Man of Honour
On course to easily hit my goal of 215lbs by August, then will revaluate after my wedding is out the way but probably aim for 200lbs then have a bit of a break from cutting for 6-8 weeks just to see where we're at.
[[[The 2022 Gym Rats Thread]]] ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
- Thread starter Somnambulist
- Start date
Man of Honour
To keep up five sessions a week, shed a kilo or two of fat and maybe replace that fat with muscle.
As long as I keep up the gym and keep progressing in terms of either heavier lifts, extra reps or sets, then I'll be happy.
Do more leg work
Instead of push, pull, legs, push, pull, push, pull, legs.
Soldato
Just to get stronger really. Program ends around the end of August so hopefully a few kg onto my squat/dl and bench.
I would like to get bigger but that takes too long. I need that dopamine hit of numbers going up regularly.
Man of Honour
So I've been working on regulating hormonal profiles via diet (which IF and other scheduled fasting methodologies have identified). I've also set my calories to 3.5k which is just about right for maintenance and modest surplus. I also give myself an 6-8 hour feeding window. I also do a full 24hr fast once a week - but my average daily calorie intake is for a week, pretty much spot on 3.5k. Over a period of 7 days there is fluctuation, I've noticed anything between 100-500 cals +/- over the last 8 weeks. However relatively stable. I have been doing this experiment now for about 6 months. I haven't hugely cut treats (i.e. the occasional burger or pizza) but my snacking has reduced a lot, and much more controlled now.
I've lost a bit of weight, but bodyfat has demonstrably come down, blood test also show improved lipid profile, but calliper measures show an all-round 2.7% bodyfat reduction which is huge, I store a LOT of fat on my back for some reason, but it is all subcutaneous adipose tissue with little visceral adipose tissue, or should I say, enough of it to be protective. Back fat is often associated with insulin response, but having checked mine is perfect - so I guess it's just a genetic thing. Still I'm sitting at 16.7% bodyfat at the moment, which for a 40 something year old is something I'm particularly proud of. that said callipers are only as good as the person that does them, and ideally you want the same person to do them regularly. I've only had 3 "sessions" - but that should be accurate enough for me. I'm down to 94kg now which took some getting used to but I'm happy now. Often I can see the superficial epigastric vein (lower ab vein - I think that's what it's calleD) and quad veins are very prominent now too.
I do cardio via plyometric circuits, swimming, and walking - I do the occasional 5k but don't particularly enjoy running.
In addition to diet hormonal control, I've been doing extensive cold water therapy and although I haven't found a way of having of irisin and FGF21 hormone levels tested, the 6 months I have been following the protocol has certainly helped, if anything I can last 15 minutes easily now in sub 10C water. I only do it twice a week, but have cold showers every day, even normal cold water should be enough to trigger brown fat cells to oxidise white fat cells - of course I can't prove it but the research seems to infer there is a strong link. Anyway, I'm sticking to it, besides it's saving me on hot water/electricity bills! Blood pressure has dropped from being on average 135/88 to 124/87 according to my blood pressure monitor (I do it bi-weekly), resting heart rate down from 68 to 62.
Measures:
Waist - 32"
Thighs - 26" (left just under)
chest - 45-46" kinda between
arms - 17" (although I never train them)
Current maxes:
Bench ~130kg
Deads ~ 230kg
Squats ~ 210kg
Shoulder press ~ 80kg
I think once I relax my diet/experiment a bit I'll aim to get back to 600+ total. However I'm less bothered about huge numbers, I know I can squat 200+ for reps now and the deads seemed fairly achievable. Things like muscle ups and more bodyweight exercises I'm enjoying a lot more now I'm a fair bit lighter.
not sure why the pictures are so blurry/low quality - they look fine on my phone, but seem to look awful on screen - ah well.
This is the first time I've purposely tried to "diet down" or at least actively lose bodyfat and keep a relative amount of muscle mass / power. I've been preaching the theory for decades, but wanted to try and see if I could do it. Generally I prefer to be bulkier rather than too lean, but it's quite a fun journey when you see the results of the hard work. Not quite as epic as @Syla5 or @tom_e - but happy enough with the progress.
And yes I suck at posing - I will never be a bodybuilder!
