New Member, 36YO getting back into it

[NotSteveRogers]

Howdy all, it's been about 10 years+/- since I've lifted with any seriousness, I honestly miss it and the way I used to feel, so with recent changes in my life, I've decided to get back into lifting.

History/backstory:
In high school I was on the varsity soccer team freshman and sophomore year, and on the varsity cross country team for all four years; I dropped soccer when I got my license & first car, but stuck with cross country, not because I thought it would take me anywhere, but because I loved to run. I ran probably 50-60 miles a week between training and meets.
I was 5'-9" 130lbs when I graduated high school, think Spider-man, but no superpowers, and far more comfortable around women, with the same proclivity for redheads & blondes.

When I got to college, I didn't have the time for 50-60 miles a week, and beyond that I wanted to be bigger & stronger, and as a side-note: I was thinner than a lot of the women at my college, especially after they packed on the "freshmen 15". I started lifting with my roommate; he was into boxing and lifting, so we developed this sort of program in our dorm room and the school gym, with some cardio mixed in on the off days, whether it was sparring or running. During my Freshman year, I managed to pack on about 10lbs of lean muscle instead of the fat/beer gut that everyone else packed on. Sophomore year we started getting more into the nutrition aspect of it and attempted to fine tune our workout program. We'd start the year by building mass, since the holidays were just around the corner, after the holidays, about half-way through the school year we'd focus on cutting. We did this though the remainder of our college career.
When I left College I was 159lbs and very lean, I could not break the 159 barrier, I was stuck there for most of my senior year, I was sick of eating, I was perpetually full, it felt like a chore, but I was determined to break the 159 barrier.

After college though, life started, I had met the woman I would eventually marry while in college, I started working as an engineer, almost all exercise stopped when I started working; long commute, long day at work, then coming home to my then girlfriend to spend some quality time together. After a couple years of living together, she finished her masters and got work out of state, all the time I used to spend with her was transferred to running time, i started running longer distances and did some half marathons, which she came to support me at.
I moved to NYC for work, running continued, but I was getting older, eating more, drinking more, gaining weight, losing muscle.

We finally got engaged, I moved to the same state as her, and when we got married, I was 160lbs, not the 160 I was looking for, but I was happy and didn't really care, and according to my doctor I was healthy. I got into a motorcycle accident the day before we closed on our house; it wasn't bad as far as motorcycle accidents go, but knee surgery happened, and running was out of the question for a long while. It was only a few years after the motorcycle accident that I was able to go more than 10k without my knee feeling like it's on fire.
Since life wasn't hectic enough, we decided to have a child, he'll be five this August. There was zero time for lifting or running. Anything outside of work, house, yard work, child was just not happening.

At some point from when I got into the motorcycle accident until last year, I had managed to get up to nearly 200lbs (197); my doctor told me fairly bluntly that I was fat and needed to lose weight. I dusted off my nutrition notes, and started running again. Over the course of 5 months (June - October 2018) I got back down to 165, had another meeting with my doctor, he said you're good, just maintain it.

I did not maintain it.

Over the course of five months (November 2018 - March 2019) I put almost all of it back on (195).

195 was the breaking point for me, when I saw that, I started dieting and exercising again. I turned 36 on May 4th, looked at myself in the mirror, and decided I needed to make this happen. I have the equipment more or less, I have the knowledge, and now I have the drive to actually see it through. I started with "easy" stuff; paying attention to what I put in my body vs. what I do for activity, carving out time to lift or run or do yard work.
When May started I determined that I needed to get more serious; so aside from my birthday and future special occasions, I've stopped drinking (I'm a home-brewer and home-vintner, so this is kind of a big deal). I started logging calories and macros again, started a workout plan, and I've just started my third week of it, and the results are showing, at least on the scale.

my week goes something like this:
Mon/Wed/Fri are lift days I call it "doing my ABC'S" Arms, Back, Chest & Shoulders. On that day I target 1,800 calories and 175 grams of protein; I'm not hitting my protein goals yet, but I'm getting there. I spend about 45 mins doing heavy sets in a circuit, 4 sets of 7 for each, then an extra bench set, will work it up to 5 sets of 7 and increase weight as I go.
Tues & Thur are cardio/yardwork days, I spend about an hour or two doing yard work or cardio, I target 1,600 calories and 150 grams of protein; again hard to hit that protein goal, but I'll see how things turn out as my diet evolves.
Weekends are hit or miss, my son has sports, I have a bunch of stuff to do, but I count them as "rest" days.
I started mixing protein shakes back into my diet, carbs are more or less out, except from vegetable sources, and on the weekends when we are out or something.
I've got the week more or less under control, weekends are still a crap-shoot, but I'll get them under control.

