Ex smoker 49, fatter. Any advice?

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Thrall said:
They are getting bigger but my arms hurt before my pecks do to the point I can't do anymore thanks to my arms. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the apparatus I use but it's basically flys. Anyway I'm pushing 40-50 kg on it which is pretty heavy for me. As I say I can see and feel results but just want that next step as it's the muscles I really want to work on the most. 8/10 exercises I do at the gym involve my pecs but just can't seem to get that satisfying feeling of working them heavily.
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Cut out most of those exercises and do flat bench press. Properly. Even if its only with dumb bells.

Seriously.
 


Thrall said:
There's loads of over 50s in my gym mate. Even if there's not so fuck, I've never once seen anyone mocking anyone, they all just get on with their own thing. Loads of big lads and lasses get in so you would be like an older arne to them :)


Ive never bench pressed like and don't fancy it. Don't know why but I go by myself and im terrified I just fuck it up
I stick with the chest press machine and overhead one. Pecs are coming on nice as well but still don't get the burn I hoped in them.
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I saw & felt better results within 3 months of starting using free weights with a barbell than I did after literally decades of using weight machines & that was starting from just lifting the bar with no additional weights on. Starting low & adding 2.5kg each session allows you to develop good technique & gain a depth of strength you'll never get from a machine that balances the weight for you.

It really is worth making the change.
 
Daydream Believer said:
I saw & felt better results within 3 months of starting using free weights with a barbell than I did after literally decades of using weight machines & that was starting from just lifting the bar with no additional weights on. Starting low & adding 2.5kg each session allows you to develop good technique & gain a depth of strength you'll never get from a machine that balances the weight for you.

It really is worth making the change.
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Cheers mate I'm going to crack on with it tomorrow now.
 
Charmless Man said:
If you're actually engaging them, yes. If you aren't feeling anything it suggests you aren't engaging them sufficiently, either through inadequate form or inadequate load.
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Thats interesting. I do bench press fly's with my dumbbells but feel it more in my arms than chest. My pecs have popped out, I just dont feel any fatigue in them like I do In my arm muscles. So what you are saying is using a Barbell will concentrate the pecs / chest better?
 
makum102 said:
Thats interesting. I do bench press fly's with my dumbbells but feel it more in my arms than chest. My pecs have popped out, I just dont feel any fatigue in them like I do In my arm muscles. So what you are saying is using a Barbell will concentrate the pecs / chest better?
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I'm saying that with the weights you're using (7kg a side, yes?) and the extreme calorie deficit you'll be in to have lost so much weight, any enhanced appearance of your pectoral muscles is more down to fat loss than any significant muscle growth.

If you're using a barbell you can add more weight to the bar than you could use with dumbells as it's easier to stabilise, meaning a greater load on your chest. Which is the what really makes your grow, combined with food.

Chest flyes really shouldn't be engaging your arms that much like, that suggests you're extending your arms during the movement. The only joint movement should be at the shoulders. Another explanation is your arms are totally straight throughout the movement, which will stress your biceps tendon. Have a slight flex in the elbow joint but keep it constant throughout.

Overall though, flyes are used for totally different purposes, i.e. building a wider chest. They engage the very outermost portion of your chest.
 
https://hughjamesrobinson.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/the-10-best-ways-to-lose-body-fat-get-lean/

richest said:
Gand T every night.

Stop this, bad for you and a ton of calories.

Also, find time for exercise. Its not just about weight. Your body, heart lungs etc need to work harder.

But the fact is that the weight that you have gained over the years needs to be removed, even is your net calorie intake is in balance at the moment.

Try the Dukan diet system. Book available in Amazon etc.
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Loads of calories? Where you getting that from? Gin and Slimline tonic is 56 calories.
 
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Finally outgrown my Dumbbells. Investing in a barbell set and bench to accommodate. More office furniture out the window to make room haha.

Never have I had muscles like this. I can open stubborn jars for fun now! :)

9 Stone 9lbs (static maintained weight for a while now)
 
Very similar to the OP. I packed in smoking over three years when I turned ago 50 and steadily gained weight. Then I changed jobs from fairly physical to desk bound and crashed through the sixteen stone barrier. Health wise everything is ok, I have never had issues with high or low BP.
I have cut down on beer and changed my diet which was appalling. I also attend a gym and do 5K 3 nights a week on the treadmill at a pace and incline high enough to raise my pulse to 130.
I have lost some weight and feel fitter but not enough and don’t really have a clue about what foods I should eat and what to avoid other than processed shite. I am thinking about adding rowing to the gym visits to try and get the fat off my stomach.
Any tips?
 
