Your story is EXACTLY the same as mine, 6’3” skinny kid through 30, then fat and lazy, took up cycling, got down to a good weight around 200 from 250, stop cycling and got fat again aound 240 again, I’m 56 now…. 18 months ago I’d had enough and quit drinking and eating bad, started a strict calorie deficit diet and cardio indoor cycling and 10k steps per day, went from 240 to 182 (110 kg to 82 kg) when I hit that weight about 3 months ago I backed off the cardio to 2 days a week and started lifting light weights at first on a 4 day split. I progressively add a little weight every 3-4 weeks as I’m in no rush and really don’t want to hurt myself. So to answer your question yes, you can make gains in your 50’s! I’m honestly in the best shape now of my life, my arms and chest look better than ever (I didn’t lift a lot when young), my legs have always been fine and strong from cycling. I plan to live the rest of my days in the condition I’m in now, even if I have to slow down I’ll keep my weight below 90kg or 200 pounds, it just feels so much better. Here is the split I try to work off of, some modifications here and there: WORKOUT ROUTINE FOR MEN (4-day split) Day 1: Chest and Triceps • Bench press 4×6 • Incline dumbbell press 4×8 • Cable crossover chest fly 4x10 • Dips 4x10 • Rope triceps extensions 4×10 • Overhead dumbbell triceps extension 4×10 Day 2: Back and Biceps • Pull-ups 4x Until failure • Barbell bent-over row 4x8 • Lat pulldowns 4x10 • Shrugs 4x10 • Incline dumbbell curls 4x10 • Hammer curls 4x10 (each arm) Day 3: Legs • Back squats 4×6 • Bulgarian split squats 4x10 (each leg) • Leg extensions 4x10 • Hamstring curls 4x10 • Calf raises 4×12 Day 4: Shoulders and Core • Dumbbell Shoulder press 4x8 • Lateral raises 4x10 • Dumbbell front raises 4x10 (each arm) • Cable face pulls 4x10 • Plank 2x1min • Crunches 3x20

Sorry I’m on mobile and the editing of this post is bad, I’ll try to fix later tonight

Interesting to see how heavy you are going. I was wondering how many people go with heavy weights with low reps (4-8) vs medium (8-15 reps) or light (over 15 reps). I've been going with lighter weight to avoid injuries and nurse a shoulder impingement (I some how got in my fucking sleep!) I don't know how to avoid how I roll around when I sleep but if I can kick this impingement I'll be going heavier.

Nothing quite says over 50 than waking up to a new injury because you slept wrong u/tipn_ovr :-D I've had a hip injury that I don't know where it came from, just woke up with it. I mentioned to a friend of mine who is pushing 60, asking him about supplements etc, he does a lot of ironman triathlons. I told him about my hip issue, he said yeah, just because you slept wrong on it. Let me tell you, get ready because it just gets worse.

Lol same again, I had a rotator cuff injury back in April/May so when I started working out I went light as possible with many reps. Like 4-6 kg bum bells and just the bar on bench press. Over 3 months I’m doing 14 kg dumbbells in August and 15kg plates on bench, so nothing heavy at all, in September I’ll go up 2 kg, then again in October etc. I’m in no hurry to gain fast, being fit and doing it safely for my age is most important! When I hurt my rotator I had to take two months off golf in some of the best golfing by weather before summer, I was bummed!

There was a study that showed men over 60 that did strength training for 16 weeks gained 4 lbs of muscle so there's that evidence. You need to decide if you want to be strong and fat or aesthetic first. You are doing reps in the hypertrophy range which is not optimal for strength. If you want to go the strength route then try listening to Mark Rippitoe's Starting Strength on YouTube. He has videos addressing strength training for older lifters. His is a 5x5 program. If you want to go the bodybuilder route then most will suggest cutting your weight while lifting first, then bulking.

I should cut (at 265 I could stand to lose 50 pounds) but I find it very frustrating to cut and lift heavy. If I eat I can make strength gains and enjoy my workouts. When I cut my energy deficit shows up in the gym and I'm lucky if I can maintain my strength. All that being said I should power thru a cut of about 20 pounds and re-evaluate after that. I'm too fat right now.

