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maintaining muscle

rawfeels

New member
i used to lift for about 8 years or so pretty consistently. but then my wife and i had kids and i ran out of time helping her out/work etc etc. fast forward like...4 years.

about 2 weeks ago i started running and lifting again. over the course of about 5 years ive gained...i dunno 25lbs or so. So Im trying to get back into it again and so far its been good. but a question came up.

i started off with the ol' starting strength 3x5. but...it didnt seem enough at all so i switched to 5x5. i was getting winded during the workout but not as much as i should have been. In other words, my muscles were tired and i was a little winded, but i wouldnt really call it a good solid workout. Squats, deadlifts, powercleans, bench, standing military press is what im doing. Later ill add some pullups.

so heres my question. Is this 5x5 something i can use simply to gain a little muscle while i start to up my cardio? Or would i be better suited doing higher reps, lower weight? something like 5x15?


My main goal at this point is to lose body fat and gain some of my strength back. I dont really care about the numbers i can lift as much as what i look like in the mirror. I just remember the 5x5 being for people trying to gain strength after being out for awhile or trying to break a plateau.

Diet? mostly clean, though i need to make a spreadsheet to make sure im getting enough calories.

Im 5'8ish and about 205. Have a good amount of muscle from the past, though im probably like...~20%bf. I should weigh around 170 (to be normal). Ideally id like to get to about 155-160 over the next year/ year and a half or so.

any advice?
 
about 2 weeks ago i started running and lifting again...

so heres my question. Is this 5x5 something i can use simply to gain a little muscle while i start to up my cardio? Or would i be better suited doing higher reps, lower weight? something like 5x15?


My main goal at this point is to lose body fat and gain some of my strength back...

Diet? mostly clean, though i need to make a spreadsheet to make sure im getting enough calories.

Im 5'8ish and about 205. Have a good amount of muscle from the past, though im probably like...~20%bf. I should weigh around 170 (to be normal). Ideally id like to get to about 155-160 over the next year/ year and a half or so.

any advice?

Yes, the 5x5 training regime is fine for what you want to do. If you haven't been doing any exercise in a while, then you don NOT even need cardio for successful fat loss - the resistance training will be enough. Honestly, ANY training is going to help re fat loss, especially since your NUTRITION is the REAL key to your success (or lack of) in losing fat.

I recommend reading url=http://www.rosiesmusclerevolution.webs.com/fat_loss.htm]The 3 Keys to Fat Loss[/url] for comprehensive advice and information re nutrition and training for fat loss.

Don't focus on weight, but on BODY COMPOSITION, since if you target a weight instead of a body composition, you may end up having to lose precious muscle to get to that target weight. Therefore, pick a target BODY COMPOSITION - like say 10-15% bodyfat (15% bodyfat is average for a male) and aim for that.


~Team APPNUT
 
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