old guy, after long layoff..advice please

[Teabagger]

ok, i've read so much material on training routines i keep them straight...i'm also kinda slow in the cognitive area haha. several questions i hope to be answered concisely...

brief profile: 50 yrs old, have never trained for bb or pl. Have never done split routines, always full body 3 days per week, mwf. reps for upper body in the 12 to 15 range, 3 to 4 sets. lower body, 8 to 10 reps, 3 to 4 set. all moderate weight. I am 5ft 10in, weigh 275 lbs of mostly fat...i do not know my bodyfat % but know it is very high, above 30%. 18 months ago injured hip, a labrum tear, in krav maga eventually requiring surgery 6.5 months ago. hip not back to 100% and told it never would be.

Q#1: cardio in the 65% range for 30 mins. before, or after resistance training? 4, 5, or 6 days per week?

Q#2: Full body workout 3x week as above, or split routine, using max weight for 4 to 6 reps and 3 to 6 sets? Not training any body part more than 1-2 x per week?

Q#3 unable to do squats due to hip, any other lifts i could do that will not stress the hip like squats?

Q#4 i used to train a body part, ex: chest with 3 to 4 different exercises on the same day, flat, incline, flys, dumbell flys or presses. Is that too much?

My goal is to lose weight and bodyfat. If I get big..cool, if not...cool. I am just trying to acheive a level of fitness for a good quality of life.

oh, one other question...train on an empty stomach or not?

oh, one other thing, I am on 250mg of depo test every 3 weeks hrt through my doc. i am running 2 iu gh on my own daily.

Thanks to you who reply...

Teabagger

[Flexor]

A#1: 45mins is better, in the morning before resistance training in the afternoon or evening. Cardio on an empty stomach when you just wake will mean you tap into your fat reserves within roughly 20 mins, instead of using glycogen in the muscles or glucose in the blood.

A#2: A split routine is far better for gaining mass. Go to 6-10 reps for your upper body and switch your lower body to 15 reps. You want 6-8 set for small bodyparts and 10-12 (maybe 12-15) setes for large bodyparts.

A#3: There are not many good quad or glute exercises that don't involve hip flexion/extension. All the best are compound exercises and heavily involve the hip.

A#4: 4 exercises is slightly excessive for chest IMO. I perform 3 chest exercises to a total of 9 sets.

Diet is probably 80% of losing weight, you will need to sort that out. For help go to the diet forum, take a look at the cutting diet sample and if you need to ask questions make a post. gd luck.

[catabolic kid]

Do research on Circuit Training-I think this would be great for you. You would be training you whole body in one workout...Circuit Trainingis best for fat loss. You would do your cardio after the weight training. Do not train on an empty stomach...just eat a low calorie, well-balanced diet. Your legs...do not worry about squats...i would do iso exericses for your legs being cautious, almost like a rehab workout for the legs-I do not know how bad you knees are...but if you are 275 and you are doing iso exercises and cardio your legs are getting enough...plus you are going after fitness, not pl or bbl.

[Flexor]

Circuit training may be of some use I agree. Cardio after weight lifting is not a good idea because your post workout nutrition will not be able to be geared towards cutting and muscle mass. Also not having nutrition in between the weights and cardio will lead to starving of the muscles of protein just when they need it. For the best results, AM cardio all the way. This protects lean muscle mass and burns the most calories from fat!

As for doing isolations for your legs, this is probably the only way to go. They will be of some benefit for you, and its better than doing nothing.

[doby48]

I agree with Flexor on the cardio after weight training, however, you also don't want to do cardio just before weight training either as you will be fatigued for your workout and will not get the most out of it. Like Flexor said, best to split your cardio in the morning and your workout in either afternoon or evening if possible.

[catabolic kid]

Circuit training may be of some use I agree. Cardio after weight lifting is not a good idea because your post workout nutrition will not be able to be geared towards cutting and muscle mass. Also not having nutrition in between the weights and cardio will lead to starving of the muscles of protein just when they need it. For the best results, AM cardio all the way. This protects lean muscle mass and burns the most calories from fat!

As for doing isolations for your legs, this is probably the only way to go. They will be of some benefit for you, and its better than doing nothing.

I agree, but I was assuming that he was not going to be training 2 x per day...he is coming off of a long lay off-most people like this (exercising is not top priority, not dedicated) do not train 2 x per day. So, in that case (if it is the case) he should do cardio after training with weights, as opposed to before. Also, circuit training will not have the same catabolic effect as an intense BBing routine.

The bottom line is that he wants to get in shape and enhance his quality of life...he is not trying to win a BBing show.

[doby48]

Or, here is another alternative as well... My father who is in his 60's works out 4 days a week. He works 2 days doing just cardio and he works 2 days doing just weights, he normally works machines versus free weights because of spotters as well as his physical limitations (he has had a back for many years) He enjoys machines and keeps in shape, it is a method that works for him so its just another alternative to doing a split routine and still getting in both strength and cardio.

[TADOLFI]

My 2 cents - - Circuit training is good, maybe try every fourth day for at least two months and see if you can go to every three days once you have a base started.
Agree with only 3 sets and rep range is up to you - but at least 8 reps for larger muscle groups.

As for Cardio - see how your hips feel when you do this and gauge off of that to try any exercises.
If you just do walking as cardio, see what recovery is like and push a little more to see what kind of load your hips can take naturally, then apply weight training.
I also assume you know that stretching and warm ups are crucial as well as using the best form possible when lifting.

I applaude your efforts - some people would just say this is their lot in life and stay in the same place for years.
Read some of the OVER 30 Forum for motivation and ides on diet, exercises, etc.
Good Luck Teabagger!

[Teabagger]

Damn guys and gals, I was hoping for a response from maybe one person...this is great! I had not thought of many of the things that were mentioned in the posts. I really do appreciate everyone taking the time to post to this.

2x per day makes sense, but honestly I don't know if I can get to the gym 2x per day, or I should say of course I could, we all make our own decisions and priorities, but I'm not sure if I'm mentally ready for that much time at the gym. At any rate..I am at the gym and think I'll try the weight training after cardio. Maybe have a protein drink after weight training but before cardio, what do you guys think of that?

Again thanks alot....I have a journal, and have taken before pics, will post those after about 4 to 6 weeks...still way too embarrassed to post pics without showing improvement.

Vio con dios

[Ufa]

ok, i've read so much material on training routines i keep them straight...i'm also kinda slow in the cognitive area haha. several questions i hope to be answered concisely...

brief profile: 50 yrs old, have never trained for bb or pl. Have never done split routines, always full body 3 days per week, mwf. reps for upper body in the 12 to 15 range, 3 to 4 sets. lower body, 8 to 10 reps, 3 to 4 set. all moderate weight. I am 5ft 10in, weigh 275 lbs of mostly fat...i do not know my bodyfat % but know it is very high, above 30%. 18 months ago injured hip, a labrum tear, in krav maga eventually requiring surgery 6.5 months ago. hip not back to 100% and told it never would be.

Teabagger

Just loose about 70 lbs and the majority of your physical problems will vanish.
Wire your mouth shut.

[*Narkissos*]

Just loose about 70 lbs and the majority of your physical problems will vanish.
Wire your mouth shut.

C'mon.. was that necessary?