Middle aged, overweight busy guy training

[Rewi74]

Gidday. This is my first post ...

I am:

34 years old;

Very overweight;

Extremely busy;

Barrister;

Property investor; and

Father - husband.

I work 65 hour weeks.

For the past 5 years it was all about getting the career going. Having done that the next challenge was all about returning to training while also working. It was hard finding a 'balance'. At the beginning of the year I set myself new goals that I have not done before that were challenging but achievable - if I stuck with my training.

Those goals were:

Seated barbell presses 100 kg

Deadlift 180 kg

barbell curl 70kg

dumbbell row 50 kg

Training history:

On and off again training for about 17 years.

I achieved the dumbbell row fairly quickly and dropped the exercise as there were no more heavier ones in my home gym. I had never done the deadlift other than when I was 17 for about three workouts, so effectively I had never really done it before.

I had suffered a terrible injury about 7 years ago while squatting which put my on my back for 3 days. I could not walk after the injury and it took ALONG time to rehab (thats a big reason why I'm doin the deads: to help rehab the back). I have also torn my left tricep doing tricep extensions about 9 years ago.

Current Workout:

Seated barbell presses 5 sets

Deadlift usually at least 5 sets

One leg leg presses 3 sets

Current weights (5 months in):

Presses 75 kg Deadlifts 150 kg Barbell curl n/a d/bell row n/a.

I brought 'little gem' weights and have managed to add on average 1-2 kg a week to the exercises. Doesnt sound like much but the goal is to continue to add the kg per week. If I manage that, I'll get to my goals at the end of the year.

As things got heavier (relatively) I dropped the curls. I have been able to constantly add weight to the presses and d'lifts, so I'll keep going.

The Focus - getting 'strong', putting on muscle while still having a life.

Going really well.

Its allowing me to train, gain, live, work and play.

Will continue with this program until late August when I will switch to bodyfat focussed training or trying to maintain strength while loosing weight.

I have genuinely enjoyed this routine. I hope to get to the 100 press and 180. I'll let you know how it goes.

Just thought other middle aged, busy guys who still want to train, wanted to know. There's hope for us old, fat buggers yet.

Cheers.

[knock knock]

Hi, welcome, looks like your goimg hard!

[runveerun]

34 isn't middle aged!!! Surely your going to live past 68??!!!!!!!!

[Rewi74]

I certainly hope I live past 68! I think lifting wise I'm knocking on being a geriatric! Myself and other friends who are also 'trainers' all say the same thing, "it takes longer to recover" "cant train like I use to" etc. I get up in the mornings and things certainly ache more and I walk like those puppets on thunderbirds until things 'warm up'.

Am I training hard? While that is subjective, for me it certainly feels that way. I think the challenge is to continue to do so for the long term. I often re-read 'brawn' 'beyond brawn' and 'further brawn' in particular the sections about adding the little gems over and over and over. I hope I can continue to do so and not get distracted or loose interest and find myself having to start over .... again.

I'm hoping that by lifting the weights I have set for myself that it will result in the muscle mass that I am after. I wont count my chickens before they hatch, I'll just take each training week as it comes, hope that I do it, over and over and over - and see what happens.

[teamfatboy]

Just thought other middle aged, busy guys who still want to train, wanted to know. There's hope for us old, fat buggers yet.

Cheers.

Amen to that, Rewi!

Some of your goals are similar to mine - and you clearly have already put a lot of thought into what you want to do, in what order, so well done for that!

keep it up, keep asking questions - there's a lot of smart people on here who can help.

[EZcurl]

How many reps do you get on the 70kg barbell curl?

That is a massive weight!

[Rewi74]

How many reps do you get on the 70kg barbell curl?

That is a massive weight!

Hi, right now I'm not doing any curls. This is because I have found myself completely shot after the main exercises. Due in part too from being so out of shape.

