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

[Mark E. Hurling]

I completely agree on all counts. I'm already embarking on losing weight. No great results as yet, but I'm not putting it off to the new year. I'm going to check in with Jordan's part of the forum to see if there's a better way to get there than I've used in the past. Which was long workouts and lots of cardio. Competing as a goal with maintaining and improving poundages drives a change in that method.

I also am going to drastically cut my consumption of alcohol. Something I had gradually been doing over the last year or so after getting depressed and careless over some things going on at work. Announcing an impending retirement (22 months baby!) was immensely liberating in that respect because now I don't have my career track to ponder over any more. Thank God. I could retire right now and do fine, but like I said, I want to give Our Daughter a chance to establish herself where she wants to be rather than have her be compelled to follow us back to Illinois. The real skunk in the woodpile was that damn Tanita scale that went out of calibration and deluded me into thinking I had not put on 30 pounds some years ago. In the meantime I got into bad personal habits which only exacerbated things. That's over now.

We stole a march on the CPAP and ordered a dental appliance on-line. It arrived on Saturday and I have been using it the last two nights. It takes a little getting used to which was no surprise. My mouth gets dry and my teeth and jaw feel a little "out" when I take it out in the morning, but no real discomfort so far. It also, I am told, stopped my snoring. I've been congested the last two nights so breathing through my nose was a little difficult. Some benadryl may just be the ticket. DB told me I kind of whistle through my nose and mouthpiece, but very quietly. I also feel pretty refreshed this morning. The acid test will come later when I normally feel like I need a nap.

[hamburgerfan]

Good luck with your dieting goals in 2015. I take it you're trying to make the 242s?

[Mark E. Hurling]

That's my first stage goal. I want to get into the 220's. Competition may stretch that out into later in 2015. But if I realize my goals and get an adequate total, I can still get to the Nationals in 2015 in July and then drop some more weight and compete in the 220's in late 2015 or going into 2016. The air gets pretty thin for us geezers. I don't have a lot of competition in any of those weight classes, having checked many of the competitions for 2014.

[hamburgerfan]

Nice. I'm also going back to the 220s for UPA nationals in april, so good luck.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks, and good luck.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 257.

Test singles.

Deadlift: 135-5, 225-5, 285-1, 325-1, 365-1, 415-0, 415-0. Frustrating, because 410 during my last cycle was hard but I felt like I had more in me. The first attempt got only a few inches off the floor so I figgered it was a psychological barrier and tried again shortly thereafter. But nope. Next time. I may have to reconsider my jumps and rest between sets.

Also my energy is good, no draggy feeling like I might need a nap.

[Oldman]

Hey, Mark--Good luck with the new diet and competition goals in the new year! Do you think a single in between 365 and 415 might have given you the psychological edge you needed? I ask because sometimes that helps me in making the final single.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thank you and yeah, I've been cogitating on that very thing. Both before beginning my session today and especially after.

[tertius]

I completely agree on all counts. I'm already embarking on losing weight. No great results as yet, but I'm not putting it off to the new year. I'm going to check in with Jordan's part of the forum to see if there's a better way to get there than I've used in the past. Which was long workouts and lots of cardio. Competing as a goal with maintaining and improving poundages drives a change in that method.

Cutting out the booze will help. Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym, as the saying goes. So the weight loss is mostly going to be about getting your diet structured right. There's been some recent discussion on this front in Izzy Norchez's log.

Tom dieted down the entire amount you want to lose in less than three months or something like that, I think.

His site also has a whole bunch of information on the subject, more conveniently organized than Jordan's forum, where discussions can get rather sprawling.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 256.

Thanks for the references. That site is indeed organized quite well. I had already been looking at Jordan's take on things and rather than swamp through a bunch of threads, I went to his stickies and read his magnum opus article. I figgered start his general advice and then get into specifics if that didn't work. So I did and I'll give the basics a good trial.

His approach to cardio is similar to the GXP's that I do with some differences. He recommended a HIIT session with a 5 minute warmup, 7 intervals of 20 seconds on with 140 seconds off, then a 10 minute cooldown. I modified it a little to this:

5 minute warmup, 7 intervals of 20 seconds on with 100 seconds off, then a 5 minute cooldown.

The math is a little easier to keep track of and I didn't stop on the "off" intervals, I did a slower less intense cruise on the ellipticals I like to use. A 10 minute cooldown seemed a little long to me so I cut it too. It went well this morning.

Also, I am much more alert and clear headed again today, which in itself is a godsend. I took a benadryl last night for my cloggy nose and slept the sleep of the dead. Solid and deep. DB reports no snores or other untoward audio going on. Her walking is getting better, faster, and more stable. She's talking about pool exercise now. I may even get her to deadlift. She is scared of squats.