x85
Squat - 5x85, 5x85, 10x85
Rows - 5x85, 5x85, 14x85

Haven't done OHPs & Deadlifts yet, but from my max rep test it looks like I should be starting with 70lbs for OHP and 100lbs for deadlifts.

Plan to add a couple of 'Plug-ins' (Dips, Pull-ups & Curls) after 3 or 4 weeks once I get into the habit of regular workouts. Will keep my workouts under 40 mins as I seem to run out of juice after that. Non-workouts days will have light cardio (20 minutes) and stretching.

My 6-month goal is to bench my body weight and squat 1.5 times my body weight, reduce body fat to under 20% and not gain any weight instead, if possible, drop to below 150.

Very excited about getting started on this and I hope to progress slowly but steadily.

Cheers.

Depending on how you are built (leg length torso length arm length etc) it may be a pain in the ass to deadlift less than 135 from the floor.... at the gym I was using 2 of those aerobic steps to lift it up about 6 inches or so, to get it to the right height... I worked up to 205 now so it's not an issue.... noob linear progression is a great thing.

[SumuhmuhBish]

Damn squats are back down 100lbs to 144 b/c of an injury (knee pain from TKD while a teen - just reminded me why I stayed away from squats for so long). Gonna switch form and work my way back up. Deads are steady and hit 264. I had two weeks of extremely bad allergies and a sinus infection so had 0 gains for two weeks.

[nurith]

Depending on how you are built (leg length torso length arm length etc) it may be a pain in the ass to deadlift less than 135 from the floor.... at the gym I was using 2 of those aerobic steps to lift it up about 6 inches or so, to get it to the right height... I worked up to 205 now so it's not an issue.... noob linear progression is a great thing.

Our gym has rubber plates so that even the 10lbs plates are the same radius as the 45 ones, just thinner. I'm glad this is the case because it took me a while to build up to 135.

[koldnomore]

Our gym has rubber plates so that even the 10lbs plates are the same radius as the 45 ones, just thinner. I'm glad this is the case because it took me a while to build up to 135.

Oh how I wish, though at this point it's not going to matter to me since I only do 70 lbs, I just use the barbell they have. I suppose I 'could' use the rack and the oly bar but I'm very short of time and the less I have to waste changing plates the happier I am. I do SLD's and pretty well touch my toes right now but I don't think I will be able to do so when I get heavier - time will tell I guess!

One thing I've found this time round is that I've been getting far more twinges I think this is a combination of form (lack off), regular increases in weight and the aging process.
I've been doing more mobility work, got roller and balls and even brought a book and this has been helping quite alot just wondered if anyone else does much mobility work?

I have some issues occasionally but most of mine I'll attribute to bad form. On most days, I have no problems - thankfully! I know I'm wound up tight though and could probably use some work in that direction but I have so little time that I'm lucky to get a shoulder stretch in before I have to shower. I hope your rollers help!

[Mr Vincent]

Damn squats are back down 100lbs to 144 b/c of an injury (knee pain from TKD while a teen - just reminded me why I stayed away from squats for so long). Gonna switch form and work my way back up. Deads are steady and hit 264. I had two weeks of extremely bad allergies and a sinus infection so had 0 gains for two weeks.

Squats are pretty much out for me. Nagging lower back injury. Doc says NO CURE besides PT which "might" help. Pain gets better when I walk alot, so somewhat manageable.

My main goal at this point in life is to keep all my blood numbers good and Blood Pressure good etc. My mind still sometimes lives in the Draper/Arnold era, but I come to realize its best to just try and stay in shape so I wont overdo things.

[DVFlyer]

Thanks OP for starting this thread.

48

Here's my contribution... for better or worse....

Seems like I've been on this board forever but haven't participated much. Used to workout (meaning I'd go to the gym and do some things here and there). Did Starting Strenth's program for a year and, while my strength went up a bit, I didn't really see much in the way of body changes. Quite a while ago I read a post on the forum from someone who was replying to a question. This person spoke about working out for years and posted his results. The reply was "you just wasted 10 years of your life". It was a brutal reply, but I realized it was honest. I also realized that could easily be my situation considering I had nothing to show for the years of off and on working out. Obviously I needed help and guidance.

