Coming Back From the Dead

Training Over 35 Lifter
441

Dude, you should try it. Lots of fun. Really.

Trainer says we gotta put some size on me, only way to build strength. At end of session, weighed myself: 215 lbs. Whoo - hoo! That’s another pound (was 214 couple of weeks ago). That’s more than I’ve ever weighed in my life. But don’t feel sluggish, on the contrary, moving about just fine. When going up stairs, I’m starting to jog instead of walk.

Been working hard on mental attitude. Got to believe I can do it, that it’ll get easier.

Warmup. Four sets pulldowns supersetted with DB bench.

40 lb DBs. 8 reps on padded boxes - they’re like giant bench. Like benching on padded floor. Quick rest, 8 reps on bench. Quick rest, decline bench. Quick rest, incline. Go down to 30 for that. Repeat cycle 2 more times. Next time on incline, do 35 lbs. No problem.

Afterwards, regret not using 45 - sure I could have.

Pulldowns on plate loading machine, 3 sets to failure. Four plates total for 9 reps, then 8, then 7. Work on it.

Cable machine. Face pulls, 20 reps.

Tri pressdowns. Three sets overhand grip, then 3 underhanded.

I think it’s working. Seems to feel easier, not so stressful. Keep fingers crossed.

442

You are making progress, Cav!

Good work!

443

Thanks, 2busy! It feels great.

Trainer tells me I definitely need to work on conditioning (see post from last week). So weather was good today - OK, it was in the 50s. But it was sunny - OK, mostly. Anyway. Pull on sweater. We dragged the sled onto the sidewalk and loaded up with 3 plates. Last November before it got too cold, I was pulling 2 plates. I walked it down the sidewalk (100 ft?) and back. Easy peasy. So natch he slaps on another plate. Do three more trips. No problem with strength, but couldn’t stop panting. Oh well, it was good conditioning.

Wait - he wants more? Oh Mah Gawd . . . he’s wheeling THE TIRE onto the sidewalk. Flip it! First time I’ve ever done tire flipping. Thankfully, it was the small tire - other one weighs 200 lbs more than this. Which I estimate 150 or 200. Cool!! So I’m having a ball, thumping this thing around. Hmm . . . tread goes to the edge. Which means I got to get fingers down to sidewalk to grip. Like a deficit dead. I get down sidewalk - wow, can’t stop panting. Stop & sit on tire for a few minutes. Then flip it back. Lungs REALLY don’t like me. Rest for few minutes.

Then do it all AGAIN.

That was it! But it was enough. What a workout!

444

OK, body’s a little stressed out, been getting some subtle symptoms for a few weeks. Just the hard work. Yesterday’s killer conditioning sure contributed. Eat a hearty breakfast, seems to help. Forearms are really sore. It was fingertips under the tires and lifting that did it. Wow. Never thought I’d ever get their attention.

Upper body. Warmup with 25 lb DBs on incline. Got really hard, started retching. Well, I was stressed out. Calm down, try again. Get through OK.

Bench with chains. 5 reps. Trainer has me concentrate on tighten back. Add 2 more chains. 5 reps. Add a small plate. 5 reps. Add something more. 3 reps. He adds something and tells me single. Grab hard, tighten everything, pull out with lats. Hmm, kinda heavy. Comes down a bit faster than expected. Hold breath - suck in gut - tense everything - push . . . push . . . push . . . holy cow, it’s barely moving . . . it’s moving . . . finally lock out. He racks it, then tells me it was 165, a PR. Yeah.

And it only took me 38 years. That’s how long since I started weight training.

(For those who were wondering, yes, I am a guy, fully grown, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and eat lots of healthy food.)

Tri pulldown on cable machine, 3 sets. Then face pulls with band - oh, that’s hard. Really struggle with that.

Finally, band pullaparts for 45 secs. Should be easy, I’ve done it before. Wasn’t easy, couldn’t even get the first one apart. Getting pissed. Yanked it, screamed, yelled, so angry, somehow got it apart and kept doing it, somewhat, for 45 secs. Two sets.

