Just Venting

Training Over 35 Lifter
1

Ya, this is a vent! It’s not intended to attack any one person or group nor fix all the inequities in the world. In short, it’s just another guy pissing and moaning.

Here’s the issue; I have spent my entire adult life working out. I did a couple of the little local “Natural” body building competitions when I was a young peacock. That migrated to power lifting since your squat, bench and deadlift could care less about small calfs. I found that I could hold my own in the local powerlifting and enjoyed a competition about once a year until I could no longer add anything to my total.

It just seems like I gave it all I got and at 47 y.o. I’m on the down end. I have started TRT about 3 years ago and thought it may also help in the gym. I have no real change in my lifting or appearance with the TRT, maybe a bit leaner in the abs.

Is that it? Am I tapped out? I have no idea where to go from here. I toil away in the gym and watch my weights slowly but surely drop. I feel as if the only way I am going to get anything out of all my efforts would be to gear up.

Has anyone else been here and felt this way? Thanks for listening to my rant!

2

Well, as the poet says, Nothing gold can stay. All of us are consigned to getting weaker and less aesthetic eventually. However, it doesn’t mean you should go gentle into that good night. (Hmm, two poetry references in three sentences–is that a TN record for pretentiousness?) Keep fighting.

3

47 is not too old to gain muscle so stop bitching and start building a base of power and strength which can only be used to help battle the aging conundrum. If you want to body build well great but start by working for strength, power, and conditioning. Do train hard and use Wendler’s, Sheiko, Westside, or a dozen other good programs. If you want an overall body strengthener and conditioner try SuperSquats.
Go and do.

4

Everyone is different some can do the heavy game longer than others.

Like the Eyedentist said, maybe its time to start a new goal? Maybe BB and PL are and were great endeavors in your life, maybe its time to try something else.

5

Give us an idea of your current programming and where you are currently at in terms of body weight and max lifts. I agree with GV, you should have the ability to put on muscle and gain strength at 47 but it is hard to give any productive advice without some more info.

6

Have you considered, with age in mind, being holistically strong? Perhaps stop chasing numbers or statistics in the gym and just live ardently to become the best you can for yourself OVERALL. It would involve disassociating with the conventional idea of strength/fitness and of who you are within those confines, but change means growth if you yield to it.

^ Basically just stop emotionalizing with numbers as if they embody your failure, or so you say, and let that realization be a testament to your new found ‘gains’. Take up crossfit or some shit, they have some cool stuff I hear.

7

Personally speaking, I would have given a kidney to have hit my peak before 47. I’ve trained for many, many years, and here at age 56 I’m still grinding up. I don’t have any great memories to enjoy, just the lure of future results. In other words, I’m just not sure what the problem is.

If you look like Jay Cutler and lift like Bill Katzmaier, then yes, you’re probably tapped out. Otherwise, keep lifting.

8

[quote]DBasler wrote:
Give us an idea of your current programming and where you are currently at in terms of body weight and max lifts. I agree with GV, you should have the ability to put on muscle and gain strength at 47 but it is hard to give any productive advice without some more info. [/quote]

Currently I am on a layoff from a 10k run but if numbers will help, here’s what I was doing about 2 months ago:

Monday:
Roadwork; 4 miles

Tuesday:
Flat bench- 225x6,260x3,285x6,305x6,325x4
Tri pushdowns (machine - 45x8,55x8x65x8
Tri extensions (machine)- 3x8x45
Upright rows- 85x8,95x8,105x8

Wednesday:
Roadwork; 5.5 miles

Thursday:
Lower cable rows- 135x10,180x10,205x8,230x8
Lat pull downs - 135x8 180x8,205x6x230x6
Tri extensions (machine)- 3x8x45
Upright rows- 85x8,95x8,105x8
Abs- what ever you call those things Rocky did!
Dumbbell curls- 10x40,8x50,6x60

Friday:
Off

Saturday:
Squats- 405x4,440x6,480x6,520x4
Roadwork; 4.5 miles

Sunday:
Church!

I finished my first 10k race 2weeks ago in 50:39. Now to bring some other numbers into play. First let me I have competed in several power lifting competitions so I know what a legitimate lift is and I don’t web-inflate my numbers; for better or worse, they are what they are and I keep good records.

At 18 y.o.- 175 lbs, benching 300, squatting 350
At 25 y.o.- 190 lbs, benching 335, squatting 540, deadlifting 510
At 30 y.o.- 196 lbs benching 370, squatting 600, deadlifting 550 (Competition)
At 35 y.o.- 205 lbs, benching 375, squatting 650, deadlifting 620 (competition)
At 37 y.o.- 210 lbs, benching 380, squatting 670, deadlifting 635 (competition)
Within the last 6 months at 205lbs, I havenÃ?¢??t singled but my best in that time was bench: 5x325, squat: 535x5 and haven’t deadlifted. Deadlifting only happened 6 months prior to a competition.

As for how it all looks when it’s put together, I do not look 47. I’d post a pic but I really hate those holdin the cell phone up high in the bathroom mirror facebook pictures!..lol!