I have not curled 70 kilos before but I fully expect to do so at the end of the year. I have curled 60 before for 6 good form reps although that was several years ago. I expect it to take me about 6 weeks to build back to 60 and then a further 15 - 20 weeks to curl 70.

I appreciate that some may take the stance that progress is not linear and that you cannot 'expect' to progress on a pre-determined path. I get that and accept that although not entirely. Everytime I have trained consistently I have noticed new strength gains. The problem is that I have never trained consistently for more than say 6 months at a time before taking a 'lay off'.

You will find those who have made progress are those that simply keep at it and do like the energiser bunny and keep going and going and going ...

[recent addict]

How common is a bodybuilding or fitness lifestyle in your profession, what with the 65 hour weeks and all?

I'm studying law at the moment so am quite curious. At 21 and just beginning to train hard I'm determined to keep it up for a good 20 years plus - it's easy to say that with the gloriously flexible uni timetable, work and kids will surely make it tougher

[Rewi74]

How common is a bodybuilding or fitness lifestyle in your profession, what with the 65 hour weeks and all?

I'm studying law at the moment so am quite curious. At 21 and just beginning to train hard I'm determined to keep it up for a good 20 years plus - it's easy to say that with the gloriously flexible uni timetable, work and kids will surely make it tougher

I remember my boss at my first government summer job, he said to me (when he found out what my age was then) that he would give his left one to be my age. I now know what he meant. I'd give my left and right one to be 21 again.

It is quite shocking the relatively large number of divorced lawyers that I know. Large firm culture is to blame. Those that work long hours etc are those that are rewarded first. You really are married to the firm. This is designed to ultimately benefit the partners. More hours means more billing which means more profit. You are lured with the 'golden handcuffs' of partnership: one day.

I dont want to scare you off the profession, but when I went the barrister route I put on ten kilos in my first year. It was all about getting the business up and running. In the end its all about what your priorities are. If its building "the guns" when your twenty something and chasing women, all the power to you. Eventually and I mean eventually, "the guns" and chasing women focus, changes. It is a fact of life that as you age your focus changes.

The challenge is deciding what is important to you and then making it happen. I hope you achieve success in the legal profession while maintaining good health and wellbeing. If you want to know more about the profession email me privately.

[Pseudonym]

I'd give my left and right one to be 21 again.

Surely the whole point of being 21 requires having both left and right?!

We seem to have a number of budding lawyers here, so maybe we can expect an increased population of bodybuilding lawyers in a few years. In the meantime, I'm sure they'll appreciate having you here, Rewi.

[musclenz]

Rewi, I have read your posts with interest. It seems like you have come round full circle in your life & career. Definitely, this is a good time to take stock of who you are & where you are going. Training can be the catalyst for ongoing chance in your daily life & routine. Until recently I was working 70 hours + in my own business but I decided a few years ago not to let this hinder my goals and aspirations as a BBer. I think we owe ourselves 1 hour at least in the gym for 4-5 days PW. This is time for YOU. It can almost be therapeutic & IMO allows us to better serve the family, work & social aspects of our life.

[recent addict]

In the end its all about what your priorities are.

This is time for YOU. It can almost be therapeutic

Thanks for your perspectives. Obviously the work/life balance we all supposedly aim for is pretty elusive at times.

Priorities are important and I try to keep a decent balance. It's a handy excuse too when I'm slacking off the study. Training/Study/Working, we do it all to have a better life - no one thing should become our life.

[Rewi74]

I'd give my left and right one to be 21 again.

Surely the whole point of being 21 requires having both left and right?!

Classic and yes.

Until recently I was working 70 hours + in my own business but I decided a few years ago not to let this hinder my goals and aspirations as a BBer. I think we owe ourselves 1 hour at least in the gym for 4-5 days PW. This is time for YOU. It can almost be therapeutic & IMO allows us to better serve the family, work & social aspects of our life.

I could not agree more. I realised that I was blaming work for lack of progress in the gym when the truth is I was being lazy. I decided to be honest with myself and take responsibility for my gains or lack thereof. It is quite empowering when you take that position.