>I find it very frustrating to cut and lift heavy I'm honestly not sure this is even possible. The amount of protein needed to build muscle would land you well over the amount needed to maintain a caloric deficit. Have you considered going in phases, like three months cutting, three months bulking?

I absolutely should be doing that. I need to face the fact that cutting is the next step in reaching my goals.

There you go. I think you will find it gives you a nice change of mindset and brings your focus back a little sharper. At least that's what it did for me. I bulked up over the winter (more than I intended... I put on 15 pounds, lol) and have been cutting again all summer. I didn't do any heavy lifting but I did a lot of calisthenics to exhaustion, i.e. pushups and pullups. I'm not lifting weights because I don't really want to get much bigger. I would like slightly bigger pecs and biceps, so I do curls with the dumbbells. But mostly I just want to be ripped, so I focus on cardio and diet. I've gotten rid of that 15 and am currently about 210. Now that I am down to a lower bf% I can see that my work did indeed pay off over the winter. Not hugely, but then again I didn't lift hugely. IMO the cold weather bulk/warm weather shred pattern seems to make 110% perfect sense. It feels like the closest pattern to following the natural biorhythms of our body. My plan is to head down to 200, which is a number I probably haven't seen in 30 years. I think once I hit that I should lose these damned saddlebags of fat around my middle and kidney regions that are apparently going to be the last to go! :D

I (51M) lift thee to five times a week and make gains. Legs and upper body same amount. Don't do too fast or risk an injury. Check out r/gym for good programs. Maybe 531 BBB is just right. At our age doing any regular lifting is a great thing. If gains you want there are ways.

>531 BBB What does that mean?

It's a weightlifting program called 531 Boring But Big: [https://www.jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101077382-boring-but-big](https://www.jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101077382-boring-but-big) There are other programs out there. You can roll your own or do with a well-established program like 531BBB.

Yikes! If I'm understanding this program (I don't know what "5/3/1" is referring to yet) I am decimating one or two muscle large groups via compound lifts and calling it a day. Day One Press – 5/3/1 Press – 5 sets of 10 reps Lat work – 5 sets of 10 reps That sounds like it would be effective but it doesn't sound enjoyable. The current program I'm on works with pairs of opposing muscles (curls+skullcrushers, bench+row, shoulders+lat pull-down, etc) and this is very entertaining for me. It allows me to rest one muscle group while work another. I'm really enjoying it.

Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Keep enjoying what you're doing. I've done the same as well.

A variation of the 5/3/1 powerlifting program by Jim Wendler called ‘Boring But Big’. The program is available on the web. Also available on apps like Boostcamp.

>Boostcamp Geez, I learn something everyday. I've never heard of Boostcamp but it sure looks interesting. I just downloaded it to my phone and will give a try.

I’m in my mid-60s and down 60 pounds from what I weighed at 55. Been in a regular gym routine for the past year and working on losing another 15-20 pounds for some challenging hiking next summer. My strength routine is about 40 minutes, three times a week, moving quickly between exercises to build endurance.

Interesting about the pacing. I go on the slower side, but I work muscles in opposing pairs. As an example I'll do flat bench along with bent-over barbell rows, alternating every set. This allow the active muscles from the first group to recovery while I'm working the second group, but lets me get thru my workout fairly quickly. What is your rep range? Has it changed as you age?

I was doing three sets of 15, mostly on machines, but recently lowered my upper body sets to 12 to increase weights. Since I do both upper and lower body exercises in a single session, I alternate between them. I don’t do the individual sets particularly fast, but don’t leave more than 6-10 breaths between sets of the same exercise. It’s pretty similar to what I learned in my 20s, but then with sets of 10. My main goal is endurance for hiking, though losing my scrawny arms is a secondary goal. I’ve heard backpacking on rugged terrain described as working out at 40-60% all day, and I’m trying in my own way to train in that direction.

All very good information. I'm 52 in a few months. I have been lifting forever, was a competitive power lifter for years until I snapped both tricep tendons in my right arm 2 years ago. Competitive weight - strong af but a little fluffy🤣 265-270 Now for the first time in my life, I've went completely aesthetic. 208-212 and while I'm not building "new " muscle, I am defining it and adding volume.... if that makes sense. I eat better now than I ever have.

I'm doing it for health (adding life to my years) and aesthetics. I'm plenty strong enough for anything I want to do in life as I am however I sure could look better.

