What can I reasonably expect?

I am a 47-year-old male who five years ago suffered a sudden and severe illness-a ruptured bran aneurysm followed by surgery to repair the burst artery. I was a bit over weight at the time of the aneurysm but in the course of my recovery, I gained a lot more. I am 6 foot tall, very thin framed and at the peek, I weighted 225 pounds.
 
About 2 ½ years ago, I decided to loose weight and get into shape, I got my weight down to 169 pounds, worked out and felt better than I had in many years. I grew much stronger, developed some new muscle and new muscle definition and my energy level sharply increased. I used basic exercises, body weight exercises, and some weights-there were days I did as many as 250 push-ups. I made good progress but was very disappointed as dimensionally I changed very little if any, with the exception of my waistline.
 
I have always been a very thin-framed guy-think young teenage girl thin, and had hoped that I could increase my body dimensions. Much of the problem I believe was that I did not eat enough calories though I made certain to get sufficient protein.
 
Despite the fact that I did not get the increases I wanted,I made some positive improvements so the effort was not in vain. I am ready tore-dedicate myself to this again and plan more weight training, more cardio, dietary changes and a few other things I have learned on this site. Now, at this point in life I realize that I will not be getting 21 inch biceps but with my frame and age what could I reasonably expect in gains?

No one wants to venture an opinion?

designer


No one wants to venture an opinion?

Sorry but I never saw your original post.
Congratulations,first of all for deciding to make positive changes in your lifestyle. You will not regret it one bit.
You can expect to make consistant gains...but it won't happen overnight.
In 2003 I weighed 165 pounds on a 5'11" frame.I've always been an extreme ectomorph.It's always been a struggle for me to gain any type of weigh....even fat! But I started getting serious about weight training...but it was always 6 weeks here then I'd lay off for a while and then i'd get back into it.The last two years I've been fairly consistent and paid alot more attention to my diet as well.
Anyhow,today I average around 185 to 190,and feel better than I did 5 years ago ...not to mention looking alot healthier...and I'm 44 years old now....but I feel better than I did at 25!

So I say go for it, you'll get good results if you're consistent!

Good Luck!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Thanks Bulkingup. I agree, there would be no regrets. I havealready made considerable gains and if no further improvement were to happen Iam still better off and, like you, feel better now than at 25. Yes, I have avery ectomorph frame as well and gains are difficult. When younger it was veryhard to gain weight but as I have aged that has changed a bit, but unfortunately,I tend to gain fat around the midsection now. That too is something I wish toaddress. Despite getting my weight down to 169, I still have some fat around mywaistline that I want to loose. I am not certain which approach to take, shouldI concentrate on loosing the remaining weight or do I eat to gain muscle andhope I can loose the fat along the way.

I am also concerned with my age being a hindrance to gains. CanI still make gains at 47 years of age? I know that I need a routine that is structuredand organized and hope to get some advice here that will lead me to the bestapproach. I have been using weights but most of my focus has been withexercise-push-up, chair dips, ect. I know that I need to hit the weights in asystematic and planned manner and really need help in that area along withadvice on proper diet for my body type and goals.

Thanks again Bulkingup. I can use all the advice andencouragement I can get.

OK...first off is your mid section fat really that bad? If not it'll probably come off once you start a weight resistance regimen.

I think you should start with a 3 day a week full body routine with mostly compound exercises. You can throw in a few isolation exercises but right now they're really not necessary. If you use the search function at the top of the page you can search for a good full body routine,there's plenty of threads here dicussing them. Anyhow you'll want to include bench press,squats,and Deadlifts at the very least.

As far as diet is concerned,I'm probably not the best to ask,being an ecto I can get by without being too strict,although I try to eat good clean foods most of the time. A good place to start is www.Fitday.com they have a diet calculator there,where you can put in your fitness goals (gain muscle ,lose fat) and it will calculate your daily needs in reference to your Protein,carbs and fats.Plus you can keep a daily journal and it will tell you how close you are to where you need to be as far as diet is concerned. They have a database of commonly consumed foods,so you just kind of point and click to what you've had to eat each day...it's definitely a good place to start.

It sounds as if you are well on your way,another way I keep motivated is to keep an online journal here at Dbb.com,it kinda keeps me accountable...and other members let me know if I've been slacking too much.

Good luck and let us know how it's going....and If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Thanks again bulkingup. I will check out the website a bit later today after work sometimes. My midsection is not too bad fat wise. I'm thinking that if I lost maybe 5-10 more pounds it would be gone completely. I do not seem to have much trouble loosing weight.

I have many other questions and will post more later. Supplements for example, is there anything that, considering my age, would be beneficial?

bulkingup, when you recommend a "3 day a week full body routine" do you mean that I should work my entire body, arms, chest, abs, legs each day for 3 days, or that over that 3 days I should work-out my entire body? For example, Monday=Chest and Back, Wednesday, Arms, Friday-legs and abs.

designer


bulkingup, when you recommend a "3 day a week full body routine" do you mean that I should work my entire body, arms, chest, abs, legs each day for 3 days, or that over that 3 days I should work-out my entire body? For example, Monday=Chest and Back, Wednesday, Arms, Friday-legs and abs.

