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I was able to put up 325 a few weeks ago, a record for me. I normally don't max out that much since I have to ask someone else at the gym to spot me when I go high, and people aren't always easily available. A lot of times I would just bench 275 three times, without a spotter. You know, if you lived in my area, I could have a reliable spotter. 😉
You'll need more than just me if something goes wrong with that 275. 😮I don't max out often at all because it usually leads to some nagging or sometimes worse injury. I'm happy with 225. That's good for a guy my size and age...I out lift most of the 20-something yr olds there, so I'm happy. 8)
I just read through these old posts and I’m glad that I wrote them. It helps to have a diary of sorts from weight lifting a few years ago because I just got a gym membership about three or four days ago.
I basically took off the last two years of my life from lifting. I did it sporadically for maintenance but lost motivation to lift for muscle gains. I started gaining more weight than I wanted, so I said enough’s enough. Plus, I’m weak. The first day back, I was only able to bench press 155 lbs. about 7 or 8 times before getting really tired. My body is all sore and I’m looking forward to it healing. I predict that it will take my body about 3-4 weeks of lifting before it starts to change the way it processes carbohydrates and protein.
I want to keep this post updated as a kind of workout journal. Since I posted last July, I have been hitting the weight room fairly regularly (usually about 3-4 times per week). My longest break was over the holidays when I didn’t lift much for about two or three weeks because of travel and then because I got sick. That set me back somewhat.
I took creatine for a few months leading up to Christmas, and that is when I made some really nice gains. I eventually had to stop using it to make sure it wasn’t causing other health problems, and after I stopped I have not felt as strong. I was able to bench press 305 lbs. right around December 22, but since then I have not been able to get near that again. It could be because of the creatine stoppage, or because my hand has been giving me pain now when bench pressing. With that said, I am able to do 100 lb. dumbbell presses about 5-6 times, so maybe I am imagining that I am weaker than in the Fall. I dunno.
I try to focus on multi-muscle exercises the most; bench press, lat pull downs, and cable rows are staples for me. I often workout legs between upper body days, but lately I haven’t been doing squats because I think that hurt my back too much in the past. I have weak legs, but I think exercising them is still very important.
I try to remind myself that my main goal in weight lifting is not to get really strong or big, but instead to decrease fat. I need to lower my cholesterol, and if I can increase my muscle mass enough I will be able to burn more fat off my body naturally.
I have also been trying to eat healthier, particularly since last Fall. I have cut out some sugar and fat intake while keeping up with good fats and lower-sugar foods. For example, I try to eat a few avocados each week, and a handful of walnuts daily. I replaced sugar in my tea with zero-calorie stevia. I often eat flax seed with yogurt. I also upped my intake of oatmeal, as well as my intake of berries. I had previously not paid attention to the sugar content of fruit as I assumed it was not a big deal. However, it turns out that some fruit is quite a bit higher in sugar content than others, and it all adds up. Berries have some of the least sugar content of any fruit, so I eat more raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries now than ever before.
I have been able to workout 5-6 days per week over the past few weeks, which has been nice. I typically do three body parts in a continuous cycle – lats/biceps/shoulders one day, legs/abs another day, and chest/triceps another day. Lately I have been able to do a set of body parts twice per week, so I have felt pretty good.
I started using kettle bells in my workout for the first time about a month ago. I kind of like them. I like how they feel, and they are easy to handle. They have been nice to use for shrugs and for deltoid exercises.As far as diet, I have made a conscious effort to increase my protein even more, but I simply do not understand how people are expected to take in 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. If I were to eat a few eggs in the morning (40 grams), a steak for lunch (30 grams), chicken for dinner (30 grams), and a protein shake after a workout (30 grams), I would still be getting far short of the 200 grams I would hypothetically need. I have been eating a lot of yogurt recently, so that is a good way to get 10-15 grams of protein in between meals. I also eat nuts regularly, as well as foods such as flax and oatmeal (which have nominal amounts of protein, IIRC). But overall, it’s still less protein than I need. I fear that if I don’t get enough, my gains will not be where they should be. What to do?
Lol, yeah, I suppose that’s the easiest solution. However, it reminds me of an article I was reading a few weeks ago that mentioned how a lot of protein taken in a protein shake is not absorbed and is therefore wasted:
Little Miss Muffet drank a 50 gram whey protein shake. Since Miss Muffet can absorb only 10 grams every hour. How long does it take for Miss Muffet to absorb all the protein?
50 grams / 10 grams per hour = 5 hours
So, it would take 5 hours to digest all that protein. But remember, we have only 1.5 hours to get ‘er done. Therefore Miss Muffet has no chance of absorbing all of it. She’ll absorb – at most – 15 grams. And the other 35 grams? Well, they’re wasted. Unless…
It went on to say that taking certain enzymes can slow down the process to make absorption better. I did a search for types of food that contain this special enzyme, and pretty much all the sources I found said they were in pineapple and papaya.
