Gained half an inch on my upper arm muscle :)

[simon43]

What was your starting weight?

 

74 Kg, now down to 61 Kg.  (Some people would love to weigh 74 Kg, but my body size is 'compact').

 

Here is a bad 'before' photo and a recent 'after' photo:

 

Before:

 

After:

[kekalot]

I know this is an old post but, great job. you are never too old to be fit.

 

 

Charles here started bodybuilding at 87 and had a better body than some men in their mid 20s at 95+, he died at 97.

[simon43]

...he died at 97.

 

Any idea what he died from?

[JohnDyson]

I felt lousy training 5 days. Wasn't eating enough fruit n vege as well.

 

 

 

[JohnDyson]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Any idea what he died from?

Heavy bench

[tropo]

10 hours ago, JohnDyson said:

Yes it is. Ego makes people go heavy though. Arnold used to do some sets in the 20 to 30 range. Some others as well would aim for similar on back exercises.

There have been a lot of great physiques built over the years with high rep lighter weight training. Serge Nubret was a notable example with an amazing physique. Bear in mind that what one person calls light could be heavy for another person. Personally, I run the whole gamut from 5 reps up to 20, and occasionally higher, but on average it's over 10 and under 20. One of the strongest bodybuilders ever, Ronnie Coleman, is now a cripple. He's had about 8 back surgeries since he retired in 2009.

[tropo]

7 hours ago, simon43 said:

As for too much cardio exercise, I really don't see what the fuss is about.  It's like saying you read too much!  My cycling and jogging is very enjoyable, I never get out of breath, I enjoy jogging around the hotel gardens or cycling around the large lakes in Naypyitaw.

It's not that I'm making a fuss about you doing too much cardio. I was merely suggesting that the 2 activities are diametrically opposed. If you want to build muscle as quickly as possible, cut down on cardio. I do cardio nearly every day, but the average is about 20 - 30 minutes. I'm not focusing on building muscle as I already have enough of that. My cardio is focused on gaining the most benefit for the least amount of time performing it. Call it smart cardio. I don't do it for fun or enjoyment, but for specific benefits. It wouldn't be difficult for you to keep your low bodyfat levels, build muscle and do far less cardio. The fat levels can be controlled by calorie consumption. After all, this thread is all about putting on muscle, right?

[tropo]

3 hours ago, kekalot said:

I know this is an old post but, great job. you are never too old to be fit.

 

Charles here started bodybuilding at 87 and had a better body than some men in their mid 20s at 95+, he died at 97.

1

 

I'm sure most people have better bodies than "some men in their mid-20s". Whoever those 20 years olds were ought to be ashamed of themselves. Most people don't have the opportunity to bodybuild at age 87, as they are already dead. 

[simon43]

If you want to build muscle as quickly as possible, cut down on cardio.

 

Yes I agree with your comment. But I am happy to build muscle slowly and steadily.  I'm not too concerned about putting on muscle as quickly as possible.  But the important thing is once I have increased my muscle mass, I need to try to retain it.  That could be difficult with lots of cardio, but I'm sure my cardio will reduce once I return to Thailand, due to the hazards of jogging/cycling etc (think drunken drivers, stupid drivers, soi dogs etc).

 

I would probably build muscle more quickly if I cut down on my cardio.  (My M-F 5 km jog takes 25 minutes, 50 minutes for a 10 Km jog on Saturday and Sunday, 30 minutes weight training in the gym 6/7 days, 20 Km cycling usually takes the place of jogging, but I haven't repaired my tyre puncture yet!).

 

But i'm happy with the slow and definite muscle increase that I'm seeing (and measuring) on my arms and shoulders, abs and obliques.  For some reason, I see little muscle build on my pecs - must chat with the gym trainer to see which weights/gym machine will help there...

 

 

[kekalot]

4 hours ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Any idea what he died from?

apparently he died last year in April due to complications following heart failure

Edited October 17, 2018 by kekalot

[tropo]

51 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I would probably build muscle more quickly if I cut down on my cardio.  (My M-F 5 km jog takes 25 minutes, 50 minutes for a 10 Km jog on Saturday and Sunday, 30 minutes weight training in the gym 6/7 days, 20 Km cycling usually takes the place of jogging, but I haven't repaired my tyre puncture yet!).

 

 

LOL> I had a chuckle about this the fist time you mentioned it. All that energy expenditure on cardio, yet too lazy to repair the puncture. Been there, done that... spend to much energy in the gym to do anything useful for the rest of the day. I'm working more on a happy balance these days, but sometimes I still overdue it and I'm wiped out.

[tropo]

20 minutes ago, kekalot said:

apparently he died last year in April due to complications following heart failure

I knew a guy personally that had a heart attack while doing squats. I think he was in his 40's and he owned the gym. A lot of people die during exercise. If you have a clot the chances are you'll have a stroke or heart attack while you are exercising... and especially if you have long QT syndrome. I found mine was a bit long after an EKG recently, so I'm very careful when I push my heart rate high and always wear a heart rate monitor.

 

One guy I know discovered his carotid artery was 95% clogged... and he exercised his whole life. He caught it before it killed him, but it's a lesson that one must never think you're in good shape just because you exercise.