Only way I knew "I" would stick to a program was to get a trainer. So I hired a local guy and have been with him for about a year and half.

I told him I wanted to build lean muscle and lose fat. He asked which one I'd like to do first. I said "both"... he told me it doesn't work that way, so I told him I'd rather be lean than build fat on top of fat. I also had no idea (even though I read it on the forums) how much I needed to focus on nutrition. He uses an IIFYM based nutrition program.

Did some 1-1 training for a couple months to make sure I wasn't doing anything obviously wrong form-wise and then transitioned to his online program. I have enough weights/ equipment at home to workout on my own. Being accountable to him (sending reports/ pictures etc) keeps me on point.

Macros and training were adjusted along the way and after 6 months, I lost 30lbs. I got a DEXA scan to review my results. 10.6% body fat. I also looked very thin as I had very little muscle mass. I am 5'10" and weighed 140lbs at that time.

We switched to a "slow/ clean bulk" almost exactly a year ago. Macros and training were adjusted during that time and I just had another DEXA scan done. While I am not exactly happy with the results, it is what it is.

After a year I went from 10.6% bf to 22.6% bf. Gained 30lbs total. Of that, 6.6lbs was muscle.

Definitely struggled with some "old guy" aches and pains along the way (elbows, neck, knee) but overall, nothing too bad and nothing that couldn't be trained around.

[nurith]

Oh how I wish, though at this point it's not going to matter to me since I only do 70 lbs, I just use the barbell they have. I suppose I 'could' use the rack and the oly bar but I'm very short of time and the less I have to waste changing plates the happier I am. I do SLD's and pretty well touch my toes right now but I don't think I will be able to do so when I get heavier - time will tell I guess!

My deadlift progressed pretty fast until I got to 135 (that's when I felt I was getting close to my limits, now I'm advancing more slowly). You weigh more than me, so you should probably be able to lift even more. If you have a small chair or a rack you can put it under the bar.

[nurith]

Squats are pretty much out for me. Nagging lower back injury. Doc says NO CURE besides PT which "might" help. Pain gets better when I walk alot, so somewhat manageable.

Same here. Two herniated discs for about 10 years now. It's usually OK but it never really goes away completely. Squat is my biggest issue - combination of a bad back and long femurs make my form pretty bad to begin with. How do you manage it?

[koldnomore]

My deadlift progressed pretty fast until I got to 135 (that's when I felt I was getting close to my limits, now I'm advancing more slowly). You weigh more than me, so you should probably be able to lift even more. If you have a small chair or a rack you can put it under the bar.

I don't think that weight has much to do with it Otherwise at 240 I would have been a powerhouse hehe. I will get there but I've not been working out for a couple of years now. I used to do more also though I can't recall what my top end was now.

[Mr Vincent]

Same here. Two herniated discs for about 10 years now. It's usually OK but it never really goes away completely. Squat is my biggest issue - combination of a bad back and long femurs make my form pretty bad to begin with. How do you manage it?

If things get real bad, I have a prescription for anti inflammatory. At the gym I basically dont work legs. They get plenty of work from the jogging etc.

[billzkey]

I started hitting the gym steady on July 04, 2015. In the beginning, I was trying to work out like I did when I was younger, and that ended up being a big mistake. I injured my left rotator cuff and spent two weeks healing from that right at the very beginning. I worked out planless until November 2015, when one of my friends told me about the Stronglifts 5x5 plan, so I decided to give that a try. I like it because the plan is a time saver to perform a full body workout, and there are times in my life where I am busy, so it is an easy workout to keep following.

Now, for my issue. That rotator cuff injury really caused me to progress slowly at the bench press and overhead press. Case in point, I'm only overhead pressing 70 pounds right now and bench pressing 135 pounds. Of course, I am only increasing my weight by 5 to 10 pounds per month versus every workout to make certain that I am able to competently lift the weight before moving on up to a heavier load. My squat, deadlift, and bent over row have been increasing at a much better pace than my bench and overhead press.