So the conclusion for me is that I’m going to limit how much whey protein I chug all at once. And, I might try to eat more pineapple or pineapple juice to make my absorption window longer.
I haven’t. The past few years I’ve been dirt biking and will hopefully start racing this year. It’s not the Supercross you see on TV with the big jumps, it’s trail riding – Hare Scrambles, Enduros. It’s pretty tough. Rocks and logs, and I fall down a lot…lol.
I find lifting is not much help as it is more cardio and flexibilty. I should probably, and wanted to this winter but didn’t, work out legs more because you use legs a lot. You’re supposed to stand a lot riding and I don’t because my legs get tired.
As for the protein, why be concerned about absorption? You don’t have to use it as a pre or post workout supplement. Just have it as a snack at anytime of the day you want.
Interesting. I had been wondering for a while if you were still hitting the gym, so now I know. You were pretty deep into it back in the day. I took a few years off before getting back in about nine months ago when I realized I needed to get back into shape. Does dirt biking provide a good workout on its own? I have never been but I imagine it’s more of a workout than it looks from the spectator’s side of things.
As for protein, they say that after a workout your muscles are like sponges that are ready to be rebuilt with protein, and that the optimal window for taking it is 15-20 minutes post workout. Whey protein is fast absorbing, which is why it is the protein of choice for workouts.
I guess the longer you wait to take in protein after working out, the slower your muscle growth will be?
I’m not sure how much of that comes from bodybuilder mythmaking (or maybe just “bro culture”), but I suspect that it’s not too far from the truth.
Dirt biking is an excellent workout. Between the adrenaline, fear, and physical exertion, the heart rate gets pumping. Yes, you can go on a casual ride on easy trails, but if you want to race there is no resting period during them. One can go 40-60 miles all out for 2 to 2-1/2 hours without letting up. It is argued that dirt riders are among the fittest athletes.
I’ve always questioned that protein absorption thing. Yes you should have a post workout shake, but IMO protein will be used by your body anytime. I mean, are you eating yogurt, steak, flax, eggs, chicken, etc all at once within 15 minutes of working out? I am guessing you’re not.
It is interesting that it was a guy who presumably is a motocross rider who writes an article how motocross riding is “the most physically demanding sport”. 😉 But really, I’m sure it does take a huge toll on your body when it’s non-stop like that. Do you really go 60 miles at a time? I imagine it’s a fun sport but probably costs a bit to get started.
As for protein, yes it should be taken regularly throughout the day, but your muscles are most receptive to it post-workout:
Think about it like this: Your body has burned through all those nutrients and hormones to power your workout, so you’re asking it to recover on nothing until you refill those stores. So, as soon as you can post-sweat (or likely while you’re still sweating), down a shake with around 20-30 grams of protein.
Since whey absorbs quickly, it’s the protein of choice post-workout. Other kinds of food with casein protein absorb more slowly, so they are better suited for other times of day, such as overnight when you stop eating while you’re asleep.
It can be expensive. The good riders can through tires every two races. Since I never rode a motorcycle (except once a long time ago) until 3 years ago, I bought a new dual sport (Honda CRF 250L) that I can ride in the woods and on the street. It’s registered and insured. And HEAVY!!! I’m probably not going to use it that much anymore for trailriding as I’m still paying for it and I don’t want to crash it anymore than I already have. 🙂 I recently bought a “real” dirt bike, a 91 Kawasaki KDX. It’s lighter and a 2 stroke and was under $1000 and has more power and is much better than the Honda to maneuver over and around rocks and logs and all that. The people who owned it before maintained it well. So, yes, the initial buy can be costly. Plus all the gear you need. A good helmet and proper boots go around $200/ea.
The Hare Scramble races are 30-40 miles (6 or 7 mile laps, and you do 4-6 laps depending on your level). The Enduro races are 50-60 miles or more and it’s one long ride all over the place and has easy sections and very tough sections. They give you a route sheet and there’s some weird timing with it. It’s very difficult to complete. I haven’t even come close yet. I did a 10 mile section when we were setting it up our Rhode Island ‘Little Rhody Enduro’ . At first it was a nice, innocent dirt road but then you turn the corner through the trees and have to go over huge boulders and up steep hills! I didn’t do too well that day. Lol.
What I don’t get about protein are all the rules about when to take it and what kind, etc, etc. When I was lifting regularly I just loaded up on as much protein as I could throughout the day. It seemed to be effective as I gained and was able to maintain a good weight.
Well it sounds like fun. I looked for pictures of both your Honda and Kawasaki, and I must say the Honda doesn’t look like much of an off-roader to me(!). The Kawasaki, on the other hand, looks like what I would expect. The thing is, how many different trails do you go to? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a real dirt bike trail, which means there might not be many of them or maybe they’re just out of regular public view. Are there a lot to choose from, especially in your state?
Also, just curious – do you go off many big jumps while on the trails? Or do you prefer to stay closer to the ground?