My goal is that for about three months, May through July, I will do heavy weights, cardio, and a restricted diet. At the end of July, I'll reassess and see if I need to/want to keep a calorie deficit or if I'm ready to go calorie positive and focus on mass from August through October. With my current build I really should be about 150-160lbs so weight loss needs to happen; that's my primary goal at the moment.

As for equipment, I have a bench, Olympic bar & plates, a curling bar & a few dumbbell sets (25, 30, 35), and a treadmill for running while it's raining out (we've been getting a lot of that lately). I don't think I need to add any equipment yet, maybe some heavier dumbbells down the road, but for now I'm solid.

The last time I lost weight, I focused on diet and cardio, I realize now that I should have mixed lifting in, but I had a running partner and a time each day when we could go out running together, so I went with it. This time I'm doing it solo, no lifting partner, no running partner, and no one helping me with yard work. The downside being I can't truly go to failure, since there is no one to help me put the bar back after my chest has had enough. The good news is that I have carved out a time slot each day during the week to lift or exercise. Admittedly, Mondays kinda suck after a weekend of rest from lifting, but my bench weight has been gradually increasing.

I know I can see it though, now I just have to.

[tblodg15]

Keep at it.

No need to go to failure so you will be fine without a spotter. I benched without a spotter or safeties for over 2 years before I bought a rack.

You may have broke my record for longest first post. Must be the engineers that just go on and on lol.

[grubman]

Welcome to the forums.

First off, there are very few of us who will read all that (my first post was about 3 times as long as that). They like it short and sweet and to the point around here.

It’s nice to see you are getting back into exercise. You are definitely not to old, as lots of guys here started (or restarted) later than you. Knowing a bit about your body and muscle memory are going to help you gain faster.

That said, I think you need to wipe your mind of a lot of what you THINK you know if you are going to pursue bodybuilding/weightlifting techniques to get back into shape and build a muscular physique. I strongly recommend going back to square 1. A lot of your nutrition comments are off kilter and outdated, and your workout schedule is just goofy (don’t get me started on not working out legs, knee injury or not). Almost everything you were doing in college sounds very random and unsophisticated...might have worked to some extent because you were young.

In any case, I’d recommend starting fresh, with a clean slate, like all newbies. Read the stickies* on nutrition, figure out your TDEE (because I guarantee it isn’t what you listed), and start on a healthy uncomplicated diet and deficit. Pick one of the well structured beginners programs, like Fierce 5, and work on that. You aren’t advanced enough to need anything fancy, just something to build core strength and get the body used to lifting and progressive resistance.

Anyway, MHO. Whatever you do, I hope you stick with it and reach your goals.

*Sticky on nutrition and Fierce 5: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=168581133

[NotSteveRogers]

Keep at it.

No need to go to failure so you will be fine without a spotter. I benched without a spotter or safeties for over 2 years before I bought a rack.
You may have broke my record for longest first post. Must be the engineers that just go on and on lol.

Yeah I get pretty wordy, that was the trimmed down version of it.

Welcome to the forums.

First off, there are very few of us who will read all that (my first post was about 3 times as long as that). They like it short and sweet and to the point around here.
It’s nice to see you are getting back into exercise. You are definitely not to old, as lots of guys here started (or restarted) later than you. Knowing a bit about your body and muscle memory are going to help you gain faster.
That said, I think you need to wipe your mind of a lot of what you THINK you know if you are going to pursue bodybuilding/weightlifting techniques to get back into shape and build a muscular physique. I strongly recommend going back to square 1. A lot of your nutrition comments are off kilter and outdated, and your workout schedule is just goofy (don’t get me started on not working out legs, knee injury or not). Almost everything you were doing in college sounds very random and unsophisticated...might have worked to some extent because you were young.
In any case, I’d recommend starting fresh, with a clean slate, like all newbies. Read the stickies* on nutrition, figure out your TDEE (because I guarantee it isn’t what you listed), and start on a healthy uncomplicated diet and deficit. Pick one of the well structured beginners programs, like Fierce 5, and work on that. You aren’t advanced enough to need anything fancy, just something to build core strength and get the body used to lifting and progressive resistance.
Anyway, MHO. Whatever you do, I hope you stick with it and reach your goals.

