Wait, I just read your posts more closely - I can't believe you're going to be a masters lifter in just two years!
Wait, I just read your posts more closely - I can't believe you're going to be a masters lifter in just two years!
I will, and thanks to both of you. Also, did you see the announcement about the Equinox? April 12-13. Registration opens 2/1 or thereabout. I'm in!
I know man. Me neither!
I planned to post this after lifting last night, but when I turned my laptop on after dinner, I realized it was time for the WWE's press conference. They announced that my life was about to get a lot better because of the launch of WWE Network next month. The euphoria was so overwhelming, it delayed this update by 24 hours.
1. Squat
135/6
225/5
275/3
325/3
375/3 - added wrist wraps here
405/3 - best beltless set I've done in a long time/not sure if PR
435/5 - fired up to have hit this! Estimated 1RM = 506.78, which would be a 10 lb PR. Used a belt here.
350/10 - with belt
This was all I had time for, because I had to get my daughter from her dance class. Would have done the assistance stuff tonight, but had to take one of our vehicles to the shop after getting off work late. My wife isn't driving right now, so some of my assistance work may be a casualty.
Notes: Went back to work today, and it looks like I'll be on a 6-day grind of urban hiking most weeks for the foreseeable future. Weight this morning was 209.8 lbs, down 1.2 from Monday. I must have been eating a ton in the hospital.
The title of this post is the order in which I planned to do the lifts. I've been doing floor presses on the Smith machine because I like doing the lift, and without a power rack, this is my safest option.
1. Rack Pulls
135/8
225/8
315/8 - added Versa Gripps on this set
375/8
425/8
475/8 - used belt on this set. The last 3 sets were all +10 lbs from last time.
2. Floor Presses - I only count the weight of the plates
90/10
140/10
180/10
200/10 - added wrist wraps on this set
220/6
This was all I had time for.
I start a new route tomorrow. My hope is that because there are significantly fewer stairs on this route than my current asignment, the flat terrain will help save some wear and tear on my knees. I'll have a little over a week to decide if I want to keep the route, bid back to the assignment I'm leaving, or bid on something else altogether.
Welcome back.
I hope all is well.
Thank you. All - not really, but no reason for me to be ungrateful.
I hope to get back in the gym tomorrow. My normal training days are Tue/Thu/Fri or Sun. I spent Saturday night through Sunday morning in the ER with my wife, barely slept on some hard plastic chairs, and did an unexpected fast of over 24 hours (no food, just 2 cups of Starbucks coffee, 1 with espresso). Went home, slept a few hours, and weighed 205.6 lbs when I woke up. That's down 4.2 lbs in about 5 days. I expect that to go back up quickly with normal food and beverage intake this week.
Here's a brief video recap of last week's training, including the 405 x 3 beltless squat and 435 x 5 raw squat.
Just as I'd hoped, my new route isn't beating me up. Unfortunately, I'm still not feeling too energetic from the weekend's ER visit. Plus I had a smaller window for training due to working overtime. So I decided to go hard on one lift and go home.
1. Sumo Deadlift - this is my competition stance, but I wear shoes in the gym instead of slippers
135/5, 5
225/5
275/3
325/2
375/2 - first set using chalk
425/2
455/1
485/1
515/1, 1, 1 - Added the belt here. Added Versa Gripps on the last single.
435/6 - Probably 3-5 seconds between each rep.
Last edited by K.Diesel; 01-14-2014 at 10:54 PM.
I just noticed your log, entirely on the "strength" (you should forgive the term) of the "Old Man" in the title. At 63 it's always enticing to see another older guy lifting. I started competing in the USAPL myself last year so welcome to the gateway of the masters. Maybe we'll see each other at a meet in the next year or so. Hope all goes well with your wife.
Thank you Mark. I'll definitely keep an eye out for your name on rosters at national meets, and hope to meet you at one. My wife is doing better. Not out of those proverbial woods yet, but clearly improved from either of the last 2 times she went to the hospital.
It's 12:15 am. I'm within 30 minutes of going to bed, and that's an improvement. I'm exhausted. As a result, I opted not to train tonight. I was exhausted last night too, but I managed to demonstrate more improvement in the right shoulder and bench press. I felt worse today, so instead of pressing my luck, I figured I'd get 2 good nights of sleep and get back to it Sunday and/or Monday thanks to the MLK holiday.
Yesterday's record:
1a. Bench Press
95/8
135/6
165/5
195/3
225/3 - started getting handoffs here
250/6 + 4 - added wrist wraps here. This was +5 lbs and +1 rep from last "heavy" bench session
280/6
Also worth noting that my weight is back down to 205.wouldroundupto206anyway. I don't think my bench has ever gone up while my weight has decreased, even by a little.
1b. Pullups
Max assistance/15 - on the assisted chin apparatus
1/2 assistance/8
BW/6 wide OH
BW/5 rope + 8 wide OH grip
BW/2 rope + 1 more real ugly one w/rope + 7-8 neutral grip
BW/12 underhand
I haven't been in the gym since last Thursday for a variety of reasons, mostly related to fatigue and weather. I'm not too upset, as I feel much better today than I have in the last 3 weeks. I'm sure many of you know about the snow that hit the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions of the U.S. over the last 2 days. Hiking through it for 5-6 hours is physically difficult, and even more so when the daytime high is 15 degrees. So I'm glad I made it through in one piece and got back in the gym tonight.
I have 12 weeks to go until my first equipped meet in 3 1/2 years. So, counting this week, I have 11 real training weeks left. I decided to do a loose test of my raw bench and squat this week, just for the sake of reference. Bench was up tonight. Bodyweight at the gym (post-bathroom trip) was 207 3/4 lbs.
1. Bench Press
135/5
185/3
205/2 - added wrist wraps here
225/1 - started getting handoffs here
245/1
260/1
275/1 - At this point, I thought I had 2 more raw singles left.
290/1 - Reality set in. That was all I had tonight. My right shoulder wasn't great, but didn't hurt either.
315/1 - used Titan Ram
330/1 - Ram again. Didn't feel much different than the 315. Stopped due to time constraints.
225/10 - I'm listing it here, but this was actually my 2nd to last set before leaving the gym.
2. Pulldowns
80/15
120/10 - after this, starting a circuit with the rear delt and shrug series
150/10 - 1st 3 sets, all wide/overhand
150/10 - V handle
3. Rear delt series
15's x 2 sets, 30 reps each set
4. Shrug series
45's x 2 sets, 30 reps each set
The series are something I picked up from a recent article about Toney Freeman. Funny thing is that we met him at the Arnold one year, my wife become a big fan, and we always look forward to talking to him on our annual pilgrimage to Columbus. I tried them out, then asked him a question about them on Facebook. Basically, they go like this:
rear delts, all done seated: arms straight & raising back toward hips, arms straight & raising out to the side, arms bent & raising out to side (dumbbells end up near the ears)
shrugs, all done standing: holding weights in front of you, neutral grip at your sides, behind you
For both series, it's 10 reps at each angle for a total of 30 reps per set. These are deceptively hard, but also a fun change of pace.
Last edited by K.Diesel; 01-22-2014 at 11:51 PM.