WHY:

Well, I thought I'd start documenting my fitness journey. Mostly for me to keep track but if anyone else is curious and wants to view, great. I've skimmed through some other people's journals and its been informative and inspiring!!!

ME:

I'm 40 years old and I've weighed about the same (145lbs @ 5' 10") plus or minus 5 pounds since I was in my late teens. I used to be very into aerobic-based sports (triathlons, wind surfing, martial arts...) but that mostly faded away in my late 20's. Anyway, I've always been slim and I look much younger than I am but I've always wanted to be about 10-15 pounds heavier and be cut. I've tried weight training and eating more before but fell off the wagon after a few months and only with minor results for the effort. I've gone through at least 4 of these cycles...

But no more!! :nono:

APRIL & MAY (this time around.....):

For April and May I've been "pretty" consistent with a conditioning round of weight training and eating more meals per day (not 100% consistent but at least 80%). Basically Mon and Fri upper body and Wed lower. I think there have been some results - there has been progression in the weights I've been lifting and I'm now at 150. I can't recall my exact starting weight in April but it was certainly under 150. I'm going to take some pix soon so I can check out the physical change as I progress - hell, I might even post them! I'm pretty sure some mass is appearing however I'm getting just a wee bit doughy in the mid section (not too concerned at this point)

THE JUNE CHALLENGE:

For June I've entered the 100 Challenge to keep me going (and monitor results better). I'm happy with my recent results and I have to stick with it and shift the routine up a gear. This is a critical month for me (and I think for many people) where motivation can slip and the routine can die.

I'm setting a 3-day weights per week schedule (Mon - Chest Back, Weds - Arms Shoulders, Fri - Legs) and Tues and Thurs cardio sessions (max 30 minutes of bike, run, or martial arts). Eating 4 to 5 meals per day and exceeding caloric base level to bulk. If I can get over 155, I'll switch the following month to a cutting routine and then back to bulking again until I get to a size I'm happy with. It would have been nice to have started earlier in the year to show the progress off this Summer - ah well, maybe next year.

THE GOAL:

I've been viewing some people's journals on the site and I know it can be done. I know what I want to look like and I know I can get there if I stick to it. I'm impatient as hell but I know this will take time and I've got to stay with the routine. I'm not aiming for the weight-lifter physique, but more the cut, fighter physique.... only bigger than I am now.

THE BIG GOAL:

To be fitter and look better at 40 than ever before!!!

There is no "try".....only "do" or "do not". So, DO!!!

Congrats on starting a journal! Good luck! :gl:

Thx BJ. Going to do my best!

I've got to add for today that this site is great. I've found so much information here from people's posts and its been alot of help in developing my routines and diet.

I'm especially happy about doing the June Challenge. I normally only go to the gym (in my office) in the early moring or late afternoon when its dead. I've always been selfconscious when the place is busy - "attention, skinny guy in the gym lifting weights". When my work schedule has screwed that preference up I've usually dumped the workout :(. Over the last 2 days my work schedule has (as usual) screwed up my preferred time to go workout but I've said, ta heck with it, and gone anyway to stick with the Challenge. I've had 2 great workouts and I didn't really notice the other folks. I know this sounds dumb but its been a stumbling block in the past.

I've weighed about the same (145lbs @ 5' 10") plus or minus 5 pounds


thats EXACTLY how i was 5'10 and 145lbs, good luck man

Ill definatley follow this one :)
If you need any advice just give me a shout

:gl::tu:

Thanks CWBOLTON! Might have to drop you a line. Cool to see someone who was in the same boat. How'd it go for you?

I'm going to change things a bit and switch the cardio to HIIT sessions. I'm already keeping it under 30 minutes anyway and only twice a week this month but I may as well get the most out of it.

Hurt my stupid wrist yesterday night moving a file cabinet! How the hell I did it I don't know. Thank goodness its a cardio day today and then legs the next (and no upper body again until Monday). I can barely hold a glass of milk today. Sigh.

Welcome and best wishes, Sharv. I was also in your situation when I started about 4 years ago. (6' tall and 153#). On my first bulk I was able to gain 30 pounds and have since lost about 15 pounds. The extra weight has made a big difference.

