So Injured, So Old: 600lb DL Before I Die

Training Logs
1

Born 12/17/1957.

Powerlifted from 1989 to 1993, had a million injuries to get over, came back in 1999 for a 1 meet “last hurrah” at the ADFPA Deadlift Nationals, then hung it up.

Lifted in the ADFPA as a 181 from '89 - '93. In 1999, I came back as a 186 pound 198er.

Best competition lifts at 181 were:

SQ 525
BP 320
DL 630

Still have the 40-44 year old, 198 class national meet record in the ADFPA (USAPL) set in 1999 at 610 lbs. Set 2 Ohio state records in the deadlift which were soundly defeated later.

I have moderate to severe lumbar stenosis with ruptures at all 5 levels. I have 2 bulging discs thoracic and the leftovers from 2 dislocated ribs proximal. I have a cervical rupture which caused some temporary paralysis left arm. Have had both shoulders surgically decompressed. Tore a medial meniscus 2 Octobers ago and did not go for surgery since I am too old for that. Went from squatting with air 4 weeks later to a 435 for 5 squat some 10 months later. Or maybe it was 430. I am not good looking. I’m grumpy most of the time and you’d better keep your frisbee off my lawn.

Not training for a meet YET.

Badly want to deadlift 600+ lbs. again before I die.

A year and a half ago in July I did this:

This was 3 months before the meniscus tear. Racking a squat. Foot caught on floor. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Anyway, I’ve crept back up the DL ladder and at the suggestion of AnytimeJake I am starting a training log such that I can share my despair as I pursue the aforementioned 600 pounder. And you may all scoff and hurl rotten e-fruit and e-vegetables at me.

I gotta tell you, training this shit in your mid 50s (56 to be exact)is a bitch.

Okay, I’ll post some stuff later after I pretend to train my bench tonight.

Cheers.

2

Well ya know I’m in, and you already made me laugh out loud twice today at my computer, so it should be a fun trip. Goodluck with the 600, it’s all about the journey anyway !

3

You’d better be in AJ, after all, this log is all your fault.

4

Okay here goes.

Sigh.

Tuesday February 11, 2014

Deadlifts

Warmups:

245 x 5
295 x 2
335 x 2
385 x 2
445 x 1

Top set (90% of 545, my pretend max):

495 x 2 (I look around my basement, no one there to see just how awesome I am except for the guy in the mirror)

Speed deadlifts (70% of 595):

410 x 5 x 3 (1 set per minute, 4 minutes 5 seconds for the series, almost cardio, I look at guy in mirror and he looks like hell)

Try and NOT puke deadlifts (55% of 545)

300 x 5 x 10 (after last set I ease myself to the floor because I think I am having a stroke and I don’t want to have to fall too far just in case I live)

Total time for the workout 35 minutes.

5

So in on this. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way (not trying to call you an old grandpa), but it is extremely encouraging to me to see someone at your age who is so damn strong. That is my absolute favorite thing about powerlifting. I love the idea that 30 years from now I can still be strong. You know I read a study recently that said muscle loss and weakness as we men age was much less to do with aging and more to do with simply chronic inactivity. So stay in the gym and stay strong! I’ll be looking forward to that 600lb pull.

6

Friday February 14, 2014

Bench (sort of)

18" grip for all because that is all my ground chuck shoulders will tolerate.

Warmups:

45x15
95x8
135x5
185x2
205x1
225x1 (9 minutes)

Top sets (85% of 285):

242.5 x 5 x 3 (11 minutes)

Speed bench (60% of 285):

175 x 8 x 3 (7 minutes)

Try and NOT cry bench (54% of 285):

150 x 4 x 10 (7 minutes, yup I’m aware that I’m slowing down now, GET OFF MY LAWN!)

V bar cable push down:

85 x 4 x 10 (3 minutes)

Front raise, barbell, bench grip:

82.5 x 4 x 10 (6 minutes)

Barbell curl (alright, knock it off, its my bar and I’ll curl it if I want to):

82.5 x 2 x 10 (2 minutes)

With piss breaks (damn prostate) and such, total workout time 65 minutes.

Go up stairs and start typing this rot.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

7

[quote]csulli wrote:
So in on this. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way (not trying to call you an old grandpa), but it is extremely encouraging to me to see someone at your age who is so damn strong. That is my absolute favorite thing about powerlifting. I love the idea that 30 years from now I can still be strong. You know I read a study recently that said muscle loss and weakness as we men age was much less to do with aging and more to do with simply chronic inactivity. So stay in the gym and stay strong! I’ll be looking forward to that 600lb pull.[/quote]

Yeah and now you are on record goading me on.

Seriously though, PL didn’t start to get fun until I hit Master’s ranks and started hanging with all the gray beards. Different atmosphere. None of that cock-of-the-walk stuff anymore. More of a sharing-the-same-foxhole thing.