445

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Hold breath - suck in gut - tense everything - push . . . push . . . push . . . holy cow, it’s barely moving . . . it’s moving . . . finally lock out. He racks it, then tells me it was 165, a PR. Yeah.

And it only took me 38 years. That’s how long since I started weight training.
[/quote]

Awesome.

That is an perfect example of determination!

446

Sounds like he’s got you figured out. He doesn’t tell you what’s on the bar so you can’t mentally tell yourself you can’t do it. Result…new PRs left, right and centre. Awesome!

Great work Cav.

Flipping a tyre on the sidewalk sounds a bit dangerous.

447

Thanks, 2busy. Personally, I’d rather have a little less determination and a bit more results, but will take what I can.

Thanks, Brett. Yes, they see I have some psychological blocks, and we’re doing whatever possible to get around them. I never ask about weight until after the set.

So what’s dangerous about a tire (tyre? You Brits!) on a sidewalk? Other than flipping past the building with the sign “BEWARE OF DOG” . . .

448

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Thanks, SenSay. Hey, you’re cutting & pasting the same thing to everyone’s log, I feel like a form letter . . .

.[/quote]

Yes, but yours was sincerely heart felt.

449

[quote]sen say wrote:

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Thanks, SenSay. Hey, you’re cutting & pasting the same thing to everyone’s log, I feel like a form letter . . .

.[/quote]

Yes, but yours was sincerely heart felt.[/quote]

Why, thank you.

Trainer didn’t show up today. Ever since he took another job, it’s been hit and miss. So I did my own routine.

DB press on padded boxes. Safest way to lift without spotter. 25x25 for a few sets warmup. 30x20. 35x20. 40x20. 45xsomething. 50 was tough getting into position. Finally got set, did a dozen fairly good reps.

Pulldowns. Used a football bar with parallel grips, wide grips. No end of toys here. Got up to level 12 for 8, which is good considering that weight used to bury me.

Thick rope tri pulldowns. Three sets of 10. Why thick grip stuff? Cuz I want the big manly forearms in the worst way.

Band pull aparts. Pretty tough.

Crunches. Been ages since worked abs. Three sets of 20.

450

[quote]cavalier wrote:

So what’s dangerous about a tire (tyre? You Brits!) on a sidewalk? Other than flipping past the building with the sign “BEWARE OF DOG” . . .[/quote]

Doesn’t a sidewalk run next to a road? like with cars on? Or is it not the same thing as a pavement?

I could just envisage someone losing control and a large TYRE rolling in to oncoming traffic and hitting a ve-hickle, denting a fender and causing a tailback all the way from the mall to the turnpike.

I must admit I have absolutely no idea what a turnpike is, LOL

451

[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:

[quote]cavalier wrote:

So what’s dangerous about a tire (tyre? You Brits!) on a sidewalk? Other than flipping past the building with the sign “BEWARE OF DOG” . . .[/quote]

Doesn’t a sidewalk run next to a road? like with cars on? Or is it not the same thing as a pavement?

I could just envisage someone losing control and a large TYRE rolling in to oncoming traffic and hitting a ve-hickle, denting a fender and causing a tailback all the way from the mall to the turnpike.

I must admit I have absolutely no idea what a turnpike is, LOL[/quote]

Wow. And I thought my mind gets caught in worst-case scenarios.

Yes, the sidewalk runs along the street. It’s a cheapie industrial district, not much traffic. Bear in mind I’m flipping the TIRE, not rolling it along, and certainly not strong enough to make it go 20 feet too far. So it stays on the sidewalk. Not many pedestrians, either, just one guy saying “That’s a big tire!”

A turnpike, by the way, is just like a freeway or interstate in that there are no traffic lights, no stop signs, no nothing to slow you down (other than cops writing speeding tickets). You just keep driving. Difference is that turnpike has toll booths every few miles to collect money. Think of the German Autobahn, difference is that our interstates have speed limits. (I’m a couple months older than the American Interstate system . . . that’s depressing.)

A miles-long traffic pileup because of one tire in the road? I had no idea they were that dangerous.

