45 and Starting Over & Need Help

[Hangfire]

45 years old, trained off and on since age 20. Muscle memory is good—can generally regenerate musculature and endurance pretty quickly. Fell off the wagon 3 years ago and ballooned up to 250 lbs. at 6’-1” and haven’t been below 235 since. I have always felt my best at around 200 lbs. Here is my plan for the next 8 weeks (actually already into it). Trading daily volume for frequency.

Day One
Low incline bench press/DB press
BB curl + drop/DB pressdown/DB extension

Day Two
Military press/DB lateral raise
Bent-over row
Front pulldown
BB shrug

Day Three
Squat
Leg extension /Leg curl
Calf raise

Day 4
Rest

Day 5
Repeat

Intense abs every other day. All movements 3x8-10 to positive failure.
Cardio Monday thru Friday before breakfast, Saturday and Sunday off.
1,900 cals per day: 260 gr. Protein, 110 gr. carb., 42 gr fat (including flax seed oil)
2,600 cals on rest day, just to shake up the metabolism.

One day of rest may not seem like enough, but I can handle it. Obviously, I’m first interested in fat loss and muscle preservation. Would appreciate feedback and opinion on fat loss potential, assuming that I am diligent. Thanks for serious responses.

 

[Hangfire]

Can't any of you young guys help an old man out?
BTT

 

[bignate73]

ill hit this thread when i get back from the gym. dont worry older bro, you arent being ignored. brb.

 

[CONTRACTION]

Ok, so I think you are looking for some opinions on fat loss. You have put together a solid program there and you seem to have your diet tuned in also. Keep the intensity high with the weight training and take only 60 seconds rest between sets. Also, you mentioned cardio Mon - Fri, but you didnt mention for how long on each session. What type of cardio exercises? I find that swimming, sprints and plyos work the best when I'm trying to lose fat. Are you going to use any supplements?

I think your program has great potential for fat loss. Stick to it and adjust your diet and training along the way. Good luck!

 

[Hangfire]

Contraction,
Thanks for the response. Cardio 30-40 minutes, medium-intensity running until my gimpy knee gets better, but it is difficult to maintain a constant heart rate when you need to break now and then because of knee pain. Tried a treadmill, but it just doesn't do it for me.

I used Adipokinetix briefly, but it gave me palpitations, so that's out. Are there any other supplements that I should consider? Right now I take good quality multi vit, multi min, E, C, flax oil, caffein, gallon of fluids.

60 seconds between sets is going to be a little bit of a challenge, but I'll work on it. Thanks again.

 

[CONTRACTION]

If you are having knee problems, I advise leave the running alone. My wife is a personal trainer and she deeply recommends this. Try using other cardio machines such as the rowing machine, elliptical trainer, bike and especially swimming which causes no stress to any joints. If fat burners affect you in such a negative way as heart palpitations then leave them alone. Over my years of using fat burners, I realized that the fat will just come back if you aren't dieting right. Also I had a bad experience when a certain fat burner actually caused my thyroid gland to become inflammed. Email me anytime if you need further help. Good luck!

 

[tomcat]

Welcome POPs...

I'm coming up on the big 40 in a couple and just started getting serious about this sport about a year and a half ago.
No worries about your age. It just makes it harder..

I have bad ankles and can't run for long either so I also think you need to ditch the running.
Do you have access to a cross training machine, Eliptical or nordic track type?
That works best for me, but also try walking at about 4 MPH on a treadmill with a 5+ % incline.
One day a week I do a heavy cardio / Ab day instead of resting.
Also remember Sat and Sun count as rest days.
The routine looks OK but you may want to try a 4 day split like:

Mon: Chest/Tri
Tue: Back/Bi
Wen: Cardio / Abs HEAVY
Thu: Legs
Fri: Shoulders
Sat: Yard work
Sun: Yard work

Cardio 20-30 min each day before W/O to warm up
60 min straight of cardio on Wen. Heavy Abs and 30 Min more Cardio to finish.

SLEEP, lots of it especially for us 30+ guys.

Welcome back...

 

[Hangfire]

Tomcat:
Thanks for the information, young fella.

I do have a treadmill, but it is really boring. Obviously it is better to be outdoors, but physical limitations will dictate, I suppose.

As far as rest days, Saturday and Sunday are only rest days if a workout day doesn't fall then. I'm doing a 3 days on-one day off rolling schedule. Also my day off might not be an actual rest day because it may fall on one of my cardio days.

I usually do about 5 minutes on the treadmill to warm up after stretching and then finish the WO with about 15 minutes moderate intensity on the treadmill. That is in addition to my morning runs.

What do you think about fast walking instead of running? I hate the idea of it--I see 70-year-olds power walking!

Funny thing about sleep is, the more active I am, the less sleep I seem to need. But it is nice sleeping in until 8:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.

I appreciate the encouragement--same back to you.
Regards.