6 weeks of progress. gains already

[OldManNoob]

So I've now made it a full 6 weeks of legitimately lifting consistently... only 4 weeks of following a real plan (modified Fierce 5). I'm not really doing rest days bur rather I've shifted the exercise routine to target arms/chest 1 day and legs/back the next day. giving each muscle group a day off while I focus on the others. (In cut rather than bulk mode so in my mind I'm really just getting my body used to lifting during this cut phase before I will likely need to adjust the routine to include legit rest days as I start tying to bulk and really pushing my muscles.)

I've added weight (10-15lbs-ish) to each exercise, shed 2" off my waist and dropped 14lbs through a 500calorie per day deficit and increased activity level which probably makes it more like a 600-700 calorie deficit - 183lbs to 169lbs. - still maintaining 150-160g of protein per day.

My upper body feels stronger all together. I don't feel like my legs are any stronger but I am squatting more so the strength gains must be there in spite of the calorie deficit (or maybe it's just that I'm lifting as much as I was at original weight but now more of that is plate and less of that is body)

just wanted to post this as a bit of inspiration for other noobs and remind them that if you're working a plan and putting in the effort you'll get results!

I have about 15lbs left to cut until I'll be happy with the fat levels before I'll move into a modest bulk shooting for about a 200 calorie per day surplus at that point in the hopes that I can put on about a pound of muscle per month and I intend to work that for about 2 years with a goal of returning to the starting weight at a 10-12% body-fat level instead of the 25% (maybe worse) with which I started.

I now have a full bench with a preacher pad and a squat rack and have close to 300lbs of plates (not that I use that much weight at this point) and have about 90lbs of total plates for the dumbbells... and I bought a pull-up/dip bar but haven't mounted it yet. I've been walking to the elementary school around the corner and using the monkeybars for pull-ups and dips thus far.

Anyway. I'm trying to use the advice guys here have shared and it seems to be paying off. Thanks for the tips/suggestions.

[PhDPepper1111]

Good work. Keep it up!

[Vanilla-Gorilla]

So I've now made it a full 6 weeks of legitimately lifting consistently... only 4 weeks of following a real plan (modified Fierce 5)...

Anyway. I'm trying to use the advice guys here have shared and it seems to be paying off. Thanks for the tips/suggestions.

May you have continued success!

[xTeTe]

Pretty awesome that you progressed that quickly.

Seems like you have things dialed in pretty well.

[OldManNoob]

Pretty awesome that you progressed that quickly.

Seems like you have things dialed in pretty well.

I used to be quite the athlete decades ago... but any success I'm having is due to the info/insight I've gained here. I'd have been spinning my wheels for a lot longer without the advice folks here have shared. It's like anything else in life... if you want to be good at something try to learn from people who've already demonstrated they're good at it.

[OldFartTom]

This is when I become the party pooper and say "NO", you're going to crash and burn.

Make sure you have a day of complete rest. Yes you can work arms while you rest legs or whatever, but it's still the same blood, same liver, same hormone system (endocrine), etc. Re-jiggle it to have 1 complete rest day each week.

Also make sure the progression is slightly too slow, so you always think "I should have done a little more", that way it's sustainable for longer term. Not crash and burn at12 weeks.

Other than that... Really pleased to hear your success. Keep on going!

Edit: it is inspiration for others, rep+1 !

[OldManNoob]

This is when I become the party pooper and say "NO", you're going to crash and burn.

Make sure you have a day of complete rest. Yes you can work arms while you rest legs or whatever, but it's still the same blood, same liver, same hormone system (endocrine), etc. Re-jiggle it to have 1 complete rest day each week.

Also make sure the progression is slightly too slow, so you always think "I should have done a little more", that way it's sustainable for longer term. Not crash and burn at12 weeks.

Other than that... Really pleased to hear your success. Keep on going!

Edit: it is inspiration for others, rep+1 !

Thanks for the tips, Tom! I agree with the rest days... I'll need to include them as I start actually trying to gain mass and really work the muscles... but I'm not lifting very heavy at this stage, just getting myself into the routine of actually "doing the thing" and creating a habit. I started SOOOOO weak that the gains I've seen are just from actually engaging the muscles for the first time in decades. I assume it will get much harder once I reach a reasonable strength level.