Keep up the good work. :eat::bb:

Welcome and best wishes, Sharv. I was also in your situation when I started about 4 years ago. (6' tall and 153#). On my first bulk I was able to gain 30 pounds and have since lost about 15 pounds. The extra weight has made a big difference.

Keep up the good work. :eat::bb:

Thanks carguy! 30 lbs! How long a period was your bulk?

This is probably my most serious attempt at a strict lifting schedule and steady diet to try and bulk up (then follow with a cut.... rinse wash repeat as needed lol). IMy plan could probably use some fine-tuning but I'm going to see how it goes for a few months first. I'm noticing results but my impatient nature leads me to believe this is going to take a while. Taking the June Challenge is looking like it'll force me to stick with my program.

Weekends are always tough. No workouts were planned but sticking to a good 4-5 meals is tough. Saturday was the old 3-meal thang but Sunday was better. Been feeling progression of a flu coming on too and I'm feeling pretty crappy today. Hoping a good night sleep will keep the Monday workout happening. It'll suck if a flu hits me this month when I _finally_ sign in for a 100 Point Challenge :doh:. Keeping my fingers crossed.... at least the wrist is back to normal.

I think I'll post my workout routine tomorrow.

I thought I'd post my chest / upper back Monday workout :bb:. There's a bit of shoulder overlap to Wednesday's arms / shoulders routine but what the heck they need the work!

I've borrowed from a few routines I've seen and I just started with this one for June - I was previously (April / May) doing 2 or 3 workouts per week that were alternating upper body then lower body focused. I'm in the midst of my first serious attempt at bulking and trying to focus on compound exercises. I'm noticed 'some' results from April and May but I'm not sure if improvements could be made to this current 3-workout per week routine.

The sets listed for my Monday routine do not include one or two warm-up sets at lower weights that I do first. I go no lower that 6 reps and no more than 10 (after which I up the weight). I'm trying to increase each week. The Dips and Pushups are new additions. Generally, the Dips are a real struggle so I'm happy to be doing those first and the Pushups are a nice (brutal) challenge at the end.

If anyone has some input please let me know so I can improve the routine. I'm not sure if I'm doing to many exercises, not enough reps, should switch something, etc. etc etc. Any input would be welcome :nod:

6 minutes warmup on stationary bike

Dips - 3 x to failure
Flat Bench Press - 3 x 6-10
One-arm dumbell row - 3 x 6-10
Incline Bench Press - 3 x 6-10
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 3 x 6-10
Seated Row - 2 x 6-10
Pushups - 2 x to failure

Thanks carguy! 30 lbs! How long a period was your bulk?



It was pretty long, I think 8 months. As soon as I stopped over-eating, I dropped back to about 178# pretty quickly but still needed some fine tuning. I hired a professional (SwoleCat, who was a sponsor on this site at the time) and did his SGX plan for three months. That really allowed me to drop my body fat and reveal the muscle I had put on in my bulk. Since then, I'm up about 8-10 pounds. I watch what I eat and am a regular at my gym, but don't sweat the details so much. I can pretty much eat what I want and my high levels of cardio and weights keep me healthy and fit. My avatar pic is current.

It was pretty long, I think 8 months. As soon as I stopped over-eating, I dropped back to about 178# pretty quickly but still needed some fine tuning. I hired a professional (SwoleCat, who was a sponsor on this site at the time) and did his SGX plan for three months. That really allowed me to drop my body fat and reveal the muscle I had put on in my bulk. Since then, I'm up about 8-10 pounds. I watch what I eat and am a regular at my gym, but don't sweat the details so much. I can pretty much eat what I want and my high levels of cardio and weights keep me healthy and fit. My avatar pic is current.

Well, that's good news. Seems time and consistency is the issue with an emphasis on diet. I'm trying my best and seem to be adding some weight. I'm tracking it through the month and we'll see where it all ends up.

Looking pretty cut in the avatar! Congrats and thanks for the input.

THE BIG GOAL:

To be fitter and look better at 40 than ever before!!!


I'm the same age as you and acheived this initial goal! - so you can definately do it! It's all about working out and sticking to a routine in both your eating and training. This, and your new journal, will really help keep your long term focus until it just becomes as automatic as cleaning your teeth!

