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

[Oldster]

You know I can't thank you enough for taking the time and effort to make this clear for me. I really appreciate it.

Excellent! As a non typing/computer guy, my fingers were panting and puffing at the end!

I do get your larger point of the size/strength feedback loop, though.... The higher volume and 3 lifting sessions a week I suspect will go some way toward burning up more calories and the fat hanging on to my creaking frame.

I agree.

1. Are the sets all done at the same weight across? I reviewed your own log and I think the answer is yes, but I wanted to confirm this.

If you are asking if the top weight, the 60 or 70 or 80% numbers are all the same, the answer is yes. No working up to one top set. For instance if you were going to be handling 185lbs for your 80% work, you would warmup as needed and then perform 5 sets of 3 with 185lbs. Do warmups as needed before the percentage weight as we all need something different. Reading my log wouldn't really help as I'm not doing what I laid out for you at this time. I was so busy in the late summer and fall that I am in the midst of working back to heavier weights to lay out a few cycles when I start to stall out. In a few weeks or a month I'll be handling 30-50 working sets per week if you were to combine all my pressing movements. If an old fella like me can recover, believe me, you can too. This will not just work on your stamina goes up, so will your ability to recover.

2. Are the M/W/F workouts full body workouts?

NO! You can NOT recover from that. More about that below on 3......

3. Related to question 2., how do you juggle the squat/deadlift and the bench press/overhead press recovery workout to workout or week to week?

Move your overhead press to one of your benching days and you will be well warmed up for your OH press. If you are really serious about OH pressing strength, then put it on your light day. If you are just going to not push it hard then put it after the heavy or medium bench. I tend to just push one or two movements hard per cycle and only one of those a pressing movement. As to your grip work, put it where ever you wish.

As to your squat and deadlift, prepare to hold them back a bit. Believe it or not, this much pressing is going to tax your body and nothing taxes you more than the squat and dead. Work them, work them relatively hard, but DON'T try and work in PR ranges. Take the time to hold them back and work on form and not let your weights go over 80% or so. I would consider doing them as I do, on the same day that is all their own. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday. Whatever works best for you and your schedule.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks again Oldster. There's some good food for thought here that I have to figure out how best to organize my workouts around.

Got myself realigned yesterday. The chiro said I was out everywhere from the neck to the lumbars. No kidding, it sure felt like it too. I told her about the catch in my left quad and she thought was probably the IT band. I told her how it had gotten worse last week, and she reminded me that sometimes progress in fixing a problem like that causes some discomfort as the scar tissue and adhesions are broken up. DOH! True enough, so back to hitting them on the foam roller with even more diligence now.

Did a GXP today on the elliptical. I am still a little sore from the adjustments yesterday which is not unusual after being out of whack for a while like I was. At least I don't have the feeling of weakness or discomfort lurking as a subtext every time I turn or bend over this morning. I finished off with a looong session on the foam roller and stretches.

[Mark E. Hurling]

OK, after lengthy thought about your recent posts Oldster, I think I have come up with a new plan that follows your advice pretty closely. Here goes:

Week 1
Sundays:
Heavy - Start at 75% 1RM and ramp up by 2.5% increments week by week over 12 weeks. Alternate squats and deadlifts week to week. 5 sets of 3 reps.
Bench Press
Squat

Tuesdays:
Medium - Start at 70% 1 RM and ramp up by 2.5% increments week by week over 12 weeks not to exceed 85% 1RM. Alternate squats and deadlifts week to week. 5 sets of 3 reps. Alternate pinch grip and claw grip week to week. 5 sets of 5 reps.
Bench Press
Hammer Row
Pinch Grip

Thursdays:
Light - 60% 1 RM. Alternate back extensions and front squats week to week. 8 sets of 3 reps + 1 set of 10 reps.
Bench Press
Overhead Press (5 x 3 as with a heavy day)
Back Extension

Week 2
Sundays:
Bench Press
Deadlift

Tuesdays:
Bench Press
Hammer Row
Claw Grip

Thursdays:
Bench Press
Overhead Press (5 x 3 as with a heavy day)
Front Squat

Other than adding that other lifting day and some additional sets, this seems very doable to me with no recovery problems. I figured alternating the squat and deadlifts provides some good recovery from the deadlifts that won't fry my back to a crisp. In any event I''ll give this a try and see how it goes.

