41 year old weight lifting
jarablue
Posts: 127 Member
Hey guys. I went from 328 to 205 and am 6'1. I am waiting to get to my final weight of 190 before I hit the gym. I want to just look good again for my wife. I am in between a medium to large frame build. Not large but a bit bigger than medium. I would like to tone up my body. How should I go about doing this at 41 with a bit high blood pressure? My PCP told me toning up in the gym would be fine for me. I want to go at this 110%. I gave it my all losing the weight and my discipline is spot on. I just want to go at the gym with the same fervor as I have with the weight loss.
What should I do to get back to having a nice tone body? I was looking at body re-composition but I don't know a lot about it. What do you guys suggest I do? I want to keep the cardio up but also do the gym thing.
Thanks!
What should I do to get back to having a nice tone body? I was looking at body re-composition but I don't know a lot about it. What do you guys suggest I do? I want to keep the cardio up but also do the gym thing.
Thanks!
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Replies
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Congrats on the loss.
This post is a great resource: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you
My opinion is 5x5 Strong Lifts is hard to beat for a beginner.
By the way: 41 is a fine age to strength train (any age is good) but you will find older trainees lifting weights in most gyms.2 -
I would use bodybuilding.com or tigerfitness.com as resources. Tons of articles/advice from beginner to pro plans0
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Why are you waiting to hit the gym? If your goal is aesthetics, and you are new to lifting, you should be able to make some noticeable muscle growth even while losing weight.0
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Speaking personally, I wouldn't wait to go to the gym. Having said that, though, I don't use one. I have a few weights at home (nothing more than 50#), no benches or any fancy equipment. I keep it simple, using body weight, maybe a deck of playing cards, and some running shoes. Either way is fine - gym or no gym - but you shouldn't rely on the gym to reach your goal.0
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Get in the gym now.2
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It's never to early to start lifting! Off to the gym with you!1
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I'm running three days a week and doing Strong Lifts 5x5 three days. Early on in the strong lifts but it seems to be going well. The free app starts you very light to get your form and , maybe confidence, right and increases the weight for each exercise on every return. I believe they call it progressive overload. It's starting to get harder but still doable, haven't failed at a weight yet ;-).
There is no reason to wait until you reach a certain weight. Take it from this 61year old, 41 isn't too old to start.1 -
I wouldnt wait to lift. By lifting now you help retain muscle which is actually what you consider "toning" since you are losing weight. Losing weight without a resistance lifting program means you will lose more muscle as you drop more weight.
Stronglifts and Starting Strength are two basic programs built perfectly for strength for somebody just starting either new or again.
When I was a little older than you I used the S.L. program when I was done with cancer treatments/surgeries to build my strength back up to resume lifting again and it may be the thing for you.
Congrats on your weight loss.0 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?0 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?
Sounds a bit like made up science. If your doc cleared you then I'm with the mob. Get to the gym!1 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?
"I want to keep the cardio up but also do the gym thing."
What cardio are you currently doing that you want to keep up? Start light, watch for proper form, your heart rate will probably be lower lifting at the start than with your cardio work. But, again, please don't just listen to me, or anyone else here, consult your doctor with your concerns and get some good advise.
Edited: Missed the part about your PCP clearing you. Seems all restraints and concerns should be alleviated. I see no reason to wait. Just take it easy as you start. you'll get the hang of it real quick.0 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?
The science shows that lifting actually reduces hypertension:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/weights-for-hbp
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/35/3/838.full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10720604
Your said your doctor already cleared you, so get thee to the gym.1 -
Go now. Do Stronglifts 5X5 to start (download the app to track your progress at stronglifts.com). Get strong and have fun!
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If you are erring on the side of caution, why don't you try swimming for a few months? It's a good resistance exercise that would help you tone up a bit while losing the weight.
Once you've lost the 15 lbs (if this is your comfort zone), begin a weight lifting program.