The best thing I could have done with my training was to sit down with my wife and tell her exactly what I wanted and why it was important. That meant me getting one hour to myself three days a week from 17:00. I told her it was important b'c I was not getting any younger and I only have a limited time with this thing called training before it all gets too hard. Once she knew that we worked around that, from cooking dinner to picking up the kids.

She also came on board and wanted 30 minutes a day for her to do cardio. Now we work it as a team with us tag teaming and looking after the kids while the other works out. She has lost 7 kilos in 8 weeks, which is fantastic.

I would genuinely like to know how other 30 plus trainers out there get on with things and manage their training and how their training is going.

Thanks very much.

[SoaringSwine]

How common is a bodybuilding or fitness lifestyle in your profession, what with the 65 hour weeks and all?

I'm studying law at the moment so am quite curious. At 21 and just beginning to train hard I'm determined to keep it up for a good 20 years plus - it's easy to say that with the gloriously flexible uni timetable, work and kids will surely make it tougher

Are you 4th year? I've probably been in your classes :shock:

[teamfatboy]

FWIW, my story's similar... spent a lot of time (all my '30s and well into my '40s) working long hard hours, travelling too much, eating crap, putting health on the back burner.

Five years ago, I came to the conclusion that the rot had to stop, and I was the only one who could stop it. So, I re-evaluated priorities, started training again, remembered why I liked it.... and set a regime which balanced work, family, and me. I had to work through the issues with my wife to make sure she understood why it mattered...of course, she liked the loss of 36 kg.

Plus, of course, there is the sad but true fact that fat people do not inspire confidence, they are not the image that comes to mind when thinking of leaders, and if I was taking my career seriously, being massively overweight was a drawback that I could take control of and fix.

You've done exactly the right things - you've got your wife and family on-board. Hopefully, your colleagues and seniors are also aware of your wishes, you've spoken to the key folks and obtained a measure of understanding and/or support. Even your staff, if you have them - are they aware of why this is important to you?

It does take will-power to put down the work-in-progress, to step away from the desk and pick up the iron - but it's about balance. In investing time in yourself, you've already discovered a return-on-investment from your wife, and I'd wager you will have also found improved professional performance.

What do I do ? I learned not to care about people's reactions to finding me eating at 9:30am, 1pm and 4pm - and in talking with them, explained how it was beneficial for me, rather than a big carb-laden lunch-hour. I told my staff that this is part of what I do - I pointed out to them that it was acceptable (hell, it's part of good leadership to set balance and perspective for the corporation) to bail and go hit the gym in the lunch hour, and I used scheduling to set boundaries separating work from gym. I also learned to apply the same critical thinking skills I use at work, to my training - now, I'm not claiming I'm there yet, this is a complex sport, but the mental exercise pays off in improved performance as well.

Sorry Rewi, long answer...but in case it helps

[vinzilla]

thanks TFB, you just put some things in perspective for me there :nod: cheers.

[musclenz]

Inspirational stuff TFB. I guess not everyone taking up this sport/lifestyle can achieve the perfect physique but its about setting personal goals & having the courage to go through & achieve them. They are the success stories in this game.

[greyghost]

I would genuinely like to know how other 30 plus trainers out there get on with things and manage their training and how their training is going.

I've got quite a few years on you and had a similar issue with bad eating and exercise. Though I have been training on and off for years.

3 years ago got sick of the pot guts. Looked around the gym and saw the bbers were serious about their diet.

Prior to that I was a bit unfit. Thought to myself boxers are very fit people - so I took up boxing at the gym to regain fitness. Did that every week for a couple years.

Then worked on my guts by pestering a bber / PT at the gym to get me on a pre comp diet. He first made sure I would stick to it. He took it easy on me and I went from 91kgs to 81kgs in 4 months. I was bloody rapped. Had to keep punching new holes in my belts. The following year did the diet again and competed for the first time. Now I'm committed to competing and retaining the good diet.

