NFT: Old bastard weight lifting thread - suggestions?

or HGH...YW

Its a beachbody program designed for just that. It really works and its fun. You really need to watch what you eat though.

Mahn George swears by them

You might be SOL =)

what you mean by bulking?

Training at home with those tools you're looking at the usual press, row, curl routine and tossing in manual stuff like pushups, crunches. Tough to add much mass in this manner, especially at 40+, duder.

In comment 12109839 JonC said:

Quote:

Training at home with those tools you're looking at the usual press, row, curl routine and tossing in manual stuff like pushups, crunches. Tough to add much mass in this manner, especially at 40+, duder.

That's why we need to go back to steroids and HGH talk.

Already have a relatively muscular physique (not kissing my biceps and asking women if they want to go see a gun show... yet). Would just like to add a little bit of mass, which isn't the objective of these plyometric programs (either that, or I'm not doing them right).

I figured the basics - chest press, flys, seated rows, etc. Just not sure how I should go about it (1x a week per muscle group or more, # reps, rest, etc.).

a Power Rack and 300Lb Olympic barbell set would do you wonders. Bench, Squats, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Barbell Rows, and pull-ups. You could do a 5x5 or 3x5 routine.

Dick's has a nice 1/2 Power Rack for about $350. I have the full one in my basement. It's $499. I love it.

was too little. I'd make better gains hitting big muscles more often. For example, I did a 5x3 barbell program that called for training three times per week (including squats each time). I usually made all three sessions and had good progress, but if I ever missed a session, the following session (3-4 days rest) would typically be brutal and I might not be able to progress that time.

I think the 1x per week "split" routine was developed for bodybuilders who had already put on dozens of pounds of muscle. Pro style training isnt necessary or even advisable for amateurs.

that's why I went with the Powerblocks. I'd have to evict a bunch of the kids' shit in order to fit a proper squat rack down there.

Deej - that's kinda what I'm trying to figure out, what the right set of exercises and frequency is. I used to lift pretty regularly when I was younger, but I tried going back to that and it bombed spectacularly. I'm guessing in part because (a) I'm an old bastard and (b) haven't been training regularly. The 1x a week per group and seriously heavy weights is probably not an option anymore.

I don't make progress with strength or growth working muscles 1x per week. I did 3x per week and made nice gains. When I stopped progressing I dropped back to 2x per week and started progressing again.

trying to give what help I can. I have limited knowledge of dumbbells -- to be honest Im a barbell guy and I view dumbells as something you may want to use at the end of a workout to target some specific stuff. I've always thought that barbells are the only decent way to strength/size gains.

maybe wait for natefit to weigh in. Though Im sure you can find a routine somewhere on the internet. See if there is a manual online for bowflex's selecttech dumbells?

I can't keep up the frequency and intensity/weight volume of when I was younger either. I typically trained a body part heavily every five days, now it's more like 7 at lesser weight etc. But, I still go to the gym regularly and have the weapons at my disposal.

I havent forgotten how helpful you were to me back when my daughter was being cyberstalked by an ex. Be happy to answer any questions you have in depth later today when Im home for good.

chop chop, I'm leaving for the gym at 4pm. grin

WS4SB washed up meathead. boiler plate with customization options.

Just an asshole to piss me off every so often and provide an adrenaline boost. It works really well.

Not to brag, but I am really, really lucky. Going on 67, and I still have all of my muscle mass. My orthopedist says my quads are like those of an athlete no older than mid 40's. Heart doctor says the same.

I keep waiting to hit the age wall--it will happen eventually. My father was pretty small by comparison, but he played handball until diabetes caught up with him in his mid 70's.

I have done all the p90x, insanity and asylum workouts and Body Beast has far exceeded my results with all of them. Pair it with the Jym line of supplements (pre jym, post jym, alpha jym) from Body Building and you will add muscle no doubt. Keep the food clean and eat a typical bro diet.

49 days in and I just yesterday noticed my stretch marks on my delts are back after a 15 year hiatus. If I wasn't a little bashful I would post my day 1 and day 49 pics. Total transformation. 5 weeks left.

Your input would be welcome, good to have an expert chime in.

manh - if it were just that, I'd be Ahnold Fucking Schwarzenegger by now. Despite no shortage of idiots to piss me off, the GH levels remain normal.

I don't mind the diets, but I don't do supplements, aside from very basic ones. I don't trust companies to do the right things by their customers when they're not regulated, and I think a lot of the shit they throw into these products has been poorly researched.

