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Thread: Programming around a regularly scheduled sport

  1. #1
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    Default Programming around a regularly scheduled sport

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    I had originally posted back in April, asking about programming around a weekly sporting event (Monday night hockey game). I am 50 years young. In April I was working with 240x5x3 on squat and DL, 220x5x3 on bench.

    I have been working on LP, but at a pace of around 2.5 lbs per week (I go up when I feel confident to go up).

    I am currently at 300x5x3 on squat, 300x5x1 on DL, and 250x3 on bench.

    Generally, I work alone in a globo gym (a restraint of having a time consuming job and a job/commute/family life to work around). Btw- in the globo gym, I went from a small fish to a larger fish on the squat rack (I know, it is all relative, around you guys I would have have gone from a small fish to a less small fish). I am the old guy lifting more than many young guys.

    Question is, is my progress way too slow for a 50 year old guy? And ultimately what can I expect in terms of upside?

    Goal setting, I would love to have 1rm of 400dl, 350 squat, 300bench. I suspect this is an achievable goal in the short term. Judging by you guys, should I set the bar higher? (What do your 50year old guys do) I am 5-10, 210, probably around 25% bf. How do I get there?

    For me frequency seems key ( I progressed really nice during a 2 week vacation where I could lift 4 days a week), and sadly northeast life /commute/ family’s Participation/ sedentary career slows me down. Any suggestions?














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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by rickynu View Post
    I had originally posted back in April, asking about programming around a weekly sporting event (Monday night hockey game). I am 50 years young. In April I was working with 240x5x3 on squat and DL, 220x5x3 on bench.

    I have been working on LP, but at a pace of around 2.5 lbs per week (I go up when I feel confident to go up).

    I am currently at 300x5x3 on squat, 300x5x1 on DL, and 250x3 on bench.

    Generally, I work alone in a globo gym (a restraint of having a time consuming job and a job/commute/family life to work around). Btw- in the globo gym, I went from a small fish to a larger fish on the squat rack (I know, it is all relative, around you guys I would have have gone from a small fish to a less small fish). I am the old guy lifting more than many young guys.

    Question is, is my progress way too slow for a 50 year old guy? And ultimately what can I expect in terms of upside?

    Goal setting, I would love to have 1rm of 400dl, 350 squat, 300bench. I suspect this is an achievable goal in the short term. Judging by you guys, should I set the bar higher? (What do your 50year old guys do) I am 5-10, 210, probably around 25% bf. How do I get there?

    For me frequency seems key ( I progressed really nice during a 2 week vacation where I could lift 4 days a week), and sadly northeast life /commute/ family’s Participation/ sedentary career slows me down. Any suggestions?
    Ya man, do like me and get out of the northeast before it eats you alive! I kid, I kid, I assume you're all set up there with job and family etc...

    Honestly, your progress is better than I'd have expected. I don't think LP style training usually works as long as it has for you, but if it's still working, then no need to fuck with it as long as you don't feel absolutely beat down and destroyed all the time.

    As for what should you expect and should you set the bar higher because "us guys" - I'm not sure who you mean, specifically? - are a lot stronger than you - I suggest reading my replies here: https://startingstrength.com/resourc...ml#post1653774

    I may sounds more like a psychologist than a strength coach but ultimately you need to compare yourself today to yourself a few months ago, not to me or Matt Reynolds or Jordan Stanton. First of all, we're all 30-40, and have been lifting for many years, not 50 and lifting for a year. Second, each person's capabilities are unique to the point where Rich Pauley, who just had an article about him on the front page, got to 500x5 and 600x1 on his LP. I've also had clients run a completely proper LP and and at 185x5. Should the 185 guy have compared himself to Rich and felt a failure?

    It's certainly true that when you actually train in a gym together, you feed off the energy and maybe some people push harder because of that. But purely dry statistically? No way to know. If you're a late novice, early intermediate, set goals in terms of a few months from now, and just repeat that till your progress is too slow and you have to set yearly goals. 300x5 now? Set a goal of 315x5 by end of January, or maybe 365x1 over the winter at some point. Don't look further ahead than it makes sense to, and don't look side to side at people whose potential may be much worse, or better, than your own for strength. You can only make yourself better compared to yourself.

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