I’m 58 years old, 5’10” and weigh 180 pounds (down from 205 pounds). I’ve been on a low-carb diet for 2 years and have developed a specific workout routine that I like to follow. I still need to increase the size of my chest and also reduce the fat from around my love handles so I can tighten up my stomach. Can you recommend any changes I should make to my current weekly workout routine? My current routine looks like this:
Day 1:
- Military Press – 2 sets of 16 reps
- Barbell Curls – 2 sets of 20 reps
- Pull Ups – 35 reps
- Seated Full Twists – 25 reps
- Abdominal Leg Raises – 25 reps
- Oblique Side Bends – 25 reps
- 2 Mile Brisk Walk (30-35 Minutes)
Day 2:
- Flat Bench Dumbbell Flys – 2 sets of 25 reps
- Flat Bench Dumbbell Press – 2 sets of 16 reps
- Seated Side Lateral Deltoid Raises – 2 sets of 20 reps
- Dumbbell Oblique Side Bends – 25 reps each side
- Decline Sit Ups – 100 reps
- Seated Full Twists – 25 reps
- 2 Mile Brisk Walk (30-35 Minutes)
Day 3:
- 2 Mile Brisk Walk (30-35 Minutes)
Day 4:
- Repeat Day 1
Day 5:
- Repeat Day 2
Day 6:
- 2 Mile Brisk Walk (30-35 Minutes)
Day 7: Rest and relax!
First off, congratulations on successfully losing 25 pounds and getting down to 180 pounds! It sounds like you still have a little extra fat left on your stomach that you want to get rid of, which is a common desire for many men as they get older. After reviewing your current workout plan, I recommend including more basic muscle building exercises that will really stimulate a spike in hormones and build overall strength and power in your entire body. The core exercises I would like to see you include are barbell bench presses, deadlifts and barbell squats. If you examine the deadlift exercise, you will quickly see how this one exercise can help you build mass and stimulate growth all over your entire body. Deadlifts target your back, legs, arms and shoulder muscles. Below is a breakdown of a great muscle building weekly workout routine that you might want to follow in order to stimulate growth:
Monday (Chest):
- Barbell Bench Press (3 sets of 6-8 reps)
- Incline Dumbbell Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Tuesday (Back):
- Deadlifts (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Bent Over Barbell Rows (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Seated Rows (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
Wednesday (Legs):
- Barbell Squats (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Leg Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Romanian Deadlifts (Hamstrings) (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Thursday (Shoulders):
- Barbell Shoulder Press (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Side Laterals (3 sets of 10-12 reps)
- Rear Deltoid Raises (3 sets of 12-15 reps)
Friday (Arms):
- Barbell Curls (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Seated Dumbbell Curls (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Skull Crushers (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
- Triceps Pushdowns (3 sets of 8-10 reps)
Saturday: Rest Day
Sunday: Rest Day
Since you’re concerned about trimming up your waistline and losing fat from around your love handles, it’s important to discuss the role nutrition plays in your overall plan. In order to reduce body fat, you will need to closely monitor your food intake and follow a nutrient dense diet that provides enough high quality calories to fuel your intense workouts while not providing too many calories to develop a surplus. Any additional calories consumed over your baseline will result in added weight gain and fat accumulation. ShapeFit.com has created a Nutrition 101 article which provides specific items to include on your food list when you’re shopping at the grocery store for clean foods to include in your plan. Try to find a free fitness tracking program online and get your BMR (basal metabolic rate) which will provide the number of calories your body burns each day based on several factors like your age, height, weight and sex. With this information, you can build a nutrient dense eating plan to properly fuel your body and also track your daily food intake so you can closely monitor your fitness plan and reach your ultimate physique goals!
