42 and just starting

[Want2Grow]

Hi guys!

I turned 42 a few months ago and decided that my life was not what I wanted from it.

I was feeling depressed, low libido, foggy brained. I went to the doctor and luckily he was on top of his program.

He did a blood work up on me and found that my test levels were low. After reading some of the other posts, I now realize that having a doctor think that way out of the box is rare.

Anyway, I've been doing self injections 100mg test-e each week. And initially it was great and I was on top of the world.

I joined a gym and started working out. I dropped from 277 to 260 right now. Yes I was fat slob. My clothes are getting looser and I'm really liking where my body is going.

I know I have a lot of pounds to drop, but I want to replace that with lean muscle.

Considering my age is there anything I could be doing that would help me build muscle faster?

I'm already doing protein shakes after my workout and have stopped all of the junk food, except for 1 cheat meal I give myself each week. And honestly at this point I think I'm ready to stop that.

My workout looks like this:


M/F - Upper Body (Bench/Back/Shoulders/Biceps/Triceps)
W - Lower Body (Squats/Hamstring/Calves/Abs)

T/Th/S - Cardio (45min on Elliptical)

The following week I change up the Upper and Lower Body work outs so that Lower is on M/F and Upper is on W.

I do 5 sets of each exercise. 12rep/10rep/8rep/6rep/12rep. Increasing weight on the way down and back to the original weight for the last rep. I was told that this would fatigue the muscle and help me build up to heavier lifts.

As an example, my paltry benchpress goes like this: 90/100/110/120/90. The guy who told me it fatigued the muscles was right. After that I can't do anything else, but I also can't seem to add any weight to this. Week after week, this is all I can seem to muster.

As my handle says, I want to grow. And yes I'm impatient. I was expecting the test to help out in that area, but it just seems that I'm not able add any muscle, just drop fat.

If it matters, I've been married for 20 years now and have a 19yr old and a 16yr old. No desire to have additional kids. In fact the wife and I are dying for them to move out to college so we have more time to do stuff together.

I know this post is all over the place, and I apologize for that. I just wanted to give you guys as much detail as possible. And I'm sure I left something important out anyway.

Thanks!

 

[n87]

Welcome to the club. Congrats on making that decision to get your life on track. Don't get in too much of a hurry as far as building muscles and loosing weight. It looks like you are already doing what you need to be doing. Just watch your diet and keep lifting/cardio.

 

[BUCKNUTS]

42? Man you're old...oh wait a minute I'm almost 42 :mischievous: What does your diet look like? what kinds of food do you eat, how often etc.

 

[Want2Grow]

42? Man you're old...oh wait a minute I'm almost 42 :mischievous: What does your diet look like? what kinds of food do you eat, how often etc.

Usually I have some semblance of the following:

7am - 2 eggs w/ green peppers/jalapenos (egg beaters)
9am - 1/2 protein shake
11am - 1 5oz can tuna w/ celery
2pm - 1/2 protein shake
7pm - 1 chicken breast or blackened salmon
9pm - 1 protein shake

I am using protein shakes as meal replacement. I am sure you can tell by my diet that I'm a low carber. I find it is the easiest way for me to diet.

I'm not getting the most greens, but my doctor actually told me the multivitamin would help replace anything except the fiber. Luckily for me jalapenos have a laxative effect for me.

 

[Want2Grow]

Welcome to the club. Congrats on making that decision to get your life on track. Don't get in too much of a hurry as far as building muscles and loosing weight. It looks like you are already doing what you need to be doing. Just watch your diet and keep lifting/cardio.

Yeah I just wished it was going faster.....

I am noticing changes in my body composition, but ultimately I want a complete change in my looks and I want it now.

Yeah I know it doesn't happen overnight. But I want to make sure I'm doing everything I possibly can to help it along as fast I possibly can.