Also, I had the rotator cuff injury checked out by a doctor, and he feels it is more nerve related than tendon or actual physical damage based on my range of motion. He claims that I shouldn't have the motion that I have if it is a serious physical injury. It makes sense too, because it reminds me more of a pinched nerve that I developed after a car accident in 2007 which really sucked when it acted up.

Anyway, that is the story of this 43 year old!

[SumuhmuhBish]

Squats are pretty much out for me. Nagging lower back injury. Doc says NO CURE besides PT which "might" help. Pain gets better when I walk alot, so somewhat manageable.

My main goal at this point in life is to keep all my blood numbers good and Blood Pressure good etc. My mind still sometimes lives in the Draper/Arnold era, but I come to realize its best to just try and stay in shape so I wont overdo things.

Seems squats will be taking a one to two week break now - hopefully not longer. Just got back from vacation climbing and descending stairs killed em. I've got osgood schlatters (just the remnants of the lump when I had it) and either it makes squatting harder on the knees or just make me more susceptible to bad form. I had just started ATG and found them stronger than parallel, but I think my knees disagreed with me.

[scaredemy]

41. I have been lifting for six months. Was about forty pounds overweight, pre-diabetic, blood pressure was creeping up. I had become a blob. Had to do something, I've always been athletic, but have never lifted weights in my life.

Previous injuries include a fractured patella, torn acl, mcl, torn rotator cuff, and dislocated hip. And a junk lower back. Some of these get tweaked here and there during lifts, but I have almost no pain from these after I started lifting, which is life changing!

I would like to be 12-15% body fat with a nice physique (at 18-20 now). I'm 6'2" 219. I used to look really skinny at 195 in my 20's, so I'm not so sure where new weight goal is considering the lean mass I'm carrying. Figure at 210, I would look pretty good and at 200 I would look great. So far, I have lost about 30 lbs of fat. I've had quite a bit new muscle development, had some great newbie gains. For the first time in my life, I have chest and back muscles. Feels great. And, my ass is now large and muscular, feels odd!

I was very weak when I started. I have been on a Mario Tomic shockingfit workout program for three months now, I've had really nice gains on it. Bench start reps were around 155, just did a 210 3x3. Romanian deadlift started at 155, just finished 325 5x3. With all my back and leg issues, squat has been slow progress by design. Started at 150, just finished a 230 4x3. I am moving up slowly on weight, focusing on proper form, I'm old I don't need something popping out on me.

Nice to aquaint you all here, happy lifting!

Two things that helped me immediately. Chalk added twenty pounds to my Romanian deadlift day one. Squatting and deadlifting barefoot added 10 lbs to each easy. Try it.

[SumuhmuhBish]

Two things that helped me immediately. Chalk added twenty pounds to my Romanian deadlift day one. Squatting and deadlifting barefoot added 10 lbs to each easy. Try it.

Chalk definitely helped with the deads. I've always lifted barefoot at home and for the first two weeks after picking up a used titan hd t-3 i was pulling metal splinters out my soles, lol.

[koldnomore]

Two things that helped me immediately. Chalk added twenty pounds to my Romanian deadlift day one. Squatting and deadlifting barefoot added 10 lbs to each easy. Try it.

Good tip. I am going to be getting a nice lever gym once we finish the basement reno. I might try it barefoot. I probably couldn't do it at the gym :P

On a side note, I'm really noticing the prevalence of injuries on this thread!

[SumuhmuhBish]

Good tip. I am going to be getting a nice lever gym once we finish the basement reno. I might try it barefoot. I probably couldn't do it at the gym :P

On a side note, I'm really noticing the prevalence of injuries on this thread!

Most of mine have non-weightlifing origin, but aggravated because of it. Left leg and arm were my speed and power for fighting so it's my worst knee and shoulder when things act up. I had a lingering effect from an hyper-extended knee when I was 21, but squatting actually got rid of that. The inside of my left knee would hurt if I stood too long and would have to wear a brace - not anymore... well not til after this osgood flare up goes away. I've actually pushed more weight than I ever had and would usually got the pain at around 135lbs, but I'm gonna say that my form is better than it was back then.