Spenny said:
Very similar to the OP. I packed in smoking over three years when I turned ago 50 and steadily gained weight. Then I changed jobs from fairly physical to desk bound and crashed through the sixteen stone barrier. Health wise everything is ok, I have never had issues with high or low BP.
I have cut down on beer and changed my diet which was appalling. I also attend a gym and do 5K 3 nights a week on the treadmill at a pace and incline high enough to raise my pulse to 130.
I have lost some weight and feel fitter but not enough and don’t really have a clue about what foods I should eat and what to avoid other than processed shite. I am thinking about adding rowing to the gym visits to try and get the fat off my stomach.
Any tips?
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http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
 
makum102 said:
Finally outgrown my Dumbbells. Investing in a barbell set and bench to accommodate. More office furniture out the window to make room haha.

Never have I had muscles like this. I can open stubborn jars for fun now! :)

9 Stone 9lbs (static maintained weight for a while now)
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9st 9 and muscles ??

Are you a dwarf mate ;)
 
mackembulldog said:
Eat breakfast for a start. Kickstarts the metabolism
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Depends!

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/chapter-6

...

Perhaps the most prominent is Martin Berkhan, who is something of a nutritional contrarian. He blogs about loving alcohol, skipping breakfast, training in a fasted state, eating carbs before bed, and only eating 2-3 meals per day. Despite not following more commonly established “healthy eating rules,” he boasts of a 600-pound deadlift and a lean, muscular body, while claiming to never have used any muscle-building drugs.
 
Stevie Freestein II said:
Depends!

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting/chapter-6

...

Perhaps the most prominent is Martin Berkhan, who is something of a nutritional contrarian. He blogs about loving alcohol, skipping breakfast, training in a fasted state, eating carbs before bed, and only eating 2-3 meals per day. Despite not following more commonly established “healthy eating rules,” he boasts of a 600-pound deadlift and a lean, muscular body, while claiming to never have used any muscle-building drugs.
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His protein numbers are a tad high!!
 
Titus said:
Quite simply you do infact overeat.

You may not be eating a tremendous amount of food, but ultimately it comes down to calories eaten vs calories expended and if you're pretty inactive due to driving and desk work, a relatively average caloric intake could be leading to weight gain.
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This should be the end of the thread. But obviously wasn't.
 
Joe Public said:
This was a canny thread, any updates from those who contributed?
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Okay... Three months since my last post. Only difference since then is that my BP has lowered and is now 'normal to optimal'.

After 8 years on Beta & Alpha Blockers I'm finally off them all together. It was the extra weight & unfitness that caused the high BP all along. My Doc was as surprised as I was! My heart rate when I was 13 stone was averaging at 88bpm at rest(without medication), its now 60, and I've been told that for someone my age thats very healthy.

I'm off the diet now and weight training every other day for 30 minutes or so and walk for at least 20 mins a day. I'm still using MyFitnessPal and a Fitbit tracker to monitor my intake and exercise which allows me to maintain my current weight perfectly.

9 stone 9lbs (down from 13 st 2). Never felt better!

makum102 said:
Okay... Three months since my last post. Only difference since then is that my BP has lowered and is now 'normal to optimal'.

After 8 years on Beta & Alpha Blockers I'm finally off them all together. It was the extra weight & unfitness that caused the high BP all along. My Doc was as surprised as I was! My heart rate when I was 13 stone was averaging at 88bpm at rest(without medication), its now 60, and I've been told that for someone my age thats very healthy.

I'm off the diet now and weight training every other day for 30 minutes or so and walk for at least 20 mins a day. I'm still using MyFitnessPal and a Fitbit tracker to monitor my intake and exercise which allows me to maintain my current weight perfectly.

9 stone 9lbs (down from 13 st 2). Never felt better!
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Needless to say I wouldn't have had a clue how to accomplish this without all the superb advice and support I received on this thread.

... oops didnt mean to quote myself :oops:
 
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