 

[Andy G]

Usually I have some semblance of the following:

7am - 2 eggs w/ green peppers/jalapenos (egg beaters)
9am - 1/2 protein shake
11am - 1 5oz can tuna w/ celery
2pm - 1/2 protein shake
7pm - 1 chicken breast or blackened salmon
9pm - 1 protein shake

I am using protein shakes as meal replacement. I am sure you can tell by my diet that I'm a low carber. I find it is the easiest way for me to diet.

I'm not getting the most greens, but my doctor actually told me the multivitamin would help replace anything except the fiber. Luckily for me jalapenos have a laxative effect for me.

According to my calculations you are only consuming 137 grams of protein per day. Simply put, that is not enough if you're weighing in at 260. Try keeping track of your 'macros', macronutrients. 260+/- protein, 200 carbs(whole grain, good carbs), 60 fat(efa's, essential fatty acids) The carbs here will be dependent on how you are feeling. Cut your carbs too much and you will not grow, aka put on lean muscle mass. You will also not have as intense of workouts. Fatigue could set in. Once you're really into a program, try carb manipulation. More to bulk, less to cut. Etc. Generally speaking, you want about a gram of protein per lb of body weight, or more, depending on your goals. I like your meal placement's as far as time, however your 2pm meal then 7 pm meal seems too far apart, I'm assuming there is a workout in there. You only want 20 grams of protein before a workout and some good carbs, and fast, maybe a banana. If you get into a state of ketosis at this point in your lifestyle change you may not be able to add muscle like normal. Some good carbs are o.k. They're digested slower, make you feel fuller a little longer, have fiber, all that good stuff. A banana or fructose type sugar when you awake, along with breakfast wouldn't hurt either. Just concerned about your general energy levels here. Cuz if you fatigue, most people feel it is becoming too difficult and tedious to continue with their training and diet, and ultimately quit. We don't quit in here. Keep it up my friend.

 

[EasyEJL]

you definitely look like you are not eating enough to make stength + lean mass gains. Which is ok, pick one of the two goals - fat loss or muscle gain - and go with that. Honestly fat loss first is far smarter. The lower your bodyfat is when you start to gain mass the less fat you'll gain. I started weightlifting at 39, but didn't hit TRT till 41 as I was an idiiot and just didn't want to go that route. I've probably made more progress just by having my estrogen under control than anything else.

 

[Want2Grow]

According to my calculations you are only consuming 137 grams of protein per day. Simply put, that is not enough if you're weighing in at 260. Try keeping track of your 'macros', macronutrients. 260+/- protein, 200 carbs(whole grain, good carbs), 60 fat(efa's, essential fatty acids) The carbs here will be dependent on how you are feeling. Cut your carbs too much and you will not grow, aka put on lean muscle mass. You will also not have as intense of workouts. Fatigue could set in. Once you're really into a program, try carb manipulation. More to bulk, less to cut. Etc. Generally speaking, you want about a gram of protein per lb of body weight, or more, depending on your goals. I like your meal placement's as far as time, however your 2pm meal then 7 pm meal seems too far apart, I'm assuming there is a workout in there. You only want 20 grams of protein before a workout and some good carbs, and fast, maybe a banana. If you get into a state of ketosis at this point in your lifestyle change you may not be able to add muscle like normal. Some good carbs are o.k. They're digested slower, make you feel fuller a little longer, have fiber, all that good stuff. A banana or fructose type sugar when you awake, along with breakfast wouldn't hurt either. Just concerned about your general energy levels here. Cuz if you fatigue, most people feel it is becoming too difficult and tedious to continue with their training and diet, and ultimately quit. We don't quit in here. Keep it up my friend.

Yeah I usually get my workout sometime between 5pm and 7pm.

Would you recommend moving up to a whole protein at the times I'm doing 1/2?

As for 'good' carbs. The whole problem I have is identifying those suckers. I guess oatmeal is good. What other options are there? Whole wheat bread?