[sugarmaple11]

I too am an over-40, (relatively) new lifter.

I started making a serious attempt late last spring to clean up my diet, lose the 15-20 lbs that had crept on over the years.
I also wanted to just get in some kind of shape since I turned 45 last summer and knew that I can't really keep ignoring stuff like that. Plus I'm too well aware of what my future looks like, genetically, if I do nothing: just about every other female in my family has had massive age-related weakening resulting in severe, life-limiting falls (broken hip, nonfunctioning knee, etc.) My long-term goal is to gain strength.

I cleaned up my diet, broke much of my sugar addiction (which I never thought I could do) and have lost about 28 pounds which I'm amazed at. Never been successful at weight loss before! But then again, this is the first time I properly tracked what I ate and also figured out exactly what I should eat (not just total daily calorie amounts). I've doubled the amount of protein I used to eat and that seemed to work wonders for me.

My lifting has consisted mainly of big compound lifts 3x week with some isolated resistance work and bodyweight exercises too. A family friend has been lifting and encouraged me to try it. I was never athletic when I was younger - I was that chubby, slow kid picked last for gym class. So to think of myself as someone who can do something, anything, physical is really new for me.
I have a barbell and kettlebells in my basement and also use machines at the gym I go to, like the rowing machine.
Before diving into a program, I just tried to get some lifting form down as I was afraid of injury. I've looked at a few programs (e.g. Stronglifts) but found the ones in the New Rules of Lifting to be helpful in particular and will look into Starting Strength too.

[TnTNZ]

My back has come right. Started Phase 2 of S2S and... my barbell curls have gone up 7.5kgs... for me that's huge! In fact everything is up, a whole lot more than I thought it would be. Cannot wait for leg day tomorrow.

Ran out of my usual Protein powder today, (MuscleTech), and my wife had bought some 'RAW' vegan stuff, (Amazonia is the brand), prebiotic sprouted pea and rice isolate, claiming 24gms of protein per scoop. So I figured, to hell with it, money has been spent, lets try it... it's... disgusting. You know if you're doing the vegan thing, more power to you, cause I couldn't do it, taste... terrible. Texture... gagworthy.

I'd been umming and ahhing about supporting Jim Stoppani and BB.com and buying his pre workout, protein and post workout stack. Being in Australia the postage is ... significant. This stuff helped that decision be made!

[koldnomore]

I too am an over-40, (relatively) new lifter.

I started making a serious attempt late last spring to clean up my diet, lose the 15-20 lbs that had crept on over the years.
I also wanted to just get in some kind of shape since I turned 45 last summer and knew that I can't really keep ignoring stuff like that. Plus I'm too well aware of what my future looks like, genetically, if I do nothing: just about every other female in my family has had massive age-related weakening resulting in severe, life-limiting falls (broken hip, nonfunctioning knee, etc.) My long-term goal is to gain strength.

I cleaned up my diet, broke much of my sugar addiction (which I never thought I could do) and have lost about 28 pounds which I'm amazed at. Never been successful at weight loss before! But then again, this is the first time I properly tracked what I ate and also figured out exactly what I should eat (not just total daily calorie amounts). I've doubled the amount of protein I used to eat and that seemed to work wonders for me.

My lifting has consisted mainly of big compound lifts 3x week with some isolated resistance work and bodyweight exercises too. A family friend has been lifting and encouraged me to try it. I was never athletic when I was younger - I was that chubby, slow kid picked last for gym class. So to think of myself as someone who can do something, anything, physical is really new for me.
I have a barbell and kettlebells in my basement and also use machines at the gym I go to, like the rowing machine.
Before diving into a program, I just tried to get some lifting form down as I was afraid of injury. I've looked at a few programs (e.g. Stronglifts) but found the ones in the New Rules of Lifting to be helpful in particular and will look into Starting Strength too.

Yay another gal!