I'd rather give up some gains than take that risk. I did Cybergenics back when I was in HS, and it gave me massive headaches. Turns out, they were pumping that shit full of ephedra (under some Chinese herbal name) and a few people (kids, in decent shape) had strokes.

Body Beast is also mostly comprised of pretty short workouts, which is a plus. I think most are <45 minutes.

group with dumbbells. You can get a good one of the sets mentioned for your home.

I just finished 3 cycles on the Wendler 5/3/1. Had some great gains. Not too applicable in your situation though. You aren't gonna be able to do a ton of lifts with dumbbells. If adding mass is a goal, you almost have to be squatting.

already in this thread so Ill just add a few things:
Acheving muscular hypertrophy (gains) comes down to a simple formula: progressive resistance>overload>adaptation (growth).
Without knowing exactly what weights etc you have at your disposal and more importantly your capabilities (ie 1RM on most lifts etc), a few basic concepts always apply: you need to push the targeted muscle groups to (safe) failure on your top end or final sets. One way to do this if you dont have heavy weights at your disposal would be to use pre exhaustion compound sets: for example db flyes followed by body weight pushups for chest. You wont put on the same mass as you might doing heavy low rep benching pressing, but you will make gains.
Honestly I could write all day here lol so a cpl of quick notes: Dumbell work is just as valuable in gaining mass as barbell, and the bonus is your working bi-laterally so if you have a weaker side it cant be compensated for. Also the essential stabilizers muscles are better recruited with dbs.
As far as age and hormone decline, its undeniable. Heavy weight work does help to stimulate the bodys natural production of test and GH but one has to weigh that against injury/accident risk, ESPECIALLY if working home alone in a garage etc.
As far as a schedule, bodypart splits work well for advanced lifters but for most guys I prefer doing it over 3 days, say a push day, a pull day and a lower body day. Older guys also need more recovery time so Id go every other day if possible. And of course its all about proper nutrition AND enough sleep. remember you tear you body down in the gym, it rebuilds when you rest.
Hope this is helpful.

not bilaterally when using DBs.

I'd always believed that barbells are better for mass BECAUSE they stress your stabilizers less. Without those weak muscles holding you back, more room for progressive gain on the big muscle groups via the major compound lifts. Also, dumbells just suffer from being in multiples of 5 pounds -- way to high for progressive games. 5 pounds on a bar is way more manageable.

In comment 12109996 jcn56 said:

Quote:

I don't mind the diets, but I don't do supplements, aside from very basic ones. I don't trust companies to do the right things by their customers when they're not regulated, and I think a lot of the shit they throw into these products has been poorly researched. I'd rather give up some gains than take that risk. I did Cybergenics back when I was in HS, and it gave me massive headaches. Turns out, they were pumping that shit full of ephedra (under some Chinese herbal name) and a few people (kids, in decent shape) had strokes.

Maybe I am naive but I have bought in fully with Jym supplement line. He has a ton of information at your disposal to research his stuff for yourself and he doesn't use proprietary blends.

I am monitored every 120 with huge blood work ups by AccuReference and my nutritionist. I get results of latest blood draw Thursday. So far I have only improved in every area of my blood tests. Testosterone is up. Estrogen is at serum levels. Homocysteine has normalized after being high a year ago. Cholesterol is down to within normal ranges now. I am extremely satisfied with Stoppani's supplement line.

while there is def some truth in that, BBs often force joints into unnatural angles that can result in injury. And when the big muscles outpace the stabilizers you are headed for conditions ("itis") that will eventually curtail your BB work altogether. Im not saying BB doesnt belong - nothing forces growth like squats, deadlifts. Im just saying they both belong in a program, as do the dreaded machines at times as well lol.

In comment 12110266 natefit said:

Quote:

while there is def some truth in that, BBs often force joints into unnatural angles that can result in injury. And when the big muscles outpace the stabilizers you are headed for conditions ("itis") that will eventually curtail your BB work altogether. Im not saying BB doesnt belong - nothing forces growth like squats, deadlifts. Im just saying they both belong in a program, as do the dreaded machines at times as well lol.

Also depends what kind of growth you are looking for. I rarely use dumb bells, but I also rarely do body building type exercises.

muscles to overload/failure by oneself, without the use of overly expensive and spacious machines? I don't feel comfortable really pushing myself without a spotter for example.

perhaps the best argument for DBs over BBs

In comment 12110337 natefit said:

Quote:

perhaps the best argument for DBs over BBs

Except who has a wide enough array of DB's to really push ones muscles, especially in the lifts that really promote growth? There is literally only one lift that you cant do safely without a spotter with a BB.

didn't read thru the thread, but, would the OP's history of extensive lifting create some type of foundational effect.

some talk (maybe bro science) about push-pull routines possibly related to ligament issues?

