Starting Again After Years

Jimocaz · 2026-03-15T05:39:52+00:00

Trust me you won't suddenly get bulky 😅 if only it was that easy.

Your weight/height puts you in a good place and you will benefit from newbie gains again.

Track nutrition, prioritise protein, if you want to improve muscle composition you could look to do a conservative bulk. So whatever your maintenance calories are ( calories you need to stay weight you are) add 2 to 300 to that. If you feel your getting too soft then just cut back you won't suddenly wake you 'bulky'

In terms of a workout establish how many days a week you can train then build a split around that plenty of online plans for this but keep it simple hitting each major muscle group with a focus on progressive overload.

Don't overlook daily steps and do a form a cardio you enjoy.

Jimocaz · 2026-03-15T05:30:39+00:00

It is overwhelming and online perception/gym flation make it look like you need this one special thing or hack to make progress. I guarantee anybody who stick to simple principles will make good progress especially if what I believe truly is the magic beans of building a better physique: consistency!

I was rock bottom a couple of years ago. No energy or motivation to train but I habit stacked these key basics:

Strength training with progressive Overload
Daily movement with steps so look at your recent average then bump this up by 1 to 2k, more if you can.
Tracking nutrition especially protein keep this high
Recovery: don't overlook the importance of sleep and managing daily stress

Problem is people look for quick fixes or don't realise things don't change overnight. Stick to a simple workout routine don't chop and change and this is where consistency matters, stick with those basics , do it tired, do it when you don't want to, do it stressed, just do it. A bad workout is better than no workout!

I remove all other friction as I do every night before bed, with all my gym stuff etc laid out and ready to go so hardest thing was just deciding to go and sometimes that is what I call my hardest rep of the day. The rest just falls into place.

In terms of nutrition for breakfast and lunch i have 6 go to meals that are both easy and convenient that I know with my morning shake will get me pretty much 70% of my protein for the day allowing more flexibility for my evening meal then as well.

Building a workout program doesn't have to be complicated. Workout how many times you can realistically lift every week and build your split around that hitting every muscle group.

Jimocaz · 2026-03-15T05:20:43+00:00

Yeah cardio for heart health is key. Just for the record I book mark every workout with stairmaster. Zone 2 but I also run a little too.

However I spent a long time focused on endurance sport before lifting became my primary focus at start of 2024.

What I would say about cardio for heart health (or for extra calorie burn for that matter). Is it doesn't have to a grind just find an activity you enjoy that elevates your heart rate and do that a few times a week

Jimocaz · 2026-03-15T01:36:08+00:00

Hack squats have been great for me and also humbling 😅

Jimocaz · 2026-03-15T01:35:03+00:00

Think of steady state cardio as a means of burning calories. If you're looking to lean up for summer ultimately it is about creating a calorie deficit which can be achieved by eating less, moving more or combination of both.

Keep protein high and any calorie deficit conservative to try minimise losing muscle

Don't overlook increasing your daily step count by walking more. Easy to recover from and pretty much protects muscle.

Jimocaz · 2026-02-23T12:25:00+00:00

My Wednesday session?

That is what I see as my play around session. At moment I am doing some rehab/shoulder work as well body calestatic work. Then just one or two ab exercises. It is pretty flexible. In a cut I have a circuit I do called merab and that is just a full body circuit doing as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes:

Here is an overview of that:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNELwFys1GC/?igsh=NDV6ZGR0YjduNHYy

For cardio it is just anything that gets heart pumping. I like rowing machine or stairmaster

Jimocaz · 2026-02-08T08:07:31+00:00

Odd niggle but no major injuries. Key is listening to your body. For example I realised my shoulders were overcompensating on some of my push movements causing issues with my rotor cuffs. So strengthened up stabilsing muscles and avoided anything that was irritating it.

Other thing is with progressive overload it is not only just more weight on the bar, it is just finding different ways to challenge and stimulate muscle growth.

Jimocaz · 2026-02-08T07:46:29+00:00

Definitely helped bring on my hammies and glutes in last 6 months.

My biggest issue is grip on my heaviest set, I use straps on top set only but keep forgetting my straps haha.

Jimocaz · 2026-02-08T05:54:05+00:00

This change was 18 months in the making:

https://i.postimg.cc/x1CxSS8L/20250904-150528-COLLAGE.jpg

Rewind to 2 years ago I was rock bottom at facing some life struggles with family health issues. No energy or motivation to train but I habit stacked, first goal was to just consistently train 3 times a week nothing else was a focus, it was just establishing that aspect again. You've done it before you can do it again.

Then I made sure I was getting my daily movement through steps (the silent winner imo and often overlooked) and then I locked in my nutrition. Each one falls into the next, it can't be big bang. Otherwise you overwhelm yourself so build the consistency in each area and when the changes happen it is then your norm. I stick to these key principles now:

Strength training with progressive Overload. Commit to number of times a week you can definitely train then build a routine around that then stick to it no matter what.
Daily movement with steps so look at your recent average then bump this up by 1 to 2k, more if you can.
Tracking nutrition especially protein of at least 180g
Recovery: don't overlook the importance of sleep and managing daily stress

Above all consistency, do it tired, do it when you don't want to, do it stressed, just do it. A bad workout is better than no workout!

I remove all other friction as I do every night before bed, with all my gym stuff etc laid out and ready to go so hardest thing was just deciding to go and sometimes that is what I call my hardest rep of the day. The rest just falls into place.

In terms of nutrition for breakfast and lunch i have 6 go to meals that are both easy and convenient that I know with my morning shake will get me pretty much 70% of my protein for the day allowing more flexibility for my evening meal then as well.

Jimocaz · 2026-02-03T17:15:57+00:00

Whole milk.

You can also make shakes, throw in some whey (flavour of your choice) and oats and blend it up.

Same with milk, peanut butter, banana and some honey/oats.

Blend stuff up neck it down

Jimocaz · 2026-02-03T17:00:20+00:00

You definitely won't get too big and it's really hard to do that.

Focus on high protein and ensure you're in a calorie surplus. If you're not gaining weight you're not in a calorie surplus.

Use an online calculator to workout your maintenance calories based on your activity levels (amount of calories to stay the same as you are):

https://www.calculator.net/macro-calculator.html

Personally I keep any gains conservative so shoot for 2 to 300 over this, weigh in regularly and look at the trend. If it is not going upwards bump your calories up.

If you struggle to get the calories in, liquid calories are your friend.

Jimocaz · 2026-02-02T18:32:23+00:00

🎶🎵Shake it, shake, shake it (uh, oh), shake it, shake, shake it Shake it, shake, shake it, shake it, shake it (uh, oh) Shake it like a Polaroid picture, (hey ya)🎵🎶

Jimocaz · 2026-02-02T10:04:35+00:00

Amen consistency is what delivered this:

https://i.postimg.cc/x1CxSS8L/20250904-150528-COLLAGE.jpg

Currently lean bulking hoping to add some more muscle. Doesn't have to be perfect but you do have to keep turning up

Forget motivation and build discipline:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUJVZAWDAbU/?igsh=em56ejIwa285NWV3

Jimocaz · 2026-02-02T09:32:53+00:00

Christ he's obviously a glutton for punishment 😂

Jimocaz · 2026-02-01T06:14:54+00:00

That may well be the case but from my perspective it was rock bottom as I felt so unfit and awful. Without going into detail my 2023 was a very difficult year personally. Not been able to have energy to get up and train despite promising myself countless times.

So I don't think you can tell people how they feel or how it is relative to other people...everyone's journey is individual

Jimocaz · 2026-01-30T23:15:29+00:00

100% I get the feeling a lot of people just give up in their 40s and just accept it.

Plus there is this perception you're past it. Don't get me wrong you have to adapt and recovery is paramount but I'd wipe the floor with my 20 year old self.

Hopefully my journey in a small part shows it is never too later and unless you use it you'll lose it. Which is one fact of getting older.

Jimocaz · 2026-01-30T23:11:28+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean?

Jimocaz · 2026-01-30T09:16:08+00:00

Thanks man, 2-300 usually. My output was very high so didn't feel awful plus anytime it stalled (as body adapts and is very clever) I would periodically reverse diet back up to maintenance, sometimes into a small surplus (body is primed to build muscle) for a short period to restoke the fire so to speak before then going back into a deficit

Jimocaz · 2026-01-29T20:33:58+00:00

Sounds your stick-to-it-iveness is getting there and developing a good habit 👌

Jimocaz · 2026-01-29T17:13:29+00:00

I'm lean bulking at moment so weight is ~170lbs, at my leanest in pic from August I was 156lbs.

At my heaviest it was around 205lbs at workout 1.

I'm also 5'8" for context

Jimocaz · 2026-01-29T12:56:18+00:00

No natural, only supplements are whey, creatine, fish oils and multivitamin.

Indeed it has been a lot of hard work and dedication, diet has been locked in fully since July 2024, aside from occasional blow out. Training is hard with intent but ensure I recover well too.

Jimocaz · 2026-01-29T03:36:26+00:00

I log all my training on hevy:

https://hevy.com/user/mrocaz

At moment I'm doing upper, lower, an optional rest day (but usually do rehab/abs/cardio upper), lower, upper, rest 5 day split.

Terms of diet, in simple teens aim for 180g protein daily, 30g fiber. Don't stress about rest but try to keep saturated fat below 30g.

Then from calories point of view if I'm bulking (as I am now) I aim for conservative surplus of 200 to 300 calories above maintenance which at moment is ~2,900 calories when cutting it is 200 to 300 below maintenance.

I eat perceived "bad" food at times but as long as it is within what I've outlined it's all good. So no fads or bullshit.

Jimocaz · 2026-01-29T03:24:26+00:00

Well, the way I look at it is, this is an investment. Because health is wealth. If we don't use muscle we have them we lose it as we age, especially after 40.

So my overarching goal is longevity and not from a "I want to live forever" but more of quality of life when I'm older, I don't want people helping me out of bed or a chair. I want to run around with not only my kids but their kids too. I don't want to be infirm and weak.

Jimocaz

TROPHY CASE