New Here, but not new to working out--but it's been a long, long time.

[Packard]

I'm 64 years old, and I had lifted weights for many years but had to give it up 14 years ago due to a sudden onset of psoriatic arthritis. It is now under control and I asked my rheumatologist if it was OK to do some exercise.

She said, "Sure, go ahead. Do as much as you can for as long as you can."

I'm pretty sure that she meant for me to walk around the block after dinner each night.

What I've done is some push-ups and some dumbbell work for about 3 months in my basement. And two months ago I joined Gold's Gym.

What I am really wondering is what percentage of my old strength is it reasonable to reclaim at this age. Does anyone have any information on that?

[Mark E. Hurling]

Another geezer finally posting and owning up to being older than me! Welcome.

How strong were you then? Some empirical data shows about a 10% loss off the top end per decade. I've never stopped for more than a few months, and I am actually as good in the bench and the squat and damn close in the deadlift as I was in my late 30's. Not that those are HUGE numbers. But I'm reasonably content with 275, 315, and 395 just now. I'm going to take a run at 405 in the deadlift in a few weeks to get that back to those thrilling days of yesteryear too.

So you may be able to do the same. But some more information might be helpful.

[Packard]

I was benching 315 for 10 reps when I had to stop. I had a 365 bench for three reps. I gave up single rep lifts after I ripped my pec doing 425. All that was when I was 49.

I am heavier than I was back then; I have to lose weight. My best lifts were done at 182 pound body weight.

I am benching tonight. I had three good sets of 10 reps at 225 last week. I am scheduled to lift at 245 tonight. I'd like to get two sets of 10 reps with 245 before I move on up.

Last night I saw a twenty-something kid bench 405 for ten good reps. But that goal is well behind me now. I was jealous.

I would like to get over 300 pounds on the bench. Does that sound reasonable?

I do admit to other lifters that I am 24, but quickly I add, "But not as young as I was the first time I was 24."

On a separate note, I really don't like the sound of "The Elderly" for this sub-forum. Couldn't they come up with some kinder euphemism?

[Mark E. Hurling]

I'd guess that unless your pec tear was super bad you should be able to get over 300. But what about your other lifts? How heavy were they?

As for the name, talk to stef about it. But the rest of us geezers here embrace and are proud of our grey hair and wrinkles. So we'll likely put up some resistance to a change if it comes to a show of hands.

We have a whole geezer taxonomy.

[Packard]

I was doing 4 sets of 10 reps on the dead lift with 305 pounds. (But my girlfriend could not ask for sex until 8 hours had passed after that.) No squats--my knees are creaky.
I did seated presses on the Universal Machine, but that only went to 210. I did 4 sets of 10.

I don't remember what I did on curls--but I never paid much attention to curls as I don't consider them to be important exercises.

I did my benches last night. I jumped from 225 lbs. to 245 lbs. That was a big jump at this weight for me. Next week I will only jump 10 pounds (to 255 lbs.).

Warm Up:

Set 1: 10 reps with 135 lbs.
Set 2: 10 reps with 155 lbs.
Set 3: 10 reps with 185 lbs.

Workout:

Set 1: 10 reps with 205 lbs.
Set 2: 10 reps with 225 lbs.
Set 3: 10 reps with 245 lbs.
Set 4: 10 reps with 245 lbs.
Set 5: 10 reps with 185 lbs. (full pause)

I did shoulder presses on a "Icarian" machine. I don't know how the poundages relate to real weights.

Set 1: 10 reps with 160 lbs.
Set 2: 10 reps with 165 lbs.
Set 3: 10 reps with 170 lbs.
Set 4: 10 reps with 175 lbs.
Set 5: 10 reps with 180 lbs.

The machine only goes to 195 pounds and I expect to max that out in a month or two. At that time I will either have to be satisfied with the weight or switch to free weights.

I did also:

Flies (machine)
Posterior deltoids (same machine as above, reverse seating).
Side laterals (medial deltoids) machine.
Upright rows (85 lbs x 10 reps; 5 sets--I hate this exercise).

Crunches (three sets of 50 reps; leg raise, 1 set of 50 reps)
Eliptical machine, 20 minutes.
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Tonight is Stair Master only--20 minutes.
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Thursday I work my back.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I have pretty grindy and creaky knees myself with what I discovered earlier this year through an MRI was a nasty meniscus tear that probably happened around 19 in college. But I manage to still squat, so maybe you can still do them. But nice work on the machines of yore. \

So are you going back to machines again or using just basic barbells?

[Packard]

I have pretty grindy and creaky knees myself with what I discovered earlier this year through an MRI was a nasty meniscus tear that probably happened around 19 in college. But I manage to still squat, so maybe you can still do them. But nice work on the machines of yore. \

So are you going back to machines again or using just basic barbells?

I am using barbells for the following:

Bench press
Dead lift
upright rows
Curls (ez-curl bar)
Reverse curls (ez-curl bar)
Hammer curls (dumbbells)
Wrist curls (dumbbells)
Triceps extensions (dumbbells)
Triceps kick backs (dumbbells)

I am using the machines for:

Flies (machines are superior for this motion)
posterior delts machine
delt machine (side lifts--I sometimes use dumbells, but the machine is faster as I am comfortable doing both arms at the same time; with dumbbells I tend to use one arm at a time).
Seated press--the gym has a power rack so I might switch once I max out the machine.
Cable rows
cable pull downs
cable triceps (rope and V-bar)

I've never had a good clean. My timing is always off. I have always been able to press more than I can clean--which is, of course, ass backwards. And for years I did cleans for reps at the end of my back workout.

I was asked once, "If you only had time to do one exercise each workout, which would you do?" Without hesitation I said, "Clean and press for reps." But even though, I still had a lousy clean.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Same here for the clean. That and terribly inflexible wrists and shoulders. So I do a weak power snatch. Actually a lot of fun although invariably humbling.

[Packard]

Apparently I have been advancing too fast. An old pectoral tear started bothering me after my 9th rep with 255 pounds on the bench. This surprised me as I did two sets of 10 reps last week with 245 pounds.

In any case I will have to back off and add weight more slowly. I am now planning to only add 10 pounds per month on the bench (in 10 years I will have added 1,200 pounds to my bench--not bad).

I am going to back off to 205 pounds. By August, if all goes according to this plan, I will be up to 295 pounds--just shy of my goal of benching 300 again.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Maybe the issue is the number of reps. Try sets of 5.

By the way, have you read any of Rip's book's? You don't have to obviously, but you might find they have some good advice in terms of developing a program to include sets and reps. Given your own lifting history and achievements it's unlikely you'd be in for some of his really basic advice to total newbies, but there'd still be a lot of good stuff for you to think about.