[jrjrjr]

11 hours ago, simon43 said:

 

 

Why asking if you know better than Tropo ?

It's so clear for anybody not totally insane that trying to get muscle when doing too much cardio is totally stupid, and too much cardio at 60 also is. Just keep doing, then you will come he whining that you got injury.

 

 

 

 

 

[simon43]

...yet too lazy to repair the puncture.

 

Well, not totally lazy ????  I carry a repair kit and pump. Did a field repair 2 times, but the hole was big and air still came out.  I got covered in oil doing the failed repair, then it started to rain, then I had to walk my bike 4 Km back home!

 

It's exam week at school, so no time to do a proper repair as yet, which is why I've replaced daily cycling 20 Km to school (roundabout route!) with a 5 Km jog and then go on my motorbike....

[JohnDyson]

12 hours ago, tropo said:

I knew a guy personally that had a heart attack while doing squats. I think he was in his 40's and he owned the gym. A lot of people die during exercise. If you have a clot the chances are you'll have a stroke or heart attack while you are exercising... and especially if you have long QT syndrome. I found mine was a bit long after an EKG recently, so I'm very careful when I push my heart rate high and always wear a heart rate monitor.

 

One guy I know discovered his carotid artery was 95% clogged... and he exercised his whole life. He caught it before it killed him, but it's a lesson that one must never think you're in good shape just because you exercise.

I wonder how many have a heart attack in bed exercising

[tropo]

13 hours ago, JohnDyson said:

I wonder how many have a heart attack in bed exercising

Especially compared to the pre-cialis, pre-viagra days. Not only does it make bed exercising possible for old-timers, but they also add risk if not used sensibly. 

[JohnDyson]

Tried listening but the guy is too boring.

[tropo]

8 hours ago, JohnDyson said:

Tried listening but the guy is too boring.

 

 

Without defining exactly what he means by "intensity" and "volume" it's all rather vague. Most serious athletes do both during most workouts. I gather from his interview on the 2nd video that he's a fan of German Volume Training. I tried that some year ago and got no gains from it at all.

[poanoi]

meanwhile i gained an inch at the belt,

how do you not eat when you are hungry ?

or: are you not constantly hungry ? and if so whats the secret ?

[tropo]

8 minutes ago, poanoi said:

meanwhile i gained an inch at the belt,

how do you not eat when you are hungry ?

or: are you not constantly hungry ? and if so whats the secret ?

Portion control is a good start. Maybe you're eating too much at each sitting. Also, what you eat makes a huge difference. You could eat often and not put on weight if you make the right food choices. Failing that, go crazy on cardio to burn as much fat as possible. The very first thing I do when I want to lose a bit of fat is cut out all the processed crap.

Edited October 19, 2018 by tropo

[poanoi]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

Portion control is a good start. Maybe you're eating too much at each sitting. Also, what you eat makes a huge difference. You could eat often and not put on weight if you make the right food choices. Failing that, go crazy on cardio to burn as much fat as possible. The very first thing I do when I want to lose a bit of fat is cut out all the processed crap.

i know one culprit, i stopped smoking a couple of years ago,

and now i eat when i would have taken a cigarette,

i was at 2 packs a day when i called it a quit.

also i'm always hungry, i really shouldnt have any food at all at home so i'm forced to go out when i want to eat,

but for the last several month i cant eat rice any longer, and i reckon kfc with a coke is about as bad as it gets, which is the only western resturant i have patience for,

i'm sort of 'food instantly' kind of guy

Edited October 19, 2018 by poanoi

[simon43]

are you not constantly hungry ? and if so whats the secret ?

 

If I'm hungry I drink green tea or coffee (not too much/day) or water.  Or I eat an apple or some other fruit.

 

I cut out ALL processed food during the week - have some cheat food at the weekend, a big Myanmar beer etc.

 

I don't get hunger pangs anymore ????

[tropo]

18 hours ago, poanoi said:

i know one culprit, i stopped smoking a couple of years ago,

and now i eat when i would have taken a cigarette,

i was at 2 packs a day when i called it a quit.

also i'm always hungry, i really shouldnt have any food at all at home so i'm forced to go out when i want to eat,

but for the last several month i cant eat rice any longer, and i reckon kfc with a coke is about as bad as it gets, which is the only western resturant i have patience for,

i'm sort of 'food instantly' kind of guy

LOL to the KFC with a coke. I've been eating that quite often myself, but I found a store that has coke zero unlimited refills. If your store doesn't have it, buy it at the 7Eleven and take it in. If you can stay off the fries, it's not too bad, depending of course on how many pieces you eat.

[tropo]

2 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

Notice how shitty the legs of most powerlifters look despite all that hard training. There's no definition - they just look fat... not to mention their fat guts. That's what you'll end up looking like if you keep hitting the big 3.

 

They are actually handling weights they can't handle, hence the knee wraps, belts and squat suits. I'm not impressed at all.

 

It's actually quite dangerous too.:

 

 

[transam]

On 9/5/2018 at 1:11 PM, simon43 said:

Thanks for all the comments, including the funny ones!

 

Of course, I mean arm circumference ?