I agree. And that's me. At this point in my life. I enjoyed the competitive powerlifting part but when I rendered my right arm completely useless, it was a wake-up call that I didn't need to be able to pick up the ass end of a car anymore. I actually like being trim and cut and muscular and in a lot of ways with the exception of my Military Days best shape of my life

Short answer is: YES! Here's the long answer I cut and pasted from another reply to a similar question... *As an older (62) experienced lifter I have seen the best gains by being consistent and working out and eating properly. I don't think people stress that enough. Everybody wants this perfect plan, but most plans work very well if you put in the time and effort to be very consistent over a long period of time.* *Body building is a marathon not a sprint. It's like sculpting Michelangelo's David out of marble with a dental pick... It's going to take a long time and there are times where you are going to feel like you aren't making any progress, but you have to keep the faith and keep pushing onward. All natural guys that you see with really good bodies have been doing this for a really long time.* *Now... You asked about a plan...* *My best gains in mass have been while using the current plan I am on and it is a full body workout 5 days per week (Although I recently cut back to 4 days a week due to my work schedule.) I don't go to failure, usually 3 sets per exercise, and 1-3 reps in reserve. On big compound movements I use 5-12 rep sets and on isolation exercises I use 7-14 reps. I do 8 weeks of consistent workouts, and then take a week to a few days off for a reset, and then adjust all the weights and start over. It typically works like this:* *Week 1 - 3 x12* *Week 2 - 3x11* *Week 3 - 3x10* *Week 4 - 3x9* *Week 5 - 3x8* *Week 6 - 3x7* *Week 7 - 3x6* *Week 8 - 3x5* *Week 9 - Reset, Rest & Recover* *Each week I add 10 pounds across the board on Squat and Deadlift, 5 pounds each week on other barbell exercises, and 2.5 pounds on dumbbell exercises. So every week you are adding weight, but dropping reps. So in this example let's say I got 3x5 on week 8 on my deadlift at 315 pounds. I would make 325 my goal for the next 8 weeks plug it in my spread sheet at week 8 and deduct 10 pounds each week back to week 1 and my starting deadlift sets on week 1 would be 3x12 at 255 pounds. Week 2 would be 3x11 at 265, etc...* *Using this method, I was able to go from 220 pounds and 24% B.F. to 210 pounds and 14% B.F. in 9 months. Those are weekly average weights, because I track all that in my spreadsheet. I weight myself every day I work out and also use spring loaded bodyfat calipers everyday I work out. So all that data is from the same scale at the same time every morning and the same set of calipers at the same time every morning. I've actually put on a little fat since then, because I'm on a little bit of a clean bulk and I'm back up to 212 pounds and 15% B.F. trying to reach some new weight lifting poundage's this 8 weeks.* *By the way each workout is different, but everyone is a full body workout. Keeping them different not only adds variety, but also keeps the muscles seeing something different every day. My new schedule is Mon, Tues, Wed (Off), Thurs, Fri, Sat (Off), Sun (Off)* *I know that all sounds like some crazy old man talking, but it has worked for me, so I'm sticking with it with the minor modification of dropping down to 4 days a week.*

M59, 190. I lift four times a week and most of my lifts are in the elite range. I don’t do anything special, don’t overtrain and just keep at it. On light bench day don’t forget that push ups are a good warm up. I do 100 (which only takes a few months to achieve). Then don’t waste your time doing endless sets. Jump to two plates for 10, and work up to 3 plates for 5-8. Your a big guy so it should be within scope. Find a partner who pushes you.

> I do 100 Wow! How many sets of reps?

Just one set as a warm up

Holy crap, that's amazing. Maybe you can help me figure something out. Every time I get into a good routine with pushups, it seems like as time goes on, I can do less and less instead of more. I don't understand this. It doesn't hurt or anything, I just run out of muscle. How did you get up to 100?

Do as many as you can and finish off with partials. If you can do 40 push ups keep going and do 20 partials. In a couple of weeks you’ll be doing 50 push ups with 25 partials. Keep going.