I've lost a bit of weight, but bodyfat has demonstrably come down, blood test also show improved lipid profile, but calliper measures show an all-round 2.7% bodyfat reduction which is huge, I store a LOT of fat on my back for some reason, but it is all subcutaneous adipose tissue with little visceral adipose tissue, or should I say, enough of it to be protective. Back fat is often associated with insulin response, but having checked mine is perfect - so I guess it's just a genetic thing. Still I'm sitting at 16.7% bodyfat at the moment, which for a 40 something year old is something I'm particularly proud of. that said callipers are only as good as the person that does them, and ideally you want the same person to do them regularly. I've only had 3 "sessions" - but that should be accurate enough for me. I'm down to 94kg now which took some getting used to but I'm happy now. Often I can see the superficial epigastric vein (lower ab vein - I think that's what it's calleD) and quad veins are very prominent now too.
I do cardio via plyometric circuits, swimming, and walking - I do the occasional 5k but don't particularly enjoy running.
In addition to diet hormonal control, I've been doing extensive cold water therapy and although I haven't found a way of having of irisin and FGF21 hormone levels tested, the 6 months I have been following the protocol has certainly helped, if anything I can last 15 minutes easily now in sub 10C water. I only do it twice a week, but have cold showers every day, even normal cold water should be enough to trigger brown fat cells to oxidise white fat cells - of course I can't prove it but the research seems to infer there is a strong link. Anyway, I'm sticking to it, besides it's saving me on hot water/electricity bills!
Blood pressure has dropped from being on average 135/88 to 124/87 according to my blood pressure monitor (I do it bi-weekly), resting heart rate down from 68 to 62.Measures:
Waist - 32"
Thighs - 26" (left just under)
chest - 45-46" kinda between
arms - 17" (although I never train them)
Current maxes:
Bench ~130kg
Deads ~ 230kg
Squats ~ 210kg
Shoulder press ~ 80kg
I think once I relax my diet/experiment a bit I'll aim to get back to 600+ total. However I'm less bothered about huge numbers, I know I can squat 200+ for reps now and the deads seemed fairly achievable. Things like muscle ups and more bodyweight exercises I'm enjoying a lot more now I'm a fair bit lighter.
not sure why the pictures are so blurry/low quality - they look fine on my phone, but seem to look awful on screen - ah well.
This is the first time I've purposely tried to "diet down" or at least actively lose bodyfat and keep a relative amount of muscle mass / power. I've been preaching the theory for decades, but wanted to try and see if I could do it. Generally I prefer to be bulkier rather than too lean, but it's quite a fun journey when you see the results of the hard work. Not quite as epic as @Syla5 or @tom_e - but happy enough with the progress.
And yes I suck at posing - I will never be a bodybuilder!
Last edited:
Just found this thread.
I, at the age of 46 and having always been a gym cynic, was at a pretty low ebb in my life.
Not eating, sleeping or looking after myself. At 5'11" I was dropping below 10 stone.
Then I took up an offer from a friend of a friend who was aiming to get into being a PT (her story in itself is an inspiration) and did 1 session a week.
It was a revelation, my mental health has been on a massive upward curve ever since.
I soon bought some weights from Argos to do the sets she taught me at home, then joined a gym for heavier lifting sessions, i have a MyProtein subscription too.
In a year I've gone from 10 to 12 stone, without an ounce of fat going on. From dying doing a handful of body weight squats, I'm doing 100kg plus sets.
I still struggle to eat enough, so I'm getting 1000 calories a day through protein shakes just to make the small gains I'm making.
Hoping to sort that out and increase the gym sessions and put on another stone or 2 by the end of the year.
This is awesome!! Also, progress pics, we love progress pics
Throw up another post of what your daily food intake is like, theres probably some advise that can be thrown your way for great calorie dense foods for bulking.
Man of Honour
Bro that is epic condition at any age especially for someone just not wanting to loaf about i.e. not competing or anything, never mind mid 40s with a busy family/work life.So I've been working on regulating hormonal profiles via diet (which IF and other scheduled fasting methodologies have identified). I've also set my calories to 3.5k which is just about right for maintenance and modest surplus. I also give myself an 6-8 hour feeding window. I also do a full 24hr fast once a week - but my average daily calorie intake is for a week, pretty much spot on 3.5k. Over a period of 7 days there is fluctuation, I've noticed anything between 100-500 cals +/- over the last 8 weeks. However relatively stable. I have been doing this experiment now for about 6 months. I haven't hugely cut treats (i.e. the occasional burger or pizza) but my snacking has reduced a lot, and much more controlled now.
