Atlas Shrugged; I Pressed

Training Over 35 Lifter
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Wow…Page 6? I didn’t know they had that many. And has it really been nearly 10 months since I posted? Time flies…

Anyway…a quick catch up, before I run off again.

I “left” my job at the end of January. It was an agreed upon severance, but , basically, I was told I needed to go and they gave me several months pay to agree not to take them to court. I was glad to be out of there. My only issue with the place was my new manager. We DID NOT get along. Try as he might, he couldn’t find a reason to fire me. So, they just paid me off…lol.
It was kind of sad. June would have made 10 years there. I survived 5 managers, and hundreds of idiots, but the 6th manager was too much.

Enjoyed my vacation and finally settled into a new job. It is contract, which pays well but does not provide benefits. There is one unintended benefit, though. Since I am contract and hourly, I don’t do on-call or work outside my 40 hours. That constant schedule has freed me up to help coach my son’s football team. Poor kids…

Family is doing great. kids are growing fast. Mortgage is getting paid. Workouts are still getting done.

As for workouts…I have been inconsistent with what I have been doing. I have mainly played it by ear and just made sure to get in there and get something done. Last summer, I hit a 305# MP and a 400# bench. BeThere hasn’t been much movement in those maxes. Reps have increased, at lower reps, but little 1RM movement.

Current maxes are:

Bench - 405# (yes, I FINALLY hit 4 plates, a week ago, last Sunday.)
Military - 310# (I still can’t quite get 315# up. It’s driving me nuts!)

Due to back issues (spondy), I’ve had to stop squats and deads. I think this is why I haven’t hit a 315# MP, yet. When you aren’t squatting or DLing, 315# seems like a lot to stand there holding.

Sorry, so long…

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Workouts…

Of late I have been working out 3 times a week. Because of football practice, my days are limited. So, I am doing the following.

Saturday -
Bench - Up to 3 sets of 5 with 315-325# or working up to a heavy single (which is how I finally hit 405#).
Lat Pulls - Start with sets of 15 and work down to sets of 12 as I increase the weight.

Sunday - DB Curls, Tricep Pushdowns, DB Laterals and Reverse Flyes
This is a rep day. First set of everything is light and I do 25 reps. Each set I increase the weight and drop the reps until I get to 8-10 reps. Then I do a last set with lighter weight and more reps, as a drop sset. It is all about the burn. And the pump is a nice change.

Wednesday -
Military Press - Up to 3 sets of 5 with 225-245# or working up to a heavy single
Facepulls - Start with sets of 15 and work down to sets of 10 as I increase the weight.

I only do 2 exercises on my main days because of time restraints. It typically comes out to 7-9 sets of the secondary exercise.

Last Workout - Wednesday - I added 3 sets to it…just because

Military Press
barx20
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x5x3
240x5x3

Facepulls
79x15
103x15x2
127x12x2
127x10x2

Adding those 3 sets at 240# really put the soreness back into me.

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Good you are back! Great benching!

Watch your back, apparently we only get one…I’m still arguing about it, but I think I’m losing… :slight_smile: It’s too bad you needed to watch your back at work too, sounds craptacular.

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Looking strong Skipper. Football double sessions next week, right?

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Nice to see you back. Squats? meh. one does what one can.

How come you’ve never named your thread “Stricked Form?”

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Thanks corrmhona. The work thing really did suck. I had no plans of leaving there until the manager of the yar showed up. Unfortunately for the institution, the other two network folks will be gone before the year is out. I’m not the only one who doesn’t like him.
You are spot on…only one back. Mine is not pleased.

Steve! No two-a-days. At least not until they are 8 years old…lol. It has started getting me in a bit of shape, though. Last time I did this many football maneuvers I was 26 years younger and 60# lighter.

Tony, I have tried, box squats, partial squats, light squats, deads, rack pulls and it all ends the same. You are correct. We do what we can. I fear that I am reaching a point where something might need to be fused. There is just never a convenient time to have the Dr. say that. So, I don’t go see him.

As for the title, I just did!

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Great to have you back. It is good to see some of the old faces have returned recently: you, Old Goat, Brett.

So how do you train lower body if no squats/DLs?

And is your wife still lifting?

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[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Great to have you back. It is good to see some of the old faces have returned recently: you, Old Goat, Brett.

So how do you train lower body if no squats/DLs?

And is your wife still lifting?
[/quote]

Hey Snap! No. Unfortunately, she is not. Once her momentum snapped, that was it.

Actually, I don’'t train lower body. Not directly, at least. I apparently get a bit of leg work from benching and unracking the weight on MP. But my back has gotten to the point that a few sets of moderate weight seated rows will make it ache for a few days. I get a bit of non-weight work from the football drills I do with the team.
MP, of course, doesn’t do it any good, but I am being hardheaded about that.