Agreed with you on most points, in college we were a couple guys who had a book penned by Arnold and a lot of what we accomplished was likely to do with age and (comparatively) high energy levels; not discounting the amount of work we put in though; and I went through a training program for nutrition and weightlifting instruction since I worked at the school gym; it focused mainly on form and safe lifting techniques, not so much body building.

I read the TDEE and Fierce 5 stickies before posting, actually before making an account; 1500-1900 is my calorie range depending on how aggressive I want to lose weight; currently I'm hungrier on lift days, hence the variance.
Not sure which of my nutrition comments were off kilter; I'm targeting a calorie range, aiming for a certain protein target (1g/lb of current goal weight, Sticky suggest .7g/lb, conventional wisdom used to be 2g/lb) and will focus in on additional macros as I get more into the diet aspect of it. Additional protein keeps me feeling full longer so I can cut calories. I'm actually hitting right around .7g/lb of goal weight currently.

You've misinterpreted my knee injury & surgery comment; although it did initially prevent me from doing certain things, the only thing it will potentially stop me from now is long distance running. I'm not going to forget about lower body stuff, I will be working squats and other lower body exercises into my routine, as well as more varied upper body exercises, it's a matter of carving out additional time to increase/modify my program, I really want to get dead lifts in there as well. If my only goal were to gain mass, I'd be alternating upper & lower body days with a rest period, and some light cardio mixed in, but right now I'm primarily focused on weight loss, secondly preventing muscle loss and increasing lean muscle mass is a tertiary goal.

My current workout regimen is done in a circuit:
4 sets of 7 reps - flat bench, standing db bicep curls, standing tricep curls, BOR (aka pendlays), shurgs, rest, repeat; after that I sneak in a fifth flat bench set, which will hopefully increase to a full 5th set by the end of this week. If I had more time, I'd sneak in more exercises, but for now, that's what I've got time for.

As for meals -
Lift day (M,W,F): breakfast, snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, third snack
non-lift day (T,H,S,U): breakfast, snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner
I try to level out the protein intake across meals and snacks, varies from 20g-40g depending on what I'm eating, but I'm aiming for level, meals are usually higher snacks are usually lower (shake, almonds, whatever low call high protein item I can munch on or drink).

Mine is an evolving exercise and diet plan, honestly from what I've read in the stickies, things haven't changed much in the past 10ish years, aside from the protein target; it's much lower now than it used to be (0.7g/lb vs 2g/lb).

For me, time is the biggest factor; I'm short on it, so I'm doing what I can.

Thanks for the input though, as an engineer I'm always open to learning, but I also realize I can be stubborn too.

[tblodg15]

You may have broke my record for longest first post. Must be the engineers that just go on and on lol.

Edit for accuracy: Must be the engineers (and mailmen) that just go on and on...

[grubman]

Edit for accuracy: Must be the engineers (and mailmen) that just go on and on...

Ha ha...I used to write professionally on the side...so it’s hard not to use all my words.

[tblodg15]

Ha ha...I used to write professionally on the side...so it’s hard not to use all my words.

I didn’t mention any names!

[mtpockets]

TBH, I didn't read all that but, I will say welcome aboard.

[NotSteveRogers]

TBH, I didn't read all that but, I will say welcome aboard.

Thanks.

TLDR version: was active and fit years ago, started a career, started a family, got fat and happy, now working on being fit and happy instead of fat and happy.

[induced_drag]

You are WAY off. Not training 1/2 your body and doing your 3 day workout of "arms, chest, shoulders" is just silly.

I have a pretty decent build, and I dont have, and have NEVER had, a single day devoted to "arms, chest, or shoulders".

Swallow your pride and realize you dont know enough to write your own routine and do a simple preformatted beginner program. That should get you started for the next few years.

[JeremyM07201978]

Welcome. As other stated, don't start off spinning your wheels (like I did - another Engineer). To begin, start at the beginning with a solid program and get back to basics. I don't have previous experience before I started at age 38, so I did not have prior knowledge of what I used to do - don't let that cloud your judgement on what you should do now.

My biggest and most important lesson learned is that I needed patience and consistency. At 2 years in, that is still a daily focus for me... patience and consistency.

Stay with it. Best of luck.

[Cavalerium]

Hello. You're pretty young

[NotSteveRogers]

Did a bit more research on beginner programs. Since my biggest issue is time, and beyond that available equipment, meaning I only have the free weights in my basement & pull-up bar, I found a beginner workout routine that should give me the results I'm looking for, which works with my time constraints and equipment. "Fierce Five" just wasn't going to fit in my time slot, and I lack gym equipment.

