Like a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly... Oh Plus the Chrysalis Stage

Training Over 35 Lifter
61

kp,

the pics look the same as normal pics, I just make the “duck face” in them.

James,

I cracked this afternoon and had some pepsi, not a whole 2 liter mind you but enough to keep me going.

2/14/13

Bought weights for my kids today, although I don’t think they need all 300 lbs, I am sure they will grow into them. I now regret selling all of my stuff, weights are not cheap.

I did some warm-up/mobility stuff before working out, I never do this but I think I need to “prime the engine” before I gun it…so I don’t die.

Bench- 135x8x8, 225x5, 275x2x2, 380x1x2x3x1x2x3x1x2x3

Squat- 135x2, 225x2, 315x2, 365x2, 405x1,(wraps and belt)455x1, 495x2, 525x1, 545x1x1

Conventional Deads- 315x2, 365x2, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1, 515x1x1x1

OHP- 45x8, 135x5, 165x3, 185x2

I have 8 weeks of training left until my meet, hopefully I will be able to hit my goals, however at the moment it seems that progress has stalled a bit, I willvideo my squats and deads next week for people to examine for flaws (and hopefully suggestions on how to raise them both 150 lbs in 8 weeks).

62

My daughter lifted weights last night for the first time (she is 11) she did some deadlifts and some squats, she came downstairs this morning and said “My butt hurts” which gave my 8 year old son hours of material to work with, he asked if he could bring a pillow to school for her to sit on, butt jokes go pretty far with 8 year old boys.

63

I agree with not drinking soda but you don’t need to give up caffeine. Coffee drinkers live longer.

From the New England Journal of Medicine, inverse associations were observed for deaths due to heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections

64

I haven’t been logging my workouts because I have been too lazy, however I am still on target for a meet in April (the 21st I believe) and I might do one this month (100% RAW Fed no knee wraps) just to get a feel for legal depth and such.
I have been following a very boring strategy of moderate weights and moderate volume with short rests coupled with heavy weights and low volume with long ass rests, mostly I am trying to avoid getting hurt before the meet in April.
My goal for the 100% RAW meet is 525-440-575- 1540, I figure a heavy day 30 days before the main meet can’t hurt too much right? Plus I’m not planning on maxing, but it might be good enough to set a masters II record (I am not too proud to cherry pick a record if possible).
I also found that moving my lift order has helped me put up heavier weights easier, squatting first has had a positive affect on my bench press (though not my deadlift)

3/4/13

Squat- 135x2, 225x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1, 525x1 (didn’t feel all that heavy)

Bench- 135x8, 225x5, 275x3, 335x3, 355x3, 375x3 (all paused)

OHP- 135x10, 185x5, 205x5

Deads- 225x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1, 495x1x1

BBell Rows- 225x10

This is pretty much my exercise selection recently, I have been eating better and sleeping more so my recovery has been a lot easier, I have also learned to take it easy when I feel like shit, all of these are tips I picked up here on T-Nation so thanks for being smarter than me, taking advice from people that actually lift weights is so much easier than listening to my doctor.

65

[quote]BrianHanson wrote:
My goal for the 100% RAW meet is 525-440-575- 1540, I figure a heavy day 30 days before the main meet can’t hurt too much right? Plus I’m not planning on maxing, but it might be good enough to set a masters II record .
[/quote]

Please remember to video for us.

Not your lifts, I want to see the faces of the other lifters when you break the record without maxing. That would be cool.

Maybe lift in your dressing gown to add to the effect?

66

Farmerbrett,

After reading your post and then re-reading my post I realize that I came off sounding like a gigantic douche, my bad. What I meant was that I want to hit these weights, which are challenging for me, but not so very stressful that they will burn out my CNS for 6 months, seriously thanks for pointing it out for me, it is not my plan to offend or belittle.

2/6/13

I had a “pain management” clinic at the VA this AM, they suggested yoga, deep breathing, Reiki and a bunch of other stuff that did not include lifting (for me) heavy weights. They actually said that as we get older our bodies “degrade and become more frail” (obviously they have never squatted) and while I agree that it is harder to get strong as you get older, turning to shit is not a requirement. Just once I would like to have a doctor that at least lifts casually.

Deads- 135x2, 225x1, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1, 455x1,505x1

OHP- Barx10, 135x10, 205x3, 215x3, 225x3

Squat- 135x3, 225x2, 315x3, 355x3, 405x3

Bench- 135x8, 225x5, 275x3, 340x3, 360x3, 380x3

Rows- 135x8x8, 245x3, 265x3, 285x3

Putting Deads first didn’t help my deads but it sure hurt my squat.

67

Wow, that’s a pile of heavy work in one session, especially for an old and frail SOB. Great job.

68

Always found squats then deads helps both…

Most of the doctors I have come in contact with are in horrible shape and smoke like chimneys.

That session above is effing awesome

69

[quote]BrianHanson wrote:
Farmerbrett,
After reading your post and then re-reading my post I realize that I came off sounding like a gigantic douche, my bad. What I meant was that I want to hit these weights, which are challenging for me, but not so very stressful that they will burn out my CNS for 6 months, seriously thanks for pointing it out for me, it is not my plan to offend or belittle.
[/quote]

Awww, now you’ve gone and made me feel like a gigantic douche.