Then…50,000,000 organizations sprang up. Meet directors couldn’t make money. USPF at war with ADFPA. ADFPA at war with WDFPF. AAU meets a day drive away. 48 ply shirts. 1/4 squats. Guys benching more than they deadlift.

So everyone quit, took up golf or just started dying.

Whatever.

I’m planning to have fun with this.

If it kills me. I know it won’t make me take up golf, that’s for sure.

8

Welcome.

I am approaching the M2s. Love competing at this age. So much fun to be strong (relative term for me) when most women my age are fat and weak as shit. There are a lot of strong folks in the O35 section. Come visit.

9

IN

10

This is about what I expected, Good times, and big number’s

So what do you plan to do with your squat, are you just training for a Push–Pull meet, they have those now. Only because you mentioned on the other thread about the squat, and injuries.

The other thing, would be your workouts, rather interesting, seems like you have a system in place, wondering what your week end’s up looking like. As far as the log, if your anything like me ( sporatic at best ) it’s good to have somthing to hold me acountable, especialy in the summer, when I have many other interests, besides beating the piss out of myself in a hot garage.

495x2 Nice work right out of the gates. later

11

In, because you sir, are awesome.

12

You guys are killing me.

This is (most probably) just what I need.

As you may have picked up I train in Mike’s Cellar of Despair, my basement.

I stopped the gym thing when all the powerlifters ran to the base boards, and the place where I lifted started to fill with 250 pound bobybuilders doing 90 lb curls in the squat racks, when I could not use the pisser downstairs because that was for the rich clients, when I had to stall a deadlift workout when I was getting ready (people still use the phrase “getting ready”?) because a trainer (20% to the house) had his client stretching on the DL platform and I would just have to wait.

So…like 25 years without my fellow soldiers.

Thank you.

13

[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Welcome.

I am approaching the M2s. Love competing at this age. So much fun to be strong (relative term for me) when most women my age are fat and weak as shit. There are a lot of strong folks in the O35 section. Come visit.[/quote]

Yes, this is what I am talking about. A gray beardette. (Was that offensive? I’ve no idea. Meant with the greatest of respect) Thank you and I will better visit the over 35 section. Been but haven’t posted. Feel strained to post and don’t want to spew pablum.

And thanks for the welcome.

14

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
This is about what I expected, Good times, and big number’s

So wat about those workouts, rather interesting, seems like you have a system in place, wondering what your week end’s up looking like, and what’s the rational behind it ?

As far as the log, if your anything like me ( sporatic at best ) it’s good to have somthing to hold yourself acountable, especialy in the summer, when I have many other interests, besides beating the piss out of myself in a hot garage.

495x2 Nice work right out of the gates. later[/quote]

AJ you maniac,

I have PILES of log books down stairs at the Cellar of Despair.

I’m near the end of a DL cycle, this week just hit the 90% thing.

Next w/o will be a double or so at 517.5, next w/o a single or double at 530. Depending on how that feels, I will either "guess a new max as 545 x 1.03 = 560, or I will test the 560.

I deadlift every 2 weeks because I AM ANCIENT. Same with squats. Alternate them. Maybe I will go back to both once a week, but my knees ache all of the time (especially the one with the clicky cartilage) and squatting and pulling in the same week makes me ornery.

I squat old school WS per Prilipen right now and that may let me do both each week, but I bet not.

Benching is Wendler-ish style Prilipen.

DL is a minor distortion to an Ed Coan workout which is rather old school Prilipen if you study it.

Prilipen, Prilipen, Prilipen.

A pattern here?

Powerlifting was SOOOOOOO easy in the old days. I read the stuff on this site and I wonder if new type mammals are competing now.

15

[quote]RozS wrote:
In, because you sir, are awesome. [/quote]

So you think…

Thank you.

16

[quote]chobbs wrote:
IN[/quote]

Dig it.

17

And, oh yeah, I will post video for the big attempts because I hate liars too. The guy lifting will look remarkably similar to the sensitive guy in my profile picture who’s hugging Winny.

I have a headache, anybody else have a headache?

18

I’m IN.

19

I copy.

20

Funny ol’fuc, I hate new fitness gyms too, thats why I went and opened my own ( Anytime) now I can do what ever the fuck I want, even actually squating in the squat rack. They kicked me out of the place down the road for correcting a kids form ( saving his spine), said I wasn’t an on staff trainer, and wasn’t allowed to help,‘’ can’t give advice anymore I guess.‘’

My place ( put them out of buisness) I make no money from trainer’s, they all ‘‘free lance’’ and set they’re own rates. Thats how it should be everywhere. ( I train in my garage)

I agree with they’re being far to much information for our own good now days, the grass always seems greener, and I’m sure I can get much stronger with any program, but the one I’m currently using, it’s almost an addiction, that keeps me chasing my tail. Be careful you don’t end up getting over informed :slight_smile: