Recovery struggling in older lifter

[comedycentral]

I’ll keep it brief. 47 yrs old and natural.
low volume training to failure.
currently training eod and sometimes take two days off.
routine is push and biceps
back and legs.
about 4 working sets for larger muscle
2-3 for small
usually 1 of these is a rest pause and all taken to true failure

so what would you change first
loose failure for a couple of weeks?
drop a set off each lift?
week off? Do t really want to do this as I’ve only been pushing hard for about 3 weeks which means recovery truly is shocking.
food intake decent and not in a deficit
sleep pretty good and even having a daytime nap.
general thoughts and opinions please
thanks all

 

[Dens228]

For me, the first thing I'd try is a three way split and go 2 on 1 off.
The other thing would be to drop the rest pause set or drop the other sets and do only a rest pause set.

I'm 58 and tend to do a 2 on 1 off or 3 on one off. It all depends on how I feel. I also switch workouts every so often. I either do the DC three way split with higher reps or I follow one of the original Hernon 3 way splits doing one exercise per bodypart for three sets. As a matter of fact, back in December I was trying to decide which routine worked better. I looked at my logs for an entire year to see how many workouts I did with each. It was pretty much an exact split.

 

[heavyhitter]

I like a push pull legs routine on a mon/tues/thurs/Fri sort of scheme. So week 1 you’ll hit push twice, week 2 pull twice and so on. I keep volume relatively low(each workout is around 10-12 sets and several sets are rest paused) and everything to failure

 

[Blswan]

I’ve only been pushing hard for about 3 weeks

Could you elaborate on this? If you just ramped up your training far beyond the norm, well I think what you're feeling is pretty normal.

 

[comedycentral]

Could you elaborate on this? If you just ramped up your training far beyond the norm, well I think what you're feeling is pretty normal.

fair comment yes going to absolute failure and using a rest pause set. Prior to this it was straight sets still low volume and about failure.

 

[comedycentral]

For me, the first thing I'd try is a three way split and go 2 on 1 off.
The other thing would be to drop the rest pause set or drop the other sets and do only a rest pause set.

I'm 58 and tend to do a 2 on 1 off or 3 on one off. It all depends on how I feel. I also switch workouts every so often. I either do the DC three way split with higher reps or I follow one of the original Hernon 3 way splits doing one exercise per bodypart for three sets. As a matter of fact, back in December I was trying to decide which routine worked better. I looked at my logs for an entire year to see how many workouts I did with each. It was pretty much an exact split.

Are you doing the DC 3 way 2 on 1 off and Hernons 3 on?
ive found if I try to frequently to train 2 or more days on the trot I really start to notice it. I do know that hormone wise I’m not optimal and would be deemed low I just can’t be fussed with assistance at this time.

 

[Dens228]

Are you doing the DC 3 way 2 on 1 off and Hernons 3 on?
ive found if I try to frequently to train 2 or more days on the trot I really start to notice it. I do know that hormone wise I’m not optimal and would be deemed low I just can’t be fussed with assistance at this time.

Yes I am. And in all honesty there is no rhyme or reason to when I do which. I usually don't know until I go to start my workout. My rule on days in a row to workout??? Anywhere from 1 to 3 days in a row, never more than 3, never more than 1 day off in a row unless I'm out of town or something big gets in the way. I'm not hardcore about matching the day off rotation with which routine I'm using. I just go by how I feel. I'd say most of the time it's 2 days in a row. This past weekend I went to our lake house in northern Wisconsin for 3 days, so I didn't workout. But it'll probably be a few months before I take a couple days off.

I should also mention I try to get around 15 reps on the first set of rest pause with DC.

 

[qbkilla]

What are your signs of overtraining? Sore, not getting stronger?

What are your rep ranges?

Imo it your natural you should be doing regular deload if training hard. 5 on 1 off or so.

 

[buck]

Training 2/3 of the body on one day(legs and back) and 1/3 the other workout does not seem like a good split to me. I am 62 and train 2-3 on and 1 off depending on how i feel. As high intensity is not in my best interest these days. I went back to higher volume a while back without trying to push myself to utter failure. People at the gym as well as my Dr. have mentioned about improvements. I did up my protein to 200 grams/day.

 

[comedycentral]

What are your signs of overtraining? Sore, not getting stronger?

What are your rep ranges?

Imo it your natural you should be doing regular deload if training hard. 5 on 1 off or so.

Tired and strength capped really. Rep ranges are normally 12 plus. I’m also using a true 3 second lowering raising to use slightly lighter weights

 

[comedycentral]

Training 2/3 of the body on one day(legs and back) and 1/3 the other workout does not seem like a good split to me. I am 62 and train 2-3 on and 1 off depending on how i feel. As high intensity is not in my best interest these days. I went back to higher volume a while back without trying to push myself to utter failure. People at the gym as well as my Dr. have mentioned about improvements. I did up my protein to 200 grams/day.

I must admit most weirdly think back and legs is insane but if I said full body people are ok with it.

 

[TrippplePPP]

Don't be afraid to switch things up completely. Do a couple weeks full body 2x/week with cardio, do a few weeks push, pull, legs for 3x/week. High reps, low reps. Mix it up a bit.

Also, the advice I give myself the most as I get older is stretch a ton. Each workout. The more I stretch the better I feel and the faster I seem to recover yet for some reason its the first to go when I'm pressed for time.

 

[TheRealAphextwin]

Have you tried using leucine? I would recommend using a min of 10 grams a day in divided doses. Also you get blood work done to make sure you don’t have low T? A little goes a long way especially if you’re low.