All the best!

Well, yesterday's workout was great!! I was dying trying to push those last one or two reps in each set. The dips are a killer to start with but it's hard not to laugh at myself straining to do pushups to failure at the end of the workout. I just collapsed on the mat totally wasted at the end. Gotta expect some progress with beating the crap out of myself?:bang:

What ever doesn't kill you makes you tougher.... I hope?

I'm fighting a cold this morning which sucks. I'm going to stick with today's cardio and eat like a good boy.

Stuck with the cardio and abs for yesterday. Pushed hard and had a good workout and the cold seems to be on its way out.:claphigh:

Today is the Arms and Shoulders workout which I'm really liking. The routine is:

Alternating Dumbell Bicep Curls 3 x 6-10
Standing Upright Cable Rows 3 x 6-10
Scott Bench Preacher Curls 3 x 6-10
Close Grip Cable Tricep Pushdown 3 x 6-10
Shoulder Dumbell Shrug 3 x 6-10
Lying Two-arm Dumbell Tricep Curl 3 x 6-10
Reinforced One-arm Dumbell Bicep Curl 3 x 6-10

Yesterday's weight was 151.5 (which is 1.5 addition since June 1). Could just be a fluctuation so we'll have to wait and see if the trend continues through the month. Would be nice to end the month at 155. While I'm keen see a cut version of myself, I'll try to get the weight over 160 before switching to a cutting routine. It'll be more about how I look rather than how much I weigh (e.g. some chest and arm measurement increases).

Note to self..... get body fat measured.

I'm the same age as you and acheived this initial goal! - so you can definately do it! It's all about working out and sticking to a routine in both your eating and training. This, and your new journal, will really help keep your long term focus until it just becomes as automatic as cleaning your teeth!

All the best!

Thanks Akira-Kai!! Its been great posting on this site and hearing from other folks who've managed to have solid results at various ages and stages in their lives. It makes it all seem achievable.

I'm noticing some early results but I think if I can manage 2 solid back-to-back months (especially using the 100 Point Challenge) we'll really see if I'm getting it right. Thanks for the input!!! :tu:

Managed to stick with the plan but it felt like a sporadic and frantic mess. Everything but the workout was a mess. Meals were all over the place but I think I hit the caloric needs. I had to rush down to the gym for my Thursday cardio session on the bike and then rush back to my office, scarf down lunch and then run to a meeting. Then drank too much free coffee :spaz:. Ah well. At least I stuck with the plan.... mostly.

Yesterday's arms and shoulders workout was solid though. Feel a few tender spots today where I don't usually feel them. Good!!

Tomorrow my schedule is wrecked so I'm going to have to put in a legs workout at home in the early am. It'll keep me on track but it isn't going to be as tough a workout. Arrgh!!!

Sorry, too much complaining. :violin:

The weekend was less than inspiring. Not that it should be much since its "no workout" time but it was a struggle to keep the diet together (not eating particularly well) and it was tough to get in the extra meals around everyone else's schedules. It got sorta done but it was a drag.

Today's workout was also a struggle. I think I upped the weights too much because everything felt like work to complete. The shoulders were especially tired - probably overtraining the body a bit. I'm going to have to throttle-down the weights a bit to make sure it gets done and pace the increases more slowly. C'est la vie.

Managed to stick with the plan but it felt like a sporadic and frantic mess. Everything but the workout was a mess. Meals were all over the place but I think I hit the caloric needs. I had to rush down to the gym for my Thursday cardio session on the bike and then rush back to my office, scarf down lunch and then run to a meeting. Then drank too much free coffee :spaz:. Ah well. At least I stuck with the plan.... mostly.

Yesterday's arms and shoulders workout was solid though. Feel a few tender spots today where I don't usually feel them. Good!!

Tomorrow my schedule is wrecked so I'm going to have to put in a legs workout at home in the early am. It'll keep me on track but it isn't going to be as tough a workout. Arrgh!!!

Sorry, too much complaining. :violin:

I'm a great advocate of the Home Gym concept. It makes the training aspect of your new lifestyle a lot more controlable and they can easily be incorporated into a very small corner of your home.