I have hired PT's in the past with great results.0 -
Ditto everyone else. Start now. Stronglifts 5x5 is a good place to start, or you could pick another solid beginner free weight program.
There's a discussion of beginner to advanced programs in the Gaining Weight forum if you want to see what other people who lift like: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you#latest
FWIW, I lift now and am 42. I don't really notice much difference other than recovery time from when I lifted at 17.
My father lifts and he's 67. He does avoid lifts that aggravate existing injuries and takes more rest days, but other than that he also follows a similar program to Stronglifts and does fine.0 -
Another vote for lifting now and for StrongLifts. I started in May at 49 and I'm stronger now than when I lifted a little in high school and college.
One benefit of lifting at this age (and with 20 years of pretty serious running under my belt) -- I care more about form and listen to my body when I start to feel a twinge. I've backed off a little when I've felt a couple of incipient injuries, and so far not had to take any time off. When I was younger, I would always lift until I hurt myself and had to quit.1 -
I'd be doing it now! I've lost 113lbs and have exercised and lifted weights all along. 5 months ago I started SL 5x5 and I love it. Weight is coming off super slow for me (50lbs left), but it would really help you look better now if you get in there! Congrats!!
Edited to add...I'm 49.2 -
I'm 56. Been doing the Stronglifts 5x5 since February. It's going great. Making surprisingly good gains in strength & appearance. Go for it!1
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quiksylver296 wrote: »Go now. Do Stronglifts 5X5 to start (download the app to track your progress at stronglifts.com). Get strong and have fun!
What she said!!
Stronglifts is a great place to start. I did stronglifts after completing couch to 5k when I turned 40. My only regret was not starting sooner. Good luck and enjoy!0 -
Congrats on the weight loss. I see that your commitment level is very high. For an individual like you who's goal is body re-comp/getting toned, I would recommend a 5 day training split, training different muscle groups on each day.
Ex.
Day-1: chest
Day-2: back
Day-3: shoulders, upper traps
Day-4: legs
Day-5: biceps/triceps
On days 1-4, try to include at least 3 compound movements for each muscle group. Be sure to keep an eye on total volume, you don't need to kill yourself for an hour with weights. I wouldn't do more than 120 total reps on each day, keep rest periods in between sets to less than 2 minutes.
On each day this week I would recommend adding 30-45 mins of long, slow duration endurance training.
Performing resistance and endurance training together is known as concurrent training.
"A study by Dolezal and colleagues was done to compare the effects of body fat percentage between a strength training only group, and a concurrent training group (who did strength training plus jogging for 25-40 minutes 3 days per week) for over 10 weeks. Results reveal that the concurrent training group had a greater body fat reduction, than the strength training only group.
From this we can conclude that the addition of 25-40 minutes of endurance training to a resistance training program caused for a greater increase in the utilization of stored body fat for energy = and a greater increase of total daily energy expenditure as a whole = which led to a greater reduction of body fat = and resulted in a more enhanced level of body composition."
You can't go wrong with the programs mentioned above, but I like this training split because a constant resistance training stimulus can help create a hormonal environment for building/maintaining muscle while still getting many of the cardiovascular benefits from endurance training.0 -
Hey guys. I went from 328 to 205 and am 6'1. I am waiting to get to my final weight of 190 before I hit the gym. I want to just look good again for my wife. I am in between a medium to large frame build. Not large but a bit bigger than medium. I would like to tone up my body. How should I go about doing this at 41 with a bit high blood pressure? My PCP told me toning up in the gym would be fine for me. I want to go at this 110%. I gave it my all losing the weight and my discipline is spot on. I just want to go at the gym with the same fervor as I have with the weight loss.
What should I do to get back to having a nice tone body? I was looking at body re-composition but I don't know a lot about it. What do you guys suggest I do? I want to keep the cardio up but also do the gym thing.
Thanks!