 

My measured T level is about 350.  I recently started on a course of TRT through Maximum Fitness in Pattaya.  My plan is to continue under their 'care' for a few months and then go it alone, doing my own clinic T, estrogen and PSA tests.  I am in Myanmar and self-inject twice a week into my bum - no problem.

 

Tropo is certainly correct that building muscle at my age is very hard, (even retaining current muscle is difficult), because of my exercise activities.  I'm also not looking to have big muscles - My lower body muscles are fine due to my cycling.  I want to try to increase my upper body muscles to a level that I can retain as I cruise into my 60's.

 

As I approach 60 years old, I do have a six-pack!  I will spare you the photos (which are on another forum).  Getting a six pack at my age is an example in self-torture, such is the effort and will-power required to keep to a strict diet, to exercise daily to reduce the fat level, and to weight-train the abs muscles to increase their size.

 

But Vanity is actually my middle name, and I'm very happy to have achieved good-looking abs through rigid self-control and will-power, without any input/encouragement from a partner/gym friends etc.

 

It's an ongoing heavy effort to improve the six-pack appearance - I do not recommend it at all for anyone of my age!

I am 10 years older than you, I gave myself a goal to build traps and triceps.

I have done it...I take no supplements and eat very little, but I do push myself..????

[tropo]

9 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

It's ego that causes problems.

It's actually the heavy weights that cause problems. You can't lift heavy weights without the ego pushing you along and the guys that broke legs (in the videos above) were doing exactly what other competitors do. Powerlifters use aids (belts, knee wraps and suits) to handle weights they cannot handle when raw (without aids), so the risk is even greater for injuries. Add PED's to the equation, and the risks are further increased because the muscle gain strength faster than the connective tissue, and tendon detachment becomes a very real concern.

 

Here's the thing that a lot of people fail to understand about heavy weights. Even if you're strong enough to push a heavy weight, it's still a heavy weight with the same amount of compressive forces against bone, joints, muscle sinew and connective tissue. People think that a heavy weight will magically become a light weight just because they have the strength to push it. Back when I was able to push 140kg for 10 reps on the bench press and squat, I still remember how heavy it felt when unracking it. Despite being able to perform 10 reps it never felt light. An observer watching may have thought it looked light because I had no trouble pushing it, but it didn't feel light. I can just imagine what it feels like to unrack 200kg+ as many of these powerlifters do.

 

And talking about heavy weights, here's Eddie Hall lifting 500kg on the deadlift (first man ever - with straps). He said he will never try that again. He nearly died after bursting blood vessels in his head.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/eddie-hall-nearly-died-after-passing-out-following-new-deadlift-world-record-of-500kg-a7132306.html

 

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by tropo

[owl sees all]

After being extremely sporty (football, swimming, tri'), I let myself go about 12 years ago. Came to Thailand and settled down in Isaan. Decided one day, about 18 months ago, after the wife called me 'fat pig', to start a weight programme that would get me back into some kind of shape.

 

I use a pair of coated 6kg weights. With a commitment of 20 minutes a day (although I do miss days) and I have managed to turn things around. I'm 1.9 metres and now 91kg. I have a mountain bike, which helps with the legs and I work on the farm doing this and that.

 

Recently I bench-pressed 55kg 25 times before feeling my left elbow complaining.

 

One of the things about my exercise routines is that they can easily maintain what I have now got.

[tropo]

4 hours ago, hyku1147 said:

What about deloading, increasing weight in small monthly increments, listening to your body, and proper sleep and nutrition? They serve to keep the ego in check.

Heavy training increases HGH ,testosterone, and bone density, as well as strengthening tendons and ligaments:

"Do tendons and ligaments (joints) get stronger with weight training?"

https://www.quora.com/Do-tendons-and-ligaments-joints-get-stronger-with-weight-training

 

 

 

Not at the sort of weights these guys are carrying. You're the one who started the topic of powerlifters by posting a YouTube video of a powerlifter squatting. All these top competitors take PED's which often include HGH and most certainly testosterone and its derivatives, so their own production is non-existent.

 

Even the guys breaking legs and sustaining other serious injuries are using all the typical training techniques that all powerlifters use (some of which you mentioned above). Most of them have trainers and frequent special powerlifting gyms. It is micro-tears and micro-fractures that lead to tendon ruptures and bone breaks. Like most of us tend to do - we ignore a little pain here and there, but when you're lifting extreme weights, that little bit of weakness can cause catastrophic failure (breaks and ruptures).

 

But anyway, the idea of pushing heavy weights at the OP's age (or my age) is insane. There is no justification for it, and certainly no need. Even as a younger person you're not going to develop a nice physique from the big 3. You'll end up with a very bulky and unattractive physique. Most people prefer the aesthetic look, with a v-shape taper to a small midsection and some degree of muscle separation.

[how241]

Keep it up and you will gain more.

[simon43]

But anyway, the idea of pushing heavy weights at the OP's age (or my age) is insane.

 

As the OP, I totally agree with your comment!  I bench press 20 Kg, do side-bends with 12 Kg dumbells etc.  That's heavy enough for me to slowly increase my muscle mass ????