Fokker

Thanks. I have to make up for sitting on my ass all day. I don't like to work out on the weekends; I'm not adverse to physical activity for fun on the weekends, but I like to keep my fitness "work" limited to the week.

TofuProductions

I know this isn't a thread covered often but I figured I would chime in.
I've been underweight and out of shape most of my younger life, I was 85 pounds at 5 ft 6 in when I graduated high school. Early college years i wasn't more than 95 pounds at my heaviest.

After graduating college and joining a gym but chickening out (I'll admit) I paid for a membership that I never used.
Fast forward to 2012, bad breakup lol, decided to give it one more go..

Put on 30 pounds in one year actually. I was about 125 by the end of summer in 2013.

I worked an office job since graduating college so nothing changed much outside of the gym. But then I also started working government as well (Homeland) and thankfully I did pass the physical requirements and a few other goodies that kept my mind sharp and my body on point, but I was nowhere where I felt satisfied, not just even aesthetically.

Fast forward to now early 2017, just shy of 3 years into Homeland and still at the same desk job,
[I've lost weight in between, due to me actually intaking FAR too much protein in many sittings, they actually had to flush my system out - sounds funny, but the pain was beyond anything I've ever felt. After that, is when I truly read up on numerous forums, health clubs and personal trainer friends I've acquired through the years and really heeded their advice (and opinions). At this point when I was discharged from the hospital I was 130 pounds].

I've leaned out a little and my workouts are 5 days a week, weekdays, weekends are my rest days though when weather is nice here in Chicago, I will run in the morning for about only 30 minutes around the neighborhood. I'll cycle as well, mainly during summer and I play tennis and volleyball quite a bit. I tried basketball but I'm worse than a blind kid on rollerblades.

My 5 day/week workouts consist of 4 days weights for about 45 minutes and running as cooldown for about 20 minutes; weights usually consist between higher weights, lower reps, with a mix of circuit training, depending on muscle groups and form variations, with one day dedicated to running and more or less cardio mixed.

Right now I'm still obviously the same height; 5ft. 6 in., at about 150 lean-ish. I guess for me the biggest part I learned was not about weights/form, or anything, but to diet right, REST plenty and be happy.

The gym no longer is about aesthetics but more or less about something psychological I've gained now. No regrets and ass to grass.

white98ls

I'm 32, 5'11" and 170lbs, about 11% BF. When I started college I was into mountain biking a lot, but had little upper body strength so I the same height, big legs, but only 140lbs. I got jumped by three meth heads the night before the first day of college, so that's when I decided to start lifting.

I'm what you call a "hard gainer" so it took me about 5 years of lifting 3-4x/wk and eating 3-4k calories/day to get to 170lbs. My "peak" was 4 years ago while in grad school, when I was 175lbs and deadlifted 405 while playing racquetball or basketball about 3hrs/wk, despite separating a shoulder, tearing a meniscus, and partially tearing an ACL in the year prior (the rest of my life has been injury-free - that was a weird year). Drank a lot more then though, haha.

Now I'm back at a desk job, 5 days/wk, lifting 2x/wk but getting that back up to 3x/wk because I dropped 5lbs while having a cold (I tend to lose weight and strength pretty fast if I'm sick, stressed, or not getting to the gym). I typically do a chest day (always been a weak point) and back/bicep day close together, with a tri/shoulder/abs/legs day in between. Hard to go more often due to current influx of "NY's resolutioners" but those are already starting to thin out. I also tack on cardio once a week, usually in the form of basketball these days.

I would LOVE to do more lifting and cardio, but I'm married now and my wife barely goes to the gym once on weekends (somehow, she is 5'3", 110lbs, and way outta my league haha). If I was single, I'd be at the gym almost every night, and if I also had a buddy to play racquetball, basketball, etc. with I'd be there virtually every day. I love playing sports although I'm not all that great at any of them.

Diet-wise, I eat out 2-3 meals a week and cook the rest, focusing on high protein, decent amount of veggies, and low-ish carbs and fat although not obsessively so. My vices are definitely sweets (can't stay away from a few small pieces of chocolate per day... I know) and I have 2-3 drinks about once a week. Diet could be better, but I enjoy food too much.

