Well generally, if its in a packet, if your grandmother wouldn't recognise it, dont eat it. Avoid processed food.

I eat 6 times a day, 3 main meals and 3 being snacks. Clean eating for me is good source of health fats, carbs and lots of protein. i like cheese, ice cream and burgers as much as anyone else, oh and pizza. Pizza is life. But I only eat that stuff once a month. Diet depends on what your goals are. When I was losing weight i pretty much followed a very strict keto diet. Very little carbs, just enough to energize myself, and lots of protein. Most carb source were green veggies and fat source were nuts. I went crazy with chicken and fish. Not to mention plenty of water. It is miserable first month, but once you start seeing results, you stick with it.

Now I do not follow that diet anymore, but still eat very clean. It became habit.

Funny thing is, the other day after work, I stopped at the store to pick up water and saw bunch of guys in the line with bellies and 12 pack in their hands. Nothing wrong with that, nor what i do is right, but i used to be like that. Long story short, it is a choice and if it becomes a life style, it is very rewarding.

Today's workout
Deadlift: 135 x 12, 185 x 12, 205 x 12, 225 x 6(usually 12, wasn't feeling it today)
Lat Pulldown: 175 x 6, 150 x 10,10,8
Barbell Row: 185 x 8,8,8
Dumbell row: 90 x 8,8,8
Dumbell Pullover: 65 x 12,12,12,10
Ab Work

Bike Ride: 12.96 Miles, 45min 26sec, 17.1 MPH Avg

Please don't take this the wrong way but if you didn't know what a cage is, please, please, find a trainer who can show you how to use equipment properly at first. Doing any exercise improperly can do a lot more harm than good.

I also suggest checking out Men's Health Magazine's website. Lots of articles on workouts, exercises, eating, etc.

^^^some good advice for you from Stephanie!

Since my teens I have always been a big proponent of weight or resistance training combined with some intense cardio exercise. Now being close to 55, I have kept up with my routine, albeit the muscle strength has waned somewhat over the years. I tend to do more circuit training (doing many exercises consecutively with minimal rest between each exercise) instead of pure strength training. I also prefer to ramp up the cardio by doing a relatively short, about 20 minutes, but intense run on my elliptical trainer, targeting a heart rate of between 145-160.

My routine is typically as follows:

Monday and Tuesday: Cardio 350 calorie run on elliptical trainer HR target 140+ (aprox 20 minutes)
Wednesday: Circuit train chest, arms, and abs (aprox 1 hr)
Thursday: CT back, shoulders, and abs (aprox 1 hr)
Friday: CT legs and lower back (aprox 45 min)

I'm fortunate in that I do have a full gym in our basement so I've got no excuse regarding commute time to the gym!:rolleyes:

At my "peak" in my late 20's early 30's I was a pretty decently ripped 190 lbs @ 5'11" with a 31" waist. For the last decade I've maintained my weight at around 175 lbs with a 32.5" waist.

What's very interesting is that "they" are now saying that more and more emphasis should be placed on weight training and especially high intensity circuit training in one's exercise regimen as opposed to pure cardio training for maximum benefit especially with advancing age. And as far as cardio training, a short but intense session is actually more beneficial than a long, mildly or moderately intense one. I believe it!

My wife uses a personal trainer about three times per week for her training and he is also a very big advocate of circuit training. I must say, she's pretty strong and tough! I'm seriously jealous of how strong her legs are!

So, in closing, good on ya to have pursued the exercise regime! Keep at it and, as others have said, I would seriously think about getting some high quality equipment for your gym because the last thing you want to do at this stage is to hurt yourself......'cause the recovery stage gets longer and longer for us old guys!


I VANT TO PUMP..YOU UP!!!:cool:

Out of curiosity has anyone used the suspension trainers like TRX? My wife was really into a while and I ended up making a DIY unit for my basement. Long story short we've been out of the exercise game for 9 months or so and would love to get back into it. The problem is I have no clue where to start (other than get off your A$$).

I'm trying to figure out a good routine I can do at home so I don't leave my wife stuck with the baby for too long.

^^^Well, yes getting off your A$$ is the very first thing that you're going to have to do!:p

Can you give us more info on yourself Sickly?

Age? Any medical/health issues? What kind of shape are you in now? What do you want to accomplish in 1 month/6 months/1 year? What kind of equipment do you currently have at home?

Trx is great. I use it all the time on top of my weight training. You can make excellent progress using bodyweight training.

.

having gone thru this.

if i had to pull a number out of my ass, i would say losing weight is 80% diet 20% exercise.

i was working out like a fool, and UNTIL i started eating (call it) "clean", i was not gaining any ground. ZERO.

now, my plates are all 50% greens. GREENS. corn isnt green, neither are mash potatoes. :)
then a carb, like brown rice..and a tiny bit of meat when i eat meat. when i quit meat on weekdays, the weight came off very fast.

weekends i maintain portion control, but i kinda eat what i want. it placates my inner fat guy.

