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Hello from Germany,

I am new here, so if this question has been asked before or landed in the wrong subforum, I apologize
Which book/program would you recommend if the main goal is fat loss?
After years of little physical activity, I started basically from zero with an 8 week BB from the AA book. Worked fine. Took a week off and try to figure out what to do next.

age. 54
height: 6 ft.
weight: 248 pds.
body fat: 33 percent
overhead press: 120 x 1 (1RM)
barbell squat: 190 x 1
bench press: 165 x 1
trap bar deadlift: 230 x 1
pull ups: 0 (due to lack of strength and too much body weight)
10 k run: 75 minutes LSS (without much if any training)
no serious health problems, no back/joint pains, etc., only blood pressure is slightly elevated

Had been in the German army in the 1990s (from electronic warfare to tank brigade to light infantry), afterwards I worked subway security. At that time, in my early 20s, I went from a skinny 165 pds. to a well-conditioned 190 pds. Did some kickboxing and weight lifting (bodybuilding style) at that time. Later I got iinto sedentary jobs; ran a publishing company for many years, and after turning 50, I became an assistant school teacher, working part-time only.
I like my job, have not much stress at all in my life, my two teenage boys life together with me in my small house. Life is not bad.
I train at home, have a power cage, bench, barbells, dumbells, lots of weight plates, kettlebells, no need to join a gym. My boys are weight training as well, we can basically train whenever we feel like it or whenever there is time for it.

At my age and weight, I definitely need to lower the body fat percentage first. S&C, max strength, or muscle mass comes second.

Any suggestions on which book/program to pick? I would really appretiate it!

Regards,

GermanGuy

Hi GermanGuy,

Welcome to the forum and TB universe. I am 54 yo as well and have 3 kids, and busy life.
Just my 2c from personal experience.

It comes down to your diet and nutrition, and ability to be determined. It’s doable. I’ve done that few times following TB principles. Only difference is you make fat loss your priority.
Here’s what I did with success.
Calculate your basic calorie requirements. Calculate your macros. Then put yourself on slight calorie deficit. This is your starting point. Stick to it for a month. During this month clean up your nutrition. Eat whole foods, quit sugar and processed foods, drink lots of water. Stick to the protein requirements. Weight yourself on daily basis. Then adjust your calorie calculations every 2-3 weeks based on your progress.
Training wise pick any of TB templates both strength and conditioning and keep minimum required sets with humble TM as well as basic variations for conditioning sessions. Again adjust as you progress.
Give yourself a year with this regimen. I bet you can get down to 200 lb and make progress with your training. I did.

Good luck!

Hello GermanGuy,

I started in a very similar position to you. Age, body fat etc. I also began with AA BB with good results.
What Barkadion says is spot on. Diet is crucial for fat loss.
It is far harder for me to be consistent with nutrition than with training.
I would also add that you should keep protein intake high, in the order of 2g/kg body weight daily or more. This helps bias your weight loss to fat rather than lean mass. Andy Galpin and Peter Attia have great info about this.
I have used Operator from TB 1 with Black conditioning from TB 2 with good results for body composition.
I’m currently running Mass protocol including the specified nutrition plan for overweight trainees as I still have some fat to lose. Very high protein (~3g/kg), moderate carbs and fat. Worth having a look at even if hypertrophy isn’t your main goal right now.
I also find that nothing makes me leaner like LSS running, even though I restrict sessions to 30 minutes as per AA.
Just pick a plan and stick with it and stay on top of nutrition and you’ll win. TB works.


All the best to you going forward.

Guys, thanks for your input!
Last week, I picked up my copies of TB1 and TB2 and read them from cover to cover. Good stuff.
Regarding diet and nutrition. In 2023, I started at 272 pounds. For several months, I did intermittent fasting, following the Fast 5 Diet by Dr. Bert Herring (for those who are interested: there is a free ebook, "The Fast-5 Diet and the Fast-5 Lifestyle", you can downbload from his website). When it stopped working resp. became too hard to stick to, I switched over to a LCHF (low carb, high fat) style of eating. That was easy to follow, and it worked also for several months, but then weight/fat loss stopped, and here I am at 248 lbs. now.
During that time, I did a bit of slow jogging here and there (maybe 15 to 20 minutes), as well as a bit of weight lifting or kettlebell swings, but I was not following a structured program.
I'll see what I can come up with. Nutrition will definitely take a front seat.
Thanks again for your advice.

Regards,

GermanGuy