Shameless Brag

[Dolphster]

Pardon the shameless brag, but yesterday I finished up my American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer certification.  I'm not leaving my federal law enforcement gig, but I figured this would be something fun to do on the side a couple hours per week.  I have worked out most of my life and still compete at the amateur level in bodybuilding.  I will be eligible for my federal pension in about 3 years so I plan to call it quits with Homeland Security then and volunteer as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for a local high school.

If any of you have any exercise questions or want some advice on workouts, feel free to hit me up.  No charge.  I just like helping others with their exercise goals.

[Phishfan]

Pardon the shameless brag, but yesterday I finished up my American Council on Exercise Personal Trainer certification.  I'm not leaving my federal law enforcement gig, but I figured this would be something fun to do on the side a couple hours per week.  I have worked out most of my life and still compete at the amateur level in bodybuilding.  I will be eligible for my federal pension in about 3 years so I plan to call it quits with Homeland Security then and volunteer as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for a local high school.

If any of you have any exercise questions or want some advice on workouts, feel free to hit me up.  No charge.  I just like helping others with their exercise goals.

Congratulations, sounds like a nice plan. I volunteer coached a couple years when I was in college.

[Spider-Dan]

Congrats!

[Dolphster]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

[Dave Gray]

Awesome. Nice work.

[CF DolFan]

Congratulations Dolphster! 

[pondwater]

If any of you have any exercise questions or want some advice on workouts, feel free to hit me up.  No charge.  I just like helping others with their exercise goals.

What would you consider a decent lean body mass for 6 ft tall 48 year old male?

[Dolphster]

What would you consider a decent lean body mass for 6 ft tall 48 year old male?

Hey Pondwater.  So, since Lean Body Mass (LBM) is essentially total weight - fat mass, it would probably be more helpful if we talk fat percentages and then you can do the reverse math to figure out where you want to be for LBM.  You can go really precise with body composition by factoring in intracellular water, extracellular water, dry lean mass, etc. but for our purposes we will just keep it a simple Total Weight - Fat Mass = LBM formula. 

If my response seems vague, it is because there are a million variables from your genetics, body frame, what type of exercise you do, eating habits, etc.  It also depends on what your goal is.  I have a brother who is in his early 50s and still has a single digit body fat % but he has no life, works out to the exclusion of everything else, counts every single macro nutrient that he puts in his body and is essentially despised by everyone.  LOL   But who wants to live like that?   These are VERY general guidelines, but at 48 years of age if you put in the work at the gym lifting and doing cardio and eat well, you probably look very athletic if you have around a 12% body fat (again, just do the reverse calculation to figure out lean body mass).  But honestly without being able to see you, do some assessments, etc. that is a VERY general guideline.  A lot of guys can still look very fit at 15% body fat. 

There can just be a really big span of what looks good on different people.  I still compete (just not real hardcore anymore) as an amateur bodybuilder, but when I'm not preparing for a competition, my body fat is around 13% just because working out hard puts bulk on me.  So when I'm getting ready for a competition, I have to take a diuretic, eat a lot less, etc. just to get the "cut" look for competition. 

A generally acceptable rule of thumb is that if you just want to be healthy, look somewhat athletic, not be shy about taking your shirt off in public, etc., staying below 20% is fine. But again, these are such generalizations that you could be fairly out of those numbers and still be fine. 

[pondwater]

Hey Pondwater.  So, since Lean Body Mass (LBM) is essentially total weight - fat mass, it would probably be more helpful if we talk fat percentages and then you can do the reverse math to figure out where you want to be for LBM.  You can go really precise with body composition by factoring in intracellular water, extracellular water, dry lean mass, etc. but for our purposes we will just keep it a simple Total Weight - Fat Mass = LBM formula. 

If my response seems vague, it is because there are a million variables from your genetics, body frame, what type of exercise you do, eating habits, etc. It also depends on what your goal is.  I have a brother who is in his early 50s and still has a single digit body fat % but he has no life, works out to the exclusion of everything else, counts every single macro nutrient that he puts in his body and is essentially despised by everyone.  LOL   But who wants to live like that?   These are VERY general guidelines, but at 48 years of age if you put in the work at the gym lifting and doing cardio and eat well, you probably look very athletic if you have around a 12% body fat (again, just do the reverse calculation to figure out lean body mass).  But honestly without being able to see you, do some assessments, etc. that is a VERY general guideline.  A lot of guys can still look very fit at 15% body fat. 