9

Looks like you have a good base to work from and maybe switching lifting gears/routines is all you need to refresh your outlook. Were you lifting raw for the numbers quoted above or equipped? Have you ever considered the Highland Games or doing strongman training? The equipment differences and athletics differ somewhat from powerlifting and bodybuilding so it could be enjoyable and get you strong in different ways.

10

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

[quote]DBasler wrote:
Give us an idea of your current programming and where you are currently at in terms of body weight and max lifts. I agree with GV, you should have the ability to put on muscle and gain strength at 47 but it is hard to give any productive advice without some more info. [/quote]

Currently I am on a layoff from a 10k run but if numbers will help, here’s what I was doing about 2 months ago:

Monday:
Roadwork; 4 miles

Tuesday:
Flat bench- 225x6,260x3,285x6,305x6,325x4
Tri pushdowns (machine - 45x8,55x8x65x8
Tri extensions (machine)- 3x8x45
Upright rows- 85x8,95x8,105x8

Wednesday:
Roadwork; 5.5 miles

Thursday:
Lower cable rows- 135x10,180x10,205x8,230x8
Lat pull downs - 135x8 180x8,205x6x230x6
Tri extensions (machine)- 3x8x45
Upright rows- 85x8,95x8,105x8
Abs- what ever you call those things Rocky did!
Dumbbell curls- 10x40,8x50,6x60

Friday:
Off

Saturday:
Squats- 405x4,440x6,480x6,520x4
Roadwork; 4.5 miles

Sunday:
Church!

I finished my first 10k race 2weeks ago in 50:39. Now to bring some other numbers into play. First let me I have competed in several power lifting competitions so I know what a legitimate lift is and I don�¢??t web-inflate my numbers; for better or worse, they are what they are and I keep good records.

At 18 y.o.- 175 lbs, benching 300, squatting 350
At 25 y.o.- 190 lbs, benching 335, squatting 540, deadlifting 510
At 30 y.o.- 196 lbs benching 370, squatting 600, deadlifting 550 (Competition)
At 35 y.o.- 205 lbs, benching 375, squatting 650, deadlifting 620 (competition)
At 37 y.o.- 210 lbs, benching 380, squatting 670, deadlifting 635 (competition)
Within the last 6 months at 205lbs, I havenÃ?¢??t singled but my best in that time was bench: 5x325, squat: 535x5 and haven’t deadlifted. Deadlifting only happened 6 months prior to a competition.

As for how it all looks when it’s put together, I do not look 47. I’d post a pic but I really hate those holdin the cell phone up high in the bathroom mirror facebook pictures!..lol!

[/quote]
Like this.

Great work by the way.

11

Derek542,

I think I know her!

Thanks for the complement but I want to hear where everyone else is and was. I don’t need someone who never put the time in like I did nor was able to be competitive to tell me to stop bitching. I held my own then and still can. This was never about me vs. someone else, it was about me vs. myself, and I was only looking for a gage.

12

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I don’t need someone who never put the time in like I did nor was able to be competitive to tell me to stop bitching. I held my own then and still can. This was never about me vs. someone else, it was about me vs. myself, and I was only looking for a gage.
[/quote]

WTF did you post for if you don’t want someone telling you to stop your bitching? You basically sounded like a…well to be honest a little bitch.

Yes…you will get weaker and fatter as you get older. Someday you will die.

Like Derek said, maybe it’s time to change your goals. He speaks as someone who has recently done so.

Don’t piss on people replying to your post. If you can’t recognize that some guys were giving you tough love you shouldn’t be posting.

13

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Derek542,

I think I know her!

Thanks for the complement but I want to hear where everyone else is and was. I don’t need someone who never put the time in like I did nor was able to be competitive to tell me to stop bitching. I held my own then and still can. This was never about me vs. someone else, it was about me vs. myself, and I was only looking for a gage.
[/quote]
Lol

Well we all have to walk our own path. Good luck on your endeavors.

14

[quote]sen say wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I don’t need someone who never put the time in like I did nor was able to be competitive to tell me to stop bitching. I held my own then and still can. This was never about me vs. someone else, it was about me vs. myself, and I was only looking for a gage.
[/quote]

WTF did you post for if you don’t want someone telling you to stop your bitching? You basically sounded like a…well to be honest a little bitch.

Yes…you will get weaker and fatter as you get older. Someday you will die.

Like Derek said, maybe it’s time to change your goals. He speaks as someone who has recently done so.

Don’t piss on people replying to your post. If you can’t recognize that some guys were giving you tough love you shouldn’t be posting.[/quote]

I am not looking for any love of any type. I don’t piss until pissed upon. Do you think I need a pep talk? I was looking for some real advice and not a get over it. I will not go quietly into the night! So tell me then, where are you at? How are you dealing with it or are you still packing it on?

15

At 66 I still work at building/maintaining my strength.
I follow Mr. Rippetoe 's basic workout plus a few add ons.
All the special forces ( SEALS, Rangers) units gauge strength to weight ratio
by pull ups not squats nor bench presses.

