Coming Back From the Dead

Training Over 35 Lifter
541

Corrmhona, I didn’t say it the only bad part about squatting, only that it was the worst. Stretching should help.

Feeling pretty baseball battish today, left hips for some reason really sore, not sure what from. Did lower body today, but didn’t seem to get in the way.

Sled down the block, reverse drag coming back. Strangely easy, hardly breathed hard at all. Promising.

Rack pulls. Empty bar for 10. Conventional stance, parallel grip.
135 x 5 is good
185 x 5 no prob
235 x 3 OK
255 x 3 still going, switch to mixed grip
275 x 3 got a little twinge looking at this, it used to be my one rep max. Gritted my teeth, got it up. Yay.
295 x 3 he got a belt, stretched it on me, I tighten and got the damn thing up

Now he tries to get the belt off me. He pulls, I twist, we brace against the power rack, he struggles, and damn thing holds on. We had to get another guy over to pull and push and finally it pops off. Another couple of minutes and I would have needed the Jaws of Life.

Wait . . . he’s putting on more plates? He gets another belt and I pull it on. Tense, tighten, and . . .

305 x 1 almost made the second one. he has me rest a bit
305 x 1 not bad, considering my lower back was TRASHED

Belt comes off and we go to the squat machine. Hip strap, no stress on back. 10 reps with plate and a quarter. He puts on another plate and tells me go for it, probably get 12. I go, strain, gasp, and somehow knock out 15.

Back outside. Grab loading pin (85 lbs) and waddle down the block and back. Strenuous but make it. He says do it again - yech. I do.

Some leg curls and I’m done. He says stretch A LOT.

542

Stretch. Don’t they know there is a better way! I don’t know what it is, but there has to be a better way, doesn’t there?

543

Good thing this warning is only for the treadmill and not weights

544

Stupid site

545

3264×2448 1.64 MB

Sorry to take up your log here Cav, won’t let me load picture…

546

Corrmhona, I’m sure there is a better way, but it probably involves surgery and blood and icky stuff. I’ll stretch.

Techno, I’m glad you warned me about those killer treadmills. Who knew they were such widowmakers? I’ll stick to safe stuff like heavy squats, one arm DB clean and press, stone lifting . . .

Last workout was brutal with a capital B. Next couple of days had heart rate fluttering - nothing much, gone as soon as it starts, but hadn’t had that in a looooooong time. So trainer agreed to put me through an easy workout today. Relatively.

DB bench
25 x 5
25 x 10
25 x 15
25 x 20
25 x 25
25 x 23 tried for 30, but got tough, would have hit failure in another rep or two

Plate loading pulldown
140 x 5
140 x 10
140 x 15
140 x 13 started to croak

Was starting to feel a whisper of stress: dry throat, nasal pressure as if getting a cold. Damn, I am stressed. Rest several minutes, I’m fine.

Tri pulldowns w thick rope
60 x 5
60 x 10
60 x 15
60 x 14 missed 20

DB arm curls for one minute. 20 lbs. Rough, kept switching from hammer curls to regulation. Got about 60 seconds.

Three sets of ab crunches, no weight, 10 reps each.

Stretch, and I’m done.

547

Been a weird week. The bank screwed up my statement . . . first time’s that ever happened. Classes start next week and still don’t have the book for one class. Then I get to the gym and guess what . . . trainer’s half an hour late. No apology. He just grunted something about “traffic” and told me to pull the sled. (This is the old trainers, filling in for trainer who’s out for the week.) I am grumpy.

Three plates on sled, 3 trips down block and back.

Deficit deads. I guess he felt we had to make up for the rack pulls last week.
135 x 10. easy
155 x 5 he complains I need to sit more, chest up, butt down
185 x 2
185 x 2 he REALLY wants me to sit down, chest up, butt down, but when I try, makes it almost impossible
185 x 2 took a moment to chat with old trainer, in for workout - first person to talk to me today. everyone else ignoring me
185 x 2 getting easier
185 x 2 do it

Trainer has loading pin loaded with 145 lbs. (Vertical rod with handles on top) Pick up and hold 30 secs to work grip. No problem. He tells me put on more.
155 x 30 secs he says put on more
165 x 30 put on more
175 x 30 put on more
185 x 30 plates shoving my legs apart, clumsy, lower back not liking it . . . but do it “Put on more!”
205 x 30 grunting . . . screaming . . . pissed . . . but make all 30 secs. He says - yeah, yeah, you guessed it.
215 x 30 REALLY didn’t think I’d get it . . . 15 seconds? maybe a chance. 20 secs? Hey, maybe a chance . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . THUDDDDDDDD. DID IT.