There can just be a really big span of what looks good on different people.  I still compete (just not real hardcore anymore) as an amateur bodybuilder, but when I'm not preparing for a competition, my body fat is around 13% just because working out hard puts bulk on me.  So when I'm getting ready for a competition, I have to take a diuretic, eat a lot less, etc. just to get the "cut" look for competition. 

A generally acceptable rule of thumb is that if you just want to be healthy, look somewhat athletic, not be shy about taking your shirt off in public, etc., staying below 20% is fine. But again, these are such generalizations that you could be fairly out of those numbers and still be fine. 

With the Covid lock down, being furloughed, personal issues, and both parents dying since April. I haven't been in the mind frame about watching my caloric intake. At the beginning of the year before all the shit started I was around 195 lbs/19%bf. Right now I'm at 212 lbs/24% bf. So about 161 LBM. Mostly lower belly and love handles area. Can still kinda make out the top row of abs.

I know I need to cut. Couple years ago I went keto, I went from 200 lbs/20%bf down to 169 lbs/11%bf. Going forward I probably need to get down to 185 @ 15% range and hold it there. That would put me at 157 LBM. Anyhow, I've never been able to cut and keep much size successfully. With shirt off I look better at 10-12%. With clothes on I look better at around 15-17%. I guess if I start cutting in December I can drop down to around 185 by around April and not lose too much LBM. I have found that I lose 20-25% LBM per pound of weight lost. What has been your experience on LBM lost vs total weight lost?

[Dolphster]

With the Covid lock down, being furloughed, personal issues, and both parents dying since April. I haven't been in the mind frame about watching my caloric intake. At the beginning of the year before all the shit started I was around 195 lbs/19%bf. Right now I'm at 212 lbs/24% bf. So about 161 LBM. Mostly lower belly and love handles area. Can still kinda make out the top row of abs.

I know I need to cut. Couple years ago I went keto, I went from 200 lbs/20%bf down to 169 lbs/11%bf. Going forward I probably need to get down to 185 @ 15% range and hold it there. That would put me at 157 LBM. Anyhow, I've never been able to cut and keep much size successfully. With shirt off I look better at 10-12%. With clothes on I look better at around 15-17%. I guess if I start cutting in December I can drop down to around 185 by around April and not lose too much LBM. I have found that I lose 20-25% LBM per pound of weight lost. What has been your experience on LBM lost vs total weight lost?

Very sorry to hear about your parents.  That alone can make being heavily committed to working out and eating healthy a real challenge.  Throw in the whole covid thing and gyms being less accessible, etc. and I'm certainly not going to give you any grief.  You have had a lot on your plate this year.  No pun intended.  Being healthy is a lot more important than having an enviable beach body.  At our age (I'm a few years older than you) lower belly and love handles are always the most problematic areas.  The older we get the more important eating right is.  When you are young, you can get away with a lot more with your eating habits than we can at our age.  So that is a huge part of getting where you want to be. 

If I'm understanding your question correctly about my experience on LBM lost vs total weight lost, I think that your 20-25% loss of LBM per pound of weight lost is fairly normal for most men your age.  Everyone always focuses on their total body weight, but it can be a really bad gauge of fitness.  That is why I HATE the use of BMI as a barometer of health and fitness.  Using BMI, most bodybuiliders would be considered obese.  You didn't say how you are measuring your body fat percentage but since most people use calipers, I would assume that is what you are doing.  Calipers are fairly accurate but they are only as accurate as the person doing the measurements so make sure that whoever is doing the measurement knows how to do it correctly and that they are using proper sites for measurement (the Jackson/Pollock 3 site format should be fine).   

[pondwater]

Very sorry to hear about your parents.  That alone can make being heavily committed to working out and eating healthy a real challenge.  Throw in the whole covid thing and gyms being less accessible, etc. and I'm certainly not going to give you any grief.  You have had a lot on your plate this year.  No pun intended.  Being healthy is a lot more important than having an enviable beach body.  At our age (I'm a few years older than you) lower belly and love handles are always the most problematic areas.  The older we get the more important eating right is.  When you are young, you can get away with a lot more with your eating habits than we can at our age.  So that is a huge part of getting where you want to be. 

