ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ ||| The 2023/2024 Gym Rats Thread ||| ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

I haven't posted in gym rats threads in many years, still training of course. Training focus has shifted over the years as I've gotten older (38 this year). Right now I'm doing PPL and started running twice a week and doing a bit of yoga. Goals are to maintain a decent level of muscle mass, stay lean and improve my all round health. My heavy lifting days are best left to my 27 year old self :)

Currently weigh about 78KG, my short term targets are to run 5K under 30 and to get back up to 110x8 on bench press (currently at 102x8).

Should probably update my signature to a pair of tight running shorts.

Here's how my home gym looks these days. May add a rowerg during the colder months.

PXL-20230501-140526853.jpg
 
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I'm still really new to this, and I wondered if I put up my training schedule I might get some pointers/help/direction in what I'm doing, good and bad. If so I guess it's worth putting in my journey to this point as well? Cheers :)
 
OK - waffly post alert lol! So 2 years ago I was 6 and a half/7 stone heavier. A combination of crappy news, lifestyle changes and not eating much resulted in the weight loss. Good. But not in shape or fit, but a start. I started cycling and rowing. Then, about 12 months ago I started "lifting". By which I mean just doing random stuff to try and build some muscle back up. I enjoyed it, so decided to go for a more structured approach instead of the scattergun stuff I had been doing, and so 6 months ago started lifting 3 times a week. I workout Mon, Wed and Fri after work, but before we have our evening meal. This fits in well with kids/other housework stuffs etc. Can't do weekends as I also do wedding catering at weekends, and have no time. I work in a kitchen (education) so I do a lot of steps - 10,000 a day and with the walk to and from work usually rack up 9-10km a day. I don't do any cardio specific stuff because of this, and lack of time!

My current program consists of 2 alternating sessions. Both have the same warmup. Both currently take about 1hr 10/20 mins with a "working" time of about 25 mins. Week 1 = A B A Week 2 = B A B The first set is a warmup set, approx 2/3 of the "work weight". The following sets are all at work weight if that makes sense? I'm currently 182cm and as of Monday 76.8kg 47years old. I'm aiming for 160g protein a day, and come in a few grams over that per day. Currently eating 4 meals a day. Not sure of my current calorie needs, still dialling it in.

Warmup:
8 flights of stairs, but going up two steps at a time
10 weighted pushups (currently 10kg)
40 Russian Twists with weight (currently 7kg)
2 minute plank with arms fully extended
20 Neck Curls (currently 6kg)

Workout A:
Chinups x8 x7 x7 x7 then x5 weighted (currently 5kg)
Deadlift x11 x11 x11 x11 (61.5kg 81.5kg)
Overhead Barbell Press x9 x9 x9 x9x (21.5kg 34.5kg)
Dumbbell Biceps curls x11 x11 x11 x11 (10kg 14.5kg)
Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extensions x15 x15 x15 x15 (9kg 12.5kg)
Situps x20@ bodyweight then x16 x16 x16 weighted (22.5kg)

Workout B:
Barbell Back Squat x9 x9 x9 x9 (41.5kg 61.5kg)
Barbell Bench Press x11 x11 x11 x11 (36kg 52kg)
Barbell Bentover Row x11 x11 x11 x11 (49kg 69kg lol)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise x15 x15 x15 x15 (73.5kg 10.5kg)
Barbell Calf Raise x15 x15 x15 x15 (60.5kg 86kg)
Hanging Knee Raises x15 x14 x13

My metric for weight increases is if I lift the workweight successfully 3 sessions in a row I increase by 2.5kg for the bigger lifts and .5kg for the dumbbell ones. The weights have been increasing at a fairly steady rate, although I do struggle with OHPs and Presses - I damaged my rotator cuff after a slip on some ice back in December. I have had physio on it, and he recommended not to stop using it, so there's that.

I do have some biometric impedance scales. I knew these were crap but thought it might be lineally crap, but no, the scales reckon I'm the same body composition I was 12 months ago. I have no inclination to go to an actual gym, so all my stuff is done at home. I have a bench and a squat rack with pullup bar and a barbell and dumbbells. Space is very limited, so I have to do my workouts outside.

I have no real goals though, that's the trouble. I would like to get stronger, obvs, and was hoping to track bodyfat % but as I said the scales I have are a total waste of time. I know that a lot of the results are visual, trouble is I can't really see it as I find it too subjective. I can see the weight numbers going up, so that's good!

Would appreciate any comments/thoughts on the above regime, any changes I should be making etc. I have no problems with the repetitive nature of the above, I still enjoy getting out there and actually doing something!

