40 years old, muscle memory help, talk me into not quittin

ymalleb

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thanks in advance for any kind of help that you offer me.

40 years old, been back at it for 6 months, havent touched a weight in 8 years previous to the 6 months. ive been reading about muscle memory, i know its hard to put a number on it, but how much longer before the gains start sticking and stacking up?

a little about my past, i was a gym rat from 19-32 years of age, i would go stretches of 3-4 years without quitting. i would quit for 6-12 months from being burnt out, but right back at it for another 3-4 year run.

lets say diet is 75% good and im pushing myself hard in the gym, when am i going to look in the mirror and say, "thats more like it"?

please tell me this hard work is going to pay off............im getting frustrated.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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Is bodyfat an issue too? Why do you want it? Newly single? Health and longevity? Self esteem?
 
harbonah

harbonah

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thanks in advance for any kind of help that you offer me.

40 years old, been back at it for 6 months, havent touched a weight in 8 years previous to the 6 months. ive been reading about muscle memory, i know its hard to put a number on it, but how much longer before the gains start sticking and stacking up?

a little about my past, i was a gym rat from 19-32 years of age, i would go stretches of 3-4 years without quitting. i would quit for 6-12 months from being burnt out, but right back at it for another 3-4 year run.

lets say diet is 75% good and im pushing myself hard in the gym, when am i going to look in the mirror and say, "thats more like it"?

please tell me this hard work is going to pay off............im getting frustrated.
So many variables involved its hard to guess. With out knowing you bf and just how far you took things in the past. I can only say that if you really dial in your diet and work hard you can get what you where you want to be with time.



Hell if I can bring my fat ass back from where I was to a stage anyone can do the same.
 

ymalleb

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body fat is much better, i started at 225, down to 205. i guess ive had one helluva recomp when you look at it. i was prob 22-25% bf, down to 15% according to the machine at my gym. i guess i want my arms back and its coming soooo slow.

i want it because i miss how nice i looked/felt. its all for me, not newly single or trying to impress anyone.

i guess i was hoping to be further along at this point, i forgot how long it takes to build solid muscle.
 

ymalleb

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So many variables involved its hard to guess. With out knowing you bf and just how far you took things in the past. I can only say that if you really dial in your diet and work hard you can get what you where you want to be with time.



Hell if I can bring my fat ass back from where I was to a stage anyone can do the same.
your avatar pic looks great! amazing job! maybe im bitching cause im frustrated, but i really thought 6 months would be a big transformation, maybe the next 6 will do it???
 

ymalleb

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stats are 6' 205, 15% bf........

i eat decent, def not 100% clean, but i dont eat junk food. getting 225-250 grams of protein in me a day. working out 4 days a week.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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Ya, recomping doesn't always bring on massive body parts. Maybe its time for a training split/diet change? With a 'burn' day or two to keep the excessive weight gain at bay. I'll bet your arm volume is too high too. Not enough big lifts and a lot of isolation work? Let's get down to the bottom of this.......
 

ymalleb

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Ya, recomping doesn't always bring on massive body parts. Maybe its time for a training split/diet change? With a 'burn' day or two to keep the excessive weight gain at bay. I'll bet your arm volume is too high too. Not enough big lifts and a lot of isolation work? Let's get down to the bottom of this.......
arms twice a week. you could be onto something? 1 day will be a heavy arm isolation day, the other day is just a few sets light for a pump. if i dont hit arms a few times a week they feel flat. almost like someone took a pin to them and let out all the air, lol. thats the best way to describe it.

mon - legs
tue - shoulders (this is my light arm "bi/tri" day)
wed - off
thurs - chest/biceps
fri - off
sat - back/triceps
sun - off

thats my current split/routine.............

too much emphasis on arms?
 

justmechillin

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mon - legs
tue - shoulders (this is my light arm "bi/tri" day)
wed - off
thurs - chest/biceps
fri - off
sat - back/triceps
sun - off

thats my current split/routine.............

too much emphasis on arms?
Try a 8 day routine...
Day 1 Legs
Day 2 chest/tricept
Day 3 back/bicept
Day 4 off
Day 5-8 repeat.
You can get very strong w/ a workout like this. You are overtraining your arms with your current workout.
You will get 4 days of rest w/ this workout and can lift as heavy as you want...
 

PaulBlack

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If you quit training, what are your alternatives to stay active/fit, fight poor health, make a stricter diet and fitness regimen a habit, stave off diseases or maladies that creep in as one ages, keep a youthful outlook both mentally/emotionally and physically???

I'm 55 and have asked myself those^?'s. I cannot, for the life of me, find an excuse NOT to train or find a goal to chase. I still love it.