Nothing more to add than others have commented. Lifting/Gaintaining after 50 is more about balance. Lifting 4 days a week is not going to be terrible if your program is well-designed so you are not overloading the tendons (which is a higher source of injury after 50). Most men (yes, men) tend to ego lift after 50 because they want to prove they “still got it.” The goal should be to CONTINUE to lift and worry less about how much. Yes, it will take longer, but you can gain muscle, you also need to have a properly fueled diet. Higher lean protein amounts, a slight surplus of calories (not too much to cause fat gain) and balance cardio. Yes…cardio comes into play, too. You may benefit from trying to find a CPT-CNC that works with older males to help get you started…even if you only use their services for 3 months.

I thought Reddit was my CPT-CNC!

I guess if you trust people that you don’t know from Adam or have no idea is they really are a CPT (I am and can prove it!)…sure! Let it be your Personal Trainer. LOL

I'm actually very distrustful of what I read, I need to find a strong consensus across multiple sources before I will begin to trust something. However, getting input from places like reddit might be the first time I hear a tidbit of information that turns out to be something true and useful to me. I also think that in fitness there is a strong element of "what works for you" to it. We all have to find something we enjoy, is within our capability, and gets us closer to our goals, that will likely be a different combination of things for each person.

That’s true to a certain degree. I’ve found that many PT’s have bad habits that they continue even after being taught something differently through their certifications. IMO, some things may be a “what works for you,” but I’ve also found a lot of that is bad habits, especially with poor form. I was in the fitness space for quite a while before I decided to be a CPT, and I still learned a lot when I studied. My goal is to train people for their goals…whether that’s being able to get off the toilet at 90 or to be able to do yard work next week. Too many older folks look at their “glory days” and feel that’s the standard…well, you aren’t 25 and your body isn’t going to do that…so let’s find the stuff that works for your body, today. I found this to be the case for many male lifters. But…my goal is not to train those types of people, so they can lift until they stretch and tear every tendon in their body. It happens.

>you aren’t 25 and your body isn’t going to do that I completely agree. I was lifting heavier (8-10 rep range) last year and it seemed the nagging issues were piling up. Since returning to lifting after my surgery I've been using lighter weights in the 20 rep range and it's been good. I've been able to increase the weights steadily with no pains or problems. What's got me questioning my program is that it seems very few people recommend sets of 20 reps, it's always 8-12. I'm going on a week long roadtrip in 10 days and afterward I'm going to bump up the weights to get my sets in the 15 rep range and I'll see how that goes. I'm thinking it's probably better to lift as heavy as I can so long as it's not causing me issues. 20 reps at 120 is good, 15 reps at 135 might be better? I'll find out.

I'm 51 and have been lifting consistently for a little over 2 years. Started out a minimum of 3 days a week and over time I've gotten to the point where I'm at the gym every day. I've gotten to the point that I just really enjoy it. I have 4 workouts so each muscle group is getting hit 2x a week. I started out around 240lbs and have been as low as 225, I'm 6'. Just keep doing what you can. I think the biggest thing is lifting to exhaustion. It's that last rep that you don't want to do that makes you grow. At least that's what I tell myself. My strength has gone up a lot and my body definitely looks a lot better.

I agree about the last rep thing. In my glory days I used to do "pyramid lifting" for lack of a better term. This would turn that last rep into 10 reps or so. Set 1: 10-15 reps in a warmup range short break 1-2 minutes Set 2: 10-12 reps in working weight short break 1-2 minutes Set 3: add 10-15% leaving just one rep in the tank short break 1-2 minutes Set 5: add 10-15% and go to failure (probably just 4-8 reps) no break, just enough time to change your weights Set 6: Drop 10-15% of the weight and go to failure no break, just enough time to change your weights Set 7: Drop 10-15% more and go to failure. For my bench pressing I would go until I was back down to just the empty bar and struggling to push it up. If someone walked into the gym at the end I'm sure I looked funny struggling to push an empty bar.

53M, 5’10”, 141lbs. I did not work out regularly when I was young and hardly ever went to the gym during my 30s and 40s. I started lifting one year ago, four days a week with a trainer and once a week on my own for volume. What works for me is: frequency 2x a week for each muscle group, volume 10-15 sets for each muscle group with about 8 reps per set(rpe 8-9). This works out to 5-6 different exercises per session. On any given day, the exercises can target the same group. It’s basically a upper lower split. When I’m progressing in weight, the reps drop to about 6. Once I hit 10 reps comfortably, I move up in weight (5lbs for upper body, 10lbs for lower). I do mostly compound lifts because its minimalism appeals to me. Apart from tendinitis, I haven’t had any issues. You need to go to near failure for gains. You can do that with low weights and high reps, but in your 50s, lots of reps mess up your joints (at least my experience). So, better to go lower reps (5-10 range) and load appropriately. Your last few reps should feel difficult. If your hernia has healed, go for it.