If I'm understanding your question correctly about my experience on LBM lost vs total weight lost, I think that your 20-25% loss of LBM per pound of weight lost is fairly normal for most men your age.  Everyone always focuses on their total body weight, but it can be a really bad gauge of fitness.  That is why I HATE the use of BMI as a barometer of health and fitness.  Using BMI, most bodybuiliders would be considered obese.  You didn't say how you are measuring your body fat percentage but since most people use calipers, I would assume that is what you are doing.  Calipers are fairly accurate but they are only as accurate as the person doing the measurements so make sure that whoever is doing the measurement knows how to do it correctly and that they are using proper sites for measurement (the Jackson/Pollock 3 site format should be fine).   

Thanks for the condolences dude, really means a lot. I have a scale that measures BF%. I know they're not accurate. But I also do a caliper measurement at the Suprailiac. They both seem to match up pretty closely. I'm not to concerned if the actual BF% is off a bit. But the measurements should be good enough to track changes in BF% over time.

Yeah, I stay away from the gym right now, catching the Rona would just put a cherry on top of my 2020. I just started back lifting 2-3 weeks ago after being off  for about 6 months and already topped out my Dumbbells. Muscle memory is real, most strength and size come back in 2-4 weeks. I've only been doing upper body due to a couple lower back herniated discs that get really aggravated when I load spine on lower body exercises. That's why I do a lot of seated work when I do upper body workouts, it doesn't aggravate my lower back. No cardio currently being done, that shit will probably kill me, LMAO. DBs are maxed out on some lifts. 2 days off between workouts and routine usually takes about an hour give or take 10 minutes.
 
Anyhow, current upper body routine as follows.
*DB floor press: 3 x 8-10 @ 85lbs per arm
*Seated two-arm DB overhead extension: 3 x 10-12 @ 85lbs
*Seated DB shrugs: 3 x 10-12 @ 85lbs
*One arm DB bent over row: 3 x 6-8 @ 85lbs
*Seated DB overhead press: 3 x 8-10 @ 50-55lbs
*Seated DB regular/hammer curls: 4 x 8-10 @ 30lbs.

Upper Body measurements:
*Wrist - 7"
*Forearms - 13.25" flexed cold
*Arms - 16.25" flexed cold/17" pumped
*Neck - 16.5"
*Shoulders - 51.5"
*Chest - 43.25"
*Waist - 43" @ navel

I know I'm not huge or anything, but I hate cutting. I lose the little muscle I have and get all self conscience and shit. Think I got Body or Muscle Dysmorphia, LMFAO....

[Dolphster]

Kudos for getting back started with working out again.  That is the hardest part.  If you are already topping out the dumbbells that you have at home, there are some surprisingly good body weight workouts that you can do at home.  Either google or do a you tube search for "body weight workouts".   There is enough variety out there to mix it up and hit most of the major muscle groups and also enough variety to keep it from being boring. 

With your previous back and disc issues, definitely be careful.  Back problems can really eff up your body and if you were a client of mine, I would have you talk to your doctor before putting together any kind of workout plan for you so that your doc could write down exactly what he/she does or does not want you doing because of your back. 

As for not currently doing cardio, I totally get that.  Everyone hates cardio.  LOL   But you can work some cardio into your lifting and it doesn't even feel like cardio.  The whole point of cardio is to get your heart rate up to your target heart rate (fat burning range, or whatever) and keep it there for a prolonged period of time.  You can emulate this while lifting by keeping your rest period between sets to a minimum so that when your heart rate gets elevated by doing a set of lifts, you don't take a long enough rest period between sets for your heart rate to go all the way back down to your resting heart rate.  Maybe try starting your next 30 seconds after you finish the previous set. 

Sounds like you are doing the right things and honestly it seems like your body isn't in bad shape.  We are always our own harshest critics.  So just keep doing what you are doing, try to eat right and work on being healthy first and the gains will come.  Losing both your parents in one year and all the other crazy shit that 2020 has brought us all, would have been a good excuse for you to just shut it down and not work out or be health conscious at all.  Emotional trauma can by physically crippling.  But you are trying to work out and do the right things so that is to be applauded.