2 cents: As far as your routine, my arms get a huge workout 2x-3x per week by training my back, shoulders and chest heavy (all larger groups) Maybe a set or 2 of direct arm work at the end is all you ever need IMO. I used to train my arms 5 days a week and they are larger now and I hardly pay much attention to them. By making my back, shoulders and legs much thicker and larger, my arms had no choice but to keep up. Training the big groups hard, make the biggest changes in the entire body's strength, muscular, hormonal and CNS/PNS systems.
 
kenpoengineer

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I'm 53 and I lift every day. Every time it gets hard I just look around at those my age that are in horrible health and hear them say how terrible the sides are from all the prescription drugs they are taking.

I look at my aging in-laws that need walkers to use the bathroom. I remember my father dying at 63 and mother dying at 50 due to neglected health.

I then fckin man up and hit the gym for another session!!!!!! Don't ever quit!!!!
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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As far as your routine, my arms get a huge workout 2x-3x per week by training my back, shoulders and chest heavy (all larger groups) Maybe a set or 2 of direct arm work at the end is all you ever need IMO. I used to train my arms 5 days a week and they are larger now and I hardly pay much attention to them. By making my back, shoulders and legs much thicker and larger, my arms had no choice but to keep up. Training the big groups hard, make the biggest changes in the entire body's strength, muscular, hormonal and CNS/PNS systems.
^this^ is what I was getting at. I add an arm day every other week and its usually too much.
 

ymalleb

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Let me try this, I will give this routine 8 weeks.

Mon-chest/back
Tue-legs
Wed-off
Thur-chest/back (lighter for more reps)
Fri-off
Sat-shoulders
Sun-off.

This splits my chest/back up for at least 72 hours rest. I will give my arms a break for a few weeks and do no isolations. Starting week 3 I will toss in 2 sets of biceps/triceps with the lighter thurs routine.

Ive never tried this but have seen others do it, as you guys' suggested.

Thx for all your input, you guys are right, I can't quit.
 

kisaj

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Backing up those that say you are emphasizing arms too much. I'd even add in a second leg day every 6 days. Focus on big compounds. Through push and pull compound movements, you are going to be working your arms and you are going to grow throughout with some big leg days.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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Here, Ymall.

M Chest/shoulders/tri's
T Legs, calves
W off
T Back/bis
F off
S legs
Sun repeat

Or........
M chest/back
Tues legs
Wed off
Thurs Arms/shoulders
Fri legs
Sat off
Sun repeat.(I am liking this split but I am trying to bring up arms and have worked out 3 1/2 of the last 4 years. And its too much arms for me. Tendons are struggling. 1st split is good.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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And if you're like me:
1. You need a 2nd leg day
2. You train upper body w more volume so chest/back is too much for one day....
 

kisaj

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Here, Ymall.

M Chest/shoulders/tri's
T Legs, calves
W off
T Back/bis
F off
S legs
Sun repeat
Regardless of my rep/set scheme, this has always proven to be the most effective for me. I incorporated about 10 years ago in a need to keep my lower half really strong and in line with my upper- which I can build muscle on very fast. I never want my upper body being disproportionate or stronger than my lower.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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Regardless of my rep/set scheme, this has always proven to be the most effective for me. I incorporated about 10 years ago in a need to keep my lower half really strong and in line with my upper- which I can build muscle on very fast. I never want my upper body being disproportionate or stronger than my lower.
DC-influenced, which I have never found a better training split for growth.
 

ymalleb

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Tons of good info guys, thx again.

Asking me to do legs twice a week is tough. Its brutal just doing them once. I know they are important so I do them, but are they crucial for overall uppet body growth? I need to get my lagging arms up to par. My plan was to slow down the arm isolation workouts.
 

kisaj

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They are crucial for overall body growth. If you don't want or know you won't work them in, then I would suggest a compromise. Do a leg day with squats, hammy work (sldl or rdl), and then for your back day, do sumo deads. This will get your back work in and overall power, but sumo puts more focus on legs and glutes than normal deads.

Just an idea if you are being honest with yourself and know you won't add in a dedicated second leg day.
 
Matthersby

Matthersby

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They are crucial for overall body growth. If you don't want or know you won't work them in, then I would suggest a compromise. Do a leg day with squats, hammy work (sldl or rdl), and then for your back day, do sumo deads. This will get your back work in and overall power, but sumo puts more focus on legs and glutes than normal deads.

Just an idea if you are being honest with yourself and know you won't add in a dedicated second leg day.
Really solid advice. And I recommended just forcing yourself to do it. I hate training legs but I never get much size/strength until I train them with the same kind of intensity I do everything else. I love training legs now. Its a love/hate thing. ;)
 

ymalleb

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Its funny how my legs are out growing the rest of my body, yet I train them with the least amount of intensity. Its my least favorite day, but i get through it. My focus has been on arms of late and reading these posts, I'm convinced I over trained them. I have been extrememly tired of late and feel like my arms have shrunk.

