Skinny 54 year old guy, trying to add 10LB muscle (lifting, gym, pushups)

[hotwired99]

I am 53 years old. 6’4” and 170 lbs. I am definitely too “skinny” and would like to get back to my younger weight of 180-185 but low body fat like I am right now. I’m around 14% and my BMI test my doctor has done recommends adding 5 lbs. of fat for optimum health, believe it or not. I don’t want that. I love having super low body fat. It’s very comfortable. So my goal here is 10-15 LBS muscle.
To complicate things just a bit, I have scoliosis. Not debilitating but the advice I get, whether professional or not, is to stay away from squats and deadlifts, and focus more on higher rep lighter weight vs. low rep high weight. These of course are the “heavy hitters”. So given that, here’s my current program. I’d like your input. Am I on the right track given my restrictions? Should I change anything? How is my schedule? Too much rest? Not enough? Whatever comes up I want to hear it. Thank you.

I use free weight dumbbells, a bowflex machine, body weight and just purchased a vertical leg press (cheaper one but I put less than 100LBS on it so I’m safe until I get stronger). I do each set to failure the best I can. I do supersets but generally only between 1 set of each exercise (i.e. during bench press, I do air squats one time). I list 12-15 reps but usually can only do like 15-11-8-6. I rest 90 seconds give or take between each. I will often skip one thing per session. For example, I’ll skip flies one session then shrugs the next. My workout takes just over an hour. I do upper, lower, rest rest, upper lower, like that. I do cardio which is 30 minutes on a lifecycle every rest day.

UPPER (12-4-2018)

Bench with bowflex or pushups 4 x 12-15
Superset air-squats x 25

Flies 1-2 x 12-15 on bowflex or laying on big exercise ball (10 lbs. dumbbells)
Superset hanging leg raises (15)

Lat Pulldowns 4 x 12-15 (all weight on bf, 205, but it’s NOT really 205 LBS)
Superset bicycle crunch (25)

Pull ups – I’ll do my max, which is 2-3, then using a bench, jump up into the up position and do 2-3 “negative reps”

Shoulder press 3 x 10-12 (bowflex or 20 lb. dumbbells)
Superset plank

Curls 4 x 12-15
Superset Johnson curl

Triceps pulldowns 3 x 12-15
Superset various leg stretches

Row (Bowflex or bent over)
3 x 12-15

Shoulder shrugs (1-2 sets of 15-20 with 25 lb. dumbbells. I roll back a little at top)



LOWER
*I used to do goblet squat and Belgian split squat but now that I’ve gotten my leg press I just do that for quads and hams. Should I add anything else?

Leg press 5 x 12-15 80LBS
Superset hanging leg raises (15)

Unweighted hip hinge (25)
Superset bicycle crunch (25)

Leg curls 3 x 15 using bowflex, hacking the leg extension piece

Leg Extensions 3 x 12-15
Superset plank (1/30/30/30)

Calf Raises 2 x 25 sec

Weighted Glute Bridges 2 x 25

Start day with 20 minute stretch routine with one cheat day per week

Diet: As usual. 4-5 times per day. PPB (primarily plant based) but plenty of protein as well. Do intermittent fasting (18 hour) 1-2 times per week.

[Arktikos]

I don't know what to tell you, other than I am 61 yrs old, of same height and weight, and don't think of myself as too skinny.

Was also 180 or a tiny bit above up until 40's or so. Haven't really changed my upper body routine since those days, which besides some manual labor is fairly minimal. Crunches, a few push ups and pull ups once in awhile-that's it.

Only noticeable loss in strength is can't do as many pull ups anymore. 6 is max, but must be warmed up or in 80 degree weather!

A difference from younger days is that I'm a runner now, 2-3 times a week of 3-6 miles, so it seems I've dropped a bit of fat. Also, bone mass and muscle mass are probably down a bit.

Good luck!

[Atlguy39]

I would look into supplements like Sermorelin or Ipamorelin that stimulate the pituitary gland for growth. That will give you the fastest gains if you're consistent with this workout.

[Florida2014]

Have you had your T levels checked? You might have low T.

[Atlguy39]

Originally Posted by Florida2014

Have you had your T levels checked? You might have low T.

That too, for sure. I take testosterone and Ipamorelin. Its amazing the difference in energy and quality of workouts.

[aslowdodge]

You didn’t mention your diet. It sounds like you have. Fast metabolism. The guys I know work hard which it sounds like you are doing but eat lots of protein spread throughout the day. I’m not a big fan of building mass with a bow flex though, I like free weights. I’m old school though.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by Atlguy39

That too, for sure. I take testosterone and Ipamorelin. Its amazing the difference in energy and quality of workouts.

We’re you tested and had low testosterone? I asked my doctor and he said my levels were fine. What kind of testosterone are you taking?

[Atlguy39]

Originally Posted by aslowdodge

We’re you tested and had low testosterone? I asked my doctor and he said my levels were fine. What kind of testosterone are you taking?

Yeah, well, their range of "fine" is 300-1100 or something crazy like that. I was under 500, which is low. I feel much better now. As for what kind, I'll have to look and see.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by Atlguy39

Yeah, well, their range of "fine" is 300-1100 or something crazy like that. I was under 500, which is low. I feel much better now. As for what kind, I'll have to look and see.

