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Thread: Not making progress

  1. #1
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    Nov 2014
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    Default Not making progress

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    About 2.5 years ago I benched 120kg for three reps. That has stood as my PR. Since 2013 I've been struggling with tendonitus in the shoulders. Recently I started getting a little shock-wave-therapy that has improved my knees and left shoulder.

    I'm 58 yrs old, 100kg body weight. A year ago I was 110kg, got down to 95 six weeks ago, and now back up to 100. My current programming is:
    Friday: moderate volume heavy lifting primary lifts (Standing press, Squats, Bench, DL)
    Sunday: light volume light weights. Use this day to work modestly on rotary cuff, plus bicep and deltoid. Moderate aerobics - walk-jog, plus heavyweight punching bag.
    Tuesday: Intense volume, focused on upper body. Inclined press 3-4 sets of four reps @80kg. Partial dips (don't want to aggravate the tendonitus). Chest fly. Chin-ups. Standing rows. Triceps hit via horizontal pull-overs.
    Thursday: light aerobics - walk-jog, punching-bag, light rotary cuff work.

    Sometimes I squeeze in some light leg presses, and leg-extensions, and some abdominal work.

    I'm hoping I can get my bench over 120. Today I managed some PRs of 2022 - Squats 160kgX2, Bench 110kgX2 (one set), DL 220kg.

    My gut is roughly 100cm, and body fat percentage nearly 22%, and my aerobic capacity is not good. So my goals are to cut down my gut a bit while trying to maintain strength overall, and focus on strengthening my bench, and improving my aerobic capacity.

    Any advice on how to improve my programming would be greatly appreciated.






  2. #2
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    May 2020
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    Impressive lifts. At 58, it seems like your program is extensive, and might be difficult to recover from sufficiently and still make progress.

    Here is Coach Rippetoe (age 63 in the video) talking about training as a master's lifter--his core message is that progress may be impeded if programming does not account for diminished recovery capacity:

    What Happens When a Lifter Gets Old | Starting Strength Radio #35

    A classic Coach Rippetoe article on programming:

    The Minimum Effective Dose of Training | Mark Rippetoe

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by J. Killmond View Post
    Impressive lifts. At 58, it seems like your program is extensive, and might be difficult to recover from sufficiently and still make progress.

    Here is Coach Rippetoe (age 63 in the video) talking about training as a master's lifter--his core message is that progress may be impeded if programming does not account for diminished recovery capacity:

    What Happens When a Lifter Gets Old | Starting Strength Radio #35

    A classic Coach Rippetoe article on programming:

    The Minimum Effective Dose of Training | Mark Rippetoe
    Thanks J.
    I had listened to that first link some time ago, but it was useful for me to hear it again. My nature is to overtrain and push myself too hard, which is as Rippetoe explains is - "stupid". My current programming is already adjusted from my previous insane overtraining, but it's helpful to be reminded to keep myself in check.
    Up until recently I was on a calorie restricted diet, and I was careful not to overtrain (as Ripp explains, that it's not possible to recover from high stress when on a caloric deficit). And I succeeded in reducing body weight 12 kg. But now that I've cycled back to a balanced caloric diet and having gained back 2 kg, I feel like I've just been released from jail, with a need to go wild with my freedom to train harder, so thanks for keeping me in check.
    Mark mentions in that video, that if one put in the training in one's younger years, then one should be mimimizing training with the goal being to maintain strenght as much as possible (as opposed to getting stronger). However, for me, who began training at 49, and due to tendonitis holding back my benching, I have yet to realize my potential in benching, so unlike Ripp at age 63, myself now 58 I do have a goal to set a PR in benching. But I'll have to be careful and patient in my efforts.

  4. #4
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    If you place both feet flat on the floor, you should be able to easily bench 120 kg for a set of three in a month and a half of training.