[Oldster]

Not bad, Mark. We'll see as it goes. Nothing is written in stone and everything can be changed up somewhat.

Onward and upward!

[Mark E. Hurling]

Excelsior indeed!

I screwed up today on what may be a monumental scale, I'll just have to see what amends or penance I have to make. I failed to note it was the second Saturday of the month and went to the main dojo today for the first jujitsu beating of the New Year. This was black belt day and I walked in and was told to depart summarily. I did, as quickly as the tail tucked between my legs would permit me to hustle out of there. On the way there I saw a billboard along the Hollywood Freeway advertising an expo at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds for MMA and tattoos. Sums it up pretty well for me. I've heard all the jokes in the rest of the martial arts community, not just in my dojo, but the judo guys I have beaten up a few times about the metal piercing and tattoo crowd in MMA. That shit doesn't come from nowhere and now it has been carved in stone like Mt. Rushmore, for me at least. It's not enough to be able to do things, everyone who sees you has to know how bad you are. Kind of like Darth Maul or a yakuza covered with ink. These people really are marginal personalities.

Anyway, I rounded out the day with some low intensity cardio. the foam roller, and stretching.

[JM3]

guess if you got something big hanging out of your nose you better be able to kick fast or youre a goner? looking forward to seeing the program- looks good

[Mark E. Hurling]

Anyone who has metallics hanging where they show is crazy to fight in an organized fashion or a brawl. Ink has no such drawback, it just seems like these folks and their followers are headed toward a weird subculture from having seen too many post-apocalyptic movies. Anyway, enough of that silliness.

Began the new lifting regime this morning. I woke up with my lower back grumbling and muttering but nothing too serious.

5 minute warm up on the bike.

Bench Press:
195 @ 5 x 3

Squat:
220 @ 5 x 3

It's funny how different the extra sets felt. Not harder or more tiring, just different. My lower back wasn't terribly happy about the squats, but I gritted my way through them. I had to use a half rack this morning because the power rack I normally use was being used by someone else who was actually squatting! I set up my bungee cord that I am using to get the depth right and had at them. Afterward, I compared where I had the cord set on the half rack to the cage and found that I had set it nearly 6 inches lower.

I did a GXP immediately after the lifting because my heart rate was up pretty good from the squats. I wore my heart rate monitor today because I planned on trying this again after not having done this for months. Instead of the usual 5 minute ramp up I did 1 minutes worth and got it to 85% right away. The lifting can act as a good ramp up for the hard part of the GXP if you are working hard enough. Since I'll be lifting 3 times a week now, I figured I'd double up on lifting and cardio one day to allow two break days a week for recovery.

I finished off with foam rolling and stretching.

Once again I re-affirm my own experience of cardio benefits from lifting. I track my average heart rate in segments when I wear the monitor like I did today. I ranged from 71% of MHR for the lifting and stretching, to 75% for the warm up, and peaked at just over 85% for the shortened GXP. It averaged out at 71% for the whole shebang which is right in the moderate intensity range for cardio. This is going to be interesting.

[Oldster]

5 sets of 3 is a lot of work in the squat, Mark. Especially while you are trying to make bench gains. I suggest just 1 top set, using as many warmups as needed.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Yeah, and now after the endorphin fumes have dissipated, it feels like a lot of work too. My quads are letting me know how displeased they are with me. One top set it is. I'm not looking forward to the DOMS I'll wake up with tomorrow.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Well I seem to have lucked out a little re: DOMS in the quads. It mostly declined over the course of yesterday. In it's place however my lower back is still letting me know it has had enough for a while, and what feels like a slight groin pull on the left side and leg. Ah well, a man's got to know his limitations as Harry Callahan would say.

Medium day today in the lifting world.

5 minute warmup on the bike.

Bench Press:
185 x 5 x 5. Not too hard, but no walk in the park either.

Hammer Rows:
330 x 5 x 5. Piece of cake.

Claw Grip:
158 x 5 x 2 PR!

Rolled and stretched to try to get out some of the new and lingering kinks with variable success.

Wore the hear rate monitor again to get a weather gauge of what level of intensity gets invoked by the medium day. I averaged 62% of MHR for the 53 minute session. There's jujitsu tonight and I'll just have to see if the left side and back feels up to it as the day proceeds.