Lifting with the Stricks

Training Over 35 Lifter
401

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Steve, I definitely don’t want to be a lollipop! Well, except when…oh nevermind.

James, I do some mobility and flexibility work. Stretches, dynamic stretches, foam rolling… Not as much as I should. But I do work it in.
The back issue, though, is going to be an issue no matter what. The only way I have been able to keep my spondy from bothering me at all is to stop lifting. If I lift just upper body, it isn’t too bad. The lower body stuff kills it, though. I am just trying to gradually work up on the weight I can use without aggravating it too much. If that is 315#, I can live with it. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit to preferring it around 500#.
[/quote]

Does not lifting hurt your back too?

402

[quote]Null wrote:

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Steve, I definitely don’t want to be a lollipop! Well, except when…oh nevermind.

James, I do some mobility and flexibility work. Stretches, dynamic stretches, foam rolling… Not as much as I should. But I do work it in.
The back issue, though, is going to be an issue no matter what. The only way I have been able to keep my spondy from bothering me at all is to stop lifting. If I lift just upper body, it isn’t too bad. The lower body stuff kills it, though. I am just trying to gradually work up on the weight I can use without aggravating it too much. If that is 315#, I can live with it. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit to preferring it around 500#.
[/quote]

Does not lifting hurt your back too?[/quote]

If I stop lifting altogether, the discomfort will go away. It will only come back if I do physical labor (i.e. raking the yard, mowing the yard, digging/planting). But that goes away after a day.
When I wasn’t doing any lower body work, the discomfort was minimal and was much like the above mentioned labor.

403

Shoulders -

Shoulder hurt like a bitch today. Strange part was, it hurt at the top of the rep. It normally hurts in the bottom half of the rep. Today, though, it was where I start to squeeze, at lockout. In any case, it lessened as I went, or I started to ignore it. Kind of an off feeling day all around, though. My shoulders and elbows were/are achy. Not sure what is going on. It could be a recovery issue. It might also be that I am coming down with something.
In either case, work stress is taking it’s toll. And it’s not even the “end lusers”. It’s management. lol

Military Press
barx20
95x10
135x5
175x5
205x5
230x5x5 - PR - I had to work for these. Video does not tell the whole story.

And Canada_K…Yes, I am HAPPY! I wasn’t sure that I was going to get them, but obviously did. So there is happiness.
Now it is in the rearview mirror and I am gearing up for next week.

Set 1

Set 3 - Had to stop after 4 reps on this set and set 4, to regroup, before doing the 5th rep.

Set 5 - This set looked almost as good as the 1st. Go figure…

Rear Delt Raises
40x12x5

Laterals
40x10x3

Shoulders ache and feel drained. Good session, pain aside.

Mrs. Strick’s 5x5

Deadlift
135x5
175x5x5 - easy reps. Butt still lifting a tad on the 1st rep. i think she just nedds to staart with it a couple of inches higher.

Lat Pulls - couldn’t have the rack yet as I was still doing MP
70x8
90x8x4

Bench
barx8
75x5x5

She was strong on all of this. No problems moving up 5# on bench and 10# on deads, for next week.

404

BEAST STATUS!

405

big training strick nice work

406

Thanks, Matty, Kevin. Getting closer to beastly.

407

Helluva job Skip. Thats one great PR.

408

Thanks, Wilson. I have to figure out how to keep this going through 240#, so I don’t let Brett down…lol. That is going to be a job.

409

Fantastic pressing!

james

410

Very impressive MPs. 230x5x5 is getting into ‘Meat strenght’ territory.

411

Thanks James.

Steve, you flatter me. But let’s not blow smoke here. I would need another 40-45# to be near that point.
I do find it interesting, though, that there appears to be less than 50# between my MP and Meat’s MP, but his bench press is, at least, 150# more than mine. I must be built funny.

412

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks James.

Steve, you flatter me. But let’s not blow smoke here. I would need another 40-45# to be near that point.
I do find it interesting, though, that there appears to be less than 50# between my MP and Meat’s MP, but his bench press is, at least, 150# more than mine. I must be built funny.[/quote]

Now, now, remember our ground rules. We’re not supposed to compare outselves to others.

413

[quote]cavalier wrote:

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks James.

