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

[Jonathon Sullivan]

I also was informed that the jujitsu great Wally Jay passed away this week.

Sorry to hear that.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Well this morning did not get off to an auspicious start. I stubbed a toe last night and am pretty sure it's broken. Except for the big toes I've broken all of them at least once in judo in college and this particular one is probably on it's fourth time. Hurts to walk, and my lower back has been acting up. BUT, today was the day for the shot at 225. I needed a lot of coffee along with Thus Sprach Zarathustra, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and Night on Bald Mountain to get awake and fired up. Also body weight is still holding low at 205.

5 minute warmup on the bike.

Overhead Press: Last warmup set at 200 felt heavy. I got 225 past the sticking point but couldn't lock it out. Damn! I'm considering taking a light to moderate session of pressing only this week and trying it again next week. It was soooo close. But then of course close only counts in hand grenades and horse shoes. Or as Greg C might note, thermonuclear devices. Do-you-want-to-play-a-game? How-about-thermonuclear-warfare?

Hammer High Row: 320 x 5 x 3. I added 10 lbs. from last week and am still not sure this is the top weight for now.

Sumo Deadlift. 365 x 1+. I was going to skip deadlifts as a celebration of my OHP PR but since I didn't accomplish that I decided my penance was to punish my lower back some more with these. I broke it off the floor for a few inches on rep attempt #2 but that was all I had. I think maybe 10 lb. jumps from session to session may be a thing of the past for me at this point and will stick with a slower and steady 5 lb. jump.

Delt rehab with foam rolling and stretching. More geezers than I've ever seen at Gold's at one time this morning.

[Oldster]

Overhead Press: Last warmup set at 200 felt heavy. I got 225 past the sticking point but couldn't lock it out. Damn! I'm considering