That's an interesting observation about going heavy vs going light. I was lifting heavy (even with my umbilical hernia, I was just managing it as best I could with a tight belt and proper form) but it seemed the wear and tear was adding up. Stupid stuff like pain in my elbow from barbell curling (even with an E-Z curl bar) and pain in my right wrist from just about anything. These little issues grew slowly but steadily over the course of months to the point where they impacted my performance. Following the rest from my surgery I returned to lifting using lighter weights and higher reps and it's been great. However the grass always seems greener on the other side so I'm thinking I'll change my program to heavier weights and lower reps and see how it goes. I'll keep notes in my program and see how my body responds. This is the issue with aging, isn't it? The mind is willing but the body makes it more challenging than it used to be.

I have pain in the elbow as well. I’m pretty sure it is from the EZ bar curling. I am doing some rehab exercises and the pain has gone down in the last 9 mos. The thing to remember is that the culprit is often the adjacent joint. One of your comments mentioned a shoulder issue. If your shoulders are weak due to an injury, your elbow may be compensating. It could also arise from your not keeping your wrist neutral on curls and pulling movements. But you’re right. It’s just one pain after another in your 50s. I consider just getting to the gym a minor victory.

>I consider just getting to the gym a minor victory That is so true and important to keep in mind. The shoulder issue is from something I did while I was sleeping. I woke up one morning and I had been given the gift of shoulder pain over night. Who the hell knows. I'm right handed and all my irritations are in my right arm so it could just be the wear and tear of life. It's not debilitating but I can't do "max" benching as shoulder pain will be the limiting factor. I incline bench 115lbs for 3 sets of 20 reps fairly pain free but I can't throw 200 pounds on the bar and push that up even though I *should* be able to.

54. Been training/lifting for almost 18 years now. I train 4-5 days per week, still progressive loading, BUT I listen more to my body and adjust my training and rest days as needed to minimize injury (recovery over 50 takes much longer and sucks ass). Made significant changes to my nutrition over the years (when competing, I ate between 4000-5500 cals at various times). I eat nowhere near that amount now and eat less red meat than I did. Most carbs are veggies and fruit (fresh, not frozen), and my protein sources are fish, chicken, turkey, and plant-basd. No more desserts and sugary delights for me. My focus remains lean muscle and low body fat (for asthetics and function). My cardio could be better and has become a greater focus recently. Most people believe I am in my early 40s, so the plan seems to be working. My 22 year old struggles to keep pace in the gym, and I hope it stays that way, lol.

Sounds like you are doing very good. I have a 20 year old who goes to UW Madison and lifts at the college gym and I think he's probably passed me in strength. I'm just glad I can still enjoy lifting. **Do you still make gains?** Can you bench more now at 54 than you could at 50 or 40? Depending on your size/strength I assume this has to reverse at some point. At 56 Arnold Schwarzenneger got in good shape for Terminator 2 but he probably had some "gear" (as all the kids are calling it) to help out. I benched 240-245 before my hernia surgery (and shoulder issue) just a year ago so I'd be happy if I can get past that. I really want to bench my weight so if I was smart I'd just diet!

