345 Before the Big 50

Training Over 35 Lifter
61

Training today:

Front squat
Worked up to 75kg x 6.
Then back squatted this weight for 20 reps.

Back extns with band
10 x 5 sets.
This gave me a ridiculous lower back and hamstring pump!

Hanging leg raises
10 x 5.

Band pull aparts
25 x 4.

Notes:
Training only one main lift per session over a two week rotation seems to be working really well at the moment. I don’t feel beaten up at all. In fact after last week’s lower body training I looked ahead at the planned weights for Friday’s pressing and KNEW that I would get a PR for that session.

Getting stronger.

62

Busy week at work and a bit of a frazzled Friday feeling going on, but here’s how it went down…

OHP
Worked up to 55kg x 5
ss with chins 30 total

Cable rows
15 x 5

CGBP
10 X 5
Smoked these!

BB curls
100 x 1
Got a hair up my ass to try the 100 rep thing Wendler and Paul Carter have been advocating. I did this with a 15kg bar not an empty Olympic bar because a) I am not as strong as them and b) In a commercial gym with only one rack these would be less ‘Poundstone’ and more ‘squat rack’ curls. Nonetheless I was still sweating like a racehorse at the tail end of the set.

63

Training today:

Cleans
3 x 2 sets
Usually do 3 sets of these prior to deadlifting but my shoulder and elbow are barking at me so I cut the last set.

Deadlift
Worked up to 125kg x 8
Equal to rep PR, left a couple in the tank.

Front squats
10 x 5

Band pull-aparts
25 x 4

Ab machine
100 x 1
Was going to do 20 x 5 or 25 x 4 but the weight felt light so just cracked on through.

Done.

64

Bench day:

BP
Worked up to 80kg x 6

Lat pulls
20 x 5

Front plate raise
20 x 5
My osteopath has advised me not to do the klokov presses so I thought I’d take these for a spin today.

Band pushdowns
20 x 5
First 2 sets felt too easy so I did single arm for the remaining sets, this lit my triceps up a treat.

Looking forward to some epic shoulder and tricep soreness tomorrow!

Oh yeh, I had a half hour window to hit the gym yesterday so stretched, rolled and did some banded back extns and standing abs.

65

Just want to note that I have NOT been disappointed on the epic soreness front.

DAYUUM!

66

Today…

Front squats
Worked up to 80kg x 5
Pretty happy with these so far. Started off light and am getting stronger each time and most importantly I am going ass to the floor and there has been zero back irritation to date. Maybe because of the lighter weight or maybe because the spine is loaded differently… I dunno but it seems to working well, legs feel strong, hips feel mobile and back is good.

‘Back off’ set of back squats
80kg x 20

Shrugs
20 reps x 5 sets

Banded back extns
15 x 5
Obscene lower back pump!

Sit ups
15 x 5
There was no room on the matted ab/stretching area of the gym so I found space on the regular carpetted gym floor to do these. I now have a nice carpet burn at the top of my ass.

67

Press day:

Was tired as hell after having only 3 hours sleep last night, but it is what it is.

OHP
Worked up to 50kg x 8

Cable rows
Some weight x 25/20/20/20/15
1 min or less rest between all sets here and on the following.

Band pushdowns
25 x 4

BB curls
20 x 5

Standing abs
A lot x 3 sets

Done.

68

[quote]68Guns wrote:
Hi folks, first time poster here. Thought I’d stop lurking and start a log here because:

It will make me more accountable with my training.

I might learn a few things as I go from some folks who are way stronger and quite possibly smarter than me.

It seems to be a pretty cool BS free zone around here.

I am 44 years old and although I have been fitter and more active than many for most of my life I have only really returned to lifting in any regular or structured way for the last 2 years since training pretty regularly throughout my 20s. Work commitments and having 2 young children dictates that I can only lift twice per week, three at a push.