I am currently on an EC stack that I was reading about. Picked up the ingredients at the local drug store. That really helps my energy levels, but I take my last dose at 3pm and I start to wane at 5pm when I really need it.

I am definitely feeling fatigue when I work out. Should I consume some fruit (juice) or something prior to my workout, and if so how much and when?

I also read it was a good idea to do fruit with the post workout shake to get the protein to the muscles faster. Does having fruit prior to the workout hinder that?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Want2Grow]

you definitely look like you are not eating enough to make stength + lean mass gains. Which is ok, pick one of the two goals - fat loss or muscle gain - and go with that. Honestly fat loss first is far smarter. The lower your bodyfat is when you start to gain mass the less fat you'll gain. I started weightlifting at 39, but didn't hit TRT till 41 as I was an idiiot and just didn't want to go that route. I've probably made more progress just by having my estrogen under control than anything else.

Yeah but I want to do both at the same time..... I was thinking the muscle gain would help with the fat loss. I just don't want to gain fat. Lean mass should be achievable with all of the stored energy I have....

My other concern is with the TRT how do I keep it from converting to Estrogen? My doctor didn't test my E levels last time and based on what I'm reading, I think I'm starting the conversion process. My mental focus is starting to go, and my libido is all but gone now. Any thoughts on preventing that w/o having to go do yet more blood work?

The libido of course being the important part. The wife has really been enjoying that :laugh2:

 

[EasyEJL]

Yeah but I want to do both at the same time..... I was thinking the muscle gain would help with the fat loss. I just don't want to gain fat. Lean mass should be achievable with all of the stored energy I have....

Yeah, and I want to fly like superman, but it doesn't make it realistic.At the start of working out, the first 3-6 months you can do a little of that, but outside of that its not realistic. Guys who talk about that are talking about loosing 2lbs of fat while gaining 8-10 of muscle. Thats not the league you are in at the moment. So diet down to where you are under 200, then worry about gaining muscle. That doesn't mean to not work out, but don't expect big changes in muscle. It just doesn't happen fast regardless, and particularly doesn't happen while at less than maintenance calories.

My other concern is with the TRT how do I keep it from converting to Estrogen? My doctor didn't test my E levels last time and based on what I'm reading, I think I'm starting the conversion process. My mental focus is starting to go, and my libido is all but gone now. Any thoughts on preventing that w/o having to go do yet more blood work?

The libido of course being the important part. The wife has really been enjoying that :laugh2:

at 100mg a week, its not too likely that its a problem. Your doctor ought to test you anyhow as it can be significant, I just don't think it necessarily is. Actually raised estrogen tends to help libido, so I doubt thats it. You don't want to get into messing with that without bloodwork as its too easy to go too far the wrong way and have no estrogen, which causes other issues. One little thing you can try is instead of injecting once a week for that 100mg, splitting into two 50mg injections may make a difference.

 

[Want2Grow]

Yeah, and I want to fly like superman, but it doesn't make it realistic.At the start of working out, the first 3-6 months you can do a little of that, but outside of that its not realistic. Guys who talk about that are talking about loosing 2lbs of fat while gaining 8-10 of muscle. Thats not the league you are in at the moment. So diet down to where you are under 200, then worry about gaining muscle. That doesn't mean to not work out, but don't expect big changes in muscle. It just doesn't happen fast regardless, and particularly doesn't happen while at less than maintenance calories.

Yeah I would be happy with it being 8-10 fat lost and 2lbs muscle gain.

at 100mg a week, its not too likely that its a problem. Your doctor ought to test you anyhow as it can be significant, I just don't think it necessarily is. Actually raised estrogen tends to help libido, so I doubt thats it. You don't want to get into messing with that without bloodwork as its too easy to go too far the wrong way and have no estrogen, which causes other issues. One little thing you can try is instead of injecting once a week for that 100mg, splitting into two 50mg injections may make a difference.

