Over the twenties, in a barrel.

October 22, 2006 2:29 AM

Training, silimming, and building at the dawn of one's thirties: tips, statistics, techniques? Way

So, I'm 29, my partner's 22. He's an acrobat, I'm a writer.

We have similar basic body types, except that I'm at one extreme (a runner soft from a decade of day jobs and professionally perching in front of word processors) and he's at the other (spends four to six hours a day doing strenuous non-cardio activity). He's built like a refrigerator (5'11, 185), whereas I'm more like an anorexic barrel (5'10, 172). He doesn't touch cardio; I still enjoy a run a few times a week, but at a 7-minute mile, I'm no marathoner. I've only started back at the gym after a few months of intensely busy writing assignments that left me with zero free time outside of work and relationship maintenance.

We had occasion to learn some yoga-based body balancing tricks at a festival this year, and we decided we'd like to be able to do more of that sort of thing together. I'd enjoy having the physical capacity for a lot more than that, perhaps even participating in some of his basic acrobatics. Specifically, I'd like to drop at least 5-8% body fat and add more muscle beyond simply "muscle tone."

Now, historically, I've been overweight for a good percentage of my life. I peaked in the mid-200s in high school and dropped down to the high 150s/11% body fat at the peak of my training over the last five years, but only with an insane amount of upkeep (i.e., hiring a personal trainer and spending at least two hours every day at the gym). Otherwise, my body's set point is more in the range of 165 to 175 (plus or minus 5% body fat). I think I add muscle pretty easily, but unfortunately, I also pack on weight (the bad kind) just as easily, so it's been a huge push and pull.

My partner, being as young as he is, is in the peak of his conditioning and has an enviable amount of time to pour into his physical activity. Dietarily speaking, he's one of those high-protein, zero-extra-carbs, five-meals-a-day types. He can empty a cafeteria after a strenuous day of training. He drinks water exclusively. He has an endearing weakness for chocolate and ice cream, but will also peel off every extra bit of lavash bread from a sandwich wrap to save carbs. I'm not beyond thinking that he has some body-image issues related to his work.

I try to pitch for an 1800-2200 calorie-a-day diet, even on days when I do a longer run or a bigger workout. I eat more food groups than he does, but not in nearly as much volume. In the dietary weakness category, I love homemade loaves of bread, red grapes, and animal crackers (shut up). I also have a can-a-day diet soda habit, although I understand this is something akin to physical hara-kiri in the training world. I don't believe in fad diets or the superstitious carving-out of one thing or another as a means to an end, so I'm hoping it's just a matter of fine-tuning the relative food groups.

As I'm turning 30 in a couple of weeks, I doubt I can still pull off the sort of drastic physical transformation that he has. I've just hired a trainer (starting next week) to really get a handle on, well, my handles. But educate me, if you will, MeFites, on the average life of a man's physique, decade-wise, with regards to the amount of extra work I'd have to put in to really slim down and stack up over the next year, given the variables. How uphill is the battle from the dawn of one's thirties?

posted by mykescipark to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

As someone striding through middle age, I'd say that the uphill battle -- the true, steep part of it -- hasn't begun yet.

You can still loose weight after 40. Still pack on muscle, albeit slower. Still make gains on all exercise fronts.

If you're really, really committed, I'd suggest, first, cutting out your bad food habits. Yes, this takes time. But after awhile, you'll realize that these "dietary weaknesses" aren't that at all -- they're simply habits that can be modified with effort.

In a year or two, you'll notice that your set point for weight has dropped considerably. Let the fun begin.
posted by Gordion Knott at 7:38 AM on October 22, 2006

I hate exercise, but three years ago I started rock climbing. Going from 155 lb I now weigh 175 and the twenty pounds extra are all muscle.

I'm forty-eight. If I can go from utter fatigue on a single pitch 5.7 to leading a 5.11 multipitch you can certainly gain the muscle.
posted by jet_silver at 8:57 AM on October 22, 2006

Slimming down is still relatively easy. I'm 41, and after getting pretty sloppy (6'3", 220) in my 30s I finally started cutting down on sweets and hitting the gym this year and I'm down to about 185 pounds. The easiest thing to change is the soda; if you never liked Diet Coke you should try Coke Zero which tastes much better (or if your soda fix is Sprite or Dew try Sprite Zero). That one can is 150 calories a day, which is enough to lose a pound a month, with no other change.

I agree about weight-loss dieting in general: just eat a little less of whatever you like to eat. The problem comes when you're tying to build muscle at the same time, since now you want to take in more protein, and good-tasting protein usually comes in fatty high-calorie foods. Without resorting to protein shakes and bars, it's hard to get big muscles even if you lift daily - I'm noticing that I lift more weight more cleanly than guys who look a lot more muscular.
posted by nicwolff at 9:28 AM on October 22, 2006

Response by poster: Nicwolff: you misread. I said a can-a-day of diet soda. :-) But the point is still well taken ... I shouldn't be drinking the stuff at all.

Good encouragement from all so far. Keep those cards and letters coming... :-)
posted by mykescipark at 10:18 AM on October 22, 2006

Last year, around this time, at age 35, I went from 83kg to 77kg with virtually no loss in muscle mass. I did this through very moderate dieting (just being conscious of what I was eating), and high-intensity interval training combined with a short, heavy weights workout three times a week. People really noticed. I did this over about three months.

Personally, I've found it easier to add muscle in my 30s as my metabolism has slowed down. The only deterioration that's really bugging me is stiffness and inflexibility. It's quite marked how much worse post-workout soreness and stiffness is compared to 10 years ago. It's also easier to hurt yourself when things that used to go "sproing!" go "snap!" instead.

Wrt to what nicwolff said: one of the reasons I gave up on bodybuilding as a hobby was the realisation that I was going to have to eat insane amounts of tuna/skinless chicken/unappetising crap every day. These days I justify my gym time not as improvement, but as how I prevent my current shape from getting worse :)
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:36 PM on October 22, 2006

And as a scary postscript: my weight normally fluctuates very little. I haven't had a drink in 4 days and I've lost almost 2 kg. If you drink alcohol, perhaps you should cut it out for a while. It has a lot of calories in its own right, encourages you to eat more, and the fluid retention can make you look bloaty.

What possible harm could a daily diet softdrink do? A little caffeine's going crank up your metabolism a little.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:48 PM on October 22, 2006

I highly recommend you poke around on this site: John Stone Fitness, which is essentially a vanity site made by a guy who did essentially what you're talking about. He went from being a doughy IT guy to being a buff dude, and all the details/stats/progress-pics are there on the site.
posted by nightchrome at 6:34 PM on October 22, 2006