You sound real similar to myself. I am 6'2" tall 47 year old with a large/medium frame, my original goal was 195/190. When I started I was 305lbs and today I am 180lbs. I can't lift most of the time, and certainly can't lift heavy (I have a bad back and bad knees), but I do body weight training. I actually did that the entire time I was dieting and it helped to get a jump start on muscle. I liked it so much I kept it up and still do it today along with my usual cardio six days a week. I never wanted to look like a body builder, I simply wanted to be a low body fat percentage and have enough muscle to look good for the wife. After 1.5 years I am around 12% body fat (actually have not checked in a while, could possible have inched a bit lower) and have lost more than my goal weight. Where I had no muscles before I have plenty, and probably have managed to reach over 60% of my goals (for muscle anyway) just with the body weight training in the last year. I can't recommend a lifting program from experience, but I tend to do lower weight with higher reps when I do lift now (and I'm working toward doing it 3x per week by the first of the year). What I practice is mostly body recomp. It's a slow process eating at maintenance or even slightly above or below it while working on strength using light weights or body weight mixed with cardio.3 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?
The science shows that lifting actually reduces hypertension:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/weights-for-hbp
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/35/3/838.full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10720604
Your said your doctor already cleared you, so get thee to the gym.
This...
Lifting will do wonders for your blood pressure.0 -
if you're concerned about health, you can always go back to your doctor once you've decided on a program. let them see what you're planning to do and get another okay or any warnings they think are appropriate.
maybe run the valsalva manoeuvre past them, although nothing really says that you have to use it.0 -
A 5 day split for a beginner???? Why?????1
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schenkzachary2016 wrote: »Congrats on the weight loss. I see that your commitment level is very high. For an individual like you who's goal is body re-comp/getting toned, I would recommend a 5 day training split, training different muscle groups on each day.
Ex.
Day-1: chest
Day-2: back
Day-3: shoulders, upper traps
Day-4: legs
Day-5: biceps/triceps
On days 1-4, try to include at least 3 compound movements for each muscle group. Be sure to keep an eye on total volume, you don't need to kill yourself for an hour with weights. I wouldn't do more than 120 total reps on each day, keep rest periods in between sets to less than 2 minutes.
On each day this week I would recommend adding 30-45 mins of long, slow duration endurance training.
Performing resistance and endurance training together is known as concurrent training.
"A study by Dolezal and colleagues was done to compare the effects of body fat percentage between a strength training only group, and a concurrent training group (who did strength training plus jogging for 25-40 minutes 3 days per week) for over 10 weeks. Results reveal that the concurrent training group had a greater body fat reduction, than the strength training only group.
From this we can conclude that the addition of 25-40 minutes of endurance training to a resistance training program caused for a greater increase in the utilization of stored body fat for energy = and a greater increase of total daily energy expenditure as a whole = which led to a greater reduction of body fat = and resulted in a more enhanced level of body composition."
You can't go wrong with the programs mentioned above, but I like this training split because a constant resistance training stimulus can help create a hormonal environment for building/maintaining muscle while still getting many of the cardiovascular benefits from endurance training.
No, a beginner should not be on a 5 day split. A bicep/tricep day, come on. A much better alternative would be Stronglifts, programming from New Rules of Lifting (There is a New Rules of Lifting for Life book that is geared a bit more toward those a bit older, might like that) , etc. Programs that focus on compound movements.
Also as someone new to exercise, I would get a mobility screen from a professional (some trainers at the gym can do them, I'd suggest seeing an actual physical therapist) to ensure you have the mobility for the selected program. Here is a simple self check:
http://allterrainhuman.com/self-mobility-test/
The addition of some low to moderate intensity cardio is fine.4 -
The reason I am waiting for another 15 pounds to drop is because of my hypertension (high blood pressure). I figure if i am going to be pushing myself, my heart would benefit from having 15 pounds less mass to have to push blood through while weight lifting. I just want the pressure off my heart and give it less struggle when I start.
