Strength / Weight Training

Sure, but the Garmin caloris count for activities is calculated as calories burned on top of your basal metabolic rate.

Don’t use the clips on the bar.

Back in the gym this morning for the first time in 5 years. I've lost about 4-5kgs of muscle mass that I need to put back on if I want to carry on playing tennis and kitesurfing without being crippled each time I do them. Catch is I've got a dodgy lower back now (bit of scoliosis, sciatica, etc.) so barbell deadlifts, squats and anything where I'm putting weight across the top of my back is out of the question.

Views on trap bar deadlifts? I've never done them but I've been reading a bit and seems like they are popular for people with back issues.

They're great and I always fall back on the hex bar deadlifts and squats when I tweak my back. Start with the upper handles, then build up to lower, and then do deficits.

Thanks, will give them a go tomorrow!

I often say this on here but spending some money on a good physio could do you wonders.

Yes, this is true. I've seen quite a few physios over the years but it's always been when my back 'pops'. Do 5-6 sessions until I can move again then promise myself that I'll stay on top of it with yoga, physio exercises, etc. and then life inevitably gets in the way and shit falls apart. I actually called my insurer last week to see if they'd sign off preventative physio, but that was a straight no.

Will try to build up some strength sensibly over the next 3-4 months, I know more or less what aggravates it and what doesn't so hopefully can make some progress.

Puppy has destroyed my gym routine so I did a de-load the other day... actually felt really good being able to focus on form rather than pushing the heavy weight. It also makes you realise how much progress you've actually made in a weird way when an 80kg squat feels relatively easy.

Leg day today, continue to trim down the exercises and therefore do more variations- for example did 30/40/50/60/70 on the back squat for one round of 12/10/8/6/6, then 50/50/60 four times at 8/6/6.

That's 122 lifts on one exercise, for a total volume of 3,000kg

How long is it taking you?

17 sets for one exercise?!?!

Honestly this still strikes me as insanity, but fair play for getting the volume in.

What’s your actual max back squat?

I'm doing starting strength 5x5 at the moment, and have experienced lower back pain since forever.

The relatively low weights mean that I can really dial in my form, (even moreso, as I start my warm up on an empty bar)

I find that I can be, as now, sitting at my desk while my back grumbles, but once I've done a few light lifts, it all falls back into place and feels very comfortable.

Getting used to good form has also made me far more aware of my core, and this has transferred to my day to day, with the benefit of pulling me into a posture that reduces the aches.

What’s your actual max back squat?

I don't know, did 6 at 80kg last week at the end of the first series of lifts, then backed it off for the next one.

1 rep max calculator

I tried 5x5 years ago and really liked it, but the volume of squats got a bit of much and instead of listening to my body I ploughed on and did my back in again. Since then I've had a mortal fear of any exercise that compresses my spine and just muddled along with bodyweight stuff and sporadically throwing around some kettlebells.

Totally with you on feeling better after exercises that engage the core, hopefully if I'm disciplined over the next 6-8 weeks I'll start to see some change in how the back feels after the activities that aggravate it.

Oh and @dst2 , I took your advice and will be seeing a physio on Saturday :)

What’s the actual goal with all that mad volume/structure of the sets?

It’s not really like any of the programming I’ve ever looked at.

What’s the actual goal with all that mad volume/structure of the sets?

It’s not really like any of the programming I’ve ever looked at.

Well, I worked with a PT at Roar, then afterward kept working with him, and he sets a months program that I follow. When I asked him about this section he said it was to really put some load on my legs (I can confirm it does that) and for the back-squat to get me above comfortably above 80kg for my final set.

I felt that 70kg was a realistic final weight for todays reps, so clearly not there yet.

So is this an initial phase of conditioning?

Do you yourself have fitness goals or are you just doing what your PT programs for you?

Do you tell them that you’d like to achieve x, y, z?

Bear in mind that I'm an old man - my goal is to put on as much lean mass as possible so that by the time I'm 75 I've still got some of it left. Enough to go skiing all day for a couple of weeks and enjoy riding my bike still.

Also, I am vain enough to enjoy looking vaguely athletic.

Therefore the overall goal is to get to ~85kg of mainly lean mass - with whatever body fat % I got down to last time I forwent my morning toast.

I mean, there's an obvious answer. But it does involve androgens / TRT.

Therefore the overall goal is to get to ~85kg of mainly lean mass - with whatever body fat % I got down to last time I forwent my morning toast.

What BF% do you think will be sustainable for you with a relatively clean but not super rigid diet?

my goal is to put on as much lean mass as possible

This is what I was looking for. Kinda makes a bit more sense, you’ll gain muscle mass at a slower rate with lots of volume at a lower %, and recovery between sessions should be better. Higher % and lower volume is better for gaining raw strength but it’s a bit intense as you get older.

What BF% do you think will be sustainable for you with a relatively clean but not super rigid diet?

I think I'm in the middle of finding that out tbh. You (by which I mean I) would need to be super-motivated to keep a very low bodyfat percentage, as it takes significant mental discipline to get there, which I find is only really available to me if there's a goal to hit.

I should really do a bit of a cut, drop down to 76kg (where I'd be at a very low%) then push up again, but I like toast and marmalade a bit too much.

When I was super motivated in my mid 20s (about 10 years ago) I managed to get to 9% BF / 82kgs, i'm 185cms. Absolute best shape of my life but couldn't stay there for very long, it was just utterly miserable. Was much happier and probably healthier overall when I took most of the restrictions out of my diet, put on a couple of kgs and hovered between 13-15%.

Only reason I got into single digits was because I was doing a bit of boxing at the time, not getting your head caved in is a great motivator! Once that was over I just didn't see the point of trying to stay that lean.