Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[Mark E. Hurling]

Awww, you guys. I feel all warm and cuddly now.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 243

5 minutes warm up on the bike. (Light Day)

Lying Tricep Extension: 95 with 3 sets of 12.

Squat: 135 with 3 sets of 6. I now know that I was setting the bar to high in the rack to get a good low bar position or as close as my shoulders are likely to let that happen. This alone helped considerably in the set up. From there, I just need to work my hands in a little closer over time to get a good trap contraction established under the bar. As for as depth, I was wondering a few times if my ass was going to hit the floor I was trying to go so low. I also learned what hip drive really looks like and feels like now so that was a a somewhat novel experience to reinforce this morning.

Power Snatch: Sets of 3 55-65-75-95. I woke up with the knee feeling a little better and almost left these out. Maybe it would have been better if I had. But I had to try at least one set and they went great. So I dove in for some more. Lots of odd looks since no one amongst the morning usual suspects does these. I scraped the scabs off my shins but I don't care. These were a lot of fun and much easier than power cleans as odd as that sounds. Of course I'm not using any weight of note but . . .

My knee actually feels better now than when I woke up even so, yay! Hard exercise can actually fix the lame.

I can't repeat enough how valuable the experience of seeing and when needed being put in the right position was at the seminar. A number of attendees there didn't need much more than verbal coaching but I was not one of them. It's a lot like what I have done in teaching jujitsu myself. Master Bellman has said that people learn verbally, visually, and by experiencing movement. Not unlike what Rip and Company taught last week. I have had to firmly and sometimes a little forcibly put someone's foot in the right position or take their hand and arm through the range of motion in an arm bar or wristlock so they could "get" the technique that demonstration, explanation, and repeated verbal coaching and correction couldn't accomplish.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 243

I did a GXP today along with foam rolling and stretching. After that I worked on grip and set up for the overhead press with the empty bar. Along with squats, this exercise really pointed out the fundamental aspects of body mechanics and flexibility. I've had to regroup more than once in the last 6 months in the press. First going from seated to standing, then trying to do what I thought was in the parameters of Starting Strength. Now trying to further remodel what I have been doing the last several months.

TomC got my hands in position with a few experiments moving them wider and wider to limits of the model that is taught. Then he started pushing my elbows inward while I had the empty bar in my hand trying to get them vertical. I was making faces and he asked "Does that hurt?" No, but it constricted my ribcage to where it was hard to breathe. Not much improvement. TomC said "Man! You are one tight mother fucker." Which made me nearly drop the bar while I was laughing.

But after a few sets of this I warmed up and it got easier to achieve. I have never been very good at warming up enough. So lots of warmup sets to loosen things up is what I need to do I think.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 244.5

5 minute warmup on the bike. (What passes for Heavy Day these days) I added some towel dislocates and some shoulder windmills to get the shoulders looser for presses.

Standing Overhead Press: Sets of 3 45-65-95-115-135-145 (3 sets)-155 for 1. A lot of re-programming of fundamental movements going on here. I managed to get my forearms vertical and have figured out the landmarks for grip spacing now, but getting the shoulders forward and keeping my elbows in will take some diligent attention and work. I'm not sure I was spot-on with that throughout. I also discovered that TomC was right about my knees having a tendency to unlock. I caught myself at that a few times. Then there was re-setting and doing a valsalva between each rep. But you eat the elephant one bite at a time. So the poundages went down. Pretty humbling, but I'd rather do this right than fool myself.

Pull Ups: Bodyweight 5 sets of 3. These are getting easier with a little less fat to haul up. I may add some reps.

Squats: Sets of 3 45-95-135-185-225-245. I got ready for this between sets of presses with dropping low and looking in profile at the mirror to be sure I was below parallel. Then paying attention to how that felt through the hip joints and lower back. I have come to the conclusion that I was spooked about my knee at the Seminar and that kept me high. I had my brace on and dropped low-low-low and had no trouble with it then, and the knee feels reasonably OK now. Finishing out with 245, the most I have tried since the injury, was satisfying too. I just have to be vigilant about making sure I don't get careless in the depth as the weight mounts up. Oh, and hip drive first. I need to keep that in mind too.

[Carlos Daniel]

Filming yourself is way better than looking at the mirror with 200 something pounds on your back. You don't need to upload it, just film it and watch it as you rest between sets.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Not a bad idea Carlos, but I'm the worst in filming, video, etc. there is. Even with an Instamatic from way back when. Then there's the whole no cameras in the gym policy at Gold's. I did the first part in an air squat to get the unloaded feel.

There are a lot of things about technology that I think are the cat's ass. This too, but I'm just no damn good at it. I use video both overt and covert at work all the time. But in an entirely different way. I have to burn in deep, deep, deep in muscle memory the tactile sense of how low is low enough and then maintain the integrity to stick to it.

But thank you sincerely for the tip.

[JohnRoman]

I don't know if it will help you but I've got a milk crate that I stack boards on to for the proper depth. I can check depth in the mirror at home to see what makes the right height. On recovery or light days I take the crate to the gym and use them to pause on. I have to concentrate on many of the warm-up sets because it never feels like I'm low enough on them. Once I hit depth on those the work sets seem to be no problem.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Good idea John, and thank you. I started with a bungee cord early last year as a similar kind of tactile cue. My major mistake was accepting advice from someone else in the gym who told me I was deep enough and setting the bungee at that level. The butt location sensors worked pretty well, assuming I had set it low enough in the first place.

[Carlos Daniel]

I think the "i'm too old for technology" doesn't cut it since you seem to be a smart and technologically adapted geezer , but the no video policy doesn't give you much room to work around, which sucks.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks for the bracing call to arms Carlos. You're right, I'm babying myself a little on the technology thing I'm sure. When I be honest with myself and think of the the stuff I do at work like calculate how many electrons have to dance on the head of a ground rod, I realize I'm just being a stubborn old fart and resisting the advance of technology whenever I can.