Pant, pant, pant.

Leg curls. Set for 8 plates, one more than usual. See what I can do. 2 . . . 4 . . . 6 . . . 8 . . . 10??? And didn’t even hit failure.
Next set: 8 x 10 wow. and just barely came to failure. Went over to trainer to brag. He’s too busy yakking with pretty young girl on deadlift. Nobody notices when you set a PR.
7 plates x 10 good

Finish with leg extensions. Been a while - wow, that first set was tough. What the . . .? Second set easier. Third one piece of cake. Weird.

Everyone still ignoring me. Two whole hours gone by this point, head home.

548

Neither trainer was in gym today, so (WARNING: Name drop ahead) owner Matt Wenning offered to train me. Here’s his idea of upper body strongman training:

Sled, 3 plates. Three trips up & down the block. Piece of cake. I was practically running. This should be a good workout. (Famous last words)

35 lb kettlebells. Bench press. 100 reps. Nope, that’s not a misprint. First 20 or so reps easy. Then a few more and hit failure. Matt said only rest for 10 secs, but had to take longer. Do a few more - failure. Rest. A few more - failure. Grit teeth, do a couple more, then rest. Half a dozen reps, rest. Gagggg. Keep going. They go up for a few reps, then grind to halt. Finally reach 100.

Oh. My. Effing. Gawd. I am sweating like a broken fire hydrant.

“Yeah, they’re a bitch,” Matt said. On that we’re agreed.

Plate loading pulldown, 140 lbs. Four sets of 20.
140 x 20
140 x 10
140 x 9
140 x 8

“Just do what you can,” Matt says.

Next: clean & press with a pair of 30 lb DBs. Three sets of 15. Should be easy. I grab, swing up, and . . . nothing. Like trying to press a grand piano. Try again. Throw legs into it, they go halfway up, then down. OMG, this is tough. Try a few more times. Matt has me switch to 20 lbs. Now I’m getting them up . . . for 10 reps. Then they get heavy. Grind through some more. I do 3 sets of 15 . . . somehow.

Matt tells me my triceps are the problem, they’re a stubborn muscle that can take years to develop. So, tri pulldowns, 3 sets of 110 for 15 reps. Go slow so stretch reflex can’t kick in. No problem. I set for 110, grab bar, and GGRRRRRNNNNNNGGGHHHHH nothing. We try 70. Now it goes, but things screech to a halt around 10 reps. “Just keep at that” Matt says. Another couple of sets.

Finally he has me try his latest toy: a long rope looped back on itself to make 2 ropes. Grab and whip. Wheeee!! This is fun!! He sees it’s too easy, so has me grab ropes, turn around, and do tri extensions. OK . . . weird . . . can’t see what they’re doing. Goes OK, then tris started wailing it’s too much work. Somehow get through it.

Crawl home and eat.

549

If you add a weighted vest to the crawl home you get more work out of it… :wink: Good work, I envy all of your workouts.

550

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Thanks, guys. Well, I’m desperate for a stronger grip, so I won’t say no to anything that pounds it.

Does carrying two 30 racks from checkout counter to car count?

Terrific workout!

551

Corr, they have a weighted vest at the gym, goes up to 100 lbs, have used it before. Tough.
Urbanman, thanks. Carrying anything heavy should help grip. Don’t know what “30 racks” are.

Regular trainer back. Warmup with sled, 3 plates. No problemo.

Squats with safety bar. Hate that thing. The handles are different length, they’re covered in tape so I get adhesive all over my hands, bleah. Box squats (are there any other kind?) moderately low.
empty bar x 10 easy
bar + 30 x 8 knock them out breathing hard
bar + 50 x 8 grr, hips don’t like it. REALLY breathing hard
bar + 50 - pause on box, gasping for air, make 10 reps, but was retching, hacking, coughing, wheezing. I could lift the weight, but lungs couldn’t keep up

Lifting platform. He has loading pin set up with 70 lbs. Stand on blocks. Sumo stand there, then using only hips, yank up.
70 x 12 easy
120 x 12 do it, but breathing hard
140 x 12 weight comes up, but lungs screaming, hacking and retching
150 x 12 I’m lifting it, but lungs go berserk, coughing violently, heaving, etc

And before anyone says it - YES I’M BREATHING.

He asks if I’ve got allergies, I say no, I always cough when stressed. I don’t like it, what can I do?

Hyper-extensions. 50 lbs for 12 reps. OK. 70 lbs or so, as many as possible. I get to about a dozen, then conk out.

Off to bench. Leg curls with elastic band around ankles and tied to DB rack. Three sets of 12. Nailed it.

