ra2783

I'm 55 and just started working out again. Being a little older now, I've really noticed that my recovery takes a lot longer than when I was younger. I did some research and read about tart cherry and creatine supplements helping with recovery. Does anyone have any experience with these supplements? Thanks.

My last post said I'm taking a two week break...and now it's six years later. 😂 Wow! Well, I'm back to working on my fitness again. I tore my left ACL playing basketball in March 2018 and had surgery on it in May 2018. It's been two years and I haven't done much as far as exercise beyond my physical therapy after surgery. I started fast walking around our neighborhoot at the beginning of April and stopping to do burpees every quarter of the way. I started with 5 burpees at each stop and am now up to doing 16 at each stop. Just the simple burpee...squat down, hands down and jump back to plank, back to squat and then jump up. I want to work my way up to doing 25 burpees at each stop, so I'd be doing 100 burpees on each walking day, three days a week. I'll try to post progress on here for accountability. After reaching 25 burpees, the plan is to add "difficulty" such as a push up, plank jack, tuck jump...one at a time, of course, and start jogging/running between stops. Slow and steady progress is the goal.

I'm 51 years old, 5'9", 175 lbs - My goal is to get stronger and decrease body fat percentage (hopefully get my abs to show) I'm doing four workouts a week as described below. I know, it's not very aggressive...I'm okay with slow progression. 3 workouts during the week - 2 HIIT sessions and 1 slow cardio day (I work on pull ups on these days also) Current HIIT sessions are 20 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest, 4 exercises and 5 sets. Goal is to do 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest. Plan is to increase work time to 30 seconds, increasing 5 seconds every two weeks and then decreasing rest time by 5 seconds every two weeks. Slow cardio day is 45 minutes on treadmill at 8% incline and 3.5 mph speed. Goal is to work up to 10% incline at same speed. Plan is to increase incline 1/2% every 2 to 3 weeks. Thinking of increasing to 1 hour, but not sure if it is necessary. Weekend workout is lifting free weights (deadlifts only) Deadlifts - started at 155 lbs working weight and I am at 200 lbs now. Increasing weight by 5 lbs each week (read about this on Stronglifts 5x5) Thinking of adding squats, bench press and OH press to the weekend sessions to increase overall body strength and help with fat burning. My nutrition is not perfect, but good. Mostly eating meats, veggies, nuts, dairy (whole milk, cottage cheese, cheese sticks) and either brown rice or oatmeal daily. What do you think? Any critique, help and/or tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm taking a couple of weeks off due to an injury. I hurt my right calf doing sprints and waiting for it to heal.

Today's workout: Squat: 190 OH Press: 110 (did 3-4-2); 2nd fail and I will go down 10% and work my way back Deadlift: 230 (only 3 reps); also 2nd fail and I will go down 10% and work my way back Chin ups: three sets of eight reps with 40 lb band

Today I did HIIT sprints again, but at a slower pace. It went well (except for a sore right calf) and I feel much better. The hip joint pain has gone away...woohoo! So I've been doing some reading on HIIT training and the recommendation is to at some point start changing up the routine (I'm not even close to this point yet). If sprinting, then change the work and rest intervals to keep your body guessing and progressing. You can also add in other exercises. I'm thinking about adding in jump rope and possibly burpee HIIT sessions. What are your thoughts on this? Will burpees take too much out of me and reduce my gains in lifting? Thanks...

Last workout, I failed at my squat work set of 200 lbs, so I reset to 180 lbs today. Today I failed at my OH press work set at 110 lbs. I was only able to do 3 reps each set, so I will try the same weight again on Friday. I changed the exercise band to the 40 lb one and did 3 x 8 each of chin ups...so that was encouraging. I hope to be able to do 3 x 8 of pull ups on Friday. I completed my deadlift work set of 225 lbs...my personal best!

I did my 2nd set of HIIT sprints last Wednesday. Looks like I went too hard too fast. I'm having some pain on the outside of both hips. I'm going to rest for a week or so before I start back up with the HIIT sprints again...and not go so hard.

I did my first HIIT sprints today. Eight sprints of 100 yards each and walked 100 yards in-between each sprint. Probably sprinted at about 70% of max. I hope I'm not too sore or in a lot of pain tomorrow....I haven't ran for quite a while. The last couple were tough to get all the way through...but I pushed myself through them.

This morning's work set weights: Squat: 195 Bench: 105 Deadlift: 215 Also did three sets of eight chin ups with a 45 lb exercise band. I started with a 50 lb band in December and could only do two or three when I started. Feeling good today. I'm having a hard time with my grip on the Deadlift. I have to readjust my grip on the ground a couple of times during the work set.

Bolson, I like the fact you are trying to keep me honest about my diet . I'm still not counting calories, however, I feel I am eating clean and eating mostly paleo...fruits, vegetables and meat. I still have dairy (milk, cheese and yogurt) and I've started drinking whole milk since I started the Starting Strength program, but not to the extent of GOMAD. Breakfast: Protein shake, eggs, and veggies. Maybe oatmeal once or twice a week. Lunch and Dinner: Meat with cooked veggies or a salad and fruit. We like to have an apple with peanut butter close to bed time. Between meal snacks include yogurt, almonds, apples and bananas throughout the day and lots of water. I try to have milk with lunch and dinner and there is milk in the protein shake. I am out and about all day (door to door sales) and will have milk when I feel like drinking it at any time of the day. Last week, my wife and I made the decision to not have any more grains except oatmeal...so far, so good. I'm starting slow on the HIIT workouts and hope to be at the 90-95% exertion rate within a couple of months. Slow and easy is how I feel comfortable.

I've been regularly completing my SS workouts on MWF and have reset twice since the beginning of November. I'm sure that I'm not as aggressive in pushing myself harder than I could be, however I'm definitely happy with the way my body feels now. I've gained about 10 lbs in a little over 3 months and my same clothes still fit me...so that's a plus. I would like some input on a change I'd like to make. I'm thinking of doing weights on Tues and Fri and do HIIT sprints on Wed and Sat. Will working out with weights only twice a week make a big difference in my gains? At 48, I'm not looking to get big, just stronger and maintain muscle. I'm enjoying my workouts and have incorporated the chin ups and pull ups as well. The reason I'd like to add HIIT sprints is to help me become a bit more lean and to incorporate some cardio. I've noticed when climbing stairs that I get winded pretty quickly. Any input would be greatly appreciated....thanks!

Feeling pretty good today! I did my body weight in squats for the first time ever! Here's my improvement from when I started in the first week of November. Squats: 105 lbs to 175 lbs Bench press: 85 lbs to 125 lbs Overhead press: 70 lbs to 95 lbs Deadlift: 70 lbs to 195 lbs

I posted more videos in the Form Check forum today. Also, today was my first time ever lifting with 45 lb plates on the bar.

Here are videos from today's workout for your feedback. Thank you. Squat - 155 lbs Bench Press - 115 lbs Dead Lift - 155 lbs