Giving 50 the Finger

    

Telling 50 what I think of it: it's not a diet; it's a lifestyle of being healthy and strong.

I got motivated: positively by Beni Johnson in the middle of a sermon with her husband talking about her health and strength progress and negatively by health results from a blood test for my new health insurance having slightly elevated blood pressure and bad cholesterol; and BMI is a stupid number since it fails to take muscle weight into consideration. Yes the USA is too overweight but it’s just as bad that the norms defined by BMI are for anorexics.

So here is what I did starting in mid-March 2015. Eat a lot of meat and veggies. Protein: beef, too damn much chicken, fish and eggs...Unlike body builders I actually season things with some butter, pepper or hot sauces. Fresh, frozen and canned veggies with no sugar... Lots of veggies. I probably eat a little too much fruit for most of my carbohydrate intake but no juices since they are all sugar without the fiber. That's where I get most of my sugar. Pretty much killed off desserts: cake, pie, cookies, blah, blah, blah, but once in a while green tea ice cream after sushi! Kill the bad white stuff: no flour, sugar and very little rice and potatoes. After doing this for a month I lost all desire for sugar. No regular or diet sodas or drinks with fake sweeteners. You know what happens if you put sugar in your car’s gas tank? Pretty much the same thing that happens in your stomach. I do consume Lots of nuts and dark chocolate with high cocoa percentage so sugar is minimal or none. Plenty of coffee or tea straight. (I may add cinnamon for fat burner and good breath or honey for carbs.)  First cup of coffee gets coconut oil and might have cocoa powder or cinnamon for fat burners. Lots of water. Some honey for pre-workout carbs when I am dragging. Plain yogurt or cottage cheese for weekday breakfast protein; read the labels on these to get mostly milk and not additives like plastic. I have used very few powder or pill supplements; other than, Aleve for soreness and inflammation. I don’t worry or detox via juicing because spinach and beans take care of that. I can’t take oatmeal because it goes right through me painfully. [In late July I started adding in 1 protein shake per day.]

I lift weights nearly every day. Some cardio; known as cycling, for fun and sweating. I don't like to run, so you can't make me. Won’t do it! Not gonna’! My knees don’t like jogging either. I walk a ton at work. I lift after work when I get home because I am not an early riser and it takes me 6 hours to loosen up anyways, so shut up; I'm not getting up early to work out and then sweat through my dress clothes and tie all day. Yuck! My primary goal was to get rid of the belly and see muscles. Say “No” to dad bod. Most of the belly is gone, muscles are popping. Now, I want to see the six-pack and be built like a super hero; almost there.

Typical Regimen:

Chest day:

Light warm up flyes x3 sets

Bench 3 x 10 progressively heavier warm up sets but all light since I am now old and takes a while to get the blood pumping and loosen the joints, 3 x 5-9 heavy working sets wide grip, 3 x 10 cooling down sets with varying grips until mostly working triceps to failure.

3 x 10 sets heavier machine flyes mostly for stretch and burn targeting outside and higher pecs.

Sometimes I’ll skip the weights just do a variety of pushups with planks and spiders so I get more ab than chest work done. I have big boobies already.

Back day: all super sets

5 sets of pull-ups with leg assist on most sets since I am still working up to being a pull-up machine. Currently sets 3-5 start with as many pull-ups as I can do and then put my feet on a chair or bar to stand into a full pull-up while focusing on the squeeze in the lats and lower back then do the negative without assistance.

Superset with bent over rows: first and last set are alternating arm dumb bell rows, then barbell 5 x 8-10 alternating over and underhand grips. 3 heavy working sets.

Machine pull downs 3 x 10 wide overhand then 3 x 10 underhand narrow grip to target different areas in the middle of my back...

Superset with lighter rows which finish with 3 x 10 sets of machine rows with full stretch and some cheating to do negatives, some of these are underhand grip, not underhanded like con artists and politicians.

Now that I am in good shape with a strong back, I will start adding dead lifts. [Added 3 sets 5-10 reps in July. I do these after the heavy rows when my back and hands are exhausted so I only go a little heavier than my body weight.

Shoulder day:

3 x 10 clean and press warm up sets followed by 3-4 heavy super sets of shoulder press followed by cleans, mostly barbell work here but can be dumbbell.

Then 2 x 10 heavy dumbbell presses alternating arms.

4 x whatever heavy shrugs superset with dumbbell front, side and rear lateral raises to failure...sit down and cry; if I can breath.

If I am feeling more psychotic than usual I will take a 25 or 35lb plate in back yard and do shuttle runs carrying it: 3 x 4-20 yard distance. Dodging around and over little dogs while sprinting with the plate makes these very challenging. [I now do this regularly and currently finger-hold a 25lb plate in each hand while attempting to run.]

Arms day:

I use either a curl or Olympic bar for variety and grip width changes.

Superset curls followed by overhead triceps extensions: 3 x 10 warm up sets, then 3 x 8-10 working sets with heaviest weight I can do without much cheating; these wind up being a bit more than ½ my body weight. [Skull crushers hurt my shoulders too much with elbows in. I guess I am aging.]

Then superset dumbbell curls with controllable weight using different angles 3-4 x 8-10, followed by same number sets of machine triceps push downs with good form only cheating last set with slow negatives.

Legs:

Usually on chest and arm day:

7 x 8-12 hamstring curls superset with leg extensions, first 2 and last set are light warm up and cool down. I don't go real heavy because I want small enough legs to road cycle.

Usually squats on light or rest day from above.

6 x 8-12 squats either front or rear for variety, again not very heavy, more for cardio and good form.

Stomach:

Abs 2-3 times per week and usually on rest day between 4 body parts so there is a day between arms and chest:

Leg lifts to flat and twist scorpions for obliques usually on bench press warm up and cool downs since bar already has weight to hold me down while doing these nasty things.

My version of crunches hanging off both sides of an ottoman for a stretch until abs are burning, then crunch left leg to right arm etc. to failure.

2-3 sets of 15 of these damn toe-tap things my brother showed me: stand on one foot, balance yourself while reaching down with opposite side hand to touch toe, then stand back up without falling over or letting other foot touch the floor; do for both feet to complete 1 set.

When I walk, sit at my office desk or drive I spend part of that time tightening my abs and flexing them as hard as I can. At my chair I will, when I think about it, keep one foot on the ground and lift the other leg off the seat so I can feel the belly contracting. Every little thing matters.

This has made me healthier in many ways. I feel great and strong. I sleep well. My pants are a lot looser and my upper shirts and sleeves are tighter. Soon I will need to buy new clothes to fit this new old guy. It’s hard being this age when you are so ripped.