Side raises. He gets 35 lb kettlebell. I tell him that’s too little. We go with 55 lb. I grab and knock out 20 reps each side. Because of scoliosis, one side is a little easier than the other, but not as bad as it used to be. He pulls out the 70 lb and tells me as many as I can. I do 20 one side, then the other side get to 15 before lungs blow out and can’t go further.

I really, really hate my body hitting a wall like this, but what? He doesn’t seem to any idea what to do about it. And I’ve been pounding on conditioning for months.

552

[quote]cavalier wrote:

Urbanman, thanks. Carrying anything heavy should help grip. Don’t know what “30 racks” are.

A thirty rack is a case of 30 beers. My young adult children tell me its the absolute minimum requirement for attending a bbq or beach party if your under 30.

553

Do you regularly cough when you push your lungs? Is it better if the air is moist? You may have exercise induced asthma, and if so, you just need a shot of ventolin before you work out. Good work pushing through anyway…but you should get it checked as there is no need to suffer.

554

Urbanman: I should have guessed.

Corr: I have had coughing problems under extreme stress, physical and emotional all my life. As a child, was diagnosed with asthma and allergies, but not sure if that was correct. That day, there was a road crew down the block busting the sidewalk and putting dust in the air, something might have reached the gym.

It’s starting to look, however, like it’s related to the scoliosis. Anything going through the lower spine - squats, deads, etc - can give me fits. Other stuff - leg curls, bench - not so much. My guess is the stress of holding spine steady is the last straw for my body. If so, a belt or brace should control it - will look into it.

Speaking of yesterday - my hips and thighs are sore, sore, SORE.

555

A belt is even better than ventloin. I have usually been anti-medication, but I’ve crossed that line now.

As long as your moving forward things are good, and you are completing the coolest workouts, so you are definitely going forward.

556

Well, Corr, sure hope I’m going forward, if I am, it’s too slow to measure.

After last workout, felt like I’d been pounded by baseball bats. So stressed I couldn’t sleep, was in crappy mood. First day of semester - I’m teaching some fun classes with good students and pissed I felt grumpy. Class was fine, but I was expecting to enjoy it more. Next night, couldn’t sleep again, tossed & turned. Bad mood for my next class. Finally had a good night’s sleep. This has always been typical for me - work really hard in gym, feel battered for a few days. Talked with trainer. He said hard work is necessary, but I pointed nobody else goes through this hell. We decide to play it by ear today.

DB OH press
30 x 3 whoa, can’t get them up, what’s wrong? he has me raise elbows, arch back, push back
30 x 5 better
30 x 5 doing fine
30 x 5 getting almost easy
35 x 5 almost, almost made it, he had to help on last rep. Max effort.

CG bench
65 + chains x 10
75 + chains x 8
75 + chains x 8
80 + chains x 8 made it, surprisingly

One arm DB row
40 x 30 secs a bit light, but had to keep going - got somewhere between 15 and 20 reps
40 x 30 secs got 18 and 19 reps
45 x 30 secs had to concentrate very hard, keep it going, made it

Tri pushdowns on cable machine
Trainer likes wide grip on this, says it works inner tri which does the heavy lifting
70 x 15 strange, same weight as last week but more reps
100 x 15 very strange, couldn’t do this last week

Grip machine - he says use a weight for half a dozen reps, then hold 10 secs
110 lbs x 6, 15 sec hold
110 lbs x 5, 12 sec hold

Hmm. Feel pretty good, not pulped. Trainer agrees I bring in brace next time and see if it helps my lower body work.

557

Don’t sweat it. It’s good to be grumpy on the first day with students, they’ll see you take less shit, then you can be nice, you’ll have all semester.

Hmm I don’t know, maybe its good to feel good after a workout, at least once and awhile.

558

Cav…just dropping by and catching up on your log…always admire how hard you work and badly you want to do more…

559

Techno, felt really good, actually had a good night’s sleep which is unusual after a workout. Definitely will try for more of those.

Goat, drop by anytime. Thanks for the kind words, I see how much you and the others lift, keep hoping surely I can get to that level.

560

Of course you are moving forward. You are still moving so it must be forward!

Question on workouts. Do you still feel “up” afterwards? You know, psyched? I wish I had a better word for it. I think technically it is called a state of arousal, but I can’t bring myself to ask you if you are aroused by being pounded by baseball bats. You see how I snuck it in anyway though.

I’ve had that when I work out hard then crash. It has been a while since I could work out hard, so this is from memory. Sometimes I slept, then woke up and hour later even, wide awake but not rested. Long walk to cool down or a video and a tipple helped me to unwind after when I have had that problem.