Thanks. I can’t believe how much less energy I have as I age. Chest day used to be 4 to 6 exercises 4 sets each. Now it 2 to 3 exercises 4 sets each and I’m more beat than the 4 to 6.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by hotwired99

I am 53 years old. 6’4” and 170 lbs. I am definitely too “skinny” and would like to get back to my younger weight of 180-185 but low body fat like I am right now. I’m around 14% and my BMI test my doctor has done recommends adding 5 lbs. of fat for optimum health, believe it or not. I don’t want that. I love having super low body fat. It’s very comfortable. So my goal here is 10-15 LBS muscle.
To complicate things just a bit, I have scoliosis. Not debilitating but the advice I get, whether professional or not, is to stay away from squats and deadlifts, and focus more on higher rep lighter weight vs. low rep high weight. These of course are the “heavy hitters”. So given that, here’s my current program. I’d like your input. Am I on the right track given my restrictions? Should I change anything? How is my schedule? Too much rest? Not enough? Whatever comes up I want to hear it. Thank you.

I use free weight dumbbells, a bowflex machine, body weight and just purchased a vertical leg press (cheaper one but I put less than 100LBS on it so I’m safe until I get stronger). I do each set to failure the best I can. I do supersets but generally only between 1 set of each exercise (i.e. during bench press, I do air squats one time). I list 12-15 reps but usually can only do like 15-11-8-6. I rest 90 seconds give or take between each. I will often skip one thing per session. For example, I’ll skip flies one session then shrugs the next. My workout takes just over an hour. I do upper, lower, rest rest, upper lower, like that. I do cardio which is 30 minutes on a lifecycle every rest day.

UPPER (12-4-2018)

Bench with bowflex or pushups 4 x 12-15
Superset air-squats x 25

Flies 1-2 x 12-15 on bowflex or laying on big exercise ball (10 lbs. dumbbells)
Superset hanging leg raises (15)

Lat Pulldowns 4 x 12-15 (all weight on bf, 205, but it’s NOT really 205 LBS)
Superset bicycle crunch (25)

Pull ups – I’ll do my max, which is 2-3, then using a bench, jump up into the up position and do 2-3 “negative reps”

Shoulder press 3 x 10-12 (bowflex or 20 lb. dumbbells)
Superset plank

Curls 4 x 12-15
Superset Johnson curl

Triceps pulldowns 3 x 12-15
Superset various leg stretches

Row (Bowflex or bent over)
3 x 12-15

Shoulder shrugs (1-2 sets of 15-20 with 25 lb. dumbbells. I roll back a little at top)



LOWER
*I used to do goblet squat and Belgian split squat but now that I’ve gotten my leg press I just do that for quads and hams. Should I add anything else?

Leg press 5 x 12-15 80LBS
Superset hanging leg raises (15)

Unweighted hip hinge (25)
Superset bicycle crunch (25)

Leg curls 3 x 15 using bowflex, hacking the leg extension piece

Leg Extensions 3 x 12-15
Superset plank (1/30/30/30)

Calf Raises 2 x 25 sec

Weighted Glute Bridges 2 x 25

Start day with 20 minute stretch routine with one cheat day per week

Diet: As usual. 4-5 times per day. PPB (primarily plant based) but plenty of protein as well. Do intermittent fasting (18 hour) 1-2 times per week.

I'm 6'4" and was 170 lbs. in college. I lifted intermittently at the time, but could never put on weight. Around age 25 I got real serious about Nautilus workouts and got up to around 213 without any type of supplements. I'm now 64 and have been lifting on a regular basis for the past 25 years. I us a combination of machines and free weights. I'm currently using some supplemental protein powder and creatine.

My suggestions are the following:
1. Do not do high reps. You should be lifting to failure with no more than 12 reps. You may respond better with 5-8 reps. Anyone who tells you to do higher rep lighter weights does not know what they are talking about.

2. Don't lift too frequently or for too long. When I went from 170 lbs. to 213, I was doing 20 minute workouts 3 times a week. These were intense workouts and I started lifting lighter on the second workout of the week to help with recovery. My workouts now are anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes and I switch between upper and lower body.

3. Don't go hungry. I think one of my major problems was often being hungry because I skipped breakfast and sometimes skipped lunch. Carry protein bars with you to eat whenever you get hungry.

4. Try some supplemental protein powder. There are many different brands available and many don't taste good and some give you digestive problems. I've been using one for the past year or two that is a whey protein isolate. It dissolves easily in milk, which many of them don't.

5. There is nothing wrong with calf raises, leg extensions, leg curls, bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder shrugs, etc. but they are not going to do much to add weight. I like squats, bench press, pull-ups, and some type of chest flies on a machine. I could never develop my chest until I started doing chest flies. I also like dips and do them with a weighted belt.

6. You may want to look into a gym instead of lifting at home. A gym will give you access to better and different equipment than you have at home. You can always use your home equipment for days you can't get to the gym.

7. My last suggestion is not to worry about your weight. As we get older, it is healthier to weigh less. My goal is to get back under 200 lbs. Studies show that lighter weight contributes to a longer life. I would also not recommend testosterone or peptide supplements like Ipamorelin. The risks do not outweigh the benefits.