Weight loss and strength building newb - please review my plan

[bigdude]

Hi all,

 

I've been on the journey for about 2.5 months now.  I've made some relatively "easy" gains and want to ensure future success.  I would appreciate your feedback on my plan:

 

First off, a bit about me:  44yo male, 313lb (down from 350+), historically a very sedentary lifestyle - I don't even mow my own lawn.

 

My current routine is:

 

• 5 mornings per week:  Cardio for 30-40 minutes - this is walking, treadmill and/or elliptical.  This is generally 200-250 calories burned. work to keep my heart rate between 135 and 145 (I bought a Hr monitor because I'm a geek).  That's about 80% of max for my age.
• 3 night per week:  SL 5x5 (I added Planks to work out A, Curls to workout .  I ensure there is a rest day between lifting sessions.

 

That's about as complex as I'm at right now.  I'd like to add some mobility work somewhere, but time is tough and I just don't know where to begin.

 

Diet wise, I'm using myfitnesspal to track calories.  I have it set to loose 2lbs per week (for me that is 2440cal/day + burned calories).  I've recently been trying to amp my protein intake.  1gm per lb of body weight seems not remotely possible...  I'm trying to increase greens and have almost completely eliminated processed carbohydrates and replaced them with whole grains (quinua, farro, bulgar - I'm experimenting here).

 

So, what do you think?

[BaconHunter]

Looks like a solid plan!

 

As long as you're making progress with your fat loss goal, consider your plan perfect and don't let anybody tell you something else. 

 

Regarding mobility work: First, find a why for your mobility work, i.e. in what area do you lack mobility that you want to increase?

 

If you have mobility issues that you want to work on, pick 2-3 mobility drills that specifically address these issues.

 

Then sprinkle these drills into your rest periods while lifting. So instead of sitting around for 2-3 minutes between sets, do a mobility drill. This will save time, make the rest productive (active rest) and it will keep your heart rate up during training, which can help with fat loss.

 

You can do mobility drills to specifically improve the movements you're doing while lifting. So when you're doing squats, do drills that improve hip and ankle mobility. When doing overhead presses, do shoulder mobility drills. 

[bigdude]

thanks for the feedback!

 

for mobility.... there are 3 issues primarily:

1) calf tightness while walking/jogging

2) squatting to parallel

3) bending at the waist (think setting up for bent over row or dead lift - I can't reach the bar without bending knees)

[BaconHunter]

Okay. So I've picked these 3 for you. I have never seen you move, so this is just my best guess on what can be helpful to you.

 

Squat to Stand:

(hamstring and hip mobility)

 

 

Half Kneeling Dorsiflexion:

(you don't need all those props. If you don't have a stick, just support yourself with your arms on your front knee)

 

 

Crab Walk to Squat:

 

https://youtu.be/zJBLDJMJiDE?t=1m

 

On your StrongLift days, you always have 3 main lifts. Pair each of those lifts with one of these drills. In every rest period, spend some time on these movements. You don't have to count reps or time it or anything. Just spend some time with one move and deliberately focus on making it look pretty.

 

On your rest days, do 3 rounds of these 3 drills (kind of like a circuit workout, but with low intensity mobility drills). That'll take 10 minutes. If you add this up, you'll have about 2 hours of extra mobility work per week without living on a yoga mat.