I've lost a bit of weight, but bodyfat has demonstrably come down, blood test also show improved lipid profile, but calliper measures show an all-round 2.7% bodyfat reduction which is huge, I store a LOT of fat on my back for some reason, but it is all subcutaneous adipose tissue with little visceral adipose tissue, or should I say, enough of it to be protective. Back fat is often associated with insulin response, but having checked mine is perfect - so I guess it's just a genetic thing. Still I'm sitting at 16.7% bodyfat at the moment, which for a 40 something year old is something I'm particularly proud of. that said callipers are only as good as the person that does them, and ideally you want the same person to do them regularly. I've only had 3 "sessions" - but that should be accurate enough for me. I'm down to 94kg now which took some getting used to but I'm happy now. Often I can see the superficial epigastric vein (lower ab vein - I think that's what it's calleD) and quad veins are very prominent now too.
I do cardio via plyometric circuits, swimming, and walking - I do the occasional 5k but don't particularly enjoy running.
In addition to diet hormonal control, I've been doing extensive cold water therapy and although I haven't found a way of having of irisin and FGF21 hormone levels tested, the 6 months I have been following the protocol has certainly helped, if anything I can last 15 minutes easily now in sub 10C water. I only do it twice a week, but have cold showers every day, even normal cold water should be enough to trigger brown fat cells to oxidise white fat cells - of course I can't prove it but the research seems to infer there is a strong link. Anyway, I'm sticking to it, besides it's saving me on hot water/electricity bills!
Measures:
Waist - 32"
Thighs - 26" (left just under)
chest - 45-46" kinda between
arms - 17" (although I never train them)
Current maxes:
Bench ~130kg
Deads ~ 230kg
Squats ~ 210kg
Shoulder press ~ 80kg
I think once I relax my diet/experiment a bit I'll aim to get back to 600+ total. However I'm less bothered about huge numbers, I know I can squat 200+ for reps now and the deads seemed fairly achievable. Things like muscle ups and more bodyweight exercises I'm enjoying a lot more now I'm a fair bit lighter.
not sure why the pictures are so blurry/low quality - they look fine on my phone, but seem to look awful on screen - ah well.
This is the first time I've purposely tried to "diet down" or at least actively lose bodyfat and keep a relative amount of muscle mass / power. I've been preaching the theory for decades, but wanted to try and see if I could do it. Generally I prefer to be bulkier rather than too lean, but it's quite a fun journey when you see the results of the hard work. Not quite as epic as @Syla5 or @tom_e - but happy enough with the progress.
And yes I suck at posing - I will never be a bodybuilder!
I know "best" is a very relative term depending on goals but I'd say that's the best you've looked since I stepped foot into the gym threads 10+ years ago.
This is awesome!! Also, progress pics, we love progress pics
Throw up another post of what your daily food intake is like, theres probably some advise that can be thrown your way for great calorie dense foods for bulking.
Thanks.
TBH, the food thing is a total lack of appetite. I used to love food, even if I didnt eat loads.
Now it's a chore, and i can feel hungry but not stomach anything, i suspect it's still mental rather than physical, but am going to the doctor as I am getting a very acid stomach too.
Typically I do
Double serving of cereal with semi skimmed milk (full fat doesnt play nicy with the protein powder I find, too thick)
450 calories and 35g protein of myprotein weight gainer + milk.
Tuna/Egg salad sandwich.
Another shake.
Evening meal, pasta, pizza or a lot of steak and air fried chips.
300 calories of yoghurt
Couple of bananas
Bag of peanut m&ms
Couple of packets of crisps
Not the healthiest, I know, but it's what I can get down.
Will get some photos sorted, I've just managed to get to my first target of 12 stone consistently so due some updates anyway!
Man of Honour
Another epic bit of work, keep the consistency and the gainz will come!
Theres quite some room to tweak things and really up your cals here.
Breakfast for example do you like porridge/oats?
70gg Jumbo Rolled oats
150g Greek yoghurt / skyr (i find vanilla flavour really helps add even more taste)
100ml Milk
30g whey (if you like your porridge warm then mix this separately with a small amount of water and add after heating porridge)
Banana or mixed berries, on the side or in the porridge
This is going to see you at around 650 cals 50g protein, 7g fat, 85g carbs.
The added benefit of this is you can make it in the morning or night before and just stick it in the fridge. Also far more protein then a standard cereal. Dont get me wrong, i LOVE cereal, it just doesn't have the macro line up I need
In terms of you saying full fat milk doesn't mix well with protein, just add some extra water to help thin it down a little to your desired level.