That was not my intention at all. I genuinely found it amusing to think that you could break records without maxing. You certainly didn’t come across as offensive or arrogant.

Damn you internet for not being able to convey tone of voice!

Besides, even if I had thought you were being a douche I wouldn’t have pointed it out, I’m far too polite :slight_smile:

I apologise to people when they ram a shopping trolley in to MY heels.

70

jjack,

Thanks, it certainly felt like a lot while I was doing it.

Matty,

My Doctor is a runner, he does Marathons and he looks like Christian Bale in “The Mechanic”, yet he is somehow a medical professional.

Farmer,

Please don’t take it the wrong way, I certainly didn’t, I think that I came off a bit arrogant, which I have been trying to avoid (for Lent only), I didn’t think you were calling me on it per se, but after reading your post it became clear to me that mine conveyed some douche like tendencies.

3/8/13

Squat- 135x3, 225x2, 315x2, 365x2, 405x2, 455x2, 500x2

OHP- 135x8, 185x10

Bench- 135x8, 225x5, 275x3, 315x10

Deads- 135x1, 225x1, 315x1, 405x1

skipped rows and rest of deads, felt a bit dizzy, so i went home.

71

Dizzy is good!

72

3/9/13

Drove to the gym, realized I worked out yesterday and decided to do something else today, something different, so I did some olympic lifts, figuring “what the hell could it hurt” so I snatched and did cleans (no jerks), it was exhausting, and I’m sure very funny to watch as my flexibility for those lifts is poor.

Snatch- bar, 95, 115, 135, 155, 175, 195, 205 (missed), 185, 165, 145, 125

Clean- bar, 135, 155, 185, 205, 225, 245, 265, 285 (missed, fell over backwards) 260, 225

Ab Rollout- fat ass x8x8x5

Throwing a medicine ball in all sorts of ways- indeterminate but equal amount

Waiter Walks- 40lbs- back and forth an unknown distance left and right arms x2

Sled Drags- 70lbs on sled, pulled hand over hand same unknown distance x2

Band Pull Aparts- x25x25

There may have been more but this is all the stuff that I wrote down, boredom is going to get me in shape or kill me, the jury is clearly out.

73

Brian, I feel the strengthening of my body from my hams to my traps and especially in my transverse abdominis as well as the psoas from doing T-Handle swings at least 4 days a week. I think my total conditioning is going up significantly and the T-Handle swings work well to warm me up for squats, deadlifts, benching, and overhead presses. I used to not feel warmed up for heavy squats until I was squatting into the 400’s.

Now, with the swings I feel warmed up much sooner in the lower posterior area and I am ready for heavy weights more immediately. Also, my shoulders are ready for the bar, on squats, right away after swings. The surprising thing is/was the great job the swings do to warm me up for benching. My shoulders are greased up nicely and the lower back is engaged which adds to better pressing. Hope this helps.

74

3/11/13

Yesterday I circled the sun one more time so in theory I am wiser (I am definitely older) so you would think I learned something from all of these years and mistakes, I am here to state emphatically that I have not.

I ate a bunch of cake, relaxed and had a decent workout on Sunday followed by the absolute worst workout of the past 2 years today, I missed everything it seems, pure awful. Any ideas on what could have happened?

3/10/13

Bench- 135x8, 225x5, 275x3, 345x3, 365x3, 385x3, 405x2, 425x1

DBell Military- 50’s x10, 60’s x10, 70’s x10

DBell Rows- 95’s x10, 110’s x10, 125’s x10

DBell Curls- 55’s x10, 65’s x10 x10

3/11/13

Squats- 135x2, 225x2, 315x2, 365x1, 405x1, 435x1, 465x1, 495x1, 525x2

Cleans- 135x1, 155x1, 185x1, 205x1, 225 x miss (wtf?) 225 x miss (wtfx2?) Gave Up because I was very slow

Snatch- 95x1, 115x1, 135x1, 185x1, 205x1 (weird) 225 x miss, 205 x miss

Deads- 135x2, 225x2, 315x2, 365x1, 405x miss , I couldn’t get the bar past my knees, I couldn’t believe what was going on, so I called it a day. I didn’t feel tired but when I got home I fell asleep on the couch for 3 hours.

75

I think I may be overtrained, or undertrained, either way I feel weak like a kitten.

76

3/12/13

Despite feeling like a sad piece of crap I went to the gym and managed to produce this lovely workout

Bench 135x8, 225x5, 275x3, 340x3, 360x3, 380x3

DBell Military- 50’s x10, 60’s x10, 70’s x8

A Thing with a bar and weights while lying down over my head and back- bar x10, 95x10x10

DBell Rows- 100x8x8x8

DBell Curls- 65’s x8 x6

Done. Still feel like crap.

77

So I have complained that I am getting strangely weaker, I am not sure if it is a form breakdown, or if it is something more sinister, I have made some videos, this one is 495x1, Lets see if it works.
Any critiques (other than "You’re fat!!) are welcome, I only went up to 495 today because everything felt slow as hell and twice as heavy, I am now questioning whether or not to do a meet on the 24th.

78

Maybe not, Not sure I remember how to do this.

79

Deadlift 405x1

I think my form is getting worse on this every damn day, I am not sure why but seem to be letting the weight get really far away from me, but I am now not sure how to fix it.

80

Deadlift 425x1

Better than the first but still weird