Macro advice for an old timer starting up again ..

HI Guys,

First a bit of back story, which might turn this into a bit of a read, so please bear with me.

I've been working out for most of my life, but I've been completely out of action for a while now, say round 4 years. In this time I have maintained at least some of my lean muscle mass (Biceps at 47cm, pretty big calves, strong legs, reasonable delts, still have some depth in the chest, etc.)

I'm 35, 6'3" in my socks, endomorph (yeah, nice, thanks parents) probably ~120kgs at what must be at least 25%-30%BF. When I was younger and size befok I peaked at around 125Kgs @ 15% BF ... then I got over that and went for a lean look and the best I managed to get down to was 97Kgs at 5% BF, without having any really serious intentions to compete, I was mostly competing against myself. I am definitely prone to muscle wasting, if I don't manage my nutrition right I when working out hard, I can see negative gains inside of a week.

Back then I used to stick to a fairly hard Macro ratio of (60%P, 30%C, 10%F) and it seemed to work, with just the most rudimentary of supplementation in the form of BCAA's, Protein Shakes, and occasional fat burners (as they were known back then, now I see they're called "pre workouts" ) and I would typically limit my current/future supplementation to Creatine, BCAAs, Glutamine, Whey/Casein Protein Combo as I am not keen on gear.

I've been getting my cardio back in running order with infrequent sessions of cycling in the AM, and I can manage an hour of fairly intense breathing, so now I am ready to get back into working out, though this will be mostly at home, with the weights I already have in addition to bodyweight exercises (Push ups, Chins, Squats, etc) and a few 25lt/50lt bottles/drums filled with water, in combination with 2-3 weekly cardio sessions.

My question is twofold :

1) I want to maintain as much of my current lean mass, and if possible, maximise any gains I might have in the first growth spurt before the muscles realise something's happening to them, while still maximising fat loss. Is the current best thinking still that a macro of 60/30/10 is a good idea, or should I consider an alternate ratio, and if so, what would your suggestions be?

2) I have read that pre/post workout meals consisting of a combination Creatine, BCAA's, Glucose & Protein, seems to be the thinking in terms of staying off catabolism and to ensure maximal recovery/nutrition uptake/gains. Would you agree with this, and if not, what are your recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

-J

*crickets* ...

HeyJoeWhaddaYaKnow wrote: HI Guys,

First a bit of back story, which might turn this into a bit of a read, so please bear with me.

I've been working out for most of my life, but I've been completely out of action for a while now, say round 4 years. In this time I have maintained at least some of my lean muscle mass (Biceps at 47cm, pretty big calves, strong legs, reasonable delts, still have some depth in the chest, etc.)

I'm 35, 6'3" in my socks, endomorph (yeah, nice, thanks parents) probably ~120kgs at what must be at least 25%-30%BF. When I was younger and size befok I peaked at around 125Kgs @ 15% BF ... then I got over that and went for a lean look and the best I managed to get down to was 97Kgs at 5% BF, without having any really serious intentions to compete, I was mostly competing against myself. I am definitely prone to muscle wasting, if I don't manage my nutrition right I when working out hard, I can see negative gains inside of a week.

Back then I used to stick to a fairly hard Macro ratio of (60%P, 30%C, 10%F) and it seemed to work, with just the most rudimentary of supplementation in the form of BCAA's, Protein Shakes, and occasional fat burners (as they were known back then, now I see they're called "pre workouts" ) and I would typically limit my current/future supplementation to Creatine, BCAAs, Glutamine, Whey/Casein Protein Combo as I am not keen on gear.

I've been getting my cardio back in running order with infrequent sessions of cycling in the AM, and I can manage an hour of fairly intense breathing, so now I am ready to get back into working out, though this will be mostly at home, with the weights I already have in addition to bodyweight exercises (Push ups, Chins, Squats, etc) and a few 25lt/50lt bottles/drums filled with water, in combination with 2-3 weekly cardio sessions.