 

[qbkilla]

Tired and strength capped really. Rep ranges are normally 12 plus. I’m also using a true 3 second lowering raising to use slightly lighter weights

Do you periodize aka schedule breaks or take a week off occasionally? That would be my first step. Most training programs incorporate these although I'm sure there are guys that never take a week off

 

[alfresco]

I’ll keep it brief. 47 yrs old and natural.
low volume training to failure.
currently training eod and sometimes take two days off.
routine is push and biceps
back and legs.
about 4 working sets for larger muscle
2-3 for small
usually 1 of these is a rest pause and all taken to true failure

so what would you change first
loose failure for a couple of weeks?
drop a set off each lift?
week off? Do t really want to do this as I’ve only been pushing hard for about 3 weeks which means recovery truly is shocking.
food intake decent and not in a deficit
sleep pretty good and even having a daytime nap.
general thoughts and opinions please
thanks all

What are your goals?

--------------------------------------------

All I can talk about is what I have done, what worked for me and others
I have trained. No absolutes here.

It's all about the balance between simulation, recovery, and calories.

Do cardio for 30 minutes prior to each workout. If you can squeeze it in on your
off days that would be great, and for longer, better yet.

Try working our M, W, F, splitting upper and lower body. Pick one isolation
exercise and one compound exercise per body part. 1 - 3 sets, reps 10 - 20
with the exclusion of abs and low back. One exercise please.

Infrequently do forced reps, drop sets, negatives, rest pause, etc. They
have a place but not all the time. (Use them cautiously.) When you can
reach your guide number of reps per set, stop. Only work to failure to
reach your guide number of reps. When you can reach the guide number
of reps on all three sets, increase the weight. This should take you under
one hour if you move briskly between exercises.

Or do full body workouts, one exercise per body part on all body parts. Same
set and rep principle. Rotate through three different exercises per body part
each workout. No two workouts should be the same for each given week.
Be sure work in a minimum of one compound exercise per body part each week.

Or if you are truly ambitious, workout Monday and Tuesday; lower body, upper
body. Take Wednesday off then Thursday, Friday, lower body upper body. Same
workout principles. Take the weekends off.

In all cases, you move the weight, the weight does not move you. Avoid
momentum at all costs. You should be able to stop and 'hold' the weight
at any given part of the exercise. This will help prevent injuries.

Finish each workout with 30 - 60 minutes of stretching and meditation.

Take one week off from weights every eight weeks. Continue with your cardio
and stretching every day during this time.

And take one day off per week. This means zero exercise. No weights, cardio and
stretching. A real day off.

All (which is not much) of this cardio will help your recovery ability, not hinder it.

Stay in a slight caloric surplus. Try to maintain a hint of visible abs at all times.
This will keep your bodyfat in check.

There are many ways to skin a cat. These are just two examples. Much depends on
your goals.

I do not know enough to talk intelligently about nutrition or peds. Others here do.

Hope this helps.

 

[hawkmoon]

We are all different, but I've found MWF 2-way DC split work for me.
Always on at least 250mg test, occasionally bringing that up to a mix with 5-600mg per week.
Food is good at about 3-3500 calories.
Sleep 7-8 hourse per night.

 

[pesty4077]

Simple, your body is telling you to slow down. Unless you want to spend good money on a Physical therapist or surgery later. I would stop doing heavy for awhile and go to 4 days a week hitting one body part per week until your body recovers. Forget failure for awhile. I would stop 2 to 4 reps before that. The older you get, the more stretching you need. I would add band exercises for warm ups too and learn balance exercising for mobility.

I do all the above except add a 5th day for some weak body parts. This is why many people go to crap by the time they get close to 60. They never listen to their body telling them to slow down.

 

[qbkilla]

What are your goals?

--------------------------------------------

All I can talk about is what I have done, what worked for me and others
I have trained. No absolutes here.

It's all about the balance between simulation, recovery, and calories.

Do cardio for 30 minutes prior to each workout. If you can squeeze it in on your
off days that would be great, and for longer, better yet.

Try working our M, W, F, splitting upper and lower body. Pick one isolation
exercise and one compound exercise per body part. 1 - 3 sets, reps 10 - 20
with the exclusion of abs and low back. One exercise please.

Infrequently do forced reps, drop sets, negatives, rest pause, etc. They
have a place but not all the time. (Use them cautiously.) When you can
reach your guide number of reps per set, stop. Only work to failure to
reach your guide number of reps. When you can reach the guide number
of reps on all three sets, increase the weight. This should take you under
one hour if you move briskly between exercises.

Or do full body workouts, one exercise per body part on all body parts. Same
set and rep principle. Rotate through three different exercises per body part
each workout. No two workouts should be the same for each given week.
Be sure work in a minimum of one compound exercise per body part each week.

Or if you are truly ambitious, workout Monday and Tuesday; lower body, upper
body. Take Wednesday off then Thursday, Friday, lower body upper body. Same
workout principles. Take the weekends off.

In all cases, you move the weight, the weight does not move you. Avoid
momentum at all costs. You should be able to stop and 'hold' the weight
at any given part of the exercise. This will help prevent injuries.

Finish each workout with 30 - 60 minutes of stretching and meditation.

Take one week off from weights every eight weeks. Continue with your cardio
and stretching every day during this time.

And take one day off per week. This means zero exercise. No weights, cardio and
stretching. A real day off.

All (which is not much) of this cardio will help your recovery ability, not hinder it.

Stay in a slight caloric surplus. Try to maintain a hint of visible abs at all times.
This will keep your bodyfat in check.

There are many ways to skin a cat. These are just two examples. Much depends on
your goals.

I do not know enough to talk intelligently about nutrition or peds. Others here do.

Hope this helps.

This is good advice, esp the planned week off. When I do mine sometimes keep cardio, sometimes drop it too, depending on how much recovery I feel I need.