Cole's 40+ Training and Conditioning

Cole
5’10, 225
40 yr old

Creating a new log for me since Im 40 now i have readjusted some goals of mine to align with general health as opposed to PL. My new goals:

  1. Engage in regular physical activity (~270min/wk)
  2. Maintain a healthy body composition (<37 in waistline <BMI 25)
  3. Work on my sleep (10p-6a)
  4. No drugs, no tobacco, moderate alcohol if any, no trt
  5. Get my annual BP, and lipids, and depression screening
  6. Work through pain and setback in the gym in a healthy and smart way
  7. Continue to be a good husband, parent, son/brother, and friend.

I may indeed compete in PL again some day but only if the training/competition can conform to my new goals and guidelines.

Lets make it a successful 2024!

1/7/24

Squat - 225 x 5 x 3
Bench - 185 x 5 x 3
chins - 3 sets

  • Went super light. I caught covid over holiday break and am just starting to recover. I am also coming off trt which sucks.

1/8/24
Conditioning

Airdyne / treadmill intervals - 30 minutes

BW = 224
Waist = 41.5

1/9/24

Squat - 245 x 5 x 3
Press - 115 x 5 x 3
DL - 315 x 5

*easy again. just trying to have a laid back week before i get back into things

1/10/24
conditioning

Airdyne / Treadmill intervals - 30 minutes

BW = 223
waist = 41.5

1/11/24

Squat - 265 x 5 x 3
Bench - 195 x 5 x 3
chins - 3 sets

  • Again super easy, although motivation is very low and im in a deficit to try to lose some inches off my waist. At this point to get to 37 in I think i will need to lose about 25 pounds. tracking macros on MFP and i have been staying under 2500 fairly consistently although my protein is nowhere near as high as it should be. next week i will ramp the weights up a bit and start inlcluding 2 whey protein/almond milk shakes qd

1/12/24
conditioning

airdyne / treadmill intervals - 45 minutes

BW = 221
waist = 41

*increasing the conditioning to 45 minutes 3x/wk. its not real hard, i get a little sweaty and HR goes up a little, but nothing super draining or difficult. i will be hitting the weights a little harder next week, trying to push top sets of SBD to rep 8 range.

weekly totals
conditioning = 105 min
resistance = 90 min
total activity = 195 minutes
bw = 221
waist = 41

*im only gonna do bodyweight and waist measurements at the end of the week from now on. i need to get the physical activity up to 270 minutes next week.

1/14/24

Squat w/belt - 275x5, 295x5, 315x5@8
1ct Bench - 225x4, 237x4, 250x4@8
chins - 5 min block

  • Getting back into the swing of some more challenging weights, although this was still not that hard. Currently on a fairly large caloric deficit though so id rather be conservative. Session went well, around 45 minutes.

1/15/24
conditioning

treadmill / airdyne intervals - 45 minutes

1/16/24

Comp DL - 315x5, 340x5, 365x5@9
Press - 135x5, 140x5, 145x5
Close Grip Bench - 205x5x3

*top set of pulls went a little harder than i expected, probably bc i did a few working sets beforehand and ive been used to only doing 1 heavy work set. ill adjust to the volume quickly. its been so cold out i have not been able to do my daily walks for extra condition and sunshine. still logging on my fitness pal and while its not entirely accurate, it is giving me some discipline to plan what i eat and to eat smaller portions. on the advice of Jordan, i have adjusted my macros to 2500 cal, ~180g protein, ~250g carbs, ~85g fats. if i can stick to it long term i think i can get my weight back down to 205 and still be strong.

1/17/24
conditioning

treadmill / airdyne intervals - 45 minutes

1/18/24

2ct pause squat - 275x4, 285x4, 295x4@8
TnG Bench - 225x5, 235x5, 245x5@8
Rows - 135x5x3

  • Decent week of resistance training. Definetly held back a bit. I am learning that in order to get stronger you have to push it a bit, while also reigning it in so you dont overdo it. 3 weeks off of trt injections and mentally i feel much better but i do notice less energy and strength. That could also be a function of lowered calories and losing a little weight. Who knows

1/19/24
conditioning

treadmill / airdyne intervals - 45 minutes @ rpe 6

weekly totals
conditioning = 135 min
resistance = 135 min
total activity = 270 minutes
bw = 221
waist = 40.5

  • Same bodyweight as last week. probably same waist but im calling it a 0.5in loss just to keep myself happy :slight_smile: I have been keeping the cal under 2500 and still not losing weight or much off the waist. I guess I need to be more patient

1/21/24

Squat w/belt - 280x5, 300x5, 320x5@8
1ct Bench - 230x4, 240x4, 250x4@8
Feet up bench - 155x10x2

*went well today. not much to report

1/22/24
Conditioning

treadmill / airdyne intervals - 45 min @6, last 15 seconds on airdyne @10

1/23/24
Resistance Training

DL conv - 315x5, 340x5, 365x5@8
RDL - 185x8x2
Press - 140x5, 145x5, 150x5
Rows - 95x10x2

  • Not sure i dig the high rep stuff. I think doing the movement with less reps/heavier weight is probably more effective. In other words, had I done RDL for 245x5x2 I think that would have been more beneficial than 185x8x2.
  • Noticed that i am on the last hole of my L belt. I guess that means ive slimmed up a little, which is good. I may need to buy a M belt soon!

1/24/24
Conditioning

treadmill / airdyne intervals - 45 min @6

1/25/24
Resistance Training

2ct Pause Squat - 275 x 4 x 3
High Bar Squat - 185 x 8 x 2
TnG Bench - 225 x 5 x 3
Curls - 45 x 10 x 2