I'm 40 and need to change my life.

[DeepSouthDad]

I'm 40 and although I have never been an athlete I have considered myself a hard worker all my life until about 5 years ago when some long term back problems finally caught up to me and I felt I could no longer push myself anymore. I have tried to exercise but never saw the improvement I was looking for after months discouraged me and often left me in more pain than I started with. The last few years has been the worst, I was sick, Injured, and suffered from some pretty sever depression and was just not active much at all. After getting over the illness and finally recovering from that I would like to get back in a gym.

I'm 6'1" and 200lbs medium build, somehow i managed to keep some muscle but some need some serious help. I am a complete novice to supplements, what I am looking for what is going to get me the best results and by that I want to put on some muscle and look good, I need something that is going to help me recover and get atrophied muscles stimulated and growing.

Please someone help me, I would really appreciate a list of supplements that will help me, I know its going to take a lot of hard work and dedication also but there has to be some supplements out there that can help me.

 

[Smont]

If your working out for months and not seeing results then your diet and workout program needs a tune up.

Supplements will "supplement" a good diet and workout program, but there is no supplement that will give you so e miraculous results. The old saying "you are what you eat" really is true.

Even steroids produce very mediocre results when paired up with a crappy diet and subpar training program or subpar training intensity.

Multi vitamin/mineral, extra vitamin d3, creatine, high quality fish oil product. Those are the basics. If your not already taking those then that's where you should start.

Why don't you show us what your diet in training program look like. Those things can be corrected to provide you with better results then any supplement can

 

[Smont]

Also, what is the extent of the back problem, issue and severity?

 

[Kronic]

he's 40 and depressed. probably low testosterone and I wouldn't be surprised if alcohol is involved

 

[DeepSouthDad]

If your working out for months and not seeing results then your diet and workout program needs a tune up.

Supplements will "supplement" a good diet and workout program, but there is no supplement that will give you so e miraculous results. The old saying "you are what you eat" really is true.

Even steroids produce very mediocre results when paired up with a crappy diet and subpar training program or subpar training intensity.

Multi vitamin/mineral, extra vitamin d3, creatine, high quality fish oil product. Those are the basics. If your not already taking those then that's where you should start.

Why don't you show us what your diet in training program look like. Those things can be corrected to provide you with better results then any supplement can

Also, what is the extent of the back problem, issue and severity?

As far as diet and training goes both are non existent at the moment. I eat healthy home cooked meals... I have tried special diets in the past with success such as paleo or other low carb diets. The last time I was on a modified paleo diet. I'm sure I can improve my diet and I will but honestly I think I eat pretty healthy and think thats the only thing keeping me in as good as shape as I'm in.

Now on my training program. The last time I was in the gym was over 5 years ago. I trained 4 days a week mostly physical therapy type stuff then I did your typical arms and shoulders and squats then I had another back injury. (I know you are looking for a diet plan and a detailed routine but I will have to start fresh on a new one as I don't remember the details).

As far as back problems, I have degenerative disc disease and have lost 2 discs and have several more that are deteriorated.

 

[DeepSouthDad]

he's 40 and depressed. probably low testosterone and I wouldn't be surprised if alcohol is involved

I don't drink alcohol much at all... depression was mostly brought on by hpylori infection but not entirely as I have been somewhat depressed from dealing with backpain and all the challenges that come with it for years.

 

[Smont]

As far as diet and training goes both are non existent at the moment. I eat healthy home cooked meals... I have tried special diets in the past with success such as paleo or other low carb diets. The last time I was on a modified paleo diet. I'm sure I can improve my diet and I will but honestly I think I eat pretty healthy and think thats the only thing keeping me in as good as shape as I'm in.

Now on my training program. The last time I was in the gym was over 5 years ago. I trained 4 days a week mostly physical therapy type stuff then I did your typical arms and shoulders and squats then I had another back injury. (I know you are looking for a diet plan and a detailed routine but I will have to start fresh on a new one as I don't remember the details).

As far as back problems, I have degenerative disc disease and have lost 2 discs and have several more that are deteriorated.

Saying you eat healthy home cooked meals or tried special diets means absolutely nothing.

Special diets you're talking about are called fad diets throw them in the garbage, eating healthy home cooked meals yes that's a good start but it doesn't mean anything.

If your goal is building muscle and or burning fat, improving your body composition. Trying to get stronger and improve your performance in the gym.

You should be eating multiple times a day 4-6
Your calories should be taylored to your goals. Your protein should be high, fats moderate to low and enough carbohydrates to fuel your performance and provide you with enough energy but not so much that your storing excess fat or spiking your blood sugar all the time. If you don't know how many calories you should be eating per day, and a rough idea of your macro breakdown then your diet needs work.

Just because your meals are home cooked or you're following some diet doesn't mean that you're not eating too much, or not eating the right things ect.

And I'm not trying to upset you but if you are currently not exercising and not following a regimented diet then you have no business taking any supplements because they're not going to do anything for you but empty your wallet. So why don't we work on the important things first

 

[Kronic]

I don't drink alcohol much at all... depression was mostly brought on by hpylori infection but not entirely as I have been somewhat depressed from dealing with backpain and all the challenges that come with it for years.

how's your sleep then? bad sleep is probably the most common cause of low T. but sometimes people have too much anxiety and stressers in their life that it's almost unfixable

 

[DeepSouthDad]

Saying you eat healthy home cooked meals or tried special diets means absolutely nothing.

Special diets you're talking about are called fad diets throw them in the garbage, eating healthy home cooked meals yes that's a good start but it doesn't mean anything.

If your goal is building muscle and or burning fat, improving your body composition. Trying to get stronger and improve your performance in the gym.

You should be eating multiple times a day 4-6
Your calories should be taylored to your goals. Your protein should be high, fats moderate to low and enough carbohydrates to fuel your performance and provide you with enough energy but not so much that your storing excess fat or spiking your blood sugar all the time. If you don't know how many calories you should be eating per day, and a rough idea of your macro breakdown then your diet needs work.

Just because your meals are home cooked or you're following some diet doesn't mean that you're not eating too much, or not eating the right things ect.

And I'm not trying to upset you but if you are currently not exercising and not following a regimented diet then you have no business taking any supplements because they're not going to do anything for you but empty your wallet. So why don't we work on the important things first

I get what you are saying and it's good advice, I also understand that its a necessary step in the journey I'm about to make. I'm open for suggestions on diet plans and training regiments. I'm also still interested in what supplements are out there that helps with recovery, muscle growth, and might help kickstart atrophied muscles. This is where I had troubles in the past and honestly I'm reluctant to put much effort in that direction unless I have something proven to help in these areas.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Can you get a comprehensive blood panel done which includes a hormonal panel? It might give a starting point on your health.

 

[DeepSouthDad]

Can you get a comprehensive blood panel done which includes a hormonal panel? It might give a starting point on your health.

I could try, but I live in BFE and don’t go to DRs much. There defiantly isn’t one within 100 miles I would trust to do TRT.

 

[akboom87]

Like what smont is saying diet will be the defining factor. Find a good macro tracker, my fitness pal etc App Store is loaded with them. A good accurate food scale so you can weigh and track what you eat and drink. Drinks can add up calories so fast it’s crazy. Also condiments ketchup/ranch/ butter/ sauces etc etc

Use a macro calculator, they are not very accurate or perfect but it will give you a estimate of what your Total daily expenditure of calories would be. It took me 3-4 weeks of dialing tracking my diet to find my sweet zone. Track everything everyday to see what your putting in calorie/fat/carb/ protein and then weigh yourself, just make it like say in the morning empty stomach and keep your weigh in routine the same.

And get lots of walks just daily steps in, it does wonders. And then adding in weight training will up your game even more.

