Motivation /Tracking Thread

[Big A]

I guess I'm not on the good stuff, I feel early 30's on a good day, maybe it's the middle-aged paunch weighing me down, and the shoulder pain that doesn't fo away surely doesn't help. More motivation to yang back down to 230 or so, and report back.

The bodybuilding physique hasn't gone anywhere, you're just like me and realize there are so many more pursuits in life, especially with young kids, that investing that much time and effort into such a selfish end game is no longer fullfilling.

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[Ruffdaddy]

To be 100% clear, at a certain age working your ass of doesnt mean shit if you dont have a needle or pellets. Otherwise this wouldnt be an expanding industry.

[Ruffdaddy]

If it brings me back to late teens early 20s...then that's all I need. I mean you can see in some of the threads here alone that trt results vary quite a bit, even more so if you game the system.

Ive seen friends that were never that fit get on trt and become ripped within a year. I'm not looking to get huge, I'm looking to go back to where I was previously. The body builder look is way out of style.

[Big A]

The stupid long recovery times seem to come out of nowhere too. It's such a drag when everything else wants to imorove. The only thing I really know I would benefit from with TRT is the muscle retention during weight loss cycles. For now I'm ok, but I know I lose just a little more muscle mass every year when cutting for summer. I'd like to limit that when I get older and see a bigger challenge.

Good luck kicking off the "yang"...I started off well but have just started developing neck and shoulder issues again. Every year I'm amazed at how hard those last few lbs are.

Keep in mind that a trt clinic will want to keep you at a more natural level of 800 or so, enough to see an increased pep in your step if your natural levels have dropped, but we're talking an injection that amounts to less than a fourth of a mild cycle of just test. My experience over Christmas was that I've still got the slowing metabolism of a 40+ year old, and when I was slowly dropping weight last year (diet and daily cardio), some size and strength came with it.

Don't get me wrong, the greater sense of well-being is worth it in and of itself, but you shouldn't expect a huge swing in performance, if it's just trt dosages. Maybe I can come back and tell you differently in a few months, my goal at this point is to cut as much weight as possible for as long as I can stand it. To my earlier point int he trt thread, the ripped old dudes that you see are working their asses off, and likely on more than trt if thy have any size.

[Ruffdaddy]

The stupid long recovery times seem to come out of nowhere too. It's such a drag when everything else wants to imorove. The only thing I really know I would benefit from with TRT is the muscle retention during weight loss cycles. For now I'm ok, but I know I lose just a little more muscle mass every year when cutting for summer. I'd like to limit that when I get older and see a bigger challenge.

Good luck kicking off the "yang"...I started off well but have just started developing neck and shoulder issues again. Every year I'm amazed at how hard those last few lbs are.

[Big A]

Unfortunately our bodies will decline, and even trt won't help unless you actually decline naturally, and even trt's no fountain of youth. It gets easier to get hurt, and harder to heal.

I'm taking monthly trips to Sacramento until we move, and I'm two for two on getting sick. Haven't been to the gym but maybe 4 times since before Christmas, I'm hovering right at 250lbs, and man do I feel like shit. Part of it's the extra weight, I look fine in clothes (pretty dashing actually), but mentally I feel like such a sloth. You don't realize how much working out does impact mood and motivation until you take a break.

I do believe in seasons, so I've somewhat embraced this as a yin/emotional winter/time to hibernate, and now I'm stuck wanting to start the yang, but also sick and tired of being sick and tired. Once I kick this current bug it's on.

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[lowthreeohz]

yeah 35 hit me pretty hard.

fucking same! i tore up my shoulder in december moving a tree stand and it hasn't gotten better at all. finally broke down and saw the doc and he just laughed at me, said he'd done the same thing a few years ago and we old men can't be doing shit like that anymore.

[Baron Von Crowder]

yeah 35 hit me pretty hard. I've been pretty hard on my body all my life, and it shows now. TRT and getting back in the gym, along with a better diet has been good, but injuries take forever to get over. I pulled a muscle in my right arm, and it's been weeks of laying off it to get back to normal. Loosing 45lbs made lots of things better, but I lost some strength in the process.

[Ruffdaddy]

36 here. Been dealing with some elbow/wrist bullshit for couple weeks which has made grip-heavy workouts (pullups, cleans, etc) a bit challenging. Oh, and the knee stuff...

Buuuuuut, i still feel like I'm getting stronger.

Last week's squat workout was
9x135
7x225
7X275
5x315
5x345
3x375
1x405

This week, after warmup, was 4x6 @ 335

Thinking I could get up a 435-445 single on fresh legs

Between back and knee injuries, I dont do any heavyweights for lower body anymore. I had enough of that in powerlifting and just cant justify the risk when there really isnt any payoff for it given what I do. Now I just stick with light weight and tons of cardio based exercises.

I hate having to "give up" so much but the sooner I learn to cope...the longer I can make this work.

