Bitten by the Lifting Bug

Training Over 35 Lifter
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[quote]KBgal wrote:
Didn’t post yesterday as it was a busy day from beginning to end. I celebrated a birthday yesterday as did the younger of my two daughters (she turned 6); we also remembered and celebrated the life of one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known: my dad. Yup, three generations born on the same day in June. :slight_smile:

Front squats yesterday - Finished off my 125 sets last week (3 x 7 sets), so it was time to bump up another 10#.

Vroom vroom…I earned some big wheels for my birthday! Felt pretty good.

Note: Almost as good as actually doing the squat successfully was the look on Rick’s face in the video after I got the first one out of the way! haha! THANK YOU, Rick, for building me strong!!! Wouldn’t be here without your guidance! :slight_smile:

So it went:
bar x 5 x 1
75/95/115/ x 3 x 1
135 x 3 x 1
135 x 2 x 6 - I’ll add a couple reps each week and build volume…

one-legged leg press
75 x 5 x 2
80 x 5 x 1
85 x 5 x 2

GHRs
BW x 5 x 4

decline situps
BW x 10 x 2

bodyweight: Weighed in @ 117 that morning (down a couple pounds after staying steady at 118-119) and bf% down a bit. Yes!!

Great training in the morning! Felt strong!

Did boot camp later that evening. Went back to some older fun: sledgehammer, rope slams, KB goblet squat & press, KB swings, sled pushing, KB burpees w/pushup (love these!). Yep…a little sore today, but it’s a good kind of sore (and others have noted the same since yesterday…so I know it’s not just my old age hurting me…LOL).
[/quote]

I was there, but I’ve watched this video over and over… You really made it look easy, fantastic work!!! Congrats!

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After Saturday morning’s training, I set out to have a great relaxing weekend. Three kiddie birthday parties (one of them being for my daughter who turned 6 last week) and one adult dinner later, I’m a tired but happy gal! Thankful for good friends with whom I can have a good laugh or two.

Just a couple pics to share…here’s one with Melissa (HIGHENERGY) and Meg (Megaloca) taken at dinner Saturday night…

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…and one more with a couple more training buddies in it…

left to right: me (KBGal), Melissa (HighEnergy), Meg (Megaloca), Hector (“Mr. Megaloca” haha), Howard (HoJo).

Train hard, play hard. :slight_smile:

Weekend breaktime over…looking forward to what this next week will bring in the gym.

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Those are impressive front squats! The look on Fish’s face was priceless, but appropriate…

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Hey I didnt know that Howard was Jack Nicholsons stand in for the Joker role in Batman!! lol

You all looked to have a happy good time…

New training template will start soon. (after this cycle is over)

BTW you all clean up pretty good. :slight_smile:

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Great pics! I enjoyed! We must do every couple months to celebrate eachothers accomplishments

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[quote]punnyguy wrote:
Those are impressive front squats! The look on Fish’s face was priceless, but appropriate…[/quote]

Hey, PG! Thank you. Yes…it made me smile to see that look, because it told me I had done pretty good (not that he didn’t congratulate me right when I did the squats, but the look said it all).

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[quote]FISCHER613 wrote:
Hey I didnt know that Howard was Jack Nicholsons stand in for the Joker role in Batman!! lol

You all looked to have a happy good time…

New training template will start soon. (after this cycle is over)

BTW you all clean up pretty good. :slight_smile:

[/quote]

You were missed, Coach. (haha…odd to see us in something other than gym clothes for once, huh?) :slight_smile:

Looking forward to checking out the new template when the time comes.

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Is it Friday already?!

Tuesday, 6/26
Killer KB session

Opened with swings/goblet squat ladder, 1-10.
Did much better with the Russian cradles this time! Smoother motion as opposed to “fighting” with the bell…core really felt it.

Wednesday, 6/27
Missed morning squat session as we had tix to the Cubs/Mets game. 90+ degree weather, awesome left field seats…but we got slammed…bad. Still, good fun in the sun with family.

Got home literally just in time to change clothes and head to boot camp. Wasn’t sure how I’d do after a few hours of sitting in the direct sun, but I went anyway and did just fine. Nothing but bodyweight exercises that night except for using a kettlebell at the end for Javorek complexes. My, oh, my…

Thursday, 6/28
light day…mobility work, ab work

Today, Friday, 6/29
Awesome day…did some testing to prep for new template which starts next week.

squat 1RM: 145 (might have had 155 if I had managed to block out more of the talk around me before attempting, but I’m happy starting here)

bench/row 5RM: 95

DL 5RM: 135 (guesstimate…will check next week)

OHP 5RM: 75 (guesstimate…)

Fisch has come up with a modification of my 3-day 5x5 program for my Monday training, since I am in the office those days and can’t always get to gym in the evening. Looking forward to starting.

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7/2/12 - Trained at home

jumps: 3 x 3sets

front squat w/two 30# kettlebells: 5 x 5

dips (BW): 8, 8, 16 - Probably had more in me for those first two sets before attempting max on last set…

pullups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 7

pushups: 30 x 1

Feeling strong. Bodyweight ~ 118 this morning

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Your Dips are coming along very nicely as well as your Pullups!! Remember that 3 dips was rough and you said these are impossible? LOL now look at your numbers…

Now next Monday go for 5x6 on Front Squats, 9,9 and max on dips, for 5x6 on pullups and more than 30 on the pushups!!

Proud of you Squeaky!!! Awesome work ethic and determination.