I also found the best time for training was first thing in the morning (again only really possible with the home gym) as it's the only time you can guarentee consistency.

All the best!

I'm a great advocate of the Home Gym concept. It makes the training aspect of your new lifestyle a lot more controlable and they can easily be incorporated into a very small corner of your home.

I also found the best time for training was first thing in the morning (again only really possible with the home gym) as it's the only time you can guarentee consistency.

All the best!

I _totally_ agree with the home gym. However, I have a pretty early day anyway and two young munchkins to get up for school/daycare so this means a "home gym morning workout" is going to be _very_ early in the morning. It ain't impossible since I'm a morning person anyway but we get a very good rate at the gym facilities in our office which can't be beat (versus outfitting a home gym). It isn't perfect but its got more than enough for me at this point. I'm pretty consistent with working out when I first get to work but sometimes the work schedule screws it up. C'est la vie (for now).

Some updates for today.

Monday's Chest/Back workout was a killer. I think i increased the weights a bit to ambitiously. The shoulders were just trashed so I've throttled things back a bit and dropped the set of pushups at the end. Still plenty of exercises in the routine.

Tuesday's cardio was done as planned and today's arms/shoulders workout went great. Diet has been on track.

Yesterday's weight was 154 which, combined with last week's 151.5, seems to show a general upward trend (hooray!.... results!). It would be nice to end up the month of June at 155(ish) and carry through July to end up at 160. My current bodyfat % is between 16-19% which seems a reasonable level during this bulking phase.

I'm a bit unsure about how long and how heavy to go with this bulking phase at this point in time. I know how I want to look in the end and to talk numbers isn't really accurate. In the end I'd like to look 10 to 15 pounds heavier AND be cut but I think I'll work my way there in phases. Maybe get comfortably over 160 for this phase and then cut for a while to drop my bodyfat somewhere around 10 - 12%. Then repeat to end up cut and around 160-165 and 8-10% bodyfat? We'll have to see how it looks in the mirror.

Happy with the incremental results for the first half of June! :)

Happy Father's Day folks!

Friday was a solid Leg workout. Still feeling a bit of tenderness late on Saturday :).

However, daily weight checks out of curiousity haven't been showing any increases (despite a steady diet and good workout sessions). Next 'official' weighing is on Tuesday but for the whole week up to today (Sunday) I'm only holding steady at 154. I'm not going backwards but I'm a bit disappointed. We'll see what Tuesday's number has in store and just keep the fingers crossed that I can still crest 155 by the end of the month.:confused: If its still at 154, I'll consider some minor changes to diet - maybe more food is required? :eat:

Oh what a drag. Due to a labour dispute I can't hit the gym until its over (hopefully soon!!!). Anyway, going to have to home-gym it for a while which is going to mean more of a maintenance and minor cutting phase until I can push some bigger weights at the gym.

My weight has plateau'd at 154 since last week. Going to try and maintain with the diet since there is no sense is stuffing myself if I can't move some bigger weight at the same time.

What a bummer but a minor setback to the long range plan.

Today, I'm going to hit the bike - the real one this time - lol. Its just a beautiful day out there. No HIIT, just a nice long ride down to the lake.

Had to work back to back night shifts which has totally screwed up my schedule. Diet is a challenge and working out is way out of wack. :eek: Must sleeep......

Well, when it rains it pours. I was pretty lax in doing any workouts on Thursday and Friday (the night shifts didn't help). And I went and hurt my back on Friday which has put me out of commission for the weekend in terms of catching up. What a total pain!! The labour dispute continues and I can't hit my usual gym. A bulking diet makes no sense now so I'm just maintaining...... trying.....:(

This month hasn't worked as planned at all largely due to external factors. A labour dispute screwed up my gym schedule and my job radically changed for the month as well. All compounded with a lower back injury. Despite all this I've stayed active but sadly dropped 1.5 lbs. Looks like the planets are back in line for August so I'll be moving back to the bulking schedule. I'm down to 152-ish from a high of about 156 which is a total bummer :(. August is going to be a slow and steady weight-lifting routine due to the time away and the back injury still nagging. Results will be modest - hoping to get to at least 155 with high hopes for the Fall.