452

Lower body day. Popped a beta-blocker, then head to the gym. (They prevent adrenalin rushes from overloading heart rate. Otherwise, strenuous exercise might trigger palpitations.)

300 steps on the treadmill. Now it’s plugged in, but he says don’t fuss with it, just push the tread. OK. Get 300 steps in 2 sets. Conditioning definitely better. Hmm . . . it’s reading heartrate . . . never gets over 85. Damn, am I getting that conditioned?

Deadlifts! Been a few weeks. Singles. Start with 135. Ho-hum. 185. Easy. 225. Up it goes. 250. I get it, but takes a bit of effort. He has me stop there. Really? I’d pulled 315 on the rack pulls couple of weeks earlier. Whatever.

Hip belt squat machine. Doubles. Get up to 160 lbs of plates on the thing in addition to the carriage (no idea what it weighs). A bit of effort.

Kettlebell swings, 3 sets, 30 seconds each. Think I’m getting better, make it through all sets without crisis.

Superset! Leg curls, then hypers, then leg extensions. Three supersets. Did good weight. Have been doing 25 lb plates on hypers. Did 18 reps. Grr. Next set . . . 35 lb plate. 8 reps. 8 reps!!! Next set . . . 10 reps!!

Wow. Legs feel pumped. Lower back pumped. Hams pumped. Feels great. Hey, this might be the first lower body that didn’t have me plopped on the floor.

453

Thats goood when you get that lower back pump. Looks good in here Cav. LOL about the Beta blocker , you are hard core Cav.

454

It’s no joke, Dude. Over 10 yrs ago, I developed heart arythmia. Scared the hell out of me. Doc recommended an Atkins type diet and vitamins. (Discovered since then a lo carb diet sets it off.) About 5 yrs ago, got palpitations. Brutal - heart becomes a wild beast, pounding madly in your chest. Terrifying. Another doc prescribed beta blocker. The BB seems to control adrenaline surges, which trigger the wild beating. Indeed, have been sensitive to adrenaline events all my life. Phys Ed in school, for example, was so stressful I was nearly paralyzed. Today, my body tenses up at the prospect of a killer workout at this place, which starts everything snowballing. The BB shuts down the stress and lets me focus and put in a great workout.

Feeling good from yesterday - adductors & hams a bit sore.

Upper body. Bench with bands and 5 lb plates. Ten sets of triples. Pretty easy, but had to be fast fast fast.

Face pulls to eyes.

Incline bench, 25 lb DB to failure. Got 39 or 41, something like that.

One arm tri ext down on cable machine. 3 sets.

DB tri ext, lying on bench to failure.

DB curls, 20 lbs, 12 reps.

Pulldown lat machine to failure.

455

It is funny to me Cav I see people without half your problems bitching they can’t do this or that but here you are working through it, it was meant as props to you, you are a tough SOB.

456

Dude, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Thanks.

Been using different trainer in past week, regular trainer has erratic schedule. Did lower body today - surprising, mid week is usually upper. Introduced to a 14 yr old boy, he’s been doing some wrestling football & stuff at school, just started weight training 2 weeks ago. We’re training together.

Squats. Safety bar on monolift. Start with bar on bottom of chain, get up. Triples. Empty bar, easy. Ten lbs on each end. Twenty. Kid is struggling, but keeping up. Twenty five. Thirty five. Getting tough, we’re both getting all 3. Forty five. Tough. Trainer tells me I’m leaning forward, got to concentrate. Fifty five. Kid makes faces, but gets all 3 up. I get under. One. God, it’s tough, barely make it up. Two. Trainer’s screaming “PAUSE!!!” I pause, then push, bar creeps up. Then down. Three. Push - nothing. Push - nothing. PUSHHHHH - forget it. Trainer’s telling me I did fine, tough set, yadda yadda. Personally, I hate it.

Reverse hyper. Kid never did them. Some weight, but he does them. No problem for me. Add a bit more, we both do it.

Hams. He does GHR. I have to do leg ext. Kid makes it look so easy. Six months training here and I still can’t do GHR. Me: “Sure wish I was strong enough for that.”