My question is twofold :

1) I want to maintain as much of my current lean mass, and if possible, maximise any gains I might have in the first growth spurt before the muscles realise something's happening to them, while still maximising fat loss. Is the current best thinking still that a macro of 60/30/10 is a good idea, or should I consider an alternate ratio, and if so, what would your suggestions be?

2) I have read that pre/post workout meals consisting of a combination Creatine, BCAA's, Glucose & Protein, seems to be the thinking in terms of staying off catabolism and to ensure maximal recovery/nutrition uptake/gains. Would you agree with this, and if not, what are your recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

-J

1) doesn't matter much IMO. Once your eating properly its a matter of calories in vs calories out. What is proper eating? Well to me it's eating well balanced meals. So each meal has a balance of healthy pro, carb, fat. I always say 30/30/30 and put the remaining 10 wherever you want or let it go where it happens to go. Like I said cal in vs. cal out is more important once your eating properly. You can play with all the methods and macros breakdowns if you like though I just don't rate them much.

2) a lot of his is marketing and over hyped IMO. If you wanted you could eat a well balanced meal 1h preWO and another 45-60min postWO and yield just the same results as you would with a pre and post workout shake maybe even better. So no you don't need to do that it's just an option you have if it makes life easier or it just suits your schedule etc.

What I love about the toppies is that you have lots of experience with your body in terms of what works and what doesn't. Tell me about how you went about going so lean in the past. To get to 5% is no joke you had to have a damn decent diet.

HeyJoeWhaddaYaKnow wrote: I'm 35,

35, Old timer??? Uhhmm....

HeyJoeWhaddaYaKnow wrote: ... then I got over that and went for a lean look and the best I managed to get down to was 97Kgs at 5% BF, without having any really serious intentions to compete

5%? You don't think that may be a tad optimistic? As an endomorph to get and stay at 5% without ancillary help is damn near impossible.

Hahaha, yes ... looking at all the tweenies/lighties coming and going from the gym, at 35 one does definitely feel like an old timer. I think it's also due to not being healthy (diet and workout wise currently) and that will no doubt improve once I get back into a routine. One can't argue with the fountain of youth effect lifting and a good diet has on the body.

What can I say, back then I was obsessed. For me being full on OCD at times, when I am motivated towards a goal, it isn't hard, it was just a decision I had made and I stuck to it, it took me the better part of a year and a half (if memory serves) to get down to the lean & mean look I wanted, to be fair I didn't maintain 5% (or thereabouts) for very long, it was a couple of weeks max and then I got knocked with a month and a half long bout with flu, which may or may not have been as a result of my body being hammered too hard for too long and calling a time-out on me.

My life was lifting and lifting was my life thankfully I got over it. Diet (supplemented with fat burners, good quality protein supplements, BCAA's and a lot of caffeine) consisted religiously of pounds and pounds of grilled Salmon, Hake, Lean CB, brown rice and veggies. Plain herbs/spices, zero added sauces/condiments/processed foods, zero sugar/refined carbs, zero alcohol ... in fact even when on the odd occasion of going out, I'd pack my meals in the car and frequently disappear during the evening, because dancing burns too much muscle.

I think for now I'll stick with Chem1's advice and keep it simple : Balance the IN v the OUT and make adjustments as the "old" machine starts working again.

A man after my own heart!! Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Keep us updated and don't be shy to ask questions.

Thanks for touching base with us and sharing of your journey thus far.

I think that given that which you have stated above you are in a good position to recover decent form as you desire.You are by no means an old timmer just yet and may very well enjoy some favourable form ahead of you.

I do believe that the reality is that our bodies are not the same that they were in their 20s but we are in no ways over the hill, we just cant get away with some of the things we did back then. However for the most part we are a lot stronger. I think you have already been presented with great advice, I agree a lot with that which Chem has stated.

A balanced diet, as has already been guided to you, supplements are great and can help us in many ways but nothing is going to remove the need for good eating tailoured to that which is best suited for your goals.

It goes without saying training is important and I have definitely adjusted my training to effect the desired change for my objectives given my current form. Wishing you well for new season and look forward to sharing in your progress.