With that said, my body has been quite constant as the years go on. At 32, I'm still almost at the exact same weight, body fat, and strength as I was at 22, and can still just barely graze the basketball rim haha.

s2000Junky

^^^ You sound a lot like me/body type and past habits. It took me a lot of years to be able to put on weight. I started lifting when I was 26-27 and am 41 now, never stopped. My diet has changed a bit, drinking frequency, but 3-5 days a week in gym has been consistent though that time. I started gun ho 5 days a week for first 6-7 years and then tapered off to 3 days up until just over a year ago when bringing it back up to 4 to help break through last/most recent plateau, along with cutting back on drinking and honing in more on my macros. At 5 11" weighing 155-160lb when I started natural body building, I am a leaner more developed 195lb guy today with 51" chest and 17" arms, 32" waist. I feel pretty well accomplished with the way I look, but I still see room for some improvement, and that's part of the appeal and motivation in getting back into the gym, seeing results of all hard past work but also knowing your still making future improvements. It makes clothes shopping more fun that's for sure lol

white98ls

Nice man. I've always had the modest goal of 180lbs and 10% BF. I've been about 170lbs and 10%, and 180lbs and 12-13%, but if I could hit that weight and BF at the same time, I'd be good with that. I don't want to look like a guy that lives at the gym. It's pretty hard for me to eat enough to gain that extra weight while keeping it clean enough, consistently enough, to not gain fat.

I should probably think more seriously about doing a bulk/cut cycle, but I just don't see myself realistically getting to the 185-190lbs I'd need to reach in order to cut back down to 180 at 10%.

It is a nice feeling to exceed the prior week/month/etc. lifts though - that keeps me focused.

Mountain-man

So this seems cool. I'm mixed "active" I'd say. On my feet 8-10 hours a day for work, and then I do my own workout stuff. Bike, kayak, hike (with or without a weighted pack, depending on if I'm training), box steps, or hit the local climbing gym once a week or so. Hard to get outside to climb this year. I hate running and organized sports, so I don't bother with that. Besides that, I need to keep my shape up anyway for my summer insanity of finding ice and snow, and winter insanity of ice climbing and skiing. Eating habits bad. LOL!

I know this thread is old, but I haven't earnestly been on the forums here for many years.

Nfinitecc

well let's keep it going! I enjoy biking and stuff a lot more now in my 30's. I'm tall, 6'3", currently 235lbs. I was skinny growing up, when I hit 6'3" I was 163lbs. I started lifting 5 days a week in high school and I've never stopped, I turn 32 in January. The issue is since I turned 30 I hold fat a little bit which I never did before, I used to stay around 250-255, but now to stay lean I hover around 225-235. I've found biking and sprinting 5 days a week help keep bloat down, now if I could just be interested in bigger cars lol.

Mountain-man

Holding fat since turning 30?! LOL! That's just going to get harder and harder to get rid of the older you get. Welcome to the "old fart" club! Eating habits will help that too. (Curse you pizza, beer, and ice cream! Why do you need to be so delicious?) I've been leaning out over the last few years since I've been controlling my portions a bit better, but still feel like I could drop another 15-20 lbs. Makes a huge difference when hanging off the wall (especially overhanging/neg-pitch areas!). That and my crash course training a few months ago took me down another 10 lbs. I really need to get back into it though since my knees have recovered by now.

I'm just a few years older than you, a few inches shorter, and few lbs lighter. I don't know how you gym guys do it. That constant grind on a machine... The closest thing I come to that is my bike trainer when it's nasty outside. And I have a dvd player to help! I hate it! Looking forward to some snow around by me so I can break out the skis. I need to be doing something outside. And my workouts/training is activity specific.

What do you guys use your workouts/training for? Soccer? Golf? Curling? Bike racing? Marathons? Just enjoy the physical grind after melting your brain in front of a monitor all day?

Nfinitecc

i work as a board operator in chemical manufacturing so I sit for 12-13 hours a day. Luckily I don't eat fast food, drink alcohol or soda, I enjoy clean eating so I don't ever get fat, I just can't stay "hard" above 235lbs anymore lol

For me, I'm addicted to the pure raw hormonal response to training. Going in and pushing hard, turning red, seeing those veins! It's never gotten old after all these years, it's so primal.

I feel you about the knees, I have knee pain and at 6'3" I'm prone to lower back tightness and pain if not careful. Man it seems like the initial push like you said, to just get out and get active is the hardest part but once you get rolling, you're set.

Fokker

Primarily for general fitness and strength at the moment. It keeps me feeling young. Historically I've played soccer, though I've played a large variety of sports over the years. Keeping the fat off after 30 is easy as long as you manage your diet and do enough and a variety of exercise; it just requires an organized approach unlike when you're in your teens and twenties. I'm currently leaning out and the fat is coming off.