Well, I'm signed up for the August 100 point challenge and stability looks like its here to stay for a while. Did my cardio yesterday which will usually be martial arts or a run but was a good ol' fashion 1 hour walk (would have been a bit longer but it started raining).

I'm hitting the gym today - YEAH! I've been away for almost six weeks after having been very consistent all through June. Looks like life will hold constant enough for a steady schedule through to Christmas. Today is Shoulders and Arms which I love!!! :nod:

The back is feeling pretty good today but I'm going to ratchet things back a bit - also since its been a while. I can't wait! :spaz:

I'm not going into August with big expectations but I'm hoping to gain a couple pounds and get back to 155 - 157. Assuming the back continues to recover (seeing the doctor this week), I'm going to maintain a 'bulking' routine up to 165 - 168 and then 'cut' until I'm happy with how I look (maybe 10-12% bf). My general goal has been to look a bit bigger and be cut. I don't know how much weight that means but I have a picture in my mind - more of a fighter physique than a lifter physique. I'm guessing this will probably mean a cut weight around 160-165. This may mean another bulk and cut cycle we'll just have to wait and see.

Back on track for August!!!!! :tucool:

Its Saturday morning after the first (almost full) week back on track after a 6 week hiatus. It was great to be back at the gym. Speaking of 'back', its still in pretty rough shape. I kept the weight levels modest since I was away for such a long time and was very careful to stay away from certain exercises. A few exercises felt uncomfortable (but not more than just sitting in a frikkin' chair - ouch!! <he says as he types sitting in a chair :(>) but all in all it was a great week. Everything got worked hard and I felt every workout the next day (and sometimes the next one too :lol:).

I'm happy to be back to a normal work life and the workout routine feels fantastic (diet too). The weights are feeling great and the martial arts is a nice balance for cardio. I haven't done any martial arts for almost 8 years and the rust shows. Signed up for six months which I'll probably stretch to a year. Not sure if I'll keep on with it or just get back in fighting shape and scratch off the rust.

Anyway, the body feels great today and the future looks bright.

Ah some progress.

Its feeling very good to be back at the gym after such a long absence. Weight levels are still something to be worked on but I'm getting there. The muscles are definitely being woken up though!

I was very happy to see a couple of pounds of gain from last week depite having to be cautious with my lower back (up from 153 to 155). With being at 155 I'm now hoping to get back to 157 by the end of the month (not something I was expecting). With that, I can hopefully get over 160 by the end of September which would be a real sign of progress!! :tu: I've never been at 160 in my life and hitting that goal will be a real boost to keep with the program and that all the effort actually works!

Off to the gym in a couple of hours to do Arms & Shoulders - my fav.

After reading on the benefits of chin-ups and pull-ups in a workout routine I've decided to add 2 sets (for now) of each (cycled) to the beginning of each of my weight-day workouts (I'll save the other variations until I can do more of them). There's benefit to the exercises themselves as they move alot of muscles but doing them at the beginning is a nice warm-up to the muscles as well.

Yesterday was the first shot and I was happy with being able to get 2 x 5 on the chins but a bit disappointed to only eak out 2 x 2 on the pull-ups. I knew the pull-ups would be harder but I thought I'd be able to do more - and to be honest the 2 x 2 were a struggle (maybe a bit tired still from the Chest and Back day on Monday?). I'm DEFINITELY making these a permanent addition!! They're fun to do and it'll be great to be able to knock off 10 in a shot one day. I'll try and add 1 rep per week and I'll also consider shifting to 3 sets instead of just 2.... we'll see how it goes. Arrrgh!! :lol:

An update of sorts....

Workouts and diet have been going very well this month. It seems that even though the weight levels had to be back a notch, I've put on 4 pounds!! So, I'm pretty close to where I left off towards the end of June - not as much of a setback as I had thought. It seems I'll get to around 157 by the end of the month which is great since I had only targetted 155. This may also be due to me getting in 5 meals per day rather than the 4 I had targetted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed to get to 160 in September and keep it moving until I can get over 165 (just hoping for a modest 3-4 lbs/month). Then it'll be cutting time until the end of the year.