Mountain Impulse wrote:

bird wrote:Dan
Keep in mind the weight gain comes from food, not the weights.

That's true in a sense, that is, you need calories to gain weight, but if you're training to add muscle mass, the heavy lifting (in combination with good eating) increases the muscle size, hence more weight.

All the training in the world will not cause you to gain mass unless you are taking in a caloric surplus - assuming you don't have a bunch of extra fat to provide energy as you lose it. Even then it's very hard to gain muscle and lose fat a the same time.

Yeah, can't burn fat and gain muscle at the exact same time. One is anabolic (build up), the other catabolic (break down)

Protein synthesis is stimulated by high forces on muscles, the higher the better (this is why eccentric contractions can yield highest gains). For ~ 24 hr after, the body needs to be in an anabolic state (calorie surplus with sufficient amino acids) for protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy to occur.

If you rely on fat burning during that period, you will be catabolic and protein synthesis will stop...so you can't do both at the exact same time. However, if you are only weightlifting a few times a week (and trying to build muscle) you can still be at caloric deficit at all the other times.

Just don't eat too much and don't lift too heavy. Of course everyone is different and maybe the OP really gains muscle easily so he'll really have to not lift heavy nor eat much.

actually I don't even think I said anything new, just rambling...

John Duffield wrote:

ExcitibleBoy wrote:I would like to keep the weight off but regain strength. Any hints on workouts to restore strength and muscle tone without getting big? Pilates? Yoga? Body weight only exercises? Just go climbing?

Thanks,

EB

Pilates 1X/week and Yoga 3-4X/week would be really good to prevent injury from the workout. Your entire body is different now and it's about to make another change. Pilates will readjust the little muscles around the joints and spinal, the Yoga will increase your flexibility throughout internally and the bigger muscles. Have to think of your body as an entirety. Though I think you'll want some weights down the line.

This is good advice, although I do more Pilates and less Yoga. Basically, I take one Yoga class a week and then use elements of the Yoga during my wind down from hard Pilates sessions which I do several times a week.

Be careful, some Yoga practices emphasize hypermobility of the shoulders, not a good thing for climbers. Strong and good range of motion, yes. Extra flexibility at the cost of stability, not.

Also for bodyweight training this is a must read book:

Bodyweight Exercises For Extraordinary Strength by Brad Johnson. Ironmind Enterprises, pub.

Thanks for the feedback. I am going to check out the book recommendation and get started on yog and Pilates soon.

My advice would be to forget about your weight. Crazy, right? But you are in your 40's now; it will be near impossible to approach your former weight. Instead, you might be better off training to be strong for what you need to do, don't overtrain (did you describe a somewhat typical week as running 85 miles?), get strong, and let your weight take care of itself.

If you use common sense, eat balanced meals and healthy snacks when you're hungry and get plenty of exercise, your body will find its way to a healthy normal weight. Just start out slow to avoid injury.

GEM Trail wrote:My advice would be to forget about your weight. Crazy, right? But you are in your 40's now; it will be near impossible to approach your former weight. Instead, you might be better off training to be strong for what you need to do, don't overtrain (did you describe a somewhat typical week as running 85 miles?), get strong, and let your weight take care of itself.

In your 40's now..... what does that mean?

I'm 45 now, and now working on FGA's (first gereatric ascents or for those in the 45 and older catagory).

Be smart about it. Rest is as important as training. Injuries are bad. Have a positive outlook. Don't believe that you are limited since you aren't. Find ways to be balanced. Being fit while ignoring the ones around you is a dead-end game. Balance is important.

Incorporate aerobic workouts as a regular part of your routine. Its really difficult to gain weight if you are doing catabolic activities such as running, and eating healthy.