Up until the end of last year I had been using 531. Since then and up until the last couple of weeks I have been doing mostly 5x5 progressions. Last couple of months I’ve had some lower back and hip pain that my osteopath tells me a couple of weeks back is due to me having an irritated lumbar disc. The result is that alongside some rehab stuff he wants me lighten the load and shorten the range on squats and deads and build back up slowly.

Some stat’s-
I am 6’1" 200lbs. My less than stellar PRs are:
Squat 135kg x 5
Bench 90kg x 4
Deadlift 140kg x 5, 160kg x 3

Not training to compete, just to get stronger, a little bigger and stay in shape. Would love to get to a 3 plate bench, 4 plate squat and 5 plate dead one day before I’m 50.

That’s probably enough rambling for one post. I’ll put up the last couple of workouts in a while.

[/quote]
That’s Okay,you have a desent base of power.Im not sure?you mention 3-plates that’s 315Lb’s,then you discribe Kg’s .Im confused as kg’s and pounds are more like the 3-plate,that’s 315-pounds,not kilo’s.just to clearify thanks john

69

[quote]johnny k53 wrote:

[quote]68Guns wrote:
Hi folks, first time poster here. Thought I’d stop lurking and start a log here because:

It will make me more accountable with my training.

I might learn a few things as I go from some folks who are way stronger and quite possibly smarter than me.

It seems to be a pretty cool BS free zone around here.

I am 44 years old and although I have been fitter and more active than many for most of my life I have only really returned to lifting in any regular or structured way for the last 2 years since training pretty regularly throughout my 20s. Work commitments and having 2 young children dictates that I can only lift twice per week, three at a push.

Up until the end of last year I had been using 531. Since then and up until the last couple of weeks I have been doing mostly 5x5 progressions. Last couple of months I’ve had some lower back and hip pain that my osteopath tells me a couple of weeks back is due to me having an irritated lumbar disc. The result is that alongside some rehab stuff he wants me lighten the load and shorten the range on squats and deads and build back up slowly.

Some stat’s-
I am 6’1" 200lbs. My less than stellar PRs are:
Squat 135kg x 5
Bench 90kg x 4
Deadlift 140kg x 5, 160kg x 3

Not training to compete, just to get stronger, a little bigger and stay in shape. Would love to get to a 3 plate bench, 4 plate squat and 5 plate dead one day before I’m 50.

That’s probably enough rambling for one post. I’ll put up the last couple of workouts in a while.

[/quote]
That’s Okay,you have a desent base of power.Im not sure?you mention 3-plates that’s 315Lb’s,then you discribe Kg’s .Im confused as kg’s and pounds are more like the 3-plate,that’s 315-pounds,not kilo’s.just to clearify thanks john[/quote]

Hi John, thanks for dropping by. I mean 3 plates per side on bench, 4 on squat and 5 on deads so yeah that would be 315lbs or 140kg on bench for example. I guess I see this a decent standard of strength to shoot for.

Although obviously a 300kg bench would be absolutely epic! Haha.

70

Ok. My gym was closed for a couple of days at the beginning of this week due to floods. This meant that I missed my scheduled deadlift session. I had a half hour window today so went in, warmed up and did main lift only~120kg x 9.

Bench day tomorrow.

71

Bench!
Worked up to 75kg x 8
Back off set 60kg x 14 + 7

Lat pull machine
20 x 5

Front plate raise
25 x 4

75pencestone curls
(I am calling then this on account of only using 3/4 of the weight haha)
1 x 100

Rope pushdowns
100 total. I think it was 5 sets.

Word to describe today’s session~Pumped!

72

Today’s training:

Front squats
Worked up to 75kg x 8
Back off set of 20 back squats with same weight.

Shrugs
60kg x 25 x 4
Minimal rest between sets for these and all of the following.

Banded back extns
15 x 5

I like these. My hamstrings always feel pumped for about 3 days after I do them.

Ab crunch machine
50kg x 25 x 4

Stretched and split.

Word to describe today’s session… standard.

