Hard Work

Training Over 35 Lifter
821

nice work Cav.
Hard work indeed.

can I ask - is your place big enough for a roomate?
no answer needed just something to think about

never ideal but it can take some of the burden off of you.

I took some advice from an oldtimer in the business - to raise my rates.
Suddenly I got busier I became a commodity , yes I get haggled on all the time
but being in a bigger price bracket made people want to hire me to lend legitimacy to there work.

think of it that way- you lend legitimacy to any org that hires you

yes youngsters are full of some good shit- but you really cant do much without some grey hairs

822

Congrats on the PR cav, and good luck on the job search.

Cav, I have no idea what you do in IT but my University is generally always looking for some people.

https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_searchresults.asp?ref=103201192651&SID=^QTbUDlIOmFEvTsJWE1gkQd7m7y9qO0FsVi7JjV9P/0jttc0fRIRcnb6DDi_slp_rhc_0FqSH

Can’t hurt to take a look.

823

great job on the p/r hard work always pays off.

824

James, thanks very much. Two things are stressful about job hunting: the sense of rejection and the financial problem. The benefits help with the money and all your support helps very much with the emotional.

Resume makeover is a sore spot with me, no 2 people in the whole world ever like the same format. Have to keep redesigning for almost every recruiter and employer.

KM, thanks. Hmm, could squeeze another person in here, it’s a one bedroom, would have to check the lease on what’s involved. Good point on raising rates, a bit leery given the job market. Agree that my experience should give me an edge over somebody fresh out of college - trick is getting the employers to see it! And I have more than enough grey hairs - started to dye my hair!

Joe, thanks. My IT experience is varied: multimedia, web design (front and back end), general app programming. Have worked at college before as instructor (teaching multimedia), would be good as tech support guy. Will check out your link.

Damutt, everyone’s support is so inspiring. I truly feel like you’ve all welcomed me as part of an elite team.

825

Nice pull Cav!

Also, like to reiterate what everyone else has said - keep your head up… you will be rewarded for your efforts.

826

Congrats on that PR Cav.

Do Unemployment Benefits run out there then? Here they don’t. Here you can have three generations of the same family where no-one has ever done a single days work!! No wonder we are up Shit Creek.

Really hope something turns up for you soon.

827

x2 on the PR! Sending good vibes your way bro…

828

[quote]MattyXL wrote:
x2 on the PR! Sending good vibes your way bro…[/quote]

829

Yonkey, thanks for the encouragement.

Brett, thanks. Yes, the benefits most certainly do run out. However, just found I might qualify for extended benefits, and applied. With all the folks out of work, losing benefits is becoming a sore point here, the jobs are so slow coming. But honestly - 3 generations? Isn’t that pushing the welfare state a bit far?

Got in touch with another recruiting firm. had a very long chat with recruiter, she has several opening that I should be qualified for, very promising. So had a very good night’s sleep, and was ready to hit the gym.

Did lots of arm stuff, Tate presses (I like these), chin/pullups (which is it when palms face each other?), which were much easier than last week.

The all time favorite - weighted pushups! Got 35# plate for 6 or 8 reps, very happy.

Hadn’t done any specific ab work for ages, so tried standing pulldown crunches on the pully machine. Tried one third weight stack - too light. Tried a half - still light. Kicked it up, was better. Kept increasing weight set after set until had the WHOLE weight stack. Knocked off half a dozen reps in perfect form and walked away feeling like King Kong.

Just a guess, but probably abs aren’t the weak link.

Went out to Golden Corral and ate till gorged. Could barely walk, so bloated. What to do? Go back to gym and try my squat max! Previous was 185 . . .

Squat
205 x 1 * * * PR * * * PR * * *

and it wasn’t even hard. Not 100% certain I hit depth . . . I think so . . . tried another set, same thing, what the hell, I’ll take it. Could have made another 10# at least, but not until I’m positive on depth.

Then more arm stuff. CB bench (up to 125# for reps - yay), arm curls (NOT in the rack!!!), etc.

830

Nice PR’s Cav.

Best of luck with the new recruiter, hopefully things will be looking up shortly.

You must keep Golden Corral in business, lolz!

831

Cav…it really is true about the welfare state here–entire 3rd generation families where noone has ever had a job–producing multiple children that will probbaly never work either unless something really radical occurs.

Meanwhile…

Excellent session there !!

832

Congrats on the PR cav.

833

Awesome PR Cav!! and some nice weighted push-ups!! Weights are moving North…gotta love it…best of luck with the new recruiter!

834

Dday, thanks very much. Actually, considering how much I eat, Golden Corral probably goes into the hole every time I’m there.

Nurse, thanks for the kind words. You know, we have people here who never work for a living and live off the government. We call them politicians. : )

Joe, thanks. Your lifting gives me a goal to shoot for.

Goat, thanks very much. Did I mention I love the new avatar?

OK, didn’t get to go to the gym, so decided to run up & down the hills here for conditioning. Yech - really don’t like running. So I run up the hill till gasping for breath, but didn’t seem so hard. Run up another hill, then the final stretch, until I’m just gulping for air and had to sit down. Just one or two minutes later, I feel perfectly fine, as if hadn’t run at all. Hmmm . . . is my conditioning getting better?

835

Hey man another PR! AND Golden Coral! Nice…Happy to see the weights going up!

836

Golden Coral for the WIN

Nice squats and great PR.

good luck with the new recruiter

837

CAV - I see a pattern of strong PRs, ripe down the barriers man.

838

Matty, thanks very much.

KM, several new recruiters, same company, different cities. Got fingers crossed.

Dude, thanks very much. Been at this shit so many years, sometimes wonder if I’ll EVER get up to any decent level. Every word of encouragement helps beat back the blues.

OK, listen up. Wasn’t sure if the squat went low enough. So at home I tried a sample squat on the footstool. Had used it before to check depth, made vids, you all agreed it was just below parallel. So I tried a squat on it . . . and butt hit the thing before I thought I got low enough. Got that? I’ve actually got used to squatting LOWER than that all this time!! Which means the 205# was plenty low. Which means I could have done 215, maybe 225, no problem.

And just a year ago I could barely do 205, shaking, hurting, when I was just doing half squats. (Sigh. I measure progress in years, everyone else uses months.)

Today did some lunges, nothing fancy, just to check balance. yech, my scoliosis wants to bend me right, have to fight it. Damn good warmup, have to say.

Then some “Matty rows”, named after MattyXL himself. Got up to 85# for several reps.

Then was dumb enough to try Harry’s clean & press challenge. Forget 150#, 75 was tough enough. Eventually did 20 reps, in 2 separate sets. grunting, sweating, yelling, gasping like a fish out of water.

Calmed down a bit, then worked up to 105# for a couple of ugly reps. I guess that’s progress.

839

20 reps of any cleans are some stout work

good job on your squats too.

840

Thanks very much, KM. Today I’m paying the price for those cleans. My traps are SORE (capitalized), my upper back is sore, my thighs are sore (where the bar kept hitting on the way down). Everything’s sore . . .

EXCEPT shoulders, which is what I was training in the first place. (roll eyes)

Today did a double session, both working arms. Arm curls, tri pulldowns, pulley machine curls, Tate presses, dips (toes on platform), etc. My favorite is pulldowns with arms in chinup position on the bar. Why? Cuz I can look in the mirror and see the muscles working. (Vain? Moi?)