Thanks for any pointers/helps :)
 
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looks solid, the main thing i would change would be the reps / volume structure 11 reps on big compound exercises means you are either going to wreck yourself or you arent pushing those exercises hard enough and really are cruising.

In terms of your warm up do you also warm up to your lifting weights for each exercise or do you jump straight to your working sets? For example your squats, is the first squat you do with 61.5kg?

I would personally change squats to a 5x5 style, and increase the weight every session on them by 2.5kg when you hit all sets all reps. Deadlift i would drop to 3x5 and add 5kg per session, however i would say that on your A B A week i would do deadlifts just once and swap the second deadlift movement of that week to RDL's and do your volume similar to your other exercises. One of the more important things i would say with your deadlifts is that they are at least starting from the standard sort of height. At the low weight level you have the biggest concern is you are actually doing deficit deadlifts by using smaller plates. Standard plate size is 450mm so give that a consideration.

Bench press i would increase the weight after 2 successful session.

In terms of protein your target seems good, if im being honest i would personally consider it a little low even, I aim for 175g and im only 171cm, but 70-77kg bw. More protein for us older guys is fine, in fact its fine for everyone. You wont do yourself any harm by eating more protein.
 
That's some really helpful advice, thank you!

Yes, I do a lighter warmup set for each exercise, so with squats for example the first set is 41.5kg followed by 3 at 61.5kg. This seemed like a good idea to get the body used to the range of movement it's about to go through.

I certainly can feel the deadlifts after I finish them, they take a lot of effort, so will look into the 3x5 style, along with squats. I'll look at RDLs as a second alternative as well. I made up two little stands for deadlifts, so my bar is at ~9"/23cm from the floor because as you say I've got smaller plates. I *think* that's about the right height?

I'll continue with a target of 160g of protein then, checking I'm hitting 180-190g so will keep it at those levels.

Thanks again for the advice :)
 
OK your warmups before your main workouts you can probably dial back for example there's no need to do the weighted pushups or planks, they will just fatigue you before you get to the main movements. Instead add them to the back end of your workouts as finishers. Similar to the twists and neck curls.

The idea of a warmup before weights is to get the blood flowing and joints moving, you would be surprised by how many top lifters just use their warmup sets as their dedicated warm up even!
 
I like using the rowing machine as a warm up, gets most of your body going in one go. Maybe tricky if you're doing everything at home though.
 
haaammit said:
Warmup:
8 flights of stairs, but going up two steps at a time
10 weighted pushups (currently 10kg)
40 Russian Twists with weight (currently 7kg)
2 minute plank with arms fully extended
20 Neck Curls (currently 6kg)

Workout A:
Chinups x8 x7 x7 x7 then x5 weighted (currently 5kg)
Deadlift x11 x11 x11 x11 (61.5kg 81.5kg)
Overhead Barbell Press x9 x9 x9 x9x (21.5kg 34.5kg)
Dumbbell Biceps curls x11 x11 x11 x11 (10kg 14.5kg)
Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extensions x15 x15 x15 x15 (9kg 12.5kg)
Situps x20@ bodyweight then x16 x16 x16 weighted (22.5kg)

Workout B:
Barbell Back Squat x9 x9 x9 x9 (41.5kg 61.5kg)
Barbell Bench Press x11 x11 x11 x11 (36kg 52kg)
Barbell Bentover Row x11 x11 x11 x11 (49kg 69kg lol)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise x15 x15 x15 x15 (73.5kg 10.5kg)
Barbell Calf Raise x15 x15 x15 x15 (60.5kg 86kg)
Hanging Knee Raises x15 x14 x13
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My two cents.
Warmup is overkill. You want to mess around for 30 minutes doing all that but for what? Your not protecting anything by then just going into 'heavy' lifting. Warmup sets can do that for you.
These 11/15 rep sets, Where did the idea for this come from?
Why not just keep the core exercises at 5x5, or 5x6 if you must. with accessory lifts pushing to 8-12?

As your in new gains territory at the moment so kinda getting away with it, but your going to quickly hit a wall where your body is not going to be liking these high rep sets and your more likely to injure yourself.

Personally I would also be isolating a muscle group a day, rather than mixing it like that. If your in the gym 3 days a week I see no reason why you wouldn't be doing that.
 
