How I am Gaining Muscle, Losing Fat and Eating Chocolate Simultaneously page 2

[Louisa655]

Will do, sbhikes. If I keep gaining at the same rate I should be DLing 800, squatting 700, and benching 500 at right about that age (sarcasm).

Sounds like you're doing plenty to stay fit!

Boom! Fit AND funny -- like it!

[Louisa655]

Heh heh we'll here's what all that work can get you when you're pushing 50. By the way, I've done plenty of 16/8 fasting, lifting 2x a week (3x and I can't recover, but all the big compound lifts), hiking 1x a week, walking, primal eating for a year and a half, plenty of sleep (as far as the hot flashes will allow) and sunshine. I present to you My Abs:

Nice advertising for 50 year old women. Tuck that shirt back in, be thankful your body hasn't betrayed you with a diagnosis of cancer -- or worst --- and stop kicking the kid to the curb. Given the rise of obesity and diabetes rates in our youth -- maybe we should be sending a positive message to this young man who is setting a positive example in his community. Geez -- nothing like joining a forum for support and getting crapped on. Now pull that shirt down.

[sbhikes]

What, are you ashamed of my abs? I'm not. That's the trouble with everybody. They think you have to be skinny and weak looking to be healthy, fit and strong. You don't.

[mrhtower]

iniQuity- heavy dips, push ups and pull ups (although I prefer chin ups because you can do more weight!) along with bench presses are the best movements you can do for your upper body. I have actually decided to add weighted dips on my squat day, or replace my Arnold presses with them. Sounds like you're doing it right. Hopefully you're doing some lower body home workouts. My personal fav home workout- burpees.

sbhikes- No doubt being young and male is beneficial in putting heavier weights on the bar. But, programs like leangains that implement IF and heavy weight lifting produce lots of good hormones and, at least at first, should produce results for most everyone (and of course adhering to the PB for overall health and well being). I should have added this to my OP but I have lifted weights since 7th grade including football and baseball workouts in high school and up til now (although I haven't ever focused that much on deadlifts until maybe 4 months ago). I've done plenty of different workouts, and I've always been quite fit (just the smallest amount of stubborn BF).... I haven't increased the amount of weight I'm lifting this much this fast since I was about 16... Not everyone is ready to or should attempt to start piling plates on the bar and lifting them. For these people, my routine is perhaps a little low volume if it's not with a relatively large amount of weight. But for the average gym rat with a little experience who's been chillin on the shoulder press machine, mentally bracing themselves for their preacher curls- they would be wise to try something closer to my routine.

[mrhtower]

PS Appreciate the back up and kind words, Louisa. Looks like primal living is working for you.

[Mr. Anthony]

I've been smashing weights steadily since I was 14 (now early 30's), and was a gymnast (tons of bodyweight exercises) before that. I've never been in 'bad' shape, but I would wager I'm as strong, if not stronger, now than I've ever been--and this is after I cut down from 6 days in the gym/week to 3 days (occasionally 4)/week. I've done pretty much every workout regimen you can do, but a good, heavy whole-body 3x a week of the basics seems to be working fantastically paired with primal.

I sort of fall into the barest of Leangains structures naturally, but don't measure anything or make any effort to do so. Eat a little more on heavy lifting days, a little less on lazy days. More fat, less carbs on rest days, more carbs on workout days. Fat and protein are pretty constantly high, though. Ketotonic fairly often.

I keep thinking I might really drop back to the basics and couple strict Starting Strength with strict Leangains for a while and see if I can get full-on underwear-model (not too far away, really), but that's a lot of documentation and planning, and I doubt I'll do it.

There really is no substitute for being a young male with a workout drive, though.

[mrhtower]

Our stories (besides the gymnastics) and outlook on workout day/rest day nutrition are identical. I think a main factor limiting my lifting potential in the past has been my tendency to overwork my muscles with too many different, inefficient workouts.

Not sure if you're implementing IF, but it is possible in the future that I will just eat WHEN, as Mark advocates, with occasional 24 hour fasts. I find myself too often in my fasting window wishing I could eat something and in my feeding window force eating to fulfill nutritional needs when I'm not that hungry. Still, the regular 16 hour fast 8 hour feed window is incredible for losing fat

[Mr. Anthony]

Depends on my schedule. I naturally IF when I work from home a few days a week (wake up, work out, work, eat sometime around noon) and wrap up my eating by 8 or 9 that night. I don't do it super-strictly, though. If I wake up and am starving, I kind of assume I need some food for whatever reason, and have some. I listen to my body, but it seems to like IF for the most part. It's not a big deal for me to go 16 (or even 24, if I get busy or whatever) hours without eating. Most days I tend to eat 2 big meals with perhaps a small snack in between. Sometimes no snack. Sometimes more meals. I don't stress about it.

[jsjmm]

I am a 52 yo male and am currently making the switch from the big 3 to the 3 day split.
I have seen my Levi's go from 36 to 32, lost around 10 pounds and am well on my way
to my goals. This workout makes so much sense to a busy person, bust butt for 30 mins
3 times a week. I eat 80/20 no grass fed and of course the chocolate.

Mon deadlifts/chinups
Wen bench/pushups
Fri Squats

I am in week 6 of 12
Deadlift s 140 c 210 g 240
Squats s 140 c 205 g 220
bench s 140 c 165 g 180

[TheFastCat]

TFC approves this thread! Awesome job! Love to see young men kicking major ass.
Until you plateau don't change a thing. Keep on trucking brother!
You able to incorporate the olympic lifts in at your gym? You would love it.