Hey guys... sorry in advance, this turned into a bit of a long one!
I’m a 61-year-old guy, 5'6", and currently sitting around 147 pounds. I’m definitely not a bodybuilder—my main thing is competitive dinghy sailing, along with cycling and hiking. My big goals are just staying strong and keeping my endurance up. I’ll admit I like looking decent on the beach, too, but you’ll never catch me on a stage in a posing suit.
2025 was a brutal year for me. I had two surgeries on my left shoulder (supraspinatus) in January and July, a hernia repair in November, plus a procedure on my backside in October and one for my eye. I barely spent any time in the gym all year, but I finally got the all-clear from the docs a few weeks ago to do whatever I want.
Before the wheels fell off, I was running a Stronglifts Ultra program—basically squats, deads, OHP, rows, and bench, all at 5x5—split into two upper and two lower days a week, plus pull-ups. No cardio. It worked well for me, but I was pushing some really heavy weight. At my peak, I was 140 pounds with 12.9% body fat according to a DEXA scan. My current "TRT" is 40mg of Test C daily, and I’ve used Var or Winny here and there to try and hold onto muscle while I was sidelined. I also do 5g of creatine daily. I’ve got some Primo on hand I haven't touched yet, which I was planning to use for muscle preservation. My hematocrit is running high right now, and the Red Cross won't take my blood, which has my doctor complaining even though he won't actually help manage the TRT—typical, right?
After a year off, I’ve put on maybe 10 pounds of fat around the midsection, lost a few pounds of muscle, and my endurance has totally tanked. Both my doctor and PT are telling me I need to drop the weight and up the reps.
I’m honestly worried about blowing out another tendon if I jump straight back into the heavy stuff, but I really want to get my strength and fitness back fast, especially with sailing season ramping up this spring. Lately, I’ve been doing 10x5 with lighter weights, but I feel like I might just be spinning my wheels. I also started 250mcg of CJC-1295/Ipamorelin daily, though I’m not sure if that’s actually going to do much for me.
I’d really appreciate some advice on a new gym routine. For those of you who have been through this, is it safe to eventually go back to heavy lifting at my age? Or is there a better way to rebuild that strength using lower weights and higher reps?
Thanks for any insight...
man u have had a hell of a year... 2 shoulder surgeries and a hernia back to back is no joke. honestly at 61 your tendons are definitely the weak link compared to your muscles especially on the trt. id listen to the pt and stay away from the 5x5 max effort stuff for a few months. maybe try something like 10-12 reps and focus on the mind-muscle connection? you'll still get strong but it wont wreck your joints.
dinghy sailing is brutal on the core and hiking is all endurance so maybe swap some of those heavy squats for weighted lunges or step ups? it might carry over better to the boat anyway. and dude dont even worry about the 10lbs of fat - with that trt base it'll melt off once u start moving again. welcome back to the grind man!
that hematocrit thing is annoying as hell. if the red cross wont take it u might need to find a place that does therapeutic phlebotomy- just tell your doc he needs to write a specific script for it if he’s gonna complain lol. for the training id definitely stick to higher reps. u can still get a crazy physique and stay strong with 12-15 reps and its way easier on the shoulders.
40mg a day is a pretty solid trt dose (like 280 a week right?) so u definitely have the tools to bounce back fast. i wouldnt touch the primo or var just yet though. let your body get used to lifting again naturally first or youll end up back in surgery with a torn tendon because your strength shot up too fast. take it slow brother u got plenty of time before spring.
