What happened to feeling better about 43 than 40?
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I actually do prefer 43, but arriving at this place required some adjustment of life expectations. I also had an unfortunate interaction with the ex. She invited me out for my birthday, confirmed her availability on two different days then, amid a swirl of accusations, cancelled on me the day before my birthday, leaving me to try to plan something last-minute.
The upside is I’ve now totally emotionally let her go. For the last 20 years, literally every time she or I have needed someone there for a birthday, we’ve been there for each other. I realized this was the first year since I met her in 2000 that, when we’re both single and haven’t recently broken up, we aren’t doing birthdays for each other. I take it all as evidence that chapter of my life has truly ended.
This closure is part of why I felt better about 43 than 40.
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Ahhh… I see. The ex was involved. Now you have a great opportunity to find a better friend to spend your next birthday with.
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I’ve tried - truly, we New Mexico natives call the Land of Enchantment the Land of Entrapment. But! Hope persists. The dating sites don’t seem to have many prospects, but 1) I’m only looking for one woman and 2) lots of women don’t use/aren’t on dating sites. What a novel concept - meeting people in real life.
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Weekly Review, 2/14/21 - 2/20/21
Meh. Resounding meh. I took a needed deload, doing two lifting days - ME upper, squats - and half a cardio sesh. I chowed down on my birthday and for a few days thereafter, mostly on a homemade chocolate-mayo cake with peanut butter frosting. Couldn’t let my family’s baking be wasted!
My left hip has been hurting for the past week. I hate to say it, but squat day may be off the table again. I’m going to lighten front squats, do a 5 x 2 - 5 x 4 progression, drop back squats, and see if that works.
Speaking of changes, I’m taking stock and wondering what to do for the next portion of the challenge. Washed-Up Meathead has been a great program, but I’m bored of the lifts and weight progressions. My goal is two-fold - less fat, moar muscle. I’ve debated between different systems but am not sure what program or method will most effectively:
- strengthen and build pecs and upper torso
- burn fat
- not overtax my hip
My pecs need two weekly sessions to progress, which allows for options. I can reasonably commit to 4 or 5 days per week; keeping daily gym time around an hour while doing both cardio and lifting is the kicker. Which raises another question -
Lots of LISS or mix it up with HIIT? Walk multiple times a week or do a variety? Recovery is the name of the game.
This week, I’m stepping away from Meathead while trying an upper-lower split. In fact, I might spend a few weeks doing the weekly beloved exercises (bench, deadlifts, rows, DB bench, DB OHP, pulldowns, curls, face pulls, and lotsa cardio) while testing different configurations.
Yep! That already sounds good. This week’s an upper-lower split. Next week, I’ll probably try a twOLAD - DB OHP & low-incline DB bench; MTS pulldowns and wrist curls/revere wrist curls; Smith deadlifts and walking lunges; Smith bench and dip machine; rows, curls, and face pulls; and Smith RFESS, leg curls and extensions. Cardio will follow each brief lifting session.
The following weeks remain TBD, but I like this idea of taking a few weeks to gauge the effects of differing frequencies and volumes. This will be fun! As long as I do the weekly exercises and stick with current dietary changes, body comp should continue, and I’ll get to sample a variety of programs.
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How can you front squat without hip pain? Does the pain radiate down your leg? Does the outside of your knee hurt, too?
In terms of programming, I recommend my program. It’s low volume on legs and you can do as much upper body lifting as you want. It’s working for me and my mental state.
I’ve been doing Advanced 5/3/1.
- Week 1 - 5x5 @ 75%
- Week 2 - 5x3 @ 85%
- Week 3 - 5x1 @ 95%
Assistance is up to you but I’ve been doing 550 sets with OHP on bench day and Incline on OHP day. I throw in some back stuff for balance but some put too much thought into it. And on leg days, I do very little extra work. They’re just not a priority. I don’t like destroying my legs or the resulting DOMS. I also don’t want any more size on my legs. It’s not that they’re huge; I just want the miniscule amounts of muscle I can add at this stage of my life to go on my upper body.
I like a combo of LISS and HIIT for your cardio based on your goals. If you feel trashed then do LISS. If not then do HIIT.
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I’ve been totally taken aback recently at how rare this seems to be these days. Blows my mind.
Glad to see you back man
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The hip pain is focused around my iliac crest; radiating up beneath my left oblique; and on the top third of my ITB band. My hip flexors are mostly ok; the hip pain is lateral (medial! 
