Getting Ripped over 45 – 3 Advanced Tips

Lets face it if you want to go from over 260lbs to 180lbs (yes that’s me in the above photos) you have to put in the work. But getting ripped like a fitness model or physique competitor is a whole new ball game.

Most of us do not have the dedication, do-power, and accountability to make the necessary changes. Forget genetics, forget starving yourself, and forget endless hours in the gym.

It is possible to get ripped if you are over 45, it just takes a little more effort. These 3 tips can help in getting ripped if you are over 45.

But first lets define what ripped is to you…

If you want to look like a fitness competitor or male model then you may want to step back and think about the dedication that will take. Remember they eat and train their bodies full time, because that is their livelihood.

For the average Joe, being ripped can mean many things, So far arguments sake lets say that getting ripped for most men over 45 is about 15-20% body fat with large amounts of lean muscle mass.

In the photos above I am just under 17% body fat, not ripped by male model standards,but comparatively to my fat photos, well I am jacked. It took a lot of hard work to get to that point.

A LOT OF HARD WORK.

Hours in the gym per day, never missing, and eating clean most of my days.

For me that is what I can maintain for life, I can go more, but the cost and toll on my body goes up quite a bit. Stricter diet, heavier lifting, and aggressive calorie burning techniques.

No thanks, I have a life to live and love to do other things in my life. But if you find yourself in a rut, or trying to get off that extra body fat, then these three tips may help shed those extra percentages of body fat.

It can well be the catalyst you need to achieve that self defined “ripped status” only you can decide.

You compete only against yourself in the gym, compare yourself to others and you have already lost.

First a note: I use these three tips at the same time for as long as needed.

TIP # 1 – CARBOHYDRATE CYCLING

There are many ways you can cycle your carbohydrate (carb) intake. But for me I like to have some heavy carb days (usually reserved for leg days) and low carb days (usually when I work smaller muscle groups and rest days).

In between I will have a medium carb day. Sounds confusing but it really is not.

Monday – Leg Workout – full carb day, I will basically have a complex carb, protein, and vegetables with every meal.

Tuesday – Shoulder Workout – slightly lower carb day, usually I will skip the complex carb on the last meal, just protein and vegetables.

Wednesday – Back Workout – same as above.

Thursday – Hamstring and Bicep Workout – low carb day, I will basically have vegetables and proteins with every meal except the meal before my workout which will have a complex carbohydrate.

Friday – Chest Workout – slightly lower carb day, usually I will skip the complex carb on the last meal, just protein and vegetables.

Saturday – Glute and Triceps Workout – Carb Reload day See Tip # 3 below.

Sunday – Rest Day – low carb day, I will basically have vegetables and proteins with every meal except the meal before my workout which will have a complex carbohydrate.

TIP # 2 INTERMITTENT FASTING

This one sounds painful, but it really is not that hard. Basically you are extending your overnight fast, and eating all of your meals in an eight hour window.

There are two ways I have done this, the first way was to stop eating at 6:00 p.m. and workout in the morning in a fasted state and eat my breakfast at 10:00 a.m.

That is 16 hours of fasting and 8 hours of eating. I usually eat about 5-6 meals during that time.

The other way I have done it is eat my breakfast meal before my workout at 7:00 a.m. and my last meat at 3:00 p.m. then fast the rest of the evening. For some reason this is a little harder on me then the example above despite working out fasted.

A new way I have tried is to extend the eating period a little more and have my last meal before 6:00 p.m. and my first meal at 7:00 a.m. This seems to work well for me.

Others fast for 24 hours, or multiple days, and on again off again cycling. For me I have found the extended day fast the easiest and most beneficial.

TIP # 3 CARBOHYDRATE RELOADING

In order to trick you body to continue to burn fat you need to make sure it knows it is not starving. To burn fat, most experts agree you have to be in a calorie deficit.

To much of a deficit and the body will hold onto fat, so while the two tips work well above, by adding in this third tip you trick your body into burning fat because your body will not feel like it needs to hold on to fat stores.

Basically this is a cheat day, not a meal but a day to go at it. I use Saturday after a big workout and basically eat whatever I want for the day. I use to have a cheat meal, but I found that as long as I was dialed in on my nutrition for the week it didn’t matter if it was a meal or day.

Eat what you want, pizza, ice cream, waffles, and french fries. Don’t worry about quantity just don’t gorge till your sick. Because I stack a lower carb day before and a no carb day after, I don’t see weight or fat percentage increases.