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iamtheoneneo said:
Personally I would also be isolating a muscle group a day, rather than mixing it like that. If your in the gym 3 days a week I see no reason why you wouldn't be doing that.
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This bit is not good advice. For natural lifters and especially older lifters 40+ you really want to be able to hit each muscle group 2+ times per week. Bodypart splits are for much younger (higher test) guys and those on the naughty sauce. This is backed up in multiple studies.

Its why a good PPL or UL or FB workout split is actually much better for most gym goers.
 
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Syla5 said:
This bit is not good advice. For natural lifters and especially older lifters 40+ you really want to be able to hit each muscle group 2+ times per week. Bodypart splits are for much younger (higher test) guys and those on the naughty sauce. This is backed up in multiple studies.

Its why a good PPL or UL or FB workout split is actually much better for most gym goers.
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I agree there are positives/negatives to it. Thats why I said personally. For me in particular I felt like I was wasting my time mixing and really saw growth when I got down to isolating.
Though I concede iv been working out for the better half of 8 years, and the early days, like for many were a bit of a mess!

I couldn't imagine not building on my squat without having that session just about the legs. it would feel unnatural to me, unsafe almost, but I acknowledge that for others it would be too much.
 
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I'm back since first lockdown and feeling pretty clueless so just stuck to 5x5 of which I'm kinda bored to death now.

Not looking to be hitting any strength PRs at this age, but always preferred the big compound movements, what's a good step to update that workout?
 
My training is mainly maintenance now and to support my new addiction to rolling on mats getting sweaty with other men and doing origami with each other. Being stronger and heavier helps my awful technical capability, but I still like being a bit more chunky. I just can't be arsed with heavy weights anymore.
 
New training cycle has begun this week along with a cut phase. Program is 18-19 weeks and im hoping to cut for 11-14 max and then start to bulk again in time to peak. Depending on the cut i might not peak this cycle and just cruise through the program and then do a second cycle along side a bulk.

Depending on timing, staying injury free, and if i can follow the process, this might see some all time PB's being hit, early 2024.
 
i'm gonna e-peen now and post my max lifts (these were 20 years ago but afaik they are still decent) : 180kg x 2 bench press, 200kg x 1 squat, 260kg deadlift. i weighed about 14 stone. i'm now totally out of shape and fat lol! i haven't trained for years and when i tried it again 6 years ago i didn't stick at it. there's a 24/7 gym opened up recently a 10 minute walk from where i live, i have a commitment at home that takes up a large amount of time right now but that will end in x months, when it does i hope to start training again. weight training had a huge mainly positive effect on my younger self, i know i won't gain anything like when i was a young man but would be very content with slow/gradual progress.
 
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Nice numbers especially for under 90kg!

Impressive bench but your squat is a bit askew for your other lifts! Still 640kg is an amazing total!

Hope you get back on the wagon and get lifting again - it's so good for mental health but also let's face it, lifting weights is awesome!
 
Currently on 5/3/1. Singles week at the moment. Failed a bench which is 10kg under my PR. Just messed up the lift but was too embarrassed to rack up and try again. Brilliant confidence boost. :)
 
It's been 2 years since I first did a body weight squat and some lunges for the first time at less than 10 stone.

Despite a mild eating disorder which ive mainly overcome and a shoulder injury for 6 months I had a go at some PBs today to see what progress we've made.

I'm now 12.5 stone (80kgs) and 6ft.

Deadlifts I managed 120kg this morning, could probably do a little more but the next class was starting.

Chest press I managed 3 reps at 65kg which I'm pretty pleased with given my shoulder stopped me doing pressing for 6 months.

I'll try squats next week too, I've repped 120kg before so hoping for 150 on a single.
 
Bit of a mixed week for me. Started off with one of my worst deadlift sessions in a while. Could only do 1 rep of a weight I usually manage 3 of. But on Saturday Squats improved again. After my normal working set did a bit of a 1rm and managed 140kg. Probably close to to my limit at the moment and don't think I'd go higher without a spotter (or at least in a cage) but still on target for my end of year 150kg target.
 
My new training block has me on a program that has AMRAP sets on my main lift for the last working set and not gonna lie, its brutal.

Having stopped the big 3 lifts for my previous training block this is definitely a shock to the system.

Squats week one were 3x6x105kg with set 4 being 105x14.... heres the kicker, for every rep about 6 i have to add 1% of my current rep max to the load for the following week.
Last nights squats 3x6x117.5kg followed by 117.5kgx14 again...next weeks going to be rough.

Im pushing my AMRAPS to technical failure not true failure which is probably a difference of maybe 2-3 reps but those reps would be getting uglier and uglier and likely riskier and riskier.
 
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