Dieting and weight training again after 50! 25-2-09

Frank Zane is a three-time Mr. Olympia (1977 to 1979). His reign represented a shift of emphasis from mass to aesthetics. Zane's proportionate physique featured the thinnest waistline of all the Mr. Olympias with his wide shoulders making for a distinctive V-taper

Frank stood at 5'9" and had a competition weight of 180 pounds. Zane is one of only three people who have beaten Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bodybuilding contest and one of the very few Mr. Olympias under 200 pounds.

Frank Zane at age 65. He’s one of the only ones of the 1970s era bodybuilders who looks anywhere near this good. Have you seen Arnold lately? Zane is still pumping iron, and is the real deal.

I did not attain my target of reducing 20 pounds by age 50, but managed to reduce 12 pounds within three months. Still that is a small achievement, by cutting nearly 2 kilos a month. When one gets older, the metabolic rate slows down too, so we need more energy and activities to keep it up. Anyway after that small achievement, my weight creep up slowly to 192 pounds last month. We all know that dieting and eating correctly should be a lifestyle but still we failed to do it. There are so many temptations, with all the good food around you. Anyhow before things get worst, I am dieting again.

I started with 192 pounds on 16-2-09. I am still doing the same dieting system, i.e high protein low carbohydrate diet. I am adding a new weight lifting program the same time and have been following it religiously from day one. The exercise program is stronglift (stronglift.com) and it compliments my diet to achieve faster result, i hope. I feel stronger after 2 months and can now squat and deadlift 70 kilos, bench press 60 kilos and 40 kilos for military press. I am doing it 2 times a week and not pushing myself too hard as not to cause any injury. If you are over 50, injury during weight lifting is a big concern. Doing stretching and warm ups will reduce the tendency of getting injured when heavy weights are involve. Hopefully i can show some photos of my transformed body soon. It is nothing to shout about, but for me it is a small achievement. I want to grow old gracefully, hopefully healthy all the way until i kick the bucket. Amin

I will write again to chart my progress in dieting and weight lifting later on. Serious weight lifting is hard if you are over 50. I have seen friends who are over 50 joining gyms but they have not progress much as they are not into serious iron works. To build strength and muscles, and banishing those ugly fats, one must do serious weight lifting. Progressive loading of weight is a must and programs must be strictly adhered to. I will write more about this later on. Over the years, i have read countless books on weight lifting and doing hours of surfing in the net to gain a deeper insight into the subject. I guess now i have a little knowledge about the subject.

Heck, probably I'll be a certified trainer when i retire in 8 years time!