[quote=“ActivitiesGuy, post:20, topic:227354, full:true”
2 days per week: deadlift, maybe half a dozen singles between 315-405
2 days per week: easy run, 20-30 minutes (convert to walk at older age)
1 day per week: yoga class
Every day: as much ambient activity (walking) as possible
Play around with my kettlebells when possible
[/quote]
Why deadlifts?
Because:
a) I think they’re the best bang-for-my-buck exercise
b) I made decent progress in the last few years doing a whole bunch of my training as “half a dozen deadlift singles with weights between 315 and 405” a few times per week.
c) Expanding on what I said to Brick, I personally would find it a thousand times easier to walk into my (future) garage gym, do 2 or 3 sets of kettlebell swings and a warm-up set with 135, a warm-up set 225, pull six easy singles at 315, be done in 20 minutes, and go about my day than I would find it to drive to a gym and put together some combination of “dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, cables, and machines.”
Some people might dread the deadlift day, or think deadlifts are really hard to recover from, but I found it really easy to recover from that “half a dozen singles” workout.
Thanks for the post. Well, I shit canned regular deadlifts over two years ago. I think they’re unsuitable for my body structure and goals and aftEr some time I felt like crap from them. For now, while I am doing physical therapy, any barbell variation is not done. The closest I do now is a cable single-leg RDL. When I’m better, I’ll go back to dumbbell RDL’s and pull-throughs.
I know you got good results doing what you described but for me, I won’t do any set lower than eight reps. I just don’t see what I’ll get out of it.
I’ll likely do one-legged squat and deadlift variations and leg presses, or goblet of front squat. I’ll say this, this injury has me very averse to highly conpressive exercises, and even if I weren’t averse, from a strictly health oriented view, I just can’t see why someone would have to do low rep barbell exercises.
I’m likely gonna buy a power rack, dumbbells, a dip-chin station, and a cable unit when I get a home.
I don’t think I sound like a bum physically, but the days of gut-wrenching, 90 minute workouts are likely done. I’m glad I got some of this stuff out of my system when I could, and I’ll always love BB and be part of the culture (going to a few shows this Spring), but I mean (moreso talking out loud to myself here), this shit has to end somewhere for SOME people. For me, it’s just getting workouts in consistently and eating healthy.
I don’t count Macros and I just eat sensibly now. AGAIN, as much as I would’ve liked more years to put into this at a fanatical level, even though I’m a middle-of-the-pack guy, and how much I love it, the counting can wear someone down too. i still usually have a typical bro breakfast of eggs with veggies, cheese, and turkey bacon, grits or oatmeal and fruit, but lately have gotten hooked on bacon-egg-cheese sandwiches. Lunch is starch, protein, veg. Pre-workout is Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, nuts or nut butter, and fruit. Dinner is… whatever the heck my wife and I want.
See that’s the thing, I can’t live in strife forever in regards to food and training. If I want to go to an event after work, lll exercise the next day. And if I’m invited somewhere I’m eating what’s served. It doesn’t mean letting myself go to pot though.
Keep in mind I’m NOT telling others what to do or trying to demotivate others. I mean if there are people who want to see shredded abs jacked BBers on a stage, I’m one of them. Professor X (I seriously hope he’s doing OK) used to get annoyed at me when I would share some of this other take on working out.
Being a hardcore BBer doesn’t and can’t involve “balance” and if I could reverse time I’d actually be a psycho-monk BBer, sort of like a Shelby Starnes lifestyle. But hey, it’s done, short lived as it was.
Health is a broad term, it goes beyond exercise and can include family History and genetics, blood lipids, blood pressure, triglycerides, glucose tolerance, smoking, sedentary job, medications, and others. Most seem to be related to organ function, especially the heart and cardiovascular system. Weightlifting actually puts a strain on the heart and cv system to forcefully pump blood into contracted muscle, causing BP to go through the roof. Is it really healthy then? People have heart attacks at the gym while working out…
As I age I find myself gradually moving towards more aerobic type workouts to keep the blood flow high and give the CV system some work. Goals now are things like trying to dunk a basketball and to run the Spartan Race.
F****** kids.
Brick, I think something simple like this would be perfect just to keep things going
I’m sure the ones that get it- get it. It’s part of growing in to life. Life changes, then we grow into it. It changes again, and we grow into that too.
I’ve dialed it back and ramped back up over the years as time and ability allowed, and really wanted to be the jacked dad at the playground. Then I took the kiddo with me to lift (wife usually works late/different schedules). It was a friends basement, and it suddenly became the most unsafe, “oh shit what was I thinking” place in the world. I mean, it wasn’t bad at first. Then in the middle of a set of deads he comes toddling up to hug daddys leg. And my friend- he’s in the middle of a set of inclined shoulder press with DBs, so he’s occupied. Then the same thing happens when your squatting. And the little bugger tries climbing on the incline bench with leg extension do-dad- And you see every pinch point, sharp corner and possibility of disfigurement with laser like clarity and precision- but you have a couple hundred lbs. on the bar across your chest…
Suffice to say, I’ve had better ideas. It just took a little bit to get the picture. So I started taking the little kiddo for walks in the woods. Somewhat for my self, but at the same time he gets to run around, explore, climb, jump throw rocks and have a ball. Then lo and behold- the county installed adult fitness equipment at the playground I take him to. Nothing crazy, but a push press, roman chair, chin up station, and a couple other things.
It all takes some getting used to and accommodation, but anybody that wants to stay in shape will. You seem like a pretty highly motivated and smart guy, so you’ll no doubt make it work.
I’ve had a so-so go of it. Once the realization that things had changed beyond my ideas of what of what they should be I got kind of angry and turned away from it. Now I have a dad-bod to contend with. Not a horrible one, but needs more work. But honestly, I could give a crap if people don’t think I’m hard core or jacked anymore.
On the other hand, the kiddo is 4 now and could probably fair a little better in the dungeon now than he did a couple of years ago, so maybe we’ll see how that goes again. 
I think this is the bodybuilder in you holding on. You’re talking maintenance, right? Well you can have maintenance with a few heavy sets. It’s actually more like an in-season lifting program for athletes. Get in the gym, use your muscles, remind them what they’re there for, and get out. The workouts are short and to the point.
I’m a believer that if you use your muscles then they’ll stick around. The days of massive volume are over when you reach this point.
I’m not quite sold as you but I have two kiddos. I bought some free weights so I can train at home. Some days I lift on my 30 min lunch break. 3 sets of deadlifts and squats can feel pretty good without draining me and it’s nothing like my old bro splits.
I think most if it’s have thought about our own version of a maintenance/don’t fall apart routine. I know I have. I’m still searching for it but for now I’m enjoying my shorter, more frequent sessions.
Next week I plan to start a 3 day per week total body program. It’s going to be 5/3/1 with the Ain’t Doing Jack Shit assistance program. After I lift I plan to do some HIIT type cardio with weights. On non-lifting days I’ll try to do similar things with bodyweight, abs, and more running.
I’m basically using 5/3/1 for some strength work and studying some CrossFit workouts for good ideas to combine strength with cardio. We’ll see how it goes.
Ya, I’m starting to accept that just lifting heavy shit off the floor is the most “functional” exercise out there =P
Spent far too little time deadlifting in the past year and a half or so. I get the feeling that I’m suffering the consequences now.