I'm a 39 year old active duty service member and over the last year I've noticed I'm requiring more time off than my younger self. I'm not Spartan-like about my diet but I drink a lot of water, eat a lot vegetables and avoid fried stuff. I generally get 6+ hours of sleep at night. I have lost ~10 pounds in the last 4 months, partly due to being in the Middle East and away from the wife's cooking and cold beer.

This is my typical weekly workout routine barring scheduling conflicts:

M - Traditional Upper Body weight session (Bench, Curls, Shoulder Presses, Cables etc), Abs, 30 minutes low impact cardio (bike/elliptical)
T - 5+ Mile run in the morning (~9 min/mile), Squats/Deadlifts/Abs in the evening
W - Body Weight Workout (pushups/pullups/abs/dips etc), 30 minutes low impact cardio
R - 3-4 Mile run in the morning (~8 min/mile), HITT workout (Box Jumps, KB Swings, Thrusters, Burpees), Abs
F - Traditional Upper Body weight session, Abs, 30 minutes low impact cardio
Sa - Intervals/Sprint Workout in the morning, HITT workout, Abs

I run at 5am and go to the gym around 5pm. The weight sessions last 40-60 minutes. I do a pyramid for squats/deadlift that I vary reps vs weight. I have several WoD, Military Athlete type circuits I rotate through for the HITT. I've been doing some version of this for 13 years but lately by the time I get to Thursday I'm sore and wiped out. I've experimented with two days on/one day off. That definitely helps but not preferred.

I've never taken supplements and/or protein before. I'd be curious if anyone has suggestions on supplements/strategies to help me get through a full week maintaining good workout sessions. I'm sure some of this is just the nature of being at/approaching middle age but I'd like to maintain the quantity/intensity of workouts I've been doing for the last several years. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Rest, add some days of mobility/stretching work. If you do not feel rested do an easy day. Getting old sucks and you have to take care of the small things now

Since I started taking BCAA's during my workouts I'm a lot less sore the next day or two.

You need to split your muscles out more efficiently. There is no way you can sufficiently work all upper body muscles in the same workout in only 40-60 minutes.

Junkhead said:

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Since I started taking BCAA's during my workouts I'm a lot less sore the next day or two.

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I have been doing this for about a year and have noticed MUCH improvement in recovery.

I only do three things (not counting a daily multi-vitamin)

1. BCAAs during workout
2. Whey Protein (ON gold standard) immediately after workout.
3. Stretching an hour 3X week. (I use ROMWOD)

I feel like I have great recovery at 44 yrs old.

Usually a week is:

Crossfit 3X (Somedays replace a day with just lifting at Golds)
Orange Theory 1x
bike ride 1-2x
6 mile run every 7-8 days.

My diet helps too I'm sure. Stict Paleo with a cheat meal on the weekend. 2 glasses red wine a few days/week. About 20 beers on Aggie game days.

I am 44 as well and drink a protein shake as soon as I get home from the gym. I use the Isopure Zero Carb and love it. Cookies & Cream is my favorite flavor.

My Post workout: 20 minutes in a sauna and then a 20 minute ice bath. There is a ton of science behind it. Google Dr Rhonda Patrick sauna for reference.

I do 10 minutes in the sauna at the end of my workout. Can't handle much more than that.

How much protein are you taking in everyday? How much do you weigh?

https://www.google.com/amp/www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-tips/body-tempering-improve-physical-performance/amp

Donnie Thompson's body tempering

Don't underestimate the amount of work it takes to walk, breathe, and live in that climate. It's fricken hot in the middle east in summer, and it will tax everything you do, even if you are a fobbit. I was a 29 year old fobbit 10 years ago and it wore me out to do simple tasks in that environment, and 29 recovers better than 39.

Stay safe.

RedlineAg08 said:

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How much protein are you taking in everyday? How much do you weigh?

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I fluctuate right now between 205-209. I'm not sure how much protein I take in daily.

Normal Breakfast
2 Boiled Eggs, Turkey Sausage, Fruit, Toast; Sometimes I add a bowl of oatmeal

Normal Lunch
I often work through lunch but keep a lot of dried nuts/fruit around so lets call it 2 cups of dried nuts and fruit

Normal Dinner
Lean meat (Fish, Chicken, Turkey), legumes, big salad w/a good variety of vegetables.

Endo Ag said:

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Don't underestimate the amount of work it takes to walk, breathe, and live in that climate. It's fricken hot in the middle east in summer, and it will tax everything you do, even if you are a fobbit. I was a 29 year old fobbit 10 years ago and it wore me out to do simple tasks in that environment, and 29 recovers better than 39.

Stay safe.

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Thanks. It was a high of 124 yesterday and 98 at 0430 this morning. Definitely takes a toll.

Yeah the heat kills you, you can get acclimated but 124 is hot.

Man you need to eat a lot more if you are putting in that work load. You also need more healthy fats and protein. With your workouts and profession food is your friend. If you are worried about gaining fat do some intermediate fasting. I hate taking protein powder (still use it at times) but seeing as your dining options may not be ideal picking up some would not be a bad idea.

To put things in perspective I am about 190-195 and probably eat twice what you do and am under 10% body fat. I workout once a day as well, you kill what I do.

By the way thank you for your service.

That's probably only around 100 G protein max. You need to double that.

I don't know your portion sizes, they may be HUGE, but I'm going to guess that you're not getting enough protein in your diet to support your size and workload.

I know tracking your macros isn't for everyone. I hate it myself, and have stopped now that I have a good idea of the amounts of foods I should be eating. But it may be good for you just to keep a running tab on how much protein you're putting in your body every day for a week and see where you're at. You'll get varying opinions on how much protein you should be taking in, but at your weight and workload, I'd suggest at least 205g a day.

Thanks for the input. Glad to see some other suggestions besides middle age malaise. My main focus has been weight loss as I'm trying to get down to 200 but I'll guess I'll have to make eating lunch a priority and double up on the eggs/dairy/legumes/meat. Hopefully that helps me get through the week's workouts without pooping out.

Weight loss can still be obtained, but you need to keep your protein up and cut carb/fat calories