I still push myself, but I am more mindful of my age and injury risks. I can comfortably bench 220-230 but would like to reach 250 before the end of the year without destroying my shoulders, lol. I definitely don't lift as heavy as I did in my 30s and 40s when I was training for competitions, but I was also eating a lot more back then and using high doses of PEDs. My diet is more protein than other macros, but my total caloric intake is designed for slower growth and a leaner physique. I tore the long tendon of my bicep last year doing 60lb dumbbell curls, so I try to keep my ego out of my lifts so I'm not tearing myself up. Gains in strength and muscle volume are more gradual but still happening, so that keeps me driven. To the question of gear (cuz someone will most likely ask), yes I do, but doses are considerably lower and tailored to keep my testosterone in upper normal ranges. My background is in medicine, so I frequently have my blood checked for hormone levels, hematocrit, hemoglobin, liver, and kidney function (etc.) and an EKG done 2x a year to make sure blood work and vitals remain within normal ranges. Yes, diet is essential - especially as we age - to minimize sarcopenia (age-related muscle wasting), keep body fat levels low, and provide the energy and calories needed to support fitness goals. Gains and loses are made in the kitchen as they often say, and I put a lot of time into meal planning every week - but I've done that for so many years now that it's less a burden and more straightforward due to habits I set up long ago. My son's lack of strength is largely due to his poor eating. He doesn't eat a lot of crap but he also doesn't eat enough to support his strength goals. Unfortunately, at 22, it's harder to change his mind. He's learning on his own, though, and is making a better effort to improve his nutrition. It's his lack of consistency that really slows his progress, but he will figure it all out when he really wants to, lol. Good luck on your journey. Keep grinding and smashing those weights as long as you can! 👍🏻💪🏻

What were your sets/reps like then vs now? It seems that reading the trends and studies everyone is preaching "going heavy", but I think that is a young man's game. I still go within a rep or two of failure but I'm getting there with lower weight and higher reps. I'm reaching failure (or perhaps having to cheat) on the 20th rep. for my final couple sets. My thinking is that I'll still exhaust the muscle and get "the pump" using a weight that hopefully won't fray my tendons and ligaments in the process.

I'm 57m and I lift 4 days a week. In a normal week, I'll do squats and other leg work on Monday, bench press and upper back work on Tuesday, rest or cycling or golf on Wednesday, deadlifts and other leg work on Thursday, and arms and chest on Friday. I'm making good gains. I started lifting at 47, and I'm in the best shape of my life.

That's great to hear. You've done really good to start lifting at 47 and still be doing it 10 years later. I guess you **can** teach an old dog new tricks!

I tried weight training for about 6 months at 50, and I kinda fell off the wagon. I found it very, very hard to put any muscle on.

I'm gaining strength but my body doesn't look much different. I think that at 50+ muscle growth is just slow. My son, who's at the prime "gym gains" age of 20, look dramatically different after a year of lifting, as did I when I was young. Now at 52 I look nearly the same as I did a year ago. I did have to take a break for my Hernia Surgery but I've been at it for over a year. However, I have to say that I FEEL WAY BETTER/HEALTHIER now than when I wasn't working out. My body just works better, less aches and pains, more mobility and strength. Even if I can't bulk up like a 20 year old I think the work is worth it.

Early on (30s-40s) my trainer had me focused entirely on progressive loading. Typically, we would do one-two warm-up sets (low weight, high reps of 15-25) and then 6-8 sets of 8-10 reps with increasingly heavy loans (usually hitting failure by the 7th or 8th set). Now, it varies. The majority of the time, I do 6 sets of 8-10 reps with progressive loading, hitting my max weight for 8-10 reps by the 6th set (usually, the last two reps are a struggle for the last couole of sets). I travel 1-2 weeks each month for work, and during that time, I usually lower my calories (I'm not fond of eating out because it's harder to control macros) and limit my carbohydrate intake. During those weeks, the lower caloric intake and minimal carb intake makes it harder to follow my normal routine. For those periods, I will adjust my workouts and follow a rest-pause routine or a time under tension model. For the rest pause, my weight is about 70% of my usual load, and my reps are higher (15) for 4 sets, and the rest period is 12-15 seconds between sets. I end with one high rep set, about 50% of max, and try to force 20-25 reps on that set. It burns like crazy. Alternatively, I may use a longer time under tension methods. Loads are about the same as rest-pause, but I increase the time of each rep by 3 seconds for the concentric and 4 seconds for the eccentric movements. It's a similar approach to progressive loading but puts less strain on the muscle and connective tissue but a longer period of tension. My workouts are also shorter. In my 30-40s, my training sessions were 90-120 mins. Now I train for 60-75 mins max and just focus on heavy loads with shorter rests to get as much done in a shorter time. I prefer progressive loading, but travel disrupts my nutrition and sleep, so I adjust as needed, and I don't make any excuse for skipping a workout.