 

[Smont]

I'm gonna try to approach this as if a friend of mine I haven't spoken to in a long time hit me up and ask me for advice and told me exiy what you said.



Ok so you wanna change your life and right now there's no effort in diet or exercise.

Start getting up 20min early then normal and start your day with black coffee or some tea, something that contains caffeine but has no fat or sugar and go for a 15-20min walk. When you get home have a small breakfast. Maybe a couple eggs, a slice of toast with some peanut butter and a piece of fruit. For lunch at work pack a salad with some grilled chicken and as much vegetables as you want. Have a nice balance meal for dinner. Pick a meat, a vegetable and a carb source like rice or potato.

That's by no means a perfect muscle building diet but it's a place to start.

Buy a multi vitamin, a whey protein powder and creatine.

Now we're at phase 2.

Do your morning walk, eat as described earlier but after work were gonna do a easy workout. Pick one exercise for every body part, make sure there pain free and do a warm up set or 2 followed by 3 sets of 10 fairly challenging reps.
After your workout have a scoop of whey and 5gm creatine.

You could do a DB press, a shoulder press and a tricep exercise on day 1, finish off that workout with pushups untill you can't do any more. On day 2 you could do a pull down, a leg press and a bicep exercise. Finish off that workout with bodyweight squats and sit ups or crunches. Take day 3 off and repeat.

Follow that for a few weeks and then start adding more exercises. Maybe you realize that you need more food to keep up with your new training at this point.

Maybe we can get some other supplements in the picture now that increase recovery like glutamine and essential amino acids to sip on during your workouts.

 

[Kronic]

I could try, but I live in BFE and don’t go to DRs much. There defiantly isn’t one within 100 miles I would trust to do TRT.

lots of trt clinics are online now. they don't take insurance usually though. they just mail your prescription to your place so as long as you are in the USA it should be fine

 

[DeepSouthDad]

I'm gonna try to approach this as if a friend of mine I haven't spoken to in a long time hit me up and ask me for advice and told me exiy what you said.



Ok so you wanna change your life and right now there's no effort in diet or exercise.

Start getting up 20min early then normal and start your day with black coffee or some tea, something that contains caffeine but has no fat or sugar and go for a 15-20min walk. When you get home have a small breakfast. Maybe a couple eggs, a slice of toast with some peanut butter and a piece of fruit. For lunch at work pack a salad with some grilled chicken and as much vegetables as you want. Have a nice balance meal for dinner. Pick a meat, a vegetable and a carb source like rice or potato.

That's by no means a perfect muscle building diet but it's a place to start.

Buy a multi vitamin, a whey protein powder and creatine.

Now we're at phase 2.

Do your morning walk, eat as described earlier but after work were gonna do a easy workout. Pick one exercise for every body part, make sure there pain free and do a warm up set or 2 followed by 3 sets of 10 fairly challenging reps.
After your workout have a scoop of whey and 5gm creatine.

You could do a DB press, a shoulder press and a tricep exercise on day 1, finish off that workout with pushups untill you can't do any more. On day 2 you could do a pull down, a leg press and a bicep exercise. Finish off that workout with bodyweight squats and sit ups or crunches. Take day 3 off and repeat.

Follow that for a few weeks and then start adding more exercises. Maybe you realize that you need more food to keep up with your new training at this point.

Maybe we can get some other supplements in the picture now that increase recovery like glutamine and essential amino acids to sip on during your workouts.

Thanks, this is what I’m looking for but I wouldn’t say I have no effort in diet and exercise. I am currently back working and doing two jobs. Weed eating for a friend who mows yards and got injured and doing carpenter work which I always have done part time. I also hunt fish and run traps, so I stay somewhat in shape. I had a really bad two years and I have some muscles I avoid using because of pain that I need to build back for support of those areas. Hopefully the creatine and whey will help build those muscles up a little quicker and at the risk of sounding lazy, with a bit less effort. I say that because what happens is when I work those muscles to much I get inflammation and when it gets real bad I cant walk.

