A Pro Card at Age 60

During my wife’s first pregnancy in 1990, I was by her side 24/7 preparing meals and giving her massages to alleviate pain. After she gave birth, she said that it was time that I should do something for myself. I decided to join a gym and started working out. I weighed just 135 lbs. and my goal was to gain weight. Over the next six years, I gained 30 lbs. of good muscle and people at the gym started suggesting that I should compete.

I was extremely shy, but finally took a chance at age 39 and competed in my very first show. I placed first in Men’s Novice Short, Men’s Novice Overall and Masters over 35! Yes, I was hooked. Over the next 12 years, I participated in 10 competitions and always placed in the top five. Then I took a nine-year hiatus.

I continued to work out and eat fairly clean as a lifestyle from 2010 to 2018 and then decided to jump back into competition. My goal was to earn an IFBB pro card in the 60 and over division. I hired a coach, Alex Pomeroy (@alexpomeroyfitness), and joined his team. I began with an off season workout and diet to gain mass. Then it was time to start competition prep. In my first contest of 2019 I placed first in Men’s Open Physique and second in the Masters 40 and older class. Then it was on to the 2019 NPC Universe where I achieved my goal and was awarded my IFBB card by placing 1st in the Men’s Physique Over 60 class!

In Closing

I always pride myself on giving one-hundred percent no matter what my contest results. Always remember to smile and enjoy the journey. I hope this story will be someone’s “fitspiration”.

Diet

Here is a look at how I eat both off season and in season. I eat the same foods, but are much more precise with the portion sizes during contest prep.

**Each morning before meal one I drink 4oz of warm water with1/2 squeezed lemon.

 Meal 1: 12oz egg whites cooked in 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, 1 cup spinach, and 45g oats

Meal 2: 6oz fish or chicken, 1/2 cup rice/quinoa (or 3 rice cakes in place of the rice)

Meal 3: 6oz fish, turkey, tuna or chicken, 1 cup brown rice or 6oz red potato or sweet potato, and 1 cup broccoli

Meal 4: 6oz fish, chicken, or turkey, 6oz veggies (broccoli, asparagus, green beans, spinach, kale or lettuce, 1/2 oz raw nuts. Large salads are ok too, but no dressing - just use pepper or Mrs Dash and lemon juice.

Meal 5: 6oz fish, chicken, or ground turkey breast (twice a week lean red meat or salmon), 6oz veggies

Meal 6: 12oz egg whites

Post Workout: 2 scoops UMP Protein and 40g Cream of Rice

Favorite Supplements

Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP) – I mix two scoops UMP into my Cream of Rice (40g) for my post workout meal. I love the taste.

Creatine Select – one scoop before workouts.

Up-Lift – Up-Lift is my pre-workout supplement of choice. It provides me with energy and focus during my workouts.

7-Keto MuscLean – I take 7-Keto MuscLean prior to cardio to keep my metabolism amped up during contest prep.

Lean Out – During competition prep for fat loss, I take 8 capsules spread out through the day.

Fast-Up – Fast-Up really gets me going before fasted cardio and workouts.

Training

I am a strong believer in stretching and warming-up before a workout. I learned the hard way as I have had my share of injuries and setbacks. I like to stretch 5-10 minutes while in the sauna before working out.

I generally do four sets per exercise. For the upper body, I use rep ranges of 8-10 and slightly higher reps for legs, with calves/abs at 15-25 reps per set. I generally do straight sets. When training any body part, I will start with two warmup sets. I usually train six days a week as follows:

 

Day 1: Chest & AbsSets Reps
Incline DB Press48-10
Decline Barbell Press48-10
Flat Bench Press Machine48-10
Low Incline Flyes48-10
Crunch Machine415-25
Roman Chair Leg Lifts415-25
Rope Crunches415-25
Day 2: Quads & CalvesSets Reps
Leg Extension415
Front Squats410-12
Leg Press410-12
Hack Squats410-12
Standing Calf Raises415-25
Seated Calf Raises415-25
Donkey Calf Raises415-25
Day 3: BackSets Reps
Supinated Grip Lat Pulldown48-10
Seated Cable Rows48-10
Wide Grip Machine Row48-10
Barbell Row48-10
Day 4: ShouldersSets Reps
Machine Front Raises48-10
Dumbbell Front Raises48-10
Dumbbell Upright Rows48-10
Machine Shoulder Press48-10
Pec Deck-Rear Shoulders48-10
Dumbbell Shrugs48-10
Day 5: Hamstrings & CalvesSets Reps
Lying Leg Curl48-10
Seated Leg Curl48-10
Lying Single Leg Curl48-10
Stiff Legged Deadlifts412,10,8,8
Day 6: ArmsSets Reps
Preacher Curls48-10
Incline Curls48-10
Rope Pushdowns48-10
Lying Triceps Extensions48-10
Bench Dips48-10

Cardio

The Stairmaster is my favorite cardio machine. I do 40 minutes of fasted cardio in the morning 6 times a week during contest prep. Additionally, I do 20 minutes of post workout cardio. At both sessions I keep my heart rate between 120 – 130 - just enough to burn calories but not lose muscle.
 

Posted in 2019 Collection, Mature Muscle (Men 40+).