I am pleased to say my pull up numbers are very good.
I can easily do 3 sets of 10 pull ups going slow up and slow down. With a 5 min rest in between.
Many much younger men cannot meet or exceed this mark.
Yes we lose size and muscle as we age, however, we can still be strong!!

16

First of all I am competitive and ranked nationally as a powerlifter. I didn’t mean to come off as a dick, so excuse me. I think you have great numbers and just think you were getting bored so do something different involved in strength. Currently I squat 625 lbs raw, bench a weak 290 lbs (still recovering from a biceps tear) and I am dead lifting 550 lbs for 3 reps. My numbers are low but I am getting them back up to my best PR total of a raw 1635 lbs at 220 lbs. I mainly do a westside type program with a lot of intense work on the basic lifts and variations of those lifts. Not trying to piss on anyone in here. Peace. Oh yeah, I love my football bar and the work it gives my triceps. Football bar bench and OHP is a new world of strength building for me. Again are your lifts equipped or raw?

17

[quote]gorillavanilla wrote:
First of all I am competitive and ranked nationally as a powerlifter. I didn’t mean to come off as a dick, so excuse me. I think you have great numbers and just think you were getting bored so do something different involved in strength. Currently I squat 625 lbs raw, bench a weak 290 lbs (still recovering from a biceps tear) and I am dead lifting 550 lbs for 3 reps. My numbers are low but I am getting them back up to my best PR total of a raw 1635 lbs at 220 lbs. I mainly do a westside type program with a lot of intense work on the basic lifts and variations of those lifts. Not trying to piss on anyone in here. Peace. Oh yeah, I love my football bar and the work it gives my triceps. Football bar bench and OHP is a new world of strength building for me. Again are your lifts equipped or raw?[/quote]

WHITE FLAG HERE TOO!
Thanks for the input. You have given me some real numbers. My competition lifts where all gear. My posted workout bench is belt only and I use knee raps and a thin, loose squatting singlet. Your squat is out of this world. I singled 600 with knee raps only and 660 with lifting gear. Gives you an idea how much more you could do.

Sorry to hear about the bicep tear. Never had an issue with upper body injury, hip stuff at times though. 550x3 in the dead has you at a solid 600; that’s a nice pull. What’s your age and how long have you been at it since I know you don’t get where your at over night!? Not to get to personal but has juice’n ever crossed your mind? I guess everyone thinks about it.

Peace to you also!

18

I’m 42 and in a little over 3 months I’ll be 43. I’ve been powerlifting consistently for the last 8 years. Prior to that I was doing a lot of running, yoga, military type drills, sprinting, and various sports for about 4 years. Before that I did some beginning powerlifting for about 5 years but I was very inexperienced, stupid, and didn’t have any good plan. Even before that I thought I was doing some kind of bodybuilding but my training was inconsistent however I did build some little strength for 5 years or so. My initial unfocussed lifting during my teens and early 20s could have been refined so that now I would be much stronger but oh well.
I have used pro hormones in the past but I like using natural products now to supplement my strength building. I have never injected anything and will not.
Hardly do any yoga or static stretching now. My stretching now is mobility work such as rolling with a black foam roller, rumble roller, lacrosse ball and doing drills i.e DeFranco’s Agile 8 and such. Also, luv me some T-Handle swings for warm-ups and as an adjunct to building a stronger core.

I’m going to do Sheiko for next month to try and really grill myself because I have an ominous operation coming up and I want to make increases before I take a week off.
Do you have any short or long term goals lifting wise? It may be blasphemy but have you considered doing CrossFit comps? The way they combine lifts with cardio seems fairly intense and challenging.

19

[quote]gorillavanilla wrote:

I’m going to do Sheiko for next month to try and really grill myself because I have an ominous operation coming up and I want to make increases before I take a week off.
Do you have any short or long term goals lifting wise? It may be blasphemy but have you considered doing CrossFit comps? The way they combine lifts with cardio seems fairly intense and challenging.[/quote]

I hope all turns out well for you with the operation. I worry a lot over the little things; an operation would have me bonkers!

As for your advice on the cardio; if you page up to my last few posts, you will see that my workout contained some running. I think you can be benching in the high 300 at our age and weight and still do all the running/cross-training you want. But I personally don’t think you can squat the weights we can and do that hard cardio. Unless you have tried it, I don’t think anyone can pass judgement on me saying that it is hard to consistently workout with 500+ lbs and run 5 miles 3x aweek. I had to back off my squats 3 weeks prior to my 10k, my wheels couldn’t take it.

I have to look into the Sheiko thing; let you know how I make out.

20

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I don�¢??t web-inflate my numbers;
[/quote]

No but you did conveniently fail to mention that they were done geared.

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
I feel as if the only way I am going to get anything out of all my efforts would be to gear up.
[/quote]

This also implied to me that your lifts were unequipped.

Maybe it’s just me but it seemed like you were being deliberately misleading. The over35 forum is bullshit free, let’s keep it that way.