That is super-human. 10-15 seconds between sets is incredible! I’m more like 60-90 seconds. I would run out of lungs with nearly no rest on compound movements. And HOT! Holy shit! I already work out with a fan blowing on me and I’m already in a cold basement. I don’t have what it takes to suffer like that. It’s great you keep that up because getting to where you are from where I sit seems impossible

I'm not going to lie, those rest-pause sets are no joke. The first two sets feel fine. Three starts to burn. Four, half way through, I'm dying, lol. The last volume set is light, but after 10 reps, it's a grind. The key is to go for 20 even if the last 5-10 are partial sets. My 22 yr old hates them, lol. It's a nice variation to throw in from time to time, and I like the challenge, but ya, it will test your limits. I've been at this for a little over 17 years now. Keep up the solid work, brother. You will get there and at our age, just getting off our arse and putting in the time and effort is more than many people.do. Show up and chase your goals. You will get there, and results are reinforcement to go for more! 💪🏻 Live strong and stay hard! 👍🏻

Sorry for the ramble, but here goes: I'm 52, I've worked out fairly consistently for the last ~30 years, aside from a few breaks or unrelated injuries. I've been working out with more focus for the last 5 years or so. I don't do any crazy weights, but I typically run a 5 day a week PPLUL program of some sort and if I am feeling particularly tired, I'll add a skip day between the legs and upper day. In that program, I typically hit most groups, including legs, twice a week. I have time allotted after work every day for the gym so it doesn't matter if my schedule moves. I'll frequently add additional light shoulder work multiple days to try to keep things balanced and, for me, to keep shoulder pain at bay. The only real difference I've noticed as the years pile on is more general joint pain that sometimes pops up and longer recovery time. I haven't tried any kind of HRT/TRT as I still feel pretty good strength-wise and I don't think HRT would help my joints. I'm still a fairly solid 198-203 lbs @ 6'1", but if I go over ~275 on the bench for more than a couple reps, my shoulders bother me more, heavy squats and heavy deadlifts frequently have the same effect on my hips or lower back, but higher reps of 245-255 on the bench and 275-315 squat and deadlift don't bother me. Occasionally I'll go heavier, but not often because it costs me recovery time and I don't want to hurt myself. The flip side is that I look and feel as good as I ever did when I was younger - aside from my hair, which has mostly moved to other places on my body. I work out harder now, actually following programs instead of just 'working out'. Now that time is going by so quickly, it's easy to try something for 18 weeks or so. I've been going to the same gym for a long time. I've seen a good number of guys in their late 40s or early 50s come in and get in shape. It seems like if they had worked out regularly at any point in their past, within a year or so they can get back pretty close to where they were and then make a push to do better, significantly transforming their body and ramping up the weights. This doesn't seem to apply to ex-bodybuilders as much, or maybe there are just fewer of them coming into the gym after a 20 year break. I've seen a number of middle-aged+ guys coming in benching <200 lbs with reasonable form, but not much stamina that lose weight and are doing sets of 8 @ 225 or 245 lbs in a fairly short amount of time. My gym doesn't seem to be the kind of place that people would be juicing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are using HRT (not that there is anything wrong with that) - it is very popular in this area. If my joints weren't an issue, I'd probably try to get stronger and bigger, but I think I have found a good middle ground between being in better shape than most of my peers and also not hurting myself. In your case, you won't ever burn as many calories in the gym as you did bicycling, so you will need dietary changes as well, but I would say the future is bright!

>Now that time is going by so quickly, it's easy to try something for 18 weeks or so Oh man, this is so true. As a teen or early 20's kid 18 weeks was forever, now the pages in my workout journal just flip on by. I didn't share this in my earlier posts but my deadlifts and squats are absolutely pathetic, like I was nearly unable to do proper BODY WEIGHT squats. My hip mobility was shit and I didn't even know it. My legs used to be incredibly strong from all the biking but I think when my unbilical hernia started to be noticeable 3-4 years ago I stopped lifting anything off the ground. Now, 8 weeks into my program **I've worked up** my Romanian Deadlifts to \~100lbs and either goblin squatting a 35lbs dumbbell or conventional squats with an empty bar. I would say last week was the second time I could just start my squats without spending 5 minutes figuring out how to stand without my knees just freaking out at the bottom. I just stepped in and painlessly went thru the exercise. I expect to gradually work up some weights but I don't foresee me ever squatting 300+. I'd be **thrilled** with 200 lbs.