I have never trained in a gym until my back injuries and that was mostly rehab stuff. I did find I enjoyed working out a lot but I just kept getting injured and didn’t seem to build much muscle mass even though I was getting stronger.

Thanks again everyone for the advice. I think I got a solid plan for now. I will also visit the Dr and get some blood work done if they will do it.

 

[Hyde]

Buy Dr. Stuart McGill’s book Back Mechanic on Amazon for like $40. Read it. Figure out what your pain triggers are from the self-assessment it shows you how to do (pictures and everything), implement the better movement practices he recommends, start doing his McGill Big 3 exercises basically every day.

I have rehabbed my back TWICE now after blown discs with his protocols over the last 7 years. I did a 605lb high box squat last week no issue. His method is very simple, for everyone, and it works! You do some bracing exercises, try to move intelligently, and take some frequent short walks. Eventually you build up low back stamina and get better at moving well & using your core to protect yourself.

As for things to restore atrophied muscles, it’s called using them!!! You can’t strengthen muscles that you can’t train/use, and you are in a position where you need to get out of back pain to eventually be able to do so.

Best $40 I ever spent. Helped my mom fix her back some, gave it away to a guy at the gym and he fixed his back with it too. World champions have used his methods to set all time records after injuries they were told they couldn’t come back from.

 

[DeepSouthDad]

Buy Dr. Stuart McGill’s book Back Mechanic on Amazon for like $40. Read it. Figure out what your pain triggers are from the self-assessment it shows you how to do (pictures and everything), implement the better movement practices he recommends, start doing his McGill Big 3 exercises basically every day.

I have rehabbed my back TWICE now after blown discs with his protocols over the last 7 years. I did a 605lb high box squat last week no issue. His method is very simple, for everyone, and it works! You do some bracing exercises, try to move intelligently, and take some frequent short walks. Eventually you build up low back stamina and get better at moving well & using your core to protect yourself.

As for things to restore atrophied muscles, it’s called using them!!! You can’t strengthen muscles that you can’t train/use, and you are in a position where you need to get out of back pain to eventually be able to do so.

Best $40 I ever spent. Helped my mom fix her back some, gave it away to a guy at the gym and he fixed his back with it too. World champions have used his methods to set all time records after injuries they were told they couldn’t come back from.

Thanks, I will get it for sure.

 

[DeepSouthDad]

Buy Dr. Stuart McGill’s book Back Mechanic on Amazon for like $40. Read it. Figure out what your pain triggers are from the self-assessment it shows you how to do (pictures and everything), implement the better movement practices he recommends, start doing his McGill Big 3 exercises basically every day.

I have rehabbed my back TWICE now after blown discs with his protocols over the last 7 years. I did a 605lb high box squat last week no issue. His method is very simple, for everyone, and it works! You do some bracing exercises, try to move intelligently, and take some frequent short walks. Eventually you build up low back stamina and get better at moving well & using your core to protect yourself.

As for things to restore atrophied muscles, it’s called using them!!! You can’t strengthen muscles that you can’t train/use, and you are in a position where you need to get out of back pain to eventually be able to do so.

Best $40 I ever spent. Helped my mom fix her back some, gave it away to a guy at the gym and he fixed his back with it too. World champions have used his methods to set all time records after injuries they were told they couldn’t come back from.

So I checked this out and started doing the Big 3. It targets those atrophied muscle groups for sure. I feel like this will really help me. Thanks so much again.

 

[Hyde]

So I checked this out and started doing the Big 3. It targets those atrophied muscle groups for sure. I feel like this will really help me. Thanks so much again.

Stay with it! It won’t be easy, making time every day, doing it when you would rather not and things are feeling better. But understand that just because you’re out of pain doesn’t mean you are out of the woods or should start testing things aggressively or moving poorly. Be patient, be persistent, and one little step at a time you’ll eventually climb Everest.