) and posterior. Since front squats move the weight forward several inches, they seem to place less stress on the affected areas and more on the quads. Thankfully, my knees have felt from OK to great for the last several years.
After it was crushed, my right tibia healed 3/4" shorter than before. I compensate by wearing an orthotic in my shoe, but my left leg is still proportionally longer than previously, so that hip carries more weight all day, every day. Additionally, my right ankle has 1/3 its previous range of motion, so my hips have to make up for the mobility restriction.
I’ve looked at your progressions before and will do so again. Every time I’ve tried 531, I’ve gotten injured, even though I test true 1RMs, use 90 percent, and round weights down. However, it’s been years since I last did 531, so I’m going to study your workouts.
I really like that assistance arrangement. Until I find a decent job, I’m staying at Planet Fitness with its Smith machines and dumbbells no heavier than 75 pounds. That’ll soon mean doing incline Smith instead of incline dumbbells, but that’s not a huge problem. How are you liking the 550 sets?
Strongly considering this. Smith deadlifts plus Smith RFESS, leg curls and leg extensions, calf presses and done. If I have to drop squats and return to legs just once a week, this is what I’ll do.
That’s… completely reasonable and a good suggestion. Thanks for your thoughtful post!
Right?! It’s weird, IMO. Technology-mediated communication deprives us of much of what real interaction gives.
Thank you, I appreciate it! It’s good to be back.
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They accomplish my goal: fatigue in the targeted muscles, a little DOMS, and I’m in the right rep range for assistance work. I don’t like the 5x10 BBB stuff but I guess I’m still doing five sets. I might switch to BBB someday but I enjoy this for now. It’s about the same volume, but I get close to failure five times (might be able to grind out another rep here and there) and failure drives growth.
Use 85% and don’t do PR sets. The Advanced 5/3/1 has been enjoyable.
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2/25/21, Thursday, Legs & cardio
Smith low rack pulls
- 145 x 10
- 185 x 5
- 225 x 4
- 255 x 3
- 285 x 2
- 315 x 1
- 340 x 1
- 360 x 3
- 250 x 10
Alternating sumo and conventional.
I’ve lost a bit of strength; not deadlifting for three weeks will do that.
Smith RFESS
- 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 x 6, supersetted with
Lateral raises
- 25 x 4 x 8
Treadmill
- 26:00, 1.63 mi, 0 - 4.0 incl
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But it comes back fast. I took a week off from the 550 sets for my deload. I hit 41 reps on week one of OHP. I hit 52 on week two. I felt terrible on week one and it made no sense, but it came back fast.
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I re-read a couple weeks’ worth of your log today and noticed that massive improvement. You’re right, it comes back quickly when consistently used.
The 550 sets sound more interesting than straight 5 x 10s. I plan to try one on my Saturday upper body workout, probably on low-incline dumbbell presses.
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For reference, I find that hitting 15+ reps on the first set gives me a chance to hit 50 in 5 sets.
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Good to know. I was hitting four sets of 12+ reps with 70-pound dumbbells, so I’ll use them.
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I’m a little sore ‘n stiff from yesterday’s deadlifts but nothing major. Today, I hiked on Albuquerque’s tallest mountain (10,600’) for a couple hours with a visiting friend. It was great to catch up with him and get out of the city for a bit. Tomorrow’s workout is supposed to the upper body pump. If my friend leaves after the gym closes, I’ll do a workout at home.
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Have a picture of the view to share?
When my friend with the superior phone camera texts me the pics
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2/27/21, Saturday, UB - pump/OHP day
Warm-up
- Curls, tri ext, rear flyes, OHP, laterals x 10 lbs x 12
Standing DB OHP
- 25 x 10
- 35, 45 x 5
- 55 x 5 x 8, supersetted with
MTS pulldowns
- 80, 95 x 5
- 110 x 5 x 8
Low incline DB press, 550 sets
- 65 x 16, 12, something, something, 50 total
I’m glad I started a bit lighter with these. Thanks for the innovation and recommendation, @Frank_C
Face pulls
- 20 x 5
- 42.5 x 3 x 10, supersetted with
DB curls
- 35 x 11, 11, 10
Treadmill
- 19:00, 1.20 mi, 0 - 2.5 incl
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@omats here’s a southward view from the Sandia mountain’s crest. Albuquerque lies directly to the right/west in that photo. I’ll upload one of me when I get it.
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