Need some Motivation

[Comeback79]

Hey everyone,

New to the site and I do like the 35+ crowd. I have been out of the game since my 20s. I was at my personal peak from 22-23. Stats were 6 ft 210lbs, 18inch arms, 50inch chest, 375 x2 reps bench, 405 max, 405 x10 squats, and just felt great! I was a beast in the gym. Only did very light cycles of winstrol and a little dbol sust250.

Fast forward a decade later, a failed marriage that had me smoking a pack of cigs a day, only weeks at a time of working out with 5 to 6 month layoffs thereafter.....I feel and look crappy. To most, I have kept a decent base and the short stints of bodyweight workouts have kept me with some semblance of looking in shape. Well I am back working out and man do I have some work to do. How good is muscle memory in getting back in shape? I hope I don't have years ahead of me. I am NOT looking for heavy lifting or bodybuilder looks anymore as I tore my rotator cuff from working out too heavy at 22-23 and have chronic low back pain from boxing in my mid to late 20s.

Motivation will go a long way for me. Just working out by myself at home until I get a bit more "aesthetic" and want to venture into a gym (any old school gym rat knows this feeling i bet). Thanks!

 

[oldguns]

Hey everyone,

New to the site and I do like the 35+ crowd. I have been out of the game since my 20s. I was at my personal peak from 22-23. Stats were 6 ft 210lbs, 18inch arms, 50inch chest, 375 x2 reps bench, 405 max, 405 x10 squats, and just felt great! I was a beast in the gym. Only did very light cycles of winstrol and a little dbol sust250.

Fast forward a decade later, a failed marriage that had me smoking a pack of cigs a day, only weeks at a time of working out with 5 to 6 month layoffs thereafter.....I feel and look crappy. To most, I have kept a decent base and the short stints of bodyweight workouts have kept me with some semblance of looking in shape. Well I am back working out and man do I have some work to do. How good is muscle memory in getting back in shape? I hope I don't have years ahead of me. I am NOT looking for heavy lifting or bodybuilder looks anymore as I tore my rotator cuff from working out too heavy at 22-23 and have chronic low back pain from boxing in my mid to late 20s.

Motivation will go a long way for me. Just working out by myself at home until I get a bit more "aesthetic" and want to venture into a gym (any old school gym rat knows this feeling i bet). Thanks!

I wouldn't worry about aesthetic, just hitting the gym would be motivation for me.

 

[tuberman]

I wouldn't worry about aesthetic, just hitting the gym would be motivation for me.

I agree with oldguns here, as you'll likely feel right at home, if not immediately, within a couple of weeks. It's a new start!

 

[MSF]

Just hit the gym. Know what you want and get it.
A gym can be what you want it to be. (ie. Meet market, or a place to get in shape).
Aesthetics be damned.
You know what you want, just get in there and do it. (I can't repeat that enough).
I walked into the gym for the very first time at age 45, because I didn't like what I seen in the mirror. (238 pounds at 33% Body Fat)
It's one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I'm now at 217 pounds and at 14% body fat.
Go to the gym and work your ass off. (Pun intended).

 

[Comeback79]

****; You guys are right. I am going to get a gym membership tomorrow. Any of you guys working with chronic back pain or other injuries? I am only in my 30s but I feel like I am in my 50s. I have done everything from chiropractic, massage, stretches, but the myo-skeletal pain is very real and chronic. Hasn't gotten better or worse in 2 years. If you work through the pain, do you find that you are feeling great in your 30s and 40s? How long did it take for you to get back in shape? When i was in my 20s, it could take like 2-3 weeks before I would be good with my shirt off. I started working out 5 days ago and realized, "This is gonna be a MF because I have a lot of belly fat and no lungs." Oh well, they say it's the "journey" right? I guess it's one day at a time and patience and persistence right now. Thanks everyone.