I think that one thing I might be able to do is pull a sled or tire. Since the force would be pulling my upper body backwards, instead of down, I don’t think it would cause the movement.

In reality, it is in need of being treated. I am just putting it off for various reasons. L5/S1 is just to unstable and the disc is almost gone.

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Quick workout rundown.
We had football practice this morning. I fell asleep midday (didn’t sleep last night). Got my workout done and now off to go eat.

Alternating sets

Bench - I decided to 5x5 it today.
barx20
135x10
185x10
225x5
275x5
315x5
325x5
335x5
345x5
355x5

Lat Pulls
115+x15x3
175+x12x3
175+x15
The ‘+’ on the lat Pulls is because my home gym is falling apart. The plastic sheath is coming off the cable and I have worn oblong holes in the pulleys. I am obviously doing more than the listed weight. I just have no idea how much more.

The last set of bench was fun. I started to cramp in both hammies as I finished the 4th rep. I straightened out both legs, griped to my wife that I was out of gas, put my legs back under…all while holding the bar at extension…and then did my 5th rep. It felt good to know I could completely lose my arch/setup, breath, gripe and still power through that last rep. 355x5 matches my PR at that weight, btw…

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Congrats on the 405, major accomplishment ! It’s a lifetime goal of mine but I’m still 30 pounds short.

Based on the benching today I’m guessing you’re nowhere near finished at 405. 355x5 is huge especially considering all of the heavy 5 rep sets leading up to it.

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405 BAM! Congrats

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Thanks gents!

Matty…I don’t know that it was a BAM, but it felt strong enough.

DBasler…it was my lifetime goal as well. I told myslef that, once I got it, I wouldn’t go above it. I would just keep trying to add reps at it. Basically my thinking was that, at 44, and with achy shoulders, it is unnecessary to go beyond that and subject my shoulders to the increased wear. Now I don’t know.
Having hit this, though, I REALLY want that 315# MP!

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Yesterday was “fun” day. Just whatever I wanted to do, for reps.

So, alternating sets/cycles of through these…

DB Laterals
20x25
30x15
40x12

DB Curls
20x20
30x15
40x12

Concentration Curls
35x10x2

Reverse Flyes
20x20
30x15
40x12x2

Tricep Pushdowns
w/Rope
75x20
95x15
115x12
w/V-bar
150x10x2

Just football practice for the next couple of days. Back to MP on Wednesday.

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355x5 and 405 both very impressive!

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[quote]OldGoat wrote:
355x5 and 405 both very impressive! [/quote]

Thanks, OG. I feel better having crossed that threshold. Now to rep it!

176

Back again. Watch out. This could become a habit.

Today’s special was Military Press with an antagonistic Face Pull. Lots of sets and a PR, even though it was ugly. Meh…ugly works.

Alternated sets

Military Press
barx20
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x5
235x5
245x5
255x5
265x5
275x5 - PR +1 Rep
225x10 - burned me slap out…fought like a dog for that last rep.

The PR set was not pretty. I paused at the top of the 3rd rep, because I was getting “fuzzy”…popped up the 4th rep strong…had to regain my balance at the top, then dug deep and ground out the 5th. Like I said, it was ugly, but it was the 1st time I have ever been able to beg, borrow or steal 5 reps at 275. Even better coming after the 5x5.

Face Pulls (facepulls…however it is spelled)
80x10x2
105x10x3
130x10x3
155x10x2
130x12 - drop set - 105x10

Delts are burning. Feels great. Glad to finally get 275x5, but wonder what I could have done without all the lead up sets. No matter, it was a good workout.

177

Awesome PR Big Man!! and pretty is overrated!! that was a lot of reps leading up to it.

178

[quote]OldGoat wrote:
Awesome PR Big Man!! and pretty is overrated!! that was a lot of reps leading up to it.[/quote]

Thanks OG. And I agree. Pretty is overrated.

No weights for the next two days, which is a good thing. My delts, lats and traps really felt yesterday.

There will be football practice, though. Lots of teaching, correcting, demonstrating, encouraging and trying to take a bunch of 7 year olds who have been told to “keep your hands to yourself” and teach them that it is okay to knock someone off their feet, help them up and then do it again.

179

That is flat out strong pressing!! 45 reps at 225 or more is exactly 44 more than I can do.

180

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Back again. Watch out. This could become a habit.

Military Press
barx20
95x10
135x10
185x5
225x5
235x5
245x5
255x5
265x5
275x5 - PR +1 Rep
225x10 - burned me slap out…fought like a dog for that last rep.

.[/quote]
Now I’m pumped to do some MP tonight. Thanks big boy.