I tested my new to me routine today, and it's right in my window for time.
1: Bench 4x7, bicep 4x8, squats 4x8, pendlays 4x8, skull crushers 4x10, calf raises 4x15, shurgs 4x10 - these are done in a circuit though, which saves time; always start with bench.
2: Front squat 4x7, OH press 4x8, DL 4x8, pullups, 4x8 laydown facepulls, 4x10, Ab work 4x15 - again, a circuit to save time, always start with squats.

Order is: M:1 Tu:Cardio W:2 Th:Cardio F:1 S:rest or cardio Su:rest then it swaps M:2 Tu:Cardio W:1 Tu:Cardio F:2 S:rest or cardio Su:rest

It appears many of you got the impression that I was only working half of my body, and while I have only been weight training half my body, I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and if can cram one in on the weekends, usually a 5k each day, depending on how much time I have. Weight training (squats, calf raises etc.) conflicts with running, when I lift I can't run as long, when I run I can't lift as heavy; so it's a balance thing while still getting in cardio.

Should be an interesting summer to say the least.

[Garage Rat]

Maintain what you have lost can be more challenging that losing the actually weight.
You see it all the time.
Honestly probably 80% of people that lose a good amount of weight gain most of it back within a year.
You have to be even more discipline with consistent eating habits.
It doesn't mean you can't have what you desire now and then but to frequently where it effects your BF levels and weight gain.
The only weigh gain that can be beneficial is pure muscle gain and that is a very slow process over time.
Most don't have the patients for it.
If your not doing it already you need to have a diet and training journal.
Record your macros,calories and all of the training you do.
I would also record your weight everyday in the morning ,naked,after a good poop to see where you stand.
This seems to help keep you on track where you have something you can actually see to help maintain.
Dont let yourself ever get past five pounds of your goal weight and if you do get right back on and drop calories and up your activity.
As you see it will take some work if you are serious.

[Farley1324]

Did a bit more research on beginner programs. Since my biggest issue is time, and beyond that available equipment, meaning I only have the free weights in my basement & pull-up bar, I found a beginner workout routine that should give me the results I'm looking for, which works with my time constraints and equipment. "Fierce Five" just wasn't going to fit in my time slot, and I lack gym equipment.

I tested my new to me routine today, and it's right in my window for time.
1: Bench 4x7, bicep 4x8, squats 4x8, pendlays 4x8, skull crushers 4x10, calf raises 4x15, shurgs 4x10 - these are done in a circuit though, which saves time; always start with bench.
2: Front squat 4x7, OH press 4x8, DL 4x8, pullups, 4x8 laydown facepulls, 4x10, Ab work 4x15 - again, a circuit to save time, always start with squats.

Order is: M:1 Tu:Cardio W:2 Th:Cardio F:1 S:rest or cardio Su:rest then it swaps M:2 Tu:Cardio W:1 Tu:Cardio F:2 S:rest or cardio Su:rest

It appears many of you got the impression that I was only working half of my body, and while I have only been weight training half my body, I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and if can cram one in on the weekends, usually a 5k each day, depending on how much time I have. Weight training (squats, calf raises etc.) conflicts with running, when I lift I can't run as long, when I run I can't lift as heavy; so it's a balance thing while still getting in cardio.

Should be an interesting summer to say the least.

Realize that you are not meeting the goal you listed in your first post about "lifting heavy"

You have time for an actual novice strength/muscle program, but you seem fairly set on avoiding that and just doing a different form of cardio every other day.

Good luck on your weight loss goals.

[NotSteveRogers]

Maintain what you have lost can be more challenging that losing the actually weight.
You see it all the time.
Honestly probably 80% of people that lose a good amount of weight gain most of it back within a year.
You have to be even more discipline with consistent eating habits.
It doesn't mean you can't have what you desire now and then but to frequently where it effects your BF levels and weight gain.
The only weigh gain that can be beneficial is pure muscle gain and that is a very slow process over time.
Most don't have the patients for it.
If your not doing it already you need to have a diet and training journal.
Record your macros,calories and all of the training you do.
I would also record your weight everyday in the morning ,naked,after a good poop to see where you stand.
This seems to help keep you on track where you have something you can actually see to help maintain.
Dont let yourself ever get past five pounds of your goal weight and if you do get right back on and drop calories and up your activity.
As you see it will take some work if you are serious.

Good points, I do record weight each morning, as well as keep a nutrition & activity journal; I tired without the journal for a month or so and was just not losing weight, so, yeah, the journal is important for me.