Steve, you flatter me. But let’s not blow smoke here. I would need another 40-45# to be near that point.
I do find it interesting, though, that there appears to be less than 50# between my MP and Meat’s MP, but his bench press is, at least, 150# more than mine. I must be built funny.[/quote]

Now, now, remember our ground rules. We’re not supposed to compare outselves to others.[/quote]

That is not completely true.

If we compare ourselves to others as a means to validate ourselves, it can be a bad thing. There will always be someone bigger, stronger and who progresses more rapidly.

I don’t need to bench as much as Meat to be happy with what I have done, and am doing. Had I never heard of, or seen, someone benching over 500#, though, I might have believed it impossible. We need to look at others to see what is actually possible. Also, to learn from them, good and bad and to develop goals that are lofty enough.

In reference to my above statement, I find it interesting that Meat’s bench to MP ratio holds accurate to what “they” say it should be. Which is probably backed by statistics. MP max should be about 2/3 of your bench max. Most people that I have observed are somewhere around that same ratio, give or take.

I, however, am sitting right at 3/4. So, my MP max is 30# too high, my bench is 45# too low or I am just weird.

414

Glad to read this ^. Really!

415

[quote]Canada_K wrote:
Glad to read this ^. Really![/quote]

If I can only be happy by being as strong, or stronger, than everyone else, I am so screwed…lol.
I have my magic numbers…
405# bench and 315# MP. Those are my ultimate goals. They are places where I can anchor my happiness tether, as I continue to climb. Once I get singles with them, I will start working on doubles and triples.

And remember…happiness is a journey, not a destination.

416

Bench and Back

Decided to just play today. I really didn’t feel like lifting today and am actually feeling kind of brittle. Pec tie-ins hurt as do my upper arms and elbows, when benching.
That being said, I am pleased with the workout, considering I went 40# higher than I have in 2 months.

Bench
barx20
95x10
135x8
185x5
225x3
265x2
295x1
315x1
335x1
350x1 -
this is the 1st time this year that I have managed this much, after hitting 370# last year. I have been in a bench lull for a while. I had a few more pounds in me, but stopped there. Wanted to save something for Wednesday.

Lat Pulls - wide neutral
100x12
160x12
210x10x3

Seated Rows - wide neutral
210x10x3

Seated Rows - close neutral
210x10x2

Mrs. Strick’s 5x5

Seated Rows
70x8
90x8x4

Military Press
barx8
65x5x5 - MIGHT go up to 70# next week

Squats
barx8
75x3
95x5x5 - 100# next week!

Mrs. Strick’s leg are tired and shaky…muahahahahahahaha

And on we go…

417

Nice benching Strick. Looking strong.

418

I like your approach to the numbers and progression…think about it, but don’t over-think it.

And, my MP is almost exactly 2/3 of my bench.

419

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:

[quote]cavalier wrote:

[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Thanks James.

Steve, you flatter me. But let’s not blow smoke here. I would need another 40-45# to be near that point.
I do find it interesting, though, that there appears to be less than 50# between my MP and Meat’s MP, but his bench press is, at least, 150# more than mine. I must be built funny.[/quote]

Now, now, remember our ground rules. We’re not supposed to compare outselves to others.[/quote]

That is not completely true.

If we compare ourselves to others as a means to validate ourselves, it can be a bad thing. There will always be someone bigger, stronger and who progresses more rapidly.

I don’t need to bench as much as Meat to be happy with what I have done, and am doing. Had I never heard of, or seen, someone benching over 500#, though, I might have believed it impossible. We need to look at others to see what is actually possible. Also, to learn from them, good and bad and to develop goals that are lofty enough.

In reference to my above statement, I find it interesting that Meat’s bench to MP ratio holds accurate to what “they” say it should be. Which is probably backed by statistics. MP max should be about 2/3 of your bench max. Most people that I have observed are somewhere around that same ratio, give or take.

I, however, am sitting right at 3/4. So, my MP max is 30# too high, my bench is 45# too low or I am just weird.[/quote]
Well said Brother Strict

420

Thanks, all.

Bench is still going to take a backseat to MP. But it was nice to hit 350# again.

What was it Ivan Drago said?? “I lift for me! For me!”