Trainer: “It’s not a matter of strength. Your hams are just too tight.”

Me: “Well, what do we do to loosen them?”

Trainer “Make them stronger.”

Huh???

Finally trainer rolls the tire out onto the sidewalk. The BIG tire. The one weighing at least 300 lbs, probably 400. Flip it 5 times. Kid goes to it. He gets it up, pushes, gets it over. Repeat. Tough, but he makes it.

My turn. I reach down . . . wait. The treads go all the way to the pavement. Can’t get finger underneath. “GET UNDER IT!!!” I grab tread, deadlift, and . . . it just comes up a few inches. Harder. Get knees under. Grab. Straining with everything I have. Get it more or less up. Push - it outweighs me - PUSH - it goes over.

“Don’t curl it!” he says. “Push it!!!” I try again. It nearly buries me into the pavement. Harder . . . harder . . . HARDER. Somehow, get it over. It’s taking every goddamn shred of strength I have. I’m yelling. I’m pissed. Harder, harder. . . .

Finally do it. God, I am so PO’d.

Trainer says something about psychological . . . I have to learn to strain or something. What the bloody fuck did he think I was doing?

Thirty eight fucking years of hard, hard training with weights . . . and I’m still not as strong as a 14 yr old.

457

Surprisingly, not sore from last workout. Fighting depression, though.

Upper body today.

Bench with chains. 2 on each end. 5 reps. Good. A few more sets. Add a 5 lb to each end. No problem. 10 lb plate. Still going. 15 lb. Getting tough. 20 on each end. Failed on third one. Total: 165 (I think) for a triple. Well, that’s 165 at the top, don’t know what it’s like at the bottom. Probably something like 125 or so. Just keep at at.

Trainer loaded up the volume today. Pulldowns, 3 sets. Tri pulldowns, 3 sets. Seated rows, 3 sets. Lying tri extensions, 3 sets. A couple other sets I forget. DB curls, 3 sets.

Something went bust in left arm. I ice it up, doing better today.

458

[quote]cavalier wrote:

Trainer says something about psychological . . . I have to learn to strain or something. What the bloody fuck did he think I was doing?

[/quote]

That made me laugh. Swearing seems so out of character for you.

459

What &(%! do you mean %$# swearing is out of #&%*!!! character??

Lower body. I hurt something in arm from last workout, apparently brachialis. Made the mistake of doing arm curls with a funny wrist rotation. Trainer jabbed his fingers into my arm, found it, and said it was just sprained. No prob, but deads were out for the day.

Squats. Monolift. Safety bar. Bands, I estimate 30 - 40 lbs on each end at the bottom. Start bar at bottom of safety chain and squat up for singles. Empty bar - no problemo. 10 lb plate, easy peasy. 15. 20. 25 lb plate, still cooking. 25 and 10, getting tough. 45 lb plate - grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr - can’t budge it. Trainer says it’s an improvement, suggest a squat in the 240 range.

Back is still the weak link. Hyper extensions. He says 25 lb plate, I point out I’d done 35 the last time. He says “Then use a 45”. Hmm . . . really? OK, I set up, grab the 45, hug to chest, and . . . sonavitch, I’m going up and down. Get up to 8 reps before it gets hard. Rest, second set, get 9 reps. &$%#@!!, this is awesome stuff. Third set, another 9.

Leg curls, 3 sets to failure. (These guys do a LOT of sets to failure, I notice.) Hate these, can’t seem to get stronger.

Leg extensions. These are fun, no problem getting strong on these. Three sets.

Finish up with ab work.

Matt just did his last workout before the meet. He’s giving himself 17 days rest. Says he’s not sure if the long recovery is due to being so strong, or he’s just getting older. He’s 33. Been lifting about 20 yrs, world class about 10 yrs, which he says is a long time - can wreck you if you’re not careful.

460

Looks good ,I do alot of hypers Cav. And also alot of hanging leg raises(Thanks Snap) I think working it equally front/back is whats best for our age group (way to old). It will be interesting to see how Matt does with a long layoff. Keep us updated.