 

[oldguns]

****; You guys are right. I am going to get a gym membership tomorrow. Any of you guys working with chronic back pain or other injuries? I am only in my 30s but I feel like I am in my 50s. I have done everything from chiropractic, massage, stretches, but the myo-skeletal pain is very real and chronic. Hasn't gotten better or worse in 2 years. If you work through the pain, do you find that you are feeling great in your 30s and 40s? How long did it take for you to get back in shape? When i was in my 20s, it could take like 2-3 weeks before I would be good with my shirt off. I started working out 5 days ago and realized, "This is gonna be a MF because I have a lot of belly fat and no lungs." Oh well, they say it's the "journey" right? I guess it's one day at a time and patience and persistence right now. Thanks everyone.

Check out several gyms in your area, go the same time you would be going to workout. See if you can workout or stand waiting to use something because their overcrowded.

 

[str8jacked23]

Congrats! The first step is always acknowledgement. As stated above set your goal, visualize your actions and execute your plan! Start back a lil' slow and gradually work your way back into things, you'll notice things tend to fall into place as they did years back. The difference is that now you'll appreciate it WAY more the second time around.
Keys to your comeback;
Rest
Supplements
Good diet
Kick the Cigs!!

Welcome back now Do Work!!!
Patience

 

[tuberman]

****; You guys are right. I am going to get a gym membership tomorrow. Any of you guys working with chronic back pain or other injuries? I am only in my 30s but I feel like I am in my 50s. I have done everything from chiropractic, massage, stretches, but the myo-skeletal pain is very real and chronic. Hasn't gotten better or worse in 2 years. If you work through the pain, do you find that you are feeling great in your 30s and 40s? How long did it take for you to get back in shape? When i was in my 20s, it could take like 2-3 weeks before I would be good with my shirt off. I started working out 5 days ago and realized, "This is gonna be a MF because I have a lot of belly fat and no lungs." Oh well, they say it's the "journey" right? I guess it's one day at a time and patience and persistence right now. Thanks everyone.

Comeback,

A long time ago if you had chronic back problems that didn't clear up with time, your doctor would have likely put you in the hospital, in traction. You would have been placed on a very hard surfaced bed with weights attached to your feet for a week or possibly two. Did this work? You can bet it worked most of the time. Now hospital stays are too expensive and they simply won't use that expensive space for chronic back problems, and insurance will not pay for it either. The idea was the weights pulled the vertebrae apart so the nerves were no longer pinched.

How can you do similar without the old traction method. It's a two step process. First you lay on a hard surface. Soft beds don't work too well. Then you put your knees up, way up, and usually you place multiple pillows or cushions underneath to hold them up for hours at a time. It helps to actually flatten your back somewhat against the hard surface. You have to sleep or at least rest this way for 4-8 hours per day. This has a similar effect to traction as it separates the pinching vertebrae over time.

Second, after the pain has gone way down from release of tension between your vertebrae, you strengthen your ab muscles. One of the main functions of ab muscles is to protect your spine, and you have to get them very strong to do a great job. Don't start this process until much of the pain is gone due to step one. Weight belts prime function is to hold your abs tightly in, and this protects your spine, but it's much better to have super strong abs, then you only need a weight belt for the hardest squats and deads. You don't want to touch those lifts until you improve your spine a lot.

 

[jared767]

But I guess..the aesthetics matter to him. He must be feeling good about it

 

[grunt03]

Any of you guys working with chronic back pain or other injuries? I am only in my 30s but I feel like I am in my 50s. I have done everything from chiropractic, massage, stretches, but the myo-skeletal pain is very real and chronic. Hasn't gotten better or worse in 2 years.

I have a ruptured L1 disk which had caused intense back and leg pain for almost 5 years. The only way I could sleep was to do as tuberman suggests, putting pillows under my legs to elevate them. Then I started Deadlifting and within two months I was pain free. I no longer need pillows under my legs to sleep and can sit for hours watching movies or playing video games without a hint of pain. So depending on what’s causing your pain, strengthening your core muscles could be the best thing for you.

How long did it take for you to get back in shape?

Hard to say but it was about 3-4 months before people started commenting on how I was looking better.

This is gonna be a MF because I have a lot of belly fat and no lungs

You have to find what works for you, but doing hill sprints is working wonders for my cardio and helping to keep the fat off.