I know how that genetic thing feels and the being picked last too! Every woman in my family is morbidly obese (or close) and has all types of health issues including diabetes, high cholesterol, tyroid problems and just generally crappy health. I dropped from 248 to 160 over the past few years (using MyFitness Pal) and started lifting also. I had looked into NRoL a while back but I found it too complicated - I'm a fan of simple. I do the same thing every workout, just vary reps or weight. I started AllPro's Beginner program last month and am just finishing my first cycle (tomorrow) I'm very excited about it!

[LeoWJL]

This got me thinking, maybe it is not really even largely genetic, your physique depends more on what you do (exercise) and eat (right).

Yay another gal!

I know how that genetic thing feels and the being picked last too! Every woman in my family is morbidly obese (or close) and has all types of health issues including diabetes, high cholesterol, tyroid problems and just generally crappy health. I dropped from 248 to 160 over the past few years (using MyFitness Pal) and started lifting also. I had looked into NRoL a while back but I found it too complicated - I'm a fan of simple. I do the same thing every workout, just vary reps or weight. I started AllPro's Beginner program last month and am just finishing my first cycle (tomorrow) I'm very excited about it!

[LeoWJL]

Glad that your back is alright! I have a small muscle pull this morning in my waist where the muscles attach to the top of the pelvis, while doing some deadlifts today, maybe my form was sloppy for a rep and rounded my back.

Right now just sore in that area (in the back, top of pelvis, two inches away from the spine. Hopefully everything will be okay in a few days.

I was pulling 165 lbs x5, which was lower than my max of 170 lbsx5 before I went on vacation. Looks like I should have take more time before getting back close to 170 lbs x5. Since my form probably broke down with this weight that I attempted.

My back has come right. Started Phase 2 of S2S and... my barbell curls have gone up 7.5kgs... for me that's huge! In fact everything is up, a whole lot more than I thought it would be. Cannot wait for leg day tomorrow.

Ran out of my usual Protein powder today, (MuscleTech), and my wife had bought some 'RAW' vegan stuff, (Amazonia is the brand), prebiotic sprouted pea and rice isolate, claiming 24gms of protein per scoop. So I figured, to hell with it, money has been spent, lets try it... it's... disgusting. You know if you're doing the vegan thing, more power to you, cause I couldn't do it, taste... terrible. Texture... gagworthy.

I'd been umming and ahhing about supporting Jim Stoppani and BB.com and buying his pre workout, protein and post workout stack. Being in Australia the postage is ... significant. This stuff helped that decision be made!

[UpperBodyWeak]

42 years old, 6' 1" 220

been working out for 22 months. The first 6 months, I did my own routine which was bench and curls. lol I then got into a couple different routines before I found Bill Starr's 5x5 routine 12 weeks ago and after plateauing there, I moved on to Starting Strength last week.

My current 1RM (barbell) numbers are:
Press: 110
Squat: 275
Bench: 215 (I've fluctuated here so much, it's not funny. And it's frustrating)
Rows: 160
Deab lift: 210

[TnTNZ]

Glad that your back is alright! I have a small muscle pull this morning in my waist where the muscles attach to the top of the pelvis, while doing some deadlifts today, maybe my form was sloppy for a rep and rounded my back.

Right now just sore in that area (in the back, top of pelvis, two inches away from the spine. Hopefully everything will be okay in a few days.

Sounds *exactly* like what I had. Took about a week or so, and I think what really helped, was just stretching it. I felt it most in areas that used the core a lot. For example, standing calf raises, but doing squats? No problem during the lift, but felt it at top. Hopefully you'll get over it quick. I was considering not training, but decided to just be very careful, was a good decision. I was giving it two weeks and if it hadn't improved, then time off. Fortunately that wasn't needed, cause I'm really enjoying this program.

I don't know if I can deal with this protein powder... of all the things I've done during the last six months, changing my diet... easy. squatting until I can't walk properly... no problem. Drinking this vegan protein... nope. nope. nope.

[LeoWJL]

Doing steady cardio like elliptical help bring blood flow through and that helped today. Felt soreness still, but not hurting. Will be a lot better tomorrow I expect. Tomorrow is a low intensity low volume cardio day so I should be fine.