I'll play along. 53 years old, sedentary job and lifestyle for the most part. 5'-11", 230 lbs, fairly easily winded for anything greater than climbing some stairs. I've dropped about 10 lbs last year and my doctor encourages more of the same.

I've always been pretty strong. People often asked if I worked out (I did not). That's way back when though, but I'd like to get back to that weight and condition again.

I'd be ecstatic to be the same weight I was at 24; 180 or so. My conditioning would probably be better though 'cause I no longer smoke. Better on my knees, better for my health, better example for my kids and grandkids.

Looking at this exercise bike from Amazon - gets pretty good reviews and the price is right. That will start the exercise bit, but weight training needs to get in there somehow too.

I've dropped the weight over the last year primarily due to portion control. No seconds, eat in moderation - nothing dramatic.

During my time as a personal trainer, most peoples biggest failure point I seen was diet discipline. Clients would come in and work there asses off, but id never see their body composition change. When I'd start grilling them on their eating habits, all the skeletons would come out of the closet.

Head slapping moment for me.

I even bought smaller dinner plates. And WTF is up with diet soda? I swear. I think that stuff makes you save fat.

It's the food. I feel it.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.

I'm taking a bit of a time out from work which was a 12-13hr day, 5-6 days a week sat at a desk making shapes on a computer screen, poor diet and no exercise to...

12hr days, 7 days a week of hard manual labour rebuilding a stone garden boundary wall and eating healthily as my wife is back in charge of my food rations. Before I started on the wall I had to move 50 tons of stone by hand, that was a baptism of fire, I can tell you!

First week was torture but now 3 and half weeks in I'm not so dead at the end of each day and not so seized up each morning.

I now have fore arms like Popeye, trowelling cement all day and lifting stone in each hand will do that. Also lost 11lbs of weight (a dose of food poisoning while on holiday the week before helped too). I have a Concept 2 rower which I need to dust off and I will use this to build up my cardio fitness alongside my strength and core fitness.

I feel good knowing what I'm doing is healthy, just turned 47, could have taken the easy option and paid someone to build my wall for me but needed to something drastic to get my old self back, so far it seem's to be working

Kettle bells are my newest best friends... I throw them into my exercises to superset, and keep my heart rate up. Works like magic.

Good for you. As Vinman said, controlling food intake is the hardest thing. You've found the secret to that. Wish I could.

I think that I'm zeroing in on the proper diet with lots of protein (salmon/tuna), greens and lower carb portions (rice mostly), not to mention success in keeping away from ice cream this summer.

However I'm confused about the proper portions.

On one hand I want to build muscle mass (focusing on the chest).

And on the other hand I want to lose fat on lower belly and sides of lower back.

Right now I'm trying not to starve myself, want the energy and strength for the workouts, that has first priority.

NOTE: about the "car guy" bench-set, after nearly a week of rain and high humidity the sand in the tires picked up moisture/weight. This type of design will make judging improvements more difficult as it is subject to environmental factors.

I set up some long wood flower boxes I had lying around under the length of the tires. The plan is should I have to lower the barbell on top of the chest, the boxes will support the tires (sort of brings up the floor level). I have been fortunate enough not to have to test this design in action, working on getting something better like a proper cage.

losing weight and gaining muscle is almost impossible. You lose weight while getting strength, and you will look ripped also. Portion control is easy. 8oz of greens, 8oz of meat.

Key word there is "almost".

For me it's been six weeks of exercise, six pounds lost, lots of new muscle on my chest, and a loss of about three inches on my waist.

I'm just looking to improve, and to keep going in the right direction.

It's perhaps too early to worry about what my routine may look like in the late fall and winter.

I'm just trying to get to where I want to be by the end of this summer.

I just want to look good in clothes, that's the goal.

Just got tired of feeling dumpy and turning into a pear.:D

I finally got around to improving the pull up bar in my home-gym/garage.

Before:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1436281370.jpg

It was fine for hanging from to stretch out my back, but dangerous for more than anything more than a couple of chin-ups.

After:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1436281508.jpg

Roof rafters reinforced with cross blocking, using hangers.

Also braced up the punching bag connection point with lateral 2x6 blocking.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1436281609.jpg



At least now I'm ready for when I get stronger and can use these bars more aggressively.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1436281956.jpg

I upgraded the 2x6 dips ledger with a 2x10, this will give me a little more confidence in it.

I've been doing more swimming than any other exercise lately, it's summer right?

yup. I'm unable to run or even jog but I'm able to pedal a bike. It's the only thing I can still do. Silber...have you tried hills? :eek: