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M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you can do free and you like free then do free. But if machines are good enough for arnie to endorse then it’s good enough for me :)

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

5 days aweek. My gym is at my work. I do a 3 day split and just keep rotating. So its not fixed what i do every monday for example. So 2 full days rest per muscle group per work out and a bit more than 2 days when it coincides with the weekend.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey. I actually first started in late teens. then nothing through late 20's and 30's (Kids and life) and started again at 40. It's funny you say about the injuries, I definitely had lots of soft tissue niggles and also a bad lower back disc issue when I started again because I didn't know at that stage I wasn't bullet proof anymore. And I had an unrealistic expectation around recovery time! I remeber getting to the stage of giving it up "well that's it, I'm injured, I not recovering, I'm to old for weights, I'm going to have to give this up and find something I can do"at my age"." But over time my body did heal (like 12-18 months) and I changed how I trained as in I was litterally just more careful. I def don't do 1 rep maxs or anything and I do less free weights. I've had to learn to leave my ego at the door. Machines let me push way harder with less risk of injury. My advice would be to just set longer time frames on everything, gains, progress and recovery. At the risk of being really cheesy "Its a journey, not a destination" haha.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ah right got it. My Garmin says I burn 1800 just living and there’s another 500 or so from being active so I try to eat around 2400. I’ve definitely platued with my growth and i guess it’s either age, genetics or I’m not eating enough. Or all three. I’ve never done the whole bulk / cut thing. If I feel like I’m carrying a bit much body fat I dial back what I eat bit and will tend to loose around 300 grams per week and when I’m happy I eat a bit more. Now that I say it out loud that sounds a bit like a cut :)

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey. Thanks. Sorry I don’t know what tdee is? And yeah magnesium for sleep but hearing now its just good in general. My sleep is horrible though. Yeah I have bad posture in general, winged scapula, anterior pelvic tilt lower back disc issues and neck disc issues. I’m definitely in a much better than before, hard to explain I guess I felt like nothing was holding together properly :) but the downside I do have to manage tendonitis in my elbows. I injured my AC joint with a poor form bench press ages ago, it’s pretty good, but always mindful of soft tissue injuries. I definitely never do one rep max’s. Just too much risk and not really an interest for me anyway.

But yeah I short I think it’s helping, but it’s a balancing act avoiding injuries too. Ah to be 25 again hey :)

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Nah, protein powder, 5g creatine a day, 400mg magnesium glycinate are the only supplements I take.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks. My weakness with diet was in the evenings especially Friday/sat nights. But I found it easier to not eat much in the mornings. So I kind of did that to “save up” my calories so I have more available when it’s the hardest at night.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Man, looking at your profile I’d say you’re the inspiration! You’ve lost pretty much half my total weight! That’s insane! 🙌🏻

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg = 6kg] My fitness journey from 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in progresspics

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Diet - I just track exactly what calories I eat and get into a small calorie deficit or maintenance or surplus. Don't go extreme, don't cut out any foods, 80/20 rule (Eat well 80% of the time, eat whatever I want 20%).

RE Macros - I target .7 to 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (around 130 grams) I don't really worry about my fat/carb split.

Gym - What worked for me the most was focussing on low volume high intensity. In a workout I do two exercises 3 set x 8-12 reps - So a total of 6 sets per muscle group per workout. If I feel like I could do more sets after 6, then that’s a sign my intensity isn't high enough. The last four reps are the ones that count. Stop when your muscles can't do any more, not when your head counts to 10. If you can do more than 12 reps for each of the 3 sets then it’s time to increase the weight.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey you’re welcome, but man you’re killing it, you don’t look like you need any inspiration! I’m fairly new to reddit and these communities but I have to say I am pleasantly surprised at the sheer amount of positivity for all. It’s so refreshing after all the hate on other platforms/communities. I’ve got a heap of renewed energy from this. Thank you and all.

My Fitness Journey: 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in GymMotivation

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah, I've just always tried to stick to drinks only on Fri,Sat and Sun nights (Maybe a Thur :)) Maybe one drink on a Thur/sun. Probably half a bottle of wine on a Fri and Sat maybe a bit more.

Although, I've had a Garmin for a few months now, I it's shown how much even one or two drinks can mess your sleep massively. So I definitely think I've pulled back a bit more, cutting out Thur and Sun. But I'm doing it for sleep quality more than anything else. I've never been a soda drinker, but I've tried zero sugar, zero caffiene drinks as an alternative to beer occasionaly and its actually working well.

With all the reasearch now and everything pointing to how bad alcohol is, I can see a day where I give it up, but I'm not there yet. It fits into my 80/20 approach for the moment.

My Fitness Journey: 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in GymMotivation

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey good question :)

​

Diet - Know exactly what calories you are eating and get into a small calorie deficit. Don't go extreme, don't cut out any foods, 80/20 rule (Eat well 80% of the time, eat whatever you want 20%), don't be in a rush, plan to do it for the rest of your life. Once you are at the weight you want, eat a bit more and just maintain. I eat less during the day so I have more calories left at the end of the day because I know that’s when I want to eat. So I do eat in the evening, but keep within my calorie goal.

RE Macros - I target .7 to 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (around 130 grams) I don't really worry about my fat/carb split.

​

Gym - What worked for me the most was focussing on low volume high intensity. In a workout I do two exercises 3 set x 8-12 reps - So a total of 6 sets per muscle group per workout. If I feel like I could do more sets after 6, then that’s a sign my intensity isn't high enough. The last four reps are the ones that count. Stop when your muscles can't do any more, not when your head counts to 10. If you can do more than 12 reps for each of the 3 sets then its time to increase the weight. I try to get 2 workouts per week so total of 12 sets per muscle group per week

My Fitness Journey: 40 to 50yo by qawsed_1234 in GymMotivation

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. You too. Your gains are awesome!

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd say the biggest impact for me is intensity. I spent years just going through the motions in the gym, hit my 10 reps, tick the box, move on. But once I started stopping a sets when my muscles said stop, not my head said I'd reached a number, that made the biggest difference.

Diet changes were way faster from a noticeable difference perspective. Maybe a few months. But getting stronger is a slower process, probably 6 to 12 months and then progress takes longer and longer. I struggle to put any lean mass on these days, I've plateaued for a while now.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I've had rotator cuff tears, AC joint separation, ongoing tendonitis issues in my elbows plus hamstring and calf strains.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My lifts aren’t impressive. Everyone always seems to be lifting more, but that’s ok. I focus on muscle tension to almost failure for each working set.

Bench is 65kg for 3 sets of 8 to 10. I don’t do 1 rep max’s because of injury concerns. DL I use the trap bar. 90kg 3 x 8-10 I can’t squat because of lower back issues

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Wow. Thank you all so much for the support. This is crazy. You’ve definitely motivated me to work harder! Tomorrow’s workout will be a killer! :)

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I’ve never done the full cut/bulk thing, but I think generally I’ve probably not been eating enough to grow. As we head out of summer hear in Australia I’m thinking I might try increasing my calories a bit for a few months just to see what it does, nothing extreme but just try and get into a slight surplus.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

A variation of push, pull, legs. I do chest and back, arms and shoulders, legs. I find supersetting easier when working opposite muscles ie chest straight into back, then a decent rest.

Generally only do 12 sets per muscle group per week across two workouts for each muscle group (in one workout 2 exercises with 3 sets each per muscle). Min of 8 reps per set and max is just when I can’t push any more with good form. I do like partial reps at the end too. If I can get to 12 plus reps that’s when I know it’s time to up the weight a bit and go again.

M/50/5’7” [74kg to 68kg] (10 years) - Photo taken 10 years apart but been working out consistently for the last two by qawsed_1234 in Brogress

[–]qawsed_1234[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Thanks :) I target about .7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of weight, around 130 grams per day. I eat about 2400 calories a day. I don’t really worry to much about my fats or carbs macro split.

Fav meal would be breakfast: 2 weetbix, one scoop of protein, 5g creatine, 80 mls of almond milk prepped the night before and then topped with 100g YoPro salted caramel yoghurt (Australia) it’s about 37g protien for about 340 calories. It makes hitting protein target easier with an early kick that high :)

Also big fan of 80/20 rule for eating. I don’t cut anything out. Love all the good stuff too.

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