Lunch
Tuna is very lean, low cal meat, you can swap it for a decent amount of chicken and double the cals. Even try Gammon or pork as well. 150g cooked Gammon is 270 cals, 34g protein, compared to 1 tin of tuna being 99 cals and 25g protein.
Change your peanut m&ms for straight up peanuts and just eat more of them, have peanut m&m's as more of a treat.
Out of interest do you track your intake to know your macros you're hitting?
Theres quite some room to tweak things and really up your cals here.
Breakfast for example do you like porridge/oats?
70gg Jumbo Rolled oats
150g Greek yoghurt / skyr (i find vanilla flavour really helps add even more taste)
100ml Milk
30g whey (if you like your porridge warm then mix this separately with a small amount of water and add after heating porridge)
Banana or mixed berries, on the side or in the porridge
This is going to see you at around 650 cals 50g protein, 7g fat, 85g carbs.
The added benefit of this is you can make it in the morning or night before and just stick it in the fridge. Also far more protein then a standard cereal. Dont get me wrong, i LOVE cereal, it just doesn't have the macro line up I need
In terms of you saying full fat milk doesn't mix well with protein, just add some extra water to help thin it down a little to your desired level.
Lunch
Tuna is very lean, low cal meat, you can swap it for a decent amount of chicken and double the cals. Even try Gammon or pork as well. 150g cooked Gammon is 270 cals, 34g protein, compared to 1 tin of tuna being 99 cals and 25g protein.
Change your peanut m&ms for straight up peanuts and just eat more of them, have peanut m&m's as more of a treat.
Out of interest do you track your intake to know your macros you're hitting?
All good advice, but I wont be able to eat optimally until I sort my appetite problem out.
I get out eaten by my 11 year old daughter.
Even stuff I like I'm forcing the food down at the end, so stuff like porridge which I'm not a fan of but could normally eat, at the moment there's no chance I could get through a bowl.
Man of Honour
@wesimmo don't underestimate CBT. I had some sessions a while back and hugely helped a broad element of how I perceived things but also relationships with myself and behavioural elements. It's been a massive journey but it's paying for itself now. It's what pushed me to start exploring my healthcare more effectively (e.g. blood tests and understanding how my body responds to different things).
My gym rat journey has been decades in the making and I'm now in the best place I have been as a culmination of getting insights and actually applying the data to my behaviours.
I wonder if your appetite issue is a blend of psychological and physical issues? Sounds like you're getting it sorted which is great.
My gym rat journey has been decades in the making and I'm now in the best place I have been as a culmination of getting insights and actually applying the data to my behaviours.
I wonder if your appetite issue is a blend of psychological and physical issues? Sounds like you're getting it sorted which is great.
Man of Honour
Thank you. You've seen me on my journey over the last decade or two even, and I agree I definitely feel I'm in the best shape of all that time. I've never been in "bad" shape but I've been a lot more focused now, even though I'm doing this for me, I just enjoy being in good shape and healthy.
.I get a lot of compliments from males generally (which is fine as I'm happily married!) When I take the kids swimming - definitely atypical dad bod which has always been a motivator.
One thing I've noticed is that it's taking a lot longer to achieve the results than it used to but I'm now really good at dialing in my diet and managing hormonal response via diet and behavioural elements.
I'm definitely the leanest I've ever been without too much strength compromised. Don't get me wrong I miss being bulky but I'm getting used to this now. But **** me it takes a lot of work to keep this up, but once you're there it's "easier" to maintain.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 46,245
I hear you. It gets to a point where it’s really tough to maintain, let alone grow. I’m basically eating to the point where I feel sick these days and even then it’s baby steps forward. A few days of not eating well and it undoes progress very quickly.
But a double portion bowl of cereal is more quantity then the porridge I've suggested. Ok there's the issue of you not being a fan of porridge so that's a different matter but if volume is your issue you need to focus on what's calorie dense, maybe you really need to focus on upping the fats, consider a keto style diet.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 46,245
Bingo. This is why I blend nuts into my shakes. High calorie intake vs volume. I get through about £10-15 of nuts a week for this reason.
Going to give the benefit of the doubt and assume not a troll post as 1st post on a PC related forum in a sub forum for gym rats.
No total waste of time, diet is the most important and impactful impact on waist size.
That's a lot of nuts, id just go totally basic peanuts at this point and save £5+ per week. Also have you found the wonders of powdered peanut butter yet?
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 46,245
Powdered, no I’ve not seen that. Ill give it a go. That’s a good shout on the peanuts, half the price.