I just realized that I gave the wrong weekly dose. That is what he started me at. When I went to see him my total test was 217. He put me on 100mg/week and after 3 months didn't like where it was at and increase me to 200mg/week. So I'm doing a 1mL injection each week.

From what I have read so far, to much or to little Estrogen kills the libido. There is a sweet spot which tends to be pretty low. I had that for a while, but it is gone now. And it was a sweet spot to be in for sure.

 

[EasyEJL]

Yeah I would be happy with it being 8-10 fat lost and 2lbs muscle gain.

thats probably doable, but you wont see the muscle gain

I just realized that I gave the wrong weekly dose. That is what he started me at. When I went to see him my total test was 217. He put me on 100mg/week and after 3 months didn't like where it was at and increase me to 200mg/week. So I'm doing a 1mL injection each week.

From what I have read so far, to much or to little Estrogen kills the libido. There is a sweet spot which tends to be pretty low. I had that for a while, but it is gone now. And it was a sweet spot to be in for sure.

at 200 a week, particularly being obese (the aromatse enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen is stored in fat cells) estrogen should be tested. But that is not the only factor for libiido anyhow, so don't stress too much on it, or that will make it worse stress is the leading cause of libido loss. Still break the injecting into 2 per week if you can buy the extra needles easily enough, as that will help bring estrogen down.

 

[phL8Tme]

When I was turning 40 I decided to jump back into weight lifting. Started out at 191 lbs/5-6" in two months I weighed in at 157. I quit eating fast food and upped my protien and long grains and protien (225 gms/day).

I also started taking DHEA, MAN-vaporize (big fish and sesimine) maca, and a test booster, trib, and a milti vit.

I should state that other than about 20 lbs of fat I was in good shape. Always did very physical work.

Now a year later I'm 170 lbs of ripped muscle. I will turn 41 in a week and my 24 yo gf can't keep up with me.

Hang in there bro. Watch the cals but up the protien. At our age progress takes a bit longer than it would have at 21, but you can still put on size and drop the gut! Hell, I'm benching 325! My junk is rock hard on demand. And I'm prob. in the best shape of my life.

Keep at it bro!

 

[sampson27]

Increase the protien, carbs after working out along with protien, and look at your grouping of exercises. I do back and biceps on one day, chest and triceps on another, shoulders on another, legs and repeat. You will need to confuse the muscle and change your program a bit every 6 weeks or so. this is what works for me. Stay awy from white breads, sugars,pasta, etc. whole and long grains are better. I personally stay away from juices. take your time, and get a good base under you before thinking about anything else.

 

[sampson27]

When I was turning 40 I decided to jump back into weight lifting. Started out at 191 lbs/5-6" in two months I weighed in at 157. I quit eating fast food and upped my protien and long grains and protien (225 gms/day).

I also started taking DHEA, MAN-vaporize (big fish and sesimine) maca, and a test booster, trib, and a milti vit.

I should state that other than about 20 lbs of fat I was in good shape. Always did very physical work.

Now a year later I'm 170 lbs of ripped muscle. I will turn 41 in a week and my 24 yo gf can't keep up with me.

Hang in there bro. Watch the cals but up the protien. At our age progress takes a bit longer than it would have at 21, but you can still put on size and drop the gut! Hell, I'm benching 325! My junk is rock hard on demand. And I'm prob. in the best shape of my life.

Keep at it bro!

A 24 year old GF. God bless ya!!

 

[phL8Tme]

Picked up my tulip after hittin the gym this morning. Benching reps with 300 lbs today. Due to end of season busy work sched., my diet has suffered and Im down to about 165 lbs. But I'm burning fat, the vascularity has gone nuts the last month or so. I don't get it, I eat everything in sight!

Gotta start that 2nd mass gainer shake daily I guess. lol

Hang in there man! Initally results come fast! As long as diet and workout are in order. After a few months, the sore muscles, and "hard" feeling in the muscles gets addicting! I find myself wanting to go to the gym rather than home, or out for dinner on Friday night.