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first off...great site. glad i found it. there is so much junk and confusing stuff out there on the web.
i am 38 and have always been 5'10" 140lbs since high school. no matter what i ate, i could not gain a pound. 4 months ago i threw my lower back out and couldn't walk for 3 days. my doc said i needed to strengthen my back muscles to fix my back. so i decided to start lifting 12 weeks ago. nothing complicated. 3 days a week, 2 muscle groups a day. low reps with ~18-24 sets a day (about 1 hour, depending on the muscle group). somewhere i read not to bother lifting if it does not include squats and deads. i included these and am amazed at how helpful they have been. i include whey protein shake and creatine/juice each day, and tried to bump my calories by ~500-1000 per day.
after 12 weeks i am up to 158lbs. i feel great and the best part is my lower back problems that have plagued me for 15 years are GONE! i had to start at 115 on deads, but finished last two weeks at 195, 4 sets of 10.
I am right in the middle of a 2 week down time now and want to know best way to start back up after the lay off.
1) should i begin with a week or more of lighter weight with higher reps or just jump right in where i left off?
2) should i switch around my routine?
3) should i keep the protein intake and creatine going while on break?
4) is 12 weeks on, 2 weeks off ok cycle?
5) any other advice?
i was definately beginning to find it difficult to add weight to much of the routine by week 12. also, i gained the least size in the chest. feels like most of the work is being done by my tri's when i bench. after reading some posts, i found one thing to change in my routine which is to do inclines before bench. btw, what is a "pec dec"? and is wide grip vs. narrow grip on bench better?
my end goal is to reach 180 after the next two 12 week cycles, and then maintain that weight. is this unrealistic? any and all help and advice is appreciated.
i am 38 and have always been 5'10" 140lbs since high school. no matter what i ate, i could not gain a pound. 4 months ago i threw my lower back out and couldn't walk for 3 days. my doc said i needed to strengthen my back muscles to fix my back. so i decided to start lifting 12 weeks ago. nothing complicated. 3 days a week, 2 muscle groups a day. low reps with ~18-24 sets a day (about 1 hour, depending on the muscle group). somewhere i read not to bother lifting if it does not include squats and deads. i included these and am amazed at how helpful they have been. i include whey protein shake and creatine/juice each day, and tried to bump my calories by ~500-1000 per day.
after 12 weeks i am up to 158lbs. i feel great and the best part is my lower back problems that have plagued me for 15 years are GONE! i had to start at 115 on deads, but finished last two weeks at 195, 4 sets of 10.
I am right in the middle of a 2 week down time now and want to know best way to start back up after the lay off.
1) should i begin with a week or more of lighter weight with higher reps or just jump right in where i left off?
2) should i switch around my routine?
3) should i keep the protein intake and creatine going while on break?
4) is 12 weeks on, 2 weeks off ok cycle?
5) any other advice?
i was definately beginning to find it difficult to add weight to much of the routine by week 12. also, i gained the least size in the chest. feels like most of the work is being done by my tri's when i bench. after reading some posts, i found one thing to change in my routine which is to do inclines before bench. btw, what is a "pec dec"? and is wide grip vs. narrow grip on bench better?
my end goal is to reach 180 after the next two 12 week cycles, and then maintain that weight. is this unrealistic? any and all help and advice is appreciated.