I had to stop boxing because of some pretty bad wrist issues. I never realized how much I relied on healthy wrists until I couldnt do any upper body workouts that required holding a bar or dumbbell. Good luck with the recovery.

[Strychnine]

I'm also dealing with the small aches and pains that I'm trying to prevent from turning into injuries.

36 here. Been dealing with some elbow/wrist bullshit for couple weeks which has made grip-heavy workouts (pullups, cleans, etc) a bit challenging. Oh, and the knee stuff...

Buuuuuut, i still feel like I'm getting stronger.

Last week's squat workout was
9x135
7x225
7X275
5x315
5x345
3x375
1x405

This week, after warmup, was 4x6 @ 335

Thinking I could get up a 435-445 single on fresh legs

[Ruffdaddy]

My guys use to make fun of me in Lancaster. One day at 40ish, I said, I am in the best shape of my life bitches. It was right after that I had bi lateral hernia surgery. Talk shit/eat crow!




LOL Did you say 5 years! I am 49 and don't need any of that shit. I don't do low carb as a diet, I just eat that way, and it is great for muscle building. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. Hell now days it is much easier to eat low carb with all the magical breads, noodles, and substitutes you can get. I rode my bike today and then hit the gym tonight to do BI, Tris, Shoulders and Abs.

Man I definitely hope I can hold on longer than the next 5...just dont want to give myself that out any sooner. I've seen quite a few dudes in their 30s on TRT. If I can hold out till 45...that's perfect.

And maybe I'll give up on staying as lean as I try to at some point. Building muscle isnt hard, or being lean isnt hard. But trying to stay lean and build/retain muscle started getting hard in my 30s. It's the 2 together that makes it a challenge and that's why so many weight class athletes pop for PEDs.

[kingjason]

Ended up sick the day after I was in a briefing and a bunch of troops were just getting over it. Like a jackass I even said "I don't get the Afghan crud anymore". Work up feeling it the next damn day.

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My guys use to make fun of me in Lancaster. One day at 40ish, I said, I am in the best shape of my life bitches. It was right after that I had bi lateral hernia surgery. Talk shit/eat crow!

I started another round of low carb dieting early January and am shooting to lose about 5-8 lbs after putting on too much over the holiday's. I've been pretty good so far with only 3 days this year being horrible diet wise. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week while limiting muscle loss is my focus.

I figure I've only got 5 or so more years of keeping a relatively high muscle mass naturally before I have to start the PEDs/TRT.

I'm also dealing with the small aches and pains that I'm trying to prevent from turning into injuries. Getting older sucks and recovery from injuries takes forever. My weight program is really more of a muscle maintenance program...being jacked like its 2001 looks stupid anyways...thank god that went out of style

LOL Did you say 5 years! I am 49 and don't need any of that shit. I don't do low carb as a diet, I just eat that way, and it is great for muscle building. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. Hell now days it is much easier to eat low carb with all the magical breads, noodles, and substitutes you can get. I rode my bike today and then hit the gym tonight to do BI, Tris, Shoulders and Abs.

[Ruffdaddy]

how old are you?

33

[Baron Von Crowder]

I started another round of low carb dieting early January and am shooting to lose about 5-8 lbs after putting on too much over the holiday's. I've been pretty good so far with only 3 days this year being horrible diet wise. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week while limiting muscle loss is my focus.

I figure I've only got 5 or so more years of keeping a relatively high muscle mass naturally before I have to start the PEDs/TRT.

I'm also dealing with the small aches and pains that I'm trying to prevent from turning into injuries. Getting older sucks and recovery from injuries takes forever. My weight program is really more of a muscle maintenance program...being jacked like its 2001 looks stupid anyways...thank god that went out of style

how old are you?

[Ruffdaddy]

233 Bitches and I was good tonight. It is usually my downfall day. I do low carb for the most part but lately if I eat like shit I just wait until I am hungry the next day to eat again and no adverse affects. I have been doing a lot of this waiting until I am hungry to eat and it appears to be really working. I used to go apeshit and eat bad for three days in a row all day but I have cut that out. My original lifetime goal from 1999 was 220 and I have seen 229 a couple of years ago for a smidgen I think. This time I am getting to 220 dammit. I often wonder how low is a good weight when you have been lifting for 20 years.

And WTF is everyone else doing? Sitting around, eating like shit just because the weather is iffy? Time to get rollin fellas. We are getting old and this shit is not just melting off.

I started another round of low carb dieting early January and am shooting to lose about 5-8 lbs after putting on too much over the holiday's. I've been pretty good so far with only 3 days this year being horrible diet wise. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week while limiting muscle loss is my focus.

I figure I've only got 5 or so more years of keeping a relatively high muscle mass naturally before I have to start the PEDs/TRT.

I'm also dealing with the small aches and pains that I'm trying to prevent from turning into injuries. Getting older sucks and recovery from injuries takes forever. My weight program is really more of a muscle maintenance program...being jacked like its 2001 looks stupid anyways...thank god that went out of style