Does that sound rational?
According to the Canadian Heart & Stroke folks mild hypertension is not an impediment to starting a strength program, in fact the Mayo Clinic recommends it (assuming your hypertension is not uncontrolled) As always, talk to your doctor first.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/weightlifting/faq-20058451
I'm 60 and doing the Stronglifts 5 x 5 program. I've gone from well controlled stage 1 hypertension to pre-hypertension and my doctor is talking about taking me off my meds if I keep improving. I could afford to lose more weight too but for the last couple of years my focus has been on fitness more than the number on the scale. Now my motivation for losing wight is racing performance (some of us are late starters) as i've entered a hilly triathlon for next year as my A race and a I figure the less of me there is to haul up the hills on my bike the better....
Another good reason for you to start weights now rather than later is that males start losing lean muscle mass at a rate of about 1% per year starting at age 40 and will help maintain bone density (probably more of an issue for women than men but important nonetheless) Strength training can help mitigate many of the indignities that aging heaps upon us, it's not the fountain of youth but it's the closest we have right now.
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At the VERY least go to the gym to work on form, loosen up the joints, educate yourself on the equipment, talk to a personal trainer, get post weight loss calories in check0
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Packerjohn wrote: »schenkzachary2016 wrote: »Congrats on the weight loss. I see that your commitment level is very high. For an individual like you who's goal is body re-comp/getting toned, I would recommend a 5 day training split, training different muscle groups on each day.
Ex.
Day-1: chest
Day-2: back
Day-3: shoulders, upper traps
Day-4: legs
Day-5: biceps/triceps
On days 1-4, try to include at least 3 compound movements for each muscle group. Be sure to keep an eye on total volume, you don't need to kill yourself for an hour with weights. I wouldn't do more than 120 total reps on each day, keep rest periods in between sets to less than 2 minutes.
On each day this week I would recommend adding 30-45 mins of long, slow duration endurance training.
Performing resistance and endurance training together is known as concurrent training.
"A study by Dolezal and colleagues was done to compare the effects of body fat percentage between a strength training only group, and a concurrent training group (who did strength training plus jogging for 25-40 minutes 3 days per week) for over 10 weeks. Results reveal that the concurrent training group had a greater body fat reduction, than the strength training only group.
From this we can conclude that the addition of 25-40 minutes of endurance training to a resistance training program caused for a greater increase in the utilization of stored body fat for energy = and a greater increase of total daily energy expenditure as a whole = which led to a greater reduction of body fat = and resulted in a more enhanced level of body composition."
You can't go wrong with the programs mentioned above, but I like this training split because a constant resistance training stimulus can help create a hormonal environment for building/maintaining muscle while still getting many of the cardiovascular benefits from endurance training.
No, a beginner should not be on a 5 day split. A bicep/tricep day, come on. A much better alternative would be Stronglifts, programming from New Rules of Lifting (There is a New Rules of Lifting for Life book that is geared a bit more toward those a bit older, might like that) , etc. Programs that focus on compound movements.
Also as someone new to exercise, I would get a mobility screen from a professional (some trainers at the gym can do them, I'd suggest seeing an actual physical therapist) to ensure you have the mobility for the selected program. Here is a simple self check:
http://allterrainhuman.com/self-mobility-test/
The addition of some low to moderate intensity cardio is fine.
This. A 5 day split is NOT the place for a beginner to start. One leg day a week? No. This is the definition of bro lifting.
Others have recommended more reasonable approaches for beginners. Another good approach is to pick a handful of compound lifts and do them 3 times a week. For example, seated or bent over rows, bench press or dips, squats, and deadlifts. Throw in something for your core at the end (like planks) if you want. As a beginner you don't need to be doing anything exotic. Just try to hit all of your muscles several times a week. After a few months switch up your exercises but stick to full body.1 -
I do Weldon's 5,3,1 lifting program. East to get into and manage, good results so far.0
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