73

Put your hands in the air day:

OHP
Worked up to 50kg x 10 (+3 after 60 sec rest)
Felt pretty tired and not at all strong after not enough sleep or food today. Felt weak and lacklustre on the last set. So I was pleasantly surprised later when the log book showed this to be a rep pr. Bonus!

Wide grip cable rows
20 x 5 sets

CGBP
10 x 5

BB curls 20 x 5
ss with
Rope pushdowns 20 x 5

General note:
Did some interval sprints last night. Haven’t done these for a couple of months as I suspected them as being one of the things that screws up my back. Sprints felt fast and easy last night. Today though my back is totally fucked and I am hobbling around like a geriatric again for the first time in ages. Sprints are now officially back on my shit list.

74

Day of the deadlift!

Cleans
3 x 3

Deadlift
Worked up to 130kg for an easy single.
Then 110kg x 12 (rep PR by 2) +6 after 1min rest.

Front squat
10 x 5 sets
Light and fast with short rests.

Kneeling cable abs
20 x 5

Face pulls
25 x 4

Done.

75

Bench press Friday:

Bench
Up to 85kg for a single then 75kg x 10 (equal to rep PR) + 5 to back off.

Lat pulldowns
25 x 4

Rope pushdowns
100 total, I think it was 5 or 6 sets.

BB curls
20 x 5

Hungry as hell after this for some reason. Put a whole malt loaf down washed down with a protein drink straight away, am probably going to eat my face off all evening too I think…

76

Squat day…

Front squats
Worked up to a fast single at 85kg.
Then repped out on back squats 85kg x 20 + 10 (50% set).

Banded back extns
15 x 5
These are still kicking my ass!

Face pulls
Some weight x 25 x 4
Nice and easy, light and squeezy.

Ab machine
Some more weight x 25/25/15/15/20

Finito.

77

Press day!

OHP
Worked up to 55kg x 1.
Then 45kg x 13 (rep PR) + 7

Tbar rows
2 plates x 15 x 5

CGBP
10 x 5

Curls
20 x 5

Pull aparts
20 x 5

Decent session. My banged up shoulder and elbow seem to be feeling easier due to the additional upper back and arm volume of late.

78

Day of the deads!

Cleans
3 x 3
To get warm and fast.

Deadlift
Worked up to 140kg for a pretty easy double.

Front squats
10 x 5 sets
Last per of each set paused rock bottom for a good 3 count.

Face pulls
25 x 4

Hanging leg raise
10 x 5

Word for today’s session=steady.

79

Ok…

Yesterday:
Not a proper training session per se but I had 20 mins free and did some foam rolling, banded back extns 15 x 5 sets and a few sets of split squats.

Today:

Bench
Worked up to 85kg x 1. Then 75kg x 11 (PR) + 5 <fuck it-should have got 6.

Lat pulls 20 x 5 ss with
Front plate raise 20 x 5
Put the weight up by 5kg on Lat pulls today and supersetted them with the plate raises. In retrospect this was a fucking ludicrous idea, I was pumped like a beast, sweating like a racehorse and puffing like a train afterwards… I’ll probably do this again.

Tricep pushdowns
20 x 5

Hammer curls
20 x 5
I was in bits after the 4th set and decided to call it there. Then I decided not to be pussy and did the 5th set anyway in a kind rest pause but without putting the dumbells down style.

End.

80

Squats today:

Cleans
3 x 3
Some box jumps in between too.

Front Squats
Worked up to 90kg for fairly comfortable single. Then back squatted the same for 16 + 8.

Banded back extns
15 x 5 sets

Hanging leg raise
Did these for the first time in a while last week. Took it steady and only lifted to chest high with bent legs- felt weak and uncontrolled and was not happy with them. So today…1 set of 10 with bent legs, bringing feet chest high - then 5/5/4 with legs extended, taking feet right overhead and with a nice slow controlled negative. Much better - quality over quantity for now and build from there is what I need to do.

Band pull-aparts
About a hundred.

Fin.