Rick

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Wow great work Mighty Mouse!
I remember when you could barely do a few dips or single pull up. Those are no longer “problem exercises” that’s for sure. Those are really impressive sets and it shows how much you are improving.

Your lifts are going up as well and this is another indicator of your great progress. I’m also really proud of you, although unlike Big Fisch, I can’t take any credit for it.
Keep up your discipline and determination and you will continue to shatter those old numbers.

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[quote]HoJo 2112 wrote:
Wow great work Mighty Mouse!
I remember when you could barely do a few dips or single pull up. Those are no longer “problem exercises” that’s for sure. Those are really impressive sets and it shows how much you are improving.

Your lifts are going up as well and this is another indicator of your great progress. I’m also really proud of you, although unlike Big Fisch, I can’t take any credit for it.
Keep up your discipline and determination and you will continue to shatter those old numbers.[/quote]

Even though I joke a lot and say thank you when a client is getting results and we can see the results or is getting complimented about weight loss or arm size or whatever.

I am only an interactive instruction manual–she does all the work, not me. I really hold J in high esteem for she has applied and really proven what someone can do in 4 short months.

Remember I am only training with her 2xweek on the Barbell lifts and 2xweek on the Kbell lifts.
So a total of 5-6 hrs a week out of 128 hrs…

Really outstanding work.

Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest, make your good better and your better best!!

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[quote]FISCHER613 wrote:

[quote]HoJo 2112 wrote:
Wow great work Mighty Mouse!
I remember when you could barely do a few dips or single pull up. Those are no longer “problem exercises” that’s for sure. Those are really impressive sets and it shows how much you are improving.

Your lifts are going up as well and this is another indicator of your great progress. I’m also really proud of you, although unlike Big Fisch, I can’t take any credit for it.
Keep up your discipline and determination and you will continue to shatter those old numbers.[/quote]

Even though I joke a lot and say thank you when a client is getting results and we can see the results or is getting complimented about weight loss or arm size or whatever.

I am only an interactive instruction manual–she does all the work, not me. I really hold J in high esteem for she has applied and really proven what someone can do in 4 short months.

Remember I am only training with her 2xweek on the Barbell lifts and 2xweek on the Kbell lifts.
So a total of 5-6 hrs a week out of 128 hrs…

Really outstanding work.

Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest, make your good better and your better best!!

[/quote]

Rick and HoJo,

I am humbled by your praise. Thank you!

I may not be the strongest or the fastest (yet! LOL), but I’m at least bright enough to know that if I walk in the footsteps of those who have paved the way before me, I’ll progress faster and more solidly than if I try to figure it out on my own.

I have found the following to be true: Knowledgeable trainer who knows how to challenge his clients + coachable client = recipe for success. My experience in the first few months of kbell class a few years ago taught me that if I listen to my experienced trainer and DO THE WORK, I’ll get the results I desire. He hasn’t steered me wrong…ever. Rick, I’m glad I made the leap into lifting beyond KBs under your guidance.

HoJo, you’ve been a great source of inspiration to me as well. Don’t sell yourself short; your constructive criticism - and occasional kick in the ass - has contributed to my success thus far.

“You truly can’t get there by yourself. I needed…to welcome those - coaches, trainers, others - who could help me along the way…” ~ from ZERO REGRETS by Apolo Ohno

Thanks again, Guys. I’m better for training with you (and a shout out to Meg & Missy for taking the journey to a whole new level as we train together). Now…if we could just get me to be coachable about reducing the carb intake…:slight_smile:

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7/3/12 - KB training

Killer session tonight working on form.

Hit max heart rate several times and burned 586 calories in just under an hour. Great class - but the humidity in the gym was crazy bad!

Resting up for squats, DLs, and OHPs first thing in the morning…

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Yesterday’s training (7/4/12) - Week 1, Day 2

squat: 95 x 5 x 5 - To 6th pin

OHP: 55 x 5 x 5 - I can see that these will suck as weight increases. :slight_smile:

DL: 135 x 5 x 5 - First real session doing DLs. LOVED it! Took cues from Rick to get form right. More work to be done there to stay consistent, but pretty good (I thought) for first time.

pullups (neutral grip):
BW x 5 x 2sets - These were not quite to parallel.
BW x 3 x 3 - These were just breaking parallel. Work to do, but I’m improving here…

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Bweight @ 118 first time pulling nailed 135x5x5!!! Lady J is coming on Strong!!

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Lots of foam rolling today - and could use more later.

Only got in 2 or 3 sets of decline situps before Rick offered to adjust my back (thank you again, Rick) - then it was back to the foam roller (regular and then rumble roller) to work out some nasty knots. It’s necessary work that I have been neglecting and I felt better afterwards, but I never got back to the much-needed situps. Oh well…

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Good work today, make sure to stretch and work on those hip flexors.

Solid lifts today–all looked good and fast.

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7/6/12 - Week 1, Day 3

squat: Programmed weight seemed a bit light, so instead we went w/3 sets @ 95 and 2 sets @ 105. Right hip flexor felt tight. Need to work on smoother motion when throwing hips back and moving into eccentric portion of squat. Got it on last set…I think.

bar x 5 x 1
65 x 5 x 1
95 x 5 x 3
105 x 5 x 2

bench
bar x 5 x 1
65 x 5 x 1
70 x 5 x 5 - Spotter said I was more consistent today with respect to better bar path

row
70 x 5 x 5 - Probably should have bumped this weight way up…

barbell curls
20#DBs x 8 x 3 sets

No time to get to tricep extensions at gym. Will do something at home.