What the hell am I doing?!
I know what I want to do: I want big, well-defined muscles and a physique to die for. So what am I doing? Lifting weights and eating the proper diet. It’s working, too, but like so many others, I have hit a plateau. So I’m trying different training regimens, mixing up my diet, following the advice of various "experts," and so on. Now I understand what I have been told by so many: results come fast initially, then they slow down. It takes a long time to add muscle mass and you will gain some fat at the same time. Then it takes more time to get lean, during which time you lose a little muscle. And the cycle goes on, such that it takes about one year to net gain 5 lbs of muscle mass.
So what the hell am I doing? I’m trying to stay motivated, keep training hard, and eating right. I have adjusted my expectations so I realize I won’t see changes every week or even every month. I need to stay on track, day after day, week after week, and progress will come. I am not unhappy with my current state. On the contrary, I am very happy and proud with my weight, muscle mass, and body fat percentage. I have come a long way. I am happy, but I don’t want to get complacent. Maybe I’m a little greedy, too, because I want to continue to gain muscle and get leaner.
So here I am, in a good place, but wanting more. I just have to be patient, keep working, stay motivated, and be grateful for the progress I have made. Thanks to everyone that inspires me, and for everyone else that is in the same boat with me, let’s keep rockin’ on!
September 15, 2009 at 10:20 am
You’re doing great, Greg. Nice going since last yr. I’ll be joining ya at 48 in December. Keep charging.
September 15, 2009 at 10:21 am
For starting in Jan, you have made a lot of progress. This expectations and patience thing is tough sometimes.
September 15, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Plateauing out super sucks, but keep that fire burning man… You’ve built a solid foundation to make some great gains… Keep your goals set high and your motivation even higher and you’ll be in a shape you’d only dreamed of in no time!
September 15, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Just remember that most guys our age are nursing beer guts and spending a lot on medical expenses - you are doing incredibly well compared to most of your peers. so what’s a little plateau? Even for a few months? Be glad for how far you have come Greg — you are looking darn good.
September 29, 2009 at 3:14 pm
GREG, you have put on significant muscle Brother!! We ALL go through the SAME thing. I’ve hit more PLATEAUS than I care to remember & only began seriously training in my 40’s. Most recently, I was discouraged with my stagnent gains in both weight & MUSCLE. CHeck out the recent article on the main BB.com page about plateaus, it was very helpful to me, I think I’m back on track. Lift Strong & Be Blessed, Dave.