Also, I've started using Pre Jym as a preworkout semi-recently and think it's pretty good. If I have any complaint at all it's that within a few weeks, my body got pretty used to it and the effect became less noticeable. It still works.. but for maximum effectiveness, you probably need to kind of "cycle" it a little.

muscle memory is always in effect but 10 yrs is a long time to be off in terms of retaining a significant foundation. Hard to answer really tho without testing and assessing someone. Ligament issues are the result of many things but Im not aware of a push - pull routine being inherently dangerous.
arc - any pre should be cycled as the body attenuates. But boy do you notice when you first go off and youre dragging ass. A cup of coffee is a good halfway answer.

Are you a trainer/body builder?

Yup. Definitely tough to get going without any pre-workout. Especially for me because I workout at night after I've been at work all day. I usually either go for a cup of coffee or a 5 hour energy and it does enough.

not sure exactly what it's doing, but I feel like I "took something" anyway.

My issue with Dumbells has been controlling them once I get heavy on a lift. Shoulder presses for example - once I got past 85lbs, I had a ridiculous struggle getting anything heavier into position to do the exercise. A few times I even lost control of the weight trying to get it off my knees and up to position. Damn near dropped one on a guy who thought it was a good idea to drop and do a plank right next to me.

yes trainer since '94 and former competitive drug free pro bodybuilder. I won a national natural Masters title in 2002.
Rob - ya thats always the downside to heavy DB work. Know it well. Kicking up the 70s today for shoulder presses today wasnt to easy at my age lol.

just to reiterate, as I now see your earlier post, I totally agree strength and power foundations are built with barbells. I put on 7 lbs of muscle at age 42 in one yr which is practically unheard of and I did it with a squat/dead program in the 425 lb range for reps. That is what won me my title.

In comment 12110266 natefit said:

Quote:

while there is def some truth in that, BBs often force joints into unnatural angles that can result in injury. And when the big muscles outpace the stabilizers you are headed for conditions ("itis") that will eventually curtail your BB work altogether. Im not saying BB doesnt belong - nothing forces growth like squats, deadlifts. Im just saying they both belong in a program, as do the dreaded machines at times as well lol.

This. And to be honest the younger guys love the flat bench but along with behind the neck shoulder press as u get older u can fuck your self up going too heavy. Not building and maintaining your stabilizer muscles puts your ligaments and tendons at risk if you are going too heavy. While you can injure yourself on any exercise for the life of me I can't see how fucking your shoulders up doing flat bench is good for you.

Now straight bar is needed for squats and deadlifts but form again is the most important. If I had a dollar for every asshole who puts plates on each side and drop in down a whole 4 inches of be richer than Trump.

and all who participated, plenty to go on tomorrow. For tonight, I'm limiting myself to lifting the keyboard and remote.

if you get a chance. Would like to meet you in person.

Rob

In comment 12110697 natefit said:

Quote:

just to reiterate, as I now see your earlier post, I totally agree strength and power foundations are built with barbells. I put on 7 lbs of muscle at age 42 in one yr which is practically unheard of and I did it with a squat/dead program in the 425 lb range for reps. That is what won me my title.

Wow that's super impressive. I'm 1RM 310/390@160, 35 years old. Hope to bring that to 335/415 by late spring.

today and the storm having mostly been a bust, no excuses. Its leg day.
Sg - thanks for the kind words. You are putting up some very impressive #'s yourself and will def continue to make gains.

NEVER SKIP LEG DAY!!!!

Arc try Alpha Jym and Post Jym. You will not be disappointed.

Anyone looking for a little motivation follow Steve Weatherford on Instagram. He is awesome.

In comment 12110742 Rob in Rockaway said:

Quote:

if you get a chance. Would like to meet you in person. Rob

Will do Rob - I'm right across from you I think, on the B dock. The Grady WA, right next to the guy who takes his bikini-clad wife for joy rides while she tans on the bow.

Not sure if you saw this - but apparently, a floater washed up the other day.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/fisherman-body-found-floating-brooklyn-marina-article-1.2091112?ref=Outbrain&ADLocation=footer&ADPosition=2 - ( New Window )