It really depends where you are currently and how your body reacts.  Getting in shape is 100% workout and 100% nutrition.  Where are you currenlty that you are worried about bulking up?  I started at 265 and 35% body fat.  One of my goals is to reach 17.5% and 240 lbs, however it's going to take another challenge or two based on how my body has reacted on this challenge to get to where I want to be.  I feel muscle, but don't feel or look anywhere close to Arnold ;)

flatliner, thanks for the response.

don't know all the specifics,  currently 6'3 and about 200.  never been totally out of shape, but last few years has been a struggle to keep where i was (i know i'm not the only one in that boat)..would like to stay as flexible as possible, but realize that some muscle work, not something i concentrated on my first 50 years, would probably help.  thus, not really looking to "bulk" up, but some solid muscle toning, better diet, and good cardio would really help....

i guess one of the reasons i don't want to bulk up is, and this goes back to my first post, is what or how much would i have to do to maintain that if i did "bulk up",  and being over 50, wondering if there is any BFL program that might be more specifically geared for older( there, i said it-ouch) people.  not that i feel that way, but know i need to do something.

2 iron

You should get your body fat percentage done to get an idea of how much lean mass and fat you have.  In order to have a six pack of abs, you have to get down to about 10% body fat.  Your intial analysis would give you more of an idea of what your goals should be,  Personally, BFL is easy at fist glance, but takes just as much dedication as anything else.  You're basically committing to alternating 3- 20 minutes of HIIT cardio in the morning and 3 lifting days mostly done in less than 50 minutes, but don't forget about the nutrition of 6 smaller/ balanced meals.  In all honesty, I would tell you what do you have to lose?  Give it a shot see where it takes you, it may be exactly what you need.  I know you said "older" but the program works based on YOUR intensities.  As you get into this more, you raise YOUR bar to maintain YOUR intensity.  

Hi 2iron,

BFL is a great choice for you to tone up and lose some weight. Bulking up is possible if you eat enough and lift heavy enough but with the palm / fist method of eating, in my opinion, is not enough for bulking up significantly.

I am turning 50 this year and BFL is a perfect workout plan for any age group. After 2 years of working out and eating well I am in the best shape of my life and will continue on forever because it is a part of who I am now. To stay fresh I do other workouts (P90X etc) but still use the eating, meal planning, and goal setting methods I learned with BFL.

Give BFL 12 weeks as written and you won't regret it.

Best wishes,

Kim

As a veteran bfler and over 50 I understand where you are coming from. I too enjoy golf and living an overall active lifestyle. You can maintain flexability and put on muscle at the same time. It's just a matter of stretching properly. There are alot of muscular men and women who have kept their flexability. As far as after day 84....goal setting is very important. I always try to have some type of goal that I'm shooting for....whether it be a strength goal or a cardio goal (like running a 5k in a certain time) etc. Goal setting keeps you motivated.

thanks for the info....  use to live to run in 5k's down the jersey shore (many moons ago).  thanks for the idea and the info....will see where this takes me, but ready to give it a shot

Kim,

thanks for the words of encouragement.  tried p90x but not in good enough shape to keep up, though got better (did a p60x..;)..) but spending an hour a day was just too long...this seems to be a more time conscious thing..have done 2 weeks worth of BFL and feel good (a good hurt)  know i can do this for 80 and then see where i am.  

thanks FL,  need to work on the diet..used to be able to get away with some bad stuff (high metabolism or whatever), but that's obviously changed.....:(  will look into getting the other info you talk about...will get a better idea of the changes occurring..

I agree with KMsBFL. You have to eat a lot and lift really heavy weights to put on a lot of mass. Golds Gym Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding says you need to eat 2 x to 6 x the day recommended amount of protein to bulk up. That's a ton!

Get to where you want to look and do slightly lighter weights and high reps and you should get bigger but keep what you have. Oh and don't forget the cardio.

great forum, lots of encouragement from everyone....see why this seems to be so successful....thanks for the tips...will just adjust as i go through the program and i see the results...:)

nelli2255, saw your post on the other forum....congrats on the news...not only should it be good for you, but for the baby too...and good luck this time around....don't think it can be that hard with all the encouragement around here......

Thanks!