I figure if I keep at it I will retrain my body / mind into healthy eating etc. Worked out I'm not drinking any alocohol or eating shit food for a 1/3 of every year now.

I never worried about my workmates and friends opinions as I did it for me. Copped all the laughter, smart arse comments, snide remarks etc but just carried on. Now they all ask how it's going and look for info on food etc. They now take an interest as they can see how committed someone can get.

My family are bloody supportive, even through the grumpy times. When I get home from the gym my tea is cooked and meals for the next day are prepared - can't get better than that. (Must go get some flowers today).

The wife doesn't mind - doesn't want me to get too big (muscle wise - :pfft: ). She does frown at the cost during precomp diet time, but at least its not money on wine and whiskey.

So hang in there, its definetly worth all the time and effort.

And as elluded to by musclenz and TFB - when you go to the gym its for you. I find all the days shit disappears once you start concentrating on the weights.

[Bazza]

Apart from the body getting a bit more rickety getting out of bed in the morning I actually think it can get a little bit easier on the commitment front when you decide you want to hit the gym/diet when you are a little 'older' ( and that word is all relative of course, as some of us are a little older than the little older ones) TFB and grey ghost hit the nail on the head before I think when they said that as you get older you just don't give a rats ass what anyone else thinks. What do I care if somebody looks funny at me as I eat different stuff at different times, and pass on the double choc cake someone shouts for lunch or whatever...I'm only thinking of whether its good energy or bad energy and how can I use it for my training....lol

[Grover]

Wow what a great rsponse and all positive stuff too.

good to see that others have gone down same path with reactions from family etc as to why you are doing this.

All helps keeping one motivated.

Thanks

[Sakura]

A big thumbs up to those of you who manage to balance work, family and training. I often wonder how you do it. Very inspirational to someone like me who has no children and still feels like life is hectic.

[Rewi74]

Gidday. Just thought I'd let you know that I have found it quite hard recently with the training with sick kids and work. The kids have both been sick and they have got themselves in bed with me and mum and we both end up having crap sleeps.

I was rather quite disappointed with myself tonight for having missed workouts yesterday and today. I found that on each day I was so busy with work I did not have time to even stop to have a good meal. Then I got home and its dark, cold and I'm starving.

I am trying to psych myself up for my first 'milestone date' of the year, namely, an upcoming birthday. Four weeks to go till then, the training was going pretty good upto about a month ago. I wanted to arrive at the milestone date with gusto. I figure I still have about 8 workouts to go till then and that maybe enough time to make a positive change. I wanted to get to a 160 dead and 80 seated press and am really hoping I can get there.

I'm hoping to end up positive in four weeks. I'll let you guys know how it goes. No more excuses.

[teamfatboy]

Heya Rewi,

Great to hear from you again.... and yes, fitting in time for all these things can be hard when the family needs you.

Some thoughts:

a. can you find time to do bodyweight exercises at home? There's plenty that'll give you a damn good workout without any gear but a wall, and a floor;

b. diet's critical - and even if you're juggling courtroom appearances, office work, client meetings, you'll feel so much better and achieve your goals if you can master the art of fitting in the small meals. Even if all you do is keep some cans of tuna or chopchop chicken around to top up the protein;

c. Be Positive. If you believe you can do it, that's really important... someone told me that just before I did my first set of 160kg deads, and I think it made a difference.

[Bazza]

Way to go Rewi....keep at it. Just something I have in my kit bag from a few years back that I use when I can't get to a gym. I do a bit of travelling with work, so I take my elastic bands with me. Some of the Wellingtonians here may know Billy Graham - ex boxer and now motivational speaker, and I got them off him when at one of his seminars. Not the same as weights of course, but quite amazing what you can do with them if you can't get to the gym...so if stuck at home with the kids etc, something like that can at least help the sanity. ...