Sounds *exactly* like what I had. Took about a week or so, and I think what really helped, was just stretching it. I felt it most in areas that used the core a lot. For example, standing calf raises, but doing squats? No problem during the lift, but felt it at top. Hopefully you'll get over it quick. I was considering not training, but decided to just be very careful, was a good decision. I was giving it two weeks and if it hadn't improved, then time off. Fortunately that wasn't needed, cause I'm really enjoying this program.

I don't know if I can deal with this protein powder... of all the things I've done during the last six months, changing my diet... easy. squatting until I can't walk properly... no problem. Drinking this vegan protein... nope. nope. nope.

[nurith]

I don't think that weight has much to do with it Otherwise at 240 I would have been a powerhouse hehe. I will get there but I've not been working out for a couple of years now. I used to do more also though I can't recall what my top end was now.

Of course it depends what the weight is made of . If you're 240 lbs of pure muscle then you probably WILL be a powerhouse .

[scaredemy]

Yikes!!!

[LeoWJL]

Hurt my right traps this morning doing one too many over head presses. I thought I could do 3 sets of 6 reps with that weight, apperently not.

Have to sit with really good posture now. Turning head both ways hurt a little, tilt forward or backward hurt a little as well.

[TnTNZ]

Hurt my right traps this morning doing one too many over head presses. I thought I could do 3 sets of 6 reps with that weight, apperently not.

Have to sit with really good posture now. Turning head both ways hurt a little, tilt forward or backward hurt a little as well.

That's not good. Hope it comes right.

My last couple of workouts have been less than stellar. I've found I'm totally drained by the end, where as previously I've bounced out of the gym feeling amazing. Today I got home and collapsed on the bed.

I'm also finding my recovery is ... very rapid. For example, leg day, I'm not dreading stairs or sitting down. I'm pushing more weight around than ever before, but I'm not ... suffering for it. I'm questioning my intensity. I'm sweating during workouts, I feel like I'm going to failure, but I'm starting to wonder is it mental failure instead of physical? Should I be feeling it? During my squats, I'm going to parallel, I'm struggling to get back up, hit the leg raise machine, my quads are on fire, I hit that point where internally I'm going 'Get the hell out of this machine' and I have to stand up. I kinda feel like I should be feeling my recovery more, (unless of course my post workout nutrition is just that good, which... seems unlikely)

I've got to do progress photos and measurements this weekend, and have my scan on Monday to get the BF% so I suppose the stats will tell the tale.

Maybe I'm letting myself get away with not pushing to the edge. Into the lower rep higher weight cycles next week, so I better bring the focus.

[sixxfan26]

40 year old male here. Just started lifting again 2 weeks ago after being "on the couch" for 20 years. (sadly) I made a post here yesterday about the routine I started this week and quickly realized from some of the comments I received about that post that I was crazy for thinking I could start with such an intense body building routine. I trained my biceps so hard on Monday that I am still sore in the "inside of my elbow" area. UGH. Hopefully I am well healed by Monday so I can reset and start over. Per the direction of a couple cool cats here who cared enough to reply to my original post, I have tracked down a beginner's full body workout here on this board that I will now be following for the next 6 months or so. (Thanks to all who replied!) I honestly am just anxious to get this body back in great shape, and my eagerness and aggressive attitude led to me attacking the weights WAY too hard out of the gate. So again, I'm resting for the weekend, healing up, rebooting my routine and heading in the right direction now!! Excited to make this change in myself.

[TnTNZ]

Welcome! Enjoy the ride.

I trained my biceps so hard on Monday that I am still sore in the "inside of my elbow" area. UGH. Hopefully I am well healed by Monday so I can reset and start over.

Oh lord, I remember that one, that was me at the start of the year. Spent a week doing a pretty killer T-Rex impersonation thinking I'd seriously damaged tendons, "why can't I stretch my arm out straight" SMH. Like I said took about 8 days for mine to come right. I had the benefit of 'Yeah I did weights 15 years ago, this was what I used to lift', and started there. Like an idiot