Train like a mad dog, still fat

[DarthJohnson]

I'm 55 years old and have been weight training for about 25 years. I started to put on weight about 10 years ago and I can't seem to get on top of it. MFT81 kindly suggested I post my routine in a new thread and subject myself to humiliation and riducule. Here it is:

I don't work out as hard as I used to, but I try to stay consistent. I have a shoulder injury and a bitchy left elbow now. 5 day program is:
Day 1,4 - 4x16 leg extensions
4x16 thigh curls
4x16 squats
4x16 calf raises
The weight stays the same on all exercises

Day 2,5 - 3x10-16 chest flyes - this is mostly warmup
2x16 bench press - more warmup
3x8 bench press
3x8 behind neck wide grip lat pull downs
3x8 seated rows
3x8 narrow grip pull downs to chest
Shoulder work varies with how I feel. I rarely do any seated military presses anymore, due to a trashed left anterior delt.
2x10 db laterals
3x10 front db raises (amazingly, this doesn't bother me much)
3x10 upright rows
Day 3 - 4x8 curls with ez curl bar
4x8 db curls
4x8 seated triceps machine (can't do the lying triceps anymore)
4x8 triceps pulldowns

Everyday I do 20 minutes on the trusty Schwinn stair stepper and a half hour of stretching. I take a 3 mile walk two or three times a week.

Okay folks, have at it.

[J431S]

watch what u eat.

[wilson9d]

what time of day are you training? how long have you been on that stairstepper?

[stpete]

First, diet of course. Second, if you're trying to get back on top of it, raise your reps to 12-15 imo. Definetely get rid of the behind the neck pulldowns and switch to front(monkey grip to upper pecs). Especially since you have a bad shoulder.
Everything else looks good to me.
I like to switch all the time. IE: 15-20 reps, sometimes i'll do curls just to see how many i can do at 1 time, maybe 60 or 80. Mix it up and see how you like it. Variety helps me.

[AdamGH]

Sounds like you need a routine change up. Try this for 4-6 weeks and see how it goes.

Alternate Workout A and B, training 3 times per week; then complete 20 minutes of high intensity sprints or other interval training (Workout C) one other day per week for a total of four workouts per week (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat = A/B/A/C). Following this example, the following week would look like this: Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat = B/A/B/C. Remember that you should be using heavy enough weights that challenge you to complete the prescribed number of reps and sets. Try to get in the habit of finishing each workout with a 3-5 minute stretching session for all your major muscle groups. Stretching should always be done at the end of your workouts when your muscles are fully warm. Stretching before your workouts actually reduces muscular strength during weight training, so leave flexibility training for the end of your workouts.


Workout A
Functional warm-up (5-7 minutes):

Main exercises:
1. Barbell Romanian deadlifts – 2 x 12-14
2. Barbell front squats – 2 x 12-14
3. Wide grip pronated lat pulldowns – 2 x 12-14
4. Walking lunges – up & back 10 steps for 2 sets
5. Barbell bench press – 2 x 12-14
6. Barbell bent over rows – 2 x 12-14
7. Two arm swings – 1 x 25

Ab training
6-8 minute high intensity interval training finish
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups




Workout B:
Functional warm-up (5-7 minutes):

Main exercises:
1. Barbell back squats – 2 x 12-14
2. Overhead dumbbell presses – 2 x 12-14
3. Barbell standard deadlifts – 2 x 12-14
4. One arm dumbbell rows – 2 x 12-14 with each arm
5. Dumbbell step-ups – 2 x 12-14 with each leg
6. Dumbbell bench press – 1 x 12-14
7. One-arm swings – 1 x 20 with each arm

Ab training
8-10 minute high intensity interval training finish
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups




Workout C:
20-25 minutes of wind sprints, bleacher running, hill running, or other high intensity interval training
3-5 minutes stretching all muscle groups

[TrashyTim]

Do u do any other more cardio sided workouts ?? Running , Rowing , Cycling ? Really intense rowing 1500m On the highest resistance level Keeping to a 300+spm. Then onto a running machine on a high gradient is a killer.

[DarthJohnson]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I think I bought the Schwinn stair stepper in 2000 and have used it pretty regularly since. I wore out two others before I bought this electric one. It's a good leg warm up and most of my stretches are leg stretches, an old martial arts routine I still follow.
I won't be able to lift again for several months, trying to get my third retinal surgery to take. But I'm definitely keeping a record of all suggestions. Why are people down on behind the neck pulldowns? I have an old subluxation right between my shoulder blades, and it seems to keep that in check. I've read other posts that recommend against them.
Nobody says why.
I do my stepper and stretches in the morning, strength training in the early afternoon. I'm getting the point that I need more aerobic/cardio and fewer calories. Please continue!

[Ronnie Rowland]

It's your diet!!!!!!

Go read post 10 at the following link if you want to lose bodyfat. Please do not post in that thread.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread.php?t=348723

[T_Own]

how much of a workout is squating the same amount you use for extensions?

look at your diet, especially as you get older it gets a lot harder to lose weight. my dad is around the same age and will lose like 10 pounds with a couple months of running (3 miles @ 10min each, 4x week) but he puts it on when he stops. its a little more complicated but i'll save the bandwidth and won't get into it

[DarthJohnson]

Thanks all! T...I can't definitively say anything about the leg extension weight, it depends on what machines are available! A good guess right now (actually, February was the last time I could lift) is about 60 - 75% of my squat weight. I've gotten blown out of the water by family crisis and other annoying personal crap and have been unable to lift consistently for a couple of years prior to Feb., but I did notice that my legs get stronger a lot more quickly than my lower back can handle!

Ronnie... thanks for the good info. I read the whole thread and can see where my own instincts have led me to train very much as you suggest. Just not as smart, or well structured. I've always been a big believer in straight sets and 3 minute rest periods. My personal experience has shown me that 5 minute rest periods are best when working my chest. Which is nothing if I watch the power lifters train. Sometimes they'll go a half hour between sets. The point being, one actually has to do the work, and the work is more important than how much you burn or how tired you can make yourself.
I'm amused by the latest news that a low carb diet helps you lose weight the most quickly. REALLY!!! Body builders have always known that - re Arnold taunting Ferrigno with a piece of bread - and this little pearl of wisdom has been around since about 1850.
What's good to put together is that you get to have two days to carb up. I lost about 15 pounds on the Atkins diet, but I could no longer hike in the Sandia Mountains (10000 feet elevation) while I was on it.
Okay, so I'm an inconsistent, self indulgent pig. A more relevant question for me now is, what can I do while I'm benched to keep the pounds off? No impact exercises allowed, no lifting allowed. My stepper is non-impact and I can walk a few miles. I'm too clumsy to trust myself on a bicycle, especially with monocular vision.
Any more suggestions?

[Gears]

I dunno man, at 55 you sure it isin`t low test levels?

[joe2009]

its reli good to see u at 55 stil enjoying the iron game, real inspiration

[DarthJohnson]

I think they're low, Gears, but the doc thinks otherwise. Viva Viagra!