Yes,a 3 day full body means you work out each muscle group during each workout 3 times a week. Don't confuse this with a split routine in which you'd use alot more volume in your workout. For example lets use chest exercise...On a full body you may only do 1-2 exercises for 2-4 sets max. On a split routine,in which you're only working chest,you'd normally workout chest for anywhere between 9-12 sets.

Here is a link to an excellent 3 day full body routine:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/totalbody_training
 
Check it out its written by chad waterbury and is an excellent routine. It's pretty self explanatory...but I'll fill in the blanks for anything you have questions on.

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Thanks bulkingup. I have it bookmarked.

It occurred to me today that when I made my original postingand asked what I could reasonably expect, that it might have been better tostate my goals and ask if they were a reasonable expectation.
 
I have used several of the online calculators that determineideal body proportions. One that was recommended to me on another board wasthis one based on wrist circumference, http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson207.htm
 
The proportions it gives as being idea for my frame are
 
Chest
45inches
Waist
31inches
Hip
38inches
Bicep
16inches
Forearm
13inches
Thigh
24inches
Calve
15inches
Neck
17 inches
 
I am within 2”-3” on most all of these measurements so, atmy age is it reasonable to expect to make these kinds of gains?

Yes If you're within a couple of inches,I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to reach those goals. I know that people who haven't seen me in a few years are amazed at the gains I've made! At our age it is a little bit harder than it was in our 20's and even 30's but its still within reach!

Go for it!

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

These measurements, for the most part I thought sounded good for me. Some, I'm not too sure about, the waist for example. Currently I wear a 32 and was thinking that 28 might be about right. Biceps and forearms will probably require the biggest gain.

Yes, it all seems to get more difficult as we age but I am willing to put in the work, the diet, and whatever else I need to.

I plan to purchase some new weights this weekend or early next week, so I have a nice new complete set. I already have access to a bench. I'm going over the full body routine you recommended and looking at some others and want to try to find something that I can do with the equipment I have or can easily get. I am also thinking perhaps I should go 2 day a week strength building and one day cardio, though I do like to do a bit of cardio as a warm-up before working out. Any thoughts?

designer


 I am also thinking perhaps I should go 2 day a week strength building and one day cardio, though I do like to do a bit of cardio as a warm-up before working out. Any thoughts?

You could go 2 days weight resistance and 1 cardio....I prefer to do a 3 day (Mon/wed/fri) and If I choose to do cardio I'll do it on tuesday or thursday (on off days). Or you can always do Cardio as a warm up or after your workout.My wife usually does hers after her workout to increase fat burning capabilities.

It is pretty much up to your own personal preference.

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

I would not mind the extra cardio some weeks but would I risk over doing it?

designer


I would not mind the extra cardio some weeks but would I risk over doing it?

Possibly, especially if you're trying to add muscle,you could run the risk of not taking in enough calories,because of the amount of calories you'd burn doing extra cardio.

I sometimes use my off days to do abwork and sometimes Iso work that I don't get from compounds (calves and traps) or sometimes I do a little cardio. Just keep in mind that you have to account for the extra calories being burned due to cardio. on fitday they have a feature that will account for all your exercise and subtract those calories from your daily requirement.

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Something I have been curious about and not found a real clear answer. Will your body burn stored fat to produce muscle? I suspect it might but it would be very tricky managing your calorie intake.

designer


Something I have been curious about and not found a real clear answer. Will your body burn stored fat to produce muscle? I suspect it might but it would be very tricky managing your calorie intake.

No,not technically. when you build core muscle it will speed up your metabolism,thus making it easier to burn fat more quickly. Thats why it is important to eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day as opposed to 3 big ones.
But by adding muscle you will in turn burn fat.

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

I have heard that before bulkingup. I looked at supplements tonight. Wal-Mart has a protein powder I am considering. I think the brand name is "Body fortress", 52 grams of protein, low fat. Ever try that particular brand.

bulkingup, I set up an account at Fit Day. That is really a great site. Girlfriend set one up too. Thanks for recommending it.

designer


I have heard that before bulkingup. I looked at supplements tonight. Wal-Mart has a protein powder I am considering. I think the brand name is "Body fortress", 52 grams of protein, low fat. Ever try that particular brand.

Yes I've tried Body Fortress....Its pretty good....I think Wal-mart also carries "Six-Star" which is a good protein also.

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

I'll look for it next time I am out there. A year or two back I got some Soy protein there, no fat, low calorie, and 25 grams of protein. The only problem is the stuff is so nasty I could not find a way to drink it.

From what I hear, most people seem to think that Whey protein is better