Realize that you are not meeting the goal you listed in your first post about "lifting heavy"

You have time for an actual novice strength/muscle program, but you seem fairly set on avoiding that and just doing a different form of cardio every other day.

Good luck on your weight loss goals.

I'm not sure you've read the things I've posted here; I am doing "heavy" sets of 7/8 reps instead of "lighter" sets of 10/15 for the majority of the exercises I'm doing. I have 45 mins+/- a day to lift, run, or whatever, so I do lifting on M,W,F and cardio on Tu, Th & if I have time on the weekends. I lift in circuits because I only have 45 minutes, of the myriad of programs I've looked at, I've landed on one that works for me & my time constraints. If I had over an hour a day, I wouldn't need to do circuits and theoretically could lift heavier weight due to extended rest periods between sets, but I don't have an hour plus a day, I have 45 minutes.

100% honesty here - I am fat; I should not be the 190lbs I am now (I'm down 5-6lbs so far). With my current frame and LMM, I'm guessing I should be below or around 160lbs if I were as lean as I want to be, so yeah, I'm doing cardio 2-3 days a week; to restate, weight loss is the current primary goal, maintaining current LMM is the secondary, and to increase LMM is tertiary. If I get down to my goal weight & build then I can start bulking up, but there is the large amount of soft stuff in the middle and other parts of my body that has to go.

I am a father & husband first, then a provider; after those duties are handled I can focus on me.

[Farley1324]

Doing rushed 4 sets of 8 for all those exercise circuit style to save time isn't lifting heavy.

Rather an upper/lower done 4x per week and take your time to do the big exercises with proper rest and heavier weight.

Nobody uses or knows what the acronym LMM is, can't even remember ever seeing it before, just sayin'

Also, weight loss and fat loss can be accomplished 100% on diet with zero cardio, and lifting heavier with adequate rest and not rushing through as a circuit would be better for keeping any muscle mass you may have built

[NotSteveRogers]

Doing an end of the month check in & personal sanity check.

Goal 1: weight loss - I was at 195.X on 5/7, I am currently 191.0, I was at 190.0 before Memorial Day weekend, but I enjoyed the three daycheat-kend; I'm only human.
I'm losing about 1.33lbs/wk. I don't want to exceed 2lbs/wk but don't want to go under 1lb/wk, so I'm in my range.
Clothes are getting looser, mid section is shrinking "softness" is going away (ever so slowly.. ever so slowly)
Goal 2: maintain muscle mass, haven't taken measurements but visually, it's working - arms are bigger, legs are showing definition again, chest looks better.
Goal 3: add muscle mass, again haven't taken measurements but visually, it's working. I've also been increasing weight lifted fairly regularly, each time I work out, I decide if I need to go up on weight or stay for a while, but I don't want to over do it by increasing everything at one time.
Goal 4: (new) find more time to work out, I'm not sure how I'm going to pull that off, but I'll do what I can, spring sports end in early June, so that will help.

Current sessions are MWF alternating 1/2/1 then 2/1/2, Tu/Th are cardio/yardwork Sat Sun are "rest" (which is usually house, yard, vehicle maintenance, kids sports, etc.)

session 1: (^ means increase next time)
4x7 bench @ 125
4x7 db bicep @ 30ea ^
4x8 squats @ 85
4x7 Pendlay @ 70
4x15 OH tricep @ 35 ^
4x10 shrug @ 85 alt. front to back

session 2: (^ means increase next time)
4xDL @ 160 ^
4x8 O.H. Press @ 70 ^
4x8 pullup (cheater)
4x8 LD facepull @ 60
4x15 ABs
4x15 calf raises @ 85 ^

As you guys have suggested, I'm going to move away from the circuit, I like it for the time aspect but I do want to lift more weight, I've caught myself resting after bench or DLs to do just that, and 125lbs, although higher than what I started at to get back into it, I think should be higher at 7 reps. Whether this becomes a 4-day split workout or 2-day alternating will be determined by time constraints, I just enjoy cardio, so I want to keep doing it as well, and yard work never ends.

Issues:
1) Time, but I've exhausted that topic.
2) Keeping on track with my diet, not that I'm eating too much (aside form Memorial Day weekend) more that I'm not eating enough, I'm just not hungry most of the time, and caught myself 400 calories down last night after dinner and forced myself to eat more.
3) I've missed one workout (memorial day) so consistency is there, besides, it was a heavy landscaping weekend for me so I don't feel too bad about it (moving much earth and many rocks by hand).

Thanks again all, looking forward to June