The Fitness Thread

[JLarson]

Is anyone else here into fitness?

I'm 35 and got into lifting more seriously around 3 or 4 years ago. Up until my mid-late 20s I'd worked in construction so I had a decent base of strength/fitness to start with, but once I transitioned to a desk job working in aerospace qa, I realized I needed to do something to stay active.

I've got a few brothers who lift and I'd done it off and on for a long time, but I'd never really developed a routine, took any time to understand the science behind nutrition, or made any real progress. I was pretty slender, maybe 165ish at 6'0. So I started working out with one of my buddies and really trying to stick with it and progress.

Fast forward a few years, I've learned a lot, some by making mistakes and some by getting it right! Initially, I started "bulking" and got a bit fat - around 203 lbs without much definition. From that, I leaned out too far, and was back down to 174 and lost a lot of my strength (but had a nice 6-pack). Finally, I seem to have struck a balance. I know how to gain weight slowly and in controlled fashion, I know how to lose it when I need to lean out, and my strength is still increasing. I also have managed to avoid injury this entire time.

Currently doing a 5-3-1 system with supplementary cardio work. I lift a minimum of 3x per week, and am currently scaling up running to 3x per week.

Max I've lifted:
Bench press 305 lbs x2
Deadlift 415 x5
Squat 450 x3

Bodyweight 181.6 lbs

Run speed max 4:50 mile
Current 7:15/mi (it's cold out and I hate running)

I welcome your own stories. Maybe we can share routines and tips?