Please allow me to intruduce my self.

C

Chavoworking

New Member
Hello Everyone,</SPAN>

My name is Sal. I am 40 years old. I have been lifting on and off since I was in High School. Due to health issues, last December I began exercising again after almost 12 years of doing nothing. </SPAN>

My goals have changed since then. At first all I wanted was to loose weight, but then I rediscovered the wonderful feeling of weight training. I became more ambitious I wanted to be a bodybuilder. Not for competing purposes but for my own health and well being. In the process I discovered that though I had an idea of what to do in the gym I knew nothing when it came to nutrition. That is an art all in itself. </SPAN>

Though I successfully lost some weight and gained some muscle I hit the dreaded plateau both in weight loss and muscle gain. I realize that trying to do both at the same time is not the best of plans especially at 40. I push my self to the point of being sore sometimes for a whole week, especially on my leg workouts. I recently came across HST. I have read as much as time will allow me to on this most interesting subject. I decided I was going to give it a try. I am taking for the first time in 9 months 9 days completely off of any exercise. </SPAN>

I look forward to interacting and learning from your gathered wisdom on this subject. I am currently working on a routine based on what the articles recommend. I will post it later, but before I did that I just wanted to say hello.</SPAN>
 
Hi Sal,

I 'm a newcomer too.

Weightlifting is good for health, but always combine it with healthy nutrition and lifestyle. I sometimes have to make compromise choices about what is optimal nutrition for muscle growth and what is optimal for long term health. For example hypocaloric diet is good for long term health, but it is a disaster for build muscle. I try to find a compromise.

This brings to my mind this question: HST promotes low volume training, does it mean you would need less caloric intake for the same results compared with other methods? I hope so.

Good luck with HST!
 
Numaios said:
Hi Sal,

This brings to my mind this question: HST promotes low volume training, does it mean you would need less caloric intake for the same results compared with other methods? I hope so.
Click to expand...

No.

Muscle takes the same amount of calories to build no matter how much volume you use.

Diet is always a critical part of bodybuilding.
 
Totentanz said:
No.

Muscle takes the same amount of calories to build no matter how much volume you use.

Diet is always a critical part of bodybuilding.
Click to expand...

Dieting has always been the hardest part for me. I recently started reading "The Ultimate Diet 2.0" and though I have just read the forward it is already answering some questions I have. Hopefully it will help me make some sense of the dieting factor. One thing I have to say is that so far on this website I have found more pertinent information to some of the problems and obstacles I have encountered then on any other. I am truly looking forward to get started next week. As for the rest of this week I am reading like crazy. I want to get started on the right track.
 
I'm actually in a similar boat to you. I used to bodybuild like a demon in my teens & early 20's, then I drifted out of the sport for about 15 years. Got back into it two years ago & have just started on HST. I'm 45 now.

The diet advice here is probably good for younger lads who are desperate to bulk up as quickly as possible, but for us older guys with the days of rapid muscle gain far behind us, I don't think that just running a massive calorie surplus is the way forward. Sure it maximises muscle gain, but it also makes you a fat bastard.

I'm trying out the sort of recomp style diet that the Leangains guru Martin Berkhan suggests, which is to eat above maintenance on workout days & under on rest days. He generally has his clients train fasted mid afternoon, so when he talks about workout days, he means the post workout period.

I'm not doing the 16hr fast / 8hr feeding protocol (I get IBS & gastric reflux, and my guts don't find it agreeable), but the fluctuation of calories makes good sense. I train around 5 or 6 pm Weds, Fri and Sun, so on the principle that the workout stimulates anabolic activity for 24-36 hrs after training, I make sure that I eat around 25% above maintenance in the 24 hrs after training, then for the next 24hrs, I keep it around 10-20% below.

So far so good. I'm coming to the end of my 2nd week 3lbs heavier than when I started, and my callipers are showing no significant change in bodyfat.
 
Yes I am finding out the hard way what a big deal turning 40 has meant for me. I have read so much lately about so many different ways of dieting. I have never been thin. I have always wanted to see my abs. I have lost some weight but would like to loose those last few inches around my waist, which from all I read seem the last to go.
I am so hesitant on trying new dieting plans because I am afraid of gaining back fat. I realize however that if I don't try it I will never know. My confusion at this time lies in caloric intake. I am about 210 and according to calipers on chest, abdomen and thigh, I am about 13.5%,
Maintenance is supposed to be 2600 to 3100 depending on the calculator used. Sometimes I have a hard time breaking 2200 and even then I don't seem to be loosing the BF. I realize though that I need to be more disciplined in my meals and my measurements, so I am going to begin there on Monday.
Thank you for the encouragement we will have to continue sharing some notes.
Have a great day.
 
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