46 and working my rear end off

**toojax** · 12-19-2011, 01:27 AM

I am 6 foot and was 240 lbs. a year ago and I'm down to 203. It all started when my two best friends who have been working out for years asked me to meet them at the gym. Can't thank them enough. They moved their workout up to 6:30 a.m. so I could join and make it to work on time. I'm still trying to lose fat before trying to add muscle although I have definately added a decent amount in the last year. I'm wondering if steroids would help me reduce body fat or should I stay natural until I get to my goal. I do aerobic excercise for a half hour 5 days a week, lift for a half hour 5 days a week and do yoga or pilates twice a week at night. I also track my calories on an iphone app that has been a huge help for me. Thanks, TJ

**Gym_** · 12-19-2011, 06:06 AM

A proper diet will drop weight .. cheack out the NUTRITION RESOURCE FORUM

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43% of all statistics are useless.

**Times Roman** · 12-19-2011, 10:28 AM

Welcome mate!
46 is a great age to start making life changes. couple of things to consider. joints/tendons/ligaments strengthen slowly, much slower than muscle tissue. Go slow! many blokes your age starting out end up injured.... muscles responding nicely, then, because you can't feel a ligament right before it goes out, you get a little aggressive, and then you find yourself in rehab. I've been there a few times, and let me tell you, it's no fun having to sit out exercising for 4 to 6 months because i didn't warm up enough or over taxed my ligaments. so give it about a year before you really start trusting your connective tissues. Because of the issue i just mentioned, you should stay away from steroids for awhile. Almost a sure thing that at some point, muscular strength will come to life, and unknown to you, ligament/tendon strength will lag far behind resulting in injury. I'd give it at least a year until you are absolutely confident your tendons can handle it. Plus you need to get your body fat % below 15% (some will say lower) to avoid feminine side effects.
Any other questions, or if you want more detail, just give a holler.
Good to have you around!
---Roman

**toojax** · 12-31-2011, 07:46 AM

Thanks Roman. I really appreciate the great advice. I'm a year into the workouts and I'm down 40 pounds but I still need to drop a few. I'm curious what my body fat is and I know I've put on some solid muscle even though I'm 100% focused on dropping weight right now. If I do try to use steriods at some point it will just be to add a little more ripped bulk, not a lot. I really like the cut look. Thanks again tho, both great points.

**springguy45** · 01-07-2012, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by toojax

Thanks Roman. I really appreciate the great advice. I'm a year into the workouts and I'm down 40 pounds but I still need to drop a few. I'm curious what my body fat is and I know I've put on some solid muscle even though I'm 100% focused on dropping weight right now. If I do try to use steriods at some point it will just be to add a little more ripped bulk, not a lot. I really like the cut look. Thanks again tho, both great points.

Great Job bro! I turned 45 last August and have been in and out of the gym for years but finally made a real commitment to myself! Now I am trying to retrun to the "glory days" of my 20's! As roman said just take care of your old joints, I didnt and f'd up my shoulder had to have it repaired which set me back almost a year, 6 months to really feel normal and then 6 months to regain what strength I had lost. Find a good joint health supplemnt and take it religiously! Something like rooster comb if you can find it. There are certian AAS out there that help with collegen synthesis and a cycle of something like that might be a good start. Read, read, read and when you think you have read enough read some more! Which iPhone app did you use to count your calories? I would like to get something like that for my phone as well. Good luck and stay healthy!