Arms have been at 17 1/4" flexed for the past 3 months. They look 12" because I don't have much shape, I would say its diet/body fat related.

I probably need to calm down and realize that I barely have 6 months in. I think I'm rushing things. Love your guys' posts/knowledge, I have a plan of attack now which will start tomorrow. I do want to lay off arm isolations for 2 full weeks.
 

kisaj

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I probably need to calm down and realize that I barely have 6 months in. I think I'm rushing things. Love your guys' posts/knowledge, I have a plan of attack now which will start tomorrow. I do want to lay off arm isolations for 2 full weeks.
Admitting you have a problem is the first step. LOL, I kid, but also serious. Working arms is like crack for dudes and then they wonder why they never make any progress.
 

PaulBlack

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Asking me to do legs twice a week is tough. Its brutal just doing them once. I know they are important so I do them, but are they crucial for overall uppet body growth? I need to get my lagging arms up to par. My plan was to slow down the arm isolation workouts.
Most trainees think their arms are under par, when really, they are most likely in balance with their other body's development and skeletal structure.
As far as leg training, it IS the hardest training and that is another reason it elicits some of the better systemic growth thru out the body. The large structures of the hips, glutes, quads and hams, contain almost 70+% of the body's moving mass. (then the back) When these areas are trained fairly hard and kept in balance with the rest of the body, the energy levels seem to kick into gear and move the work capacity and GPP to higher levels.
Now, no one is saying specifically, you have to train the legs 2x per, but hard leg training, does make upper body training a cake walk, IMO.
Caveat: you could do a heavy/lite leg set up too. ie: say squats on Monday and lighter repping deadlifts or (even better if you have access) trap bar or suitcase deadlifts for higher reps say Friday.
 

ymalleb

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sound advice guys, you dont know how much i appreciate it.

can you guys comment on over training?

do you guys take a week off every 6 months? or maybe just taper the weight down a few weeks to recover a bit?

i think im over trained..............sleep has been crap at night, just walked in from the gym and started this new routine that you guys suggested. bench is down to 245 for 6 reps, im usually at 245 for 10, 255 for 6 and 265 for 4. strength is down, sleep is crap and im simply not growing. mentally a little tired simply due to strength being down this week.

any input is appreciated............im not in favor of stopping for a week, but maybe thats the answer.
 

kisaj

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The single best thing you can do to promote growth and continued progress is a deload or off week. It is so hard to grasp, but it proven time and time that we need time off from the beating that we put on our bodies. I take 5-7 solid days off from the gym every 8 weeks. I still ride my bike, go for runs, do my mma training, but I don't lift any weights. The week I go back, I feel like dominating everything in sight and I really feel refreshed. Joints aren't sore, everything has healed, and I am ready for a new routine. I run 8 week routines and that is why I take the week off in-between. It prepares me mentally and physically.

I'm entering my 22rd year of dedicated lifting and I have only sustained one injury this whole time and that was when I tried to train through being tired and worn down. That was the only lesson I needed.

Now, does that mean you are over training and that is why your sleep sucks and gains are slow? Not necessarily, but it is possible. Only you know if things have changed in your life that may be a culprit. Extra stress, changes at work, marriage issues, kids starting school, finances, etc... all weigh heavily on the psyche and body.

Oh, and don't sit and look at each day at the gym and if you don't lift the same or more than the last time consider it a failure or a weakness. We can't progress all the time and sometimes you just have an off period. Just make a mental note of it and use it to work off of. Hell, I DL 535 and there are days I go in and 405 is kicking my ass. You just wipe it out of your mind and feel good that you did something active and more than 95% of the rest of the guys our age.
 

PaulBlack

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sleep has been crap at night, just walked in from the gym and started this new routine that you guys suggested. bench is down to 245 for 6 reps, im usually at 245 for 10, 255 for 6 and 265 for 4. strength is down, sleep is crap and im simply not growing. mentally a little tired simply due to strength being down this week.

any input is appreciated............im not in favor of stopping for a week, but maybe thats the answer.

This happens to everyone who trains seriously, (from Coan to Coleman to Jeeter to Nadal) because, the body does not grow or adapt in a linear fashion. It would be nice if it did, but everything in life cycles and spurts and waves.

If you have been at it for 6 months, it might help to back off a week or so and or regroup with a start of a new cycle, lowering all the weights etc. If you have been working hard on BP's, maybe put more focus in on a different large lift, like squats or deads or rows (Those 3 or so are larger muscle groups anyway) or even OHP's for a bit. Your BP won't suffer if you slide the intensity back a little and in fact it may even bump it up by adding more power to other parts of the body.
 

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