Doc's Novice Progression

[Doc84]

Greetings everyone!

A little history for this initial post. I am 46 years old, 6'1, 263 lbs. I am a medical professional and have a somewhat sedentary existence. Until now, that is!

I was athletic as a youth, and lettered in multiple sports in high school. I had a few opportunities to play lower level college football, but passed on them to pursue other goals. I have always been involved in sports throughout my adult life, but have never trained. My diet is admittedly horrible, and likely the bulk of my problem, but I am also weak for my size and would love to change that. I am involved with master's level (read: old guys) track and field, specifically shot put and discus. Adding strength will be very beneficial to all areas of my life, but this one specifically.

Milestone weights during my life:
High school football: 178 lbs
High school graduation: 184 lbs
End of first year of college: 208 lbs
College graduation: 224 lbs
Birth of first child, 2002: 240 lbs
Birth of second child, 2005: 250 lbs
The first breaking point, 2011: 263 lbs

In 2011, I finally saw the light that I needed to be healthier for myself and my family. I decided to do a cycle of P90X. Mission accomplished....sort of. 90 days later, I had dropped 45 pounds, but I felt awful! My shoulders hurt, my hips hurt, my back hurt. I have essentially done nothing after that 90 day period, and have slowly put back every single one of those pounds that I shed. Enter the moment known as "Breaking Point #2", lol.

I learned of Rip and the Starting Strength philosophy through The Art of Manliness. After listening to the podcast, and then watching the subsequent videos where Rip walked Brett through the movements, I was hooked. I purchased SSBBT, PPST, and the Barbell Prescription. All three have been helpful in their own way, and I have created a linear progression for myself that I hope will build me up without breaking me down, if that makes sense (see P90X reference above). I have set up a garage gym, complete with a power rack, enough plates to get me started, a 20kg bar for myself and my oldest son, and a 10kg bar for my wife and youngest. Everyone is on board, and Dad has a lot of support on the homefront!

My biggest challenge is going to be going slow. Emotionally, I am still of the mindset that I can just jump back into a training program like I did when I was younger. Mentally, I know this is not true, and I need to stick to the progression and slowly turn up the intensity as my muscles, tendons, and ligaments adapt to the steadily increasing weight. I am looking forward to seeing how strong I can become!