  5. #5
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    May 2020
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    As I understand Coach Rippetoe's situation, his past injuries are the biggest limitation, not his age. Based on your impressive lifts, it seems likely that you could realize more of your potential on the bench. Increased bench frequency probably would help, and it might be possible for you to bench more frequently, since you may be able to cut back on other parts of your program.

    Your setup looks a little difficult--it appears that the equipment might not allow you to get your feet flat on the floor for proper leg drive. On one occasion I was at a gym that had a competition bench, and it was terrific! You may not have room for one, but improving would be easier if you were using a IPF competition bench. This Eleiko bench is expensive, but it sure would be fun:

    IPF Competition Combo Rack | Eleiko

    Starting Strength coach Rori Alter has a great bench video:

    Common Bench Press Errors and Fixes | Rori Alter

    She has benched 122.5 in competition:

    Rori Alter at the IPF Classic Bench Press World Championship 2018 - YouTube

  6. #6
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    Feb 2020
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    Quote Originally Posted by J. Killmond View Post
    Impressive lifts. At 58, it seems like your program is extensive, and might be difficult to recover from sufficiently and still make progress.

    Here is Coach Rippetoe (age 63 in the video) talking about training as a master's lifter--his core message is that progress may be impeded if programming does not account for diminished recovery capacity:

    What Happens When a Lifter Gets Old | Starting Strength Radio #35

    A classic Coach Rippetoe article on programming:

    The Minimum Effective Dose of Training | Mark Rippetoe
    Thanks for pointing that video out. It really hits home because it's so relatable to me personally. I'm 56, I sleep like shit, have a bunch of constant pain from younger stupidity and to really add to the fun, I have a labor intensive job that saps whatever is left of my meager recovery ability. I guess it's time to stop trying to train like I'm 30 but it's a bitter pill to swallow.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jovan Dragisic View Post
    If you place both feet flat on the floor, you should be able to easily bench 120 kg for a set of three in a month and a half of training.
    You're right, that weird setup where the feet are forced onto that...thing are killing the leg drive possibilities. He might be able to get a significantly better bench in a single session if he fixes that.

  8. #8
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    May 2019
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    Making all that noise on the way up from your squat is reducing your forward internal pressure. For the valsalva maneuver to work, you have to not let the air out. The grunting is making you weaker.

    A problem with your bench is how much the barbell moves horizontally. I think the reason is you're looking at the bar and not the ceiling. Is this correct? You should stare at a spot in the ceiling, and avoid looking at the bar. Ideally, the bar has zero horizontal movement from top to bottom and up again, perfectly vertical line. You're losing a lot of power by bringing the bar towards your head on the way up, and towards your feet on the way down. You might not notice it when doing the exercise, but look for yourself in the video and you'll see it's true. That can be hard to correct, I suggest seeing a SS coach if possible. Especially if you've been doing it that way for a long time, the fix will be difficult because in your mind right now you're thinking the bar isn't moving horizontally when you're doing the movement, but it is.

    As others have said the feet sliding over the place during the bench seems dangerous even. Maybe you can spread your legs slightly more so your feet can remain flat and you can secure your lower body with good tension against the floor. But maybe you can't.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yonason Herschlag View Post
    So my goals are to cut down my gut a bit while trying to maintain strength overall, and focus on strengthening my bench, and improving my aerobic capacity.
    Difficult goals to achieve at the same time. Cutting down the gut a bit (losing fat) while improving your bench (gaining muscle) at the same time is tough, especially as you get older.

    It looks like you know how to lose weight, though maybe over too long a period. Got to keep the intensity high during that period and reduce volume.

    On your bench, it looks like you are only benching once per week, and on the other day you have inclines, dips and flyes so probably too many sets in total. Dips and flyes can be tough on the shoulder. I would tend to go with HLM, at your age and strength level. Bench one day, press on one day and close grip bench on a third day.

  10. #10
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    North Texas
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    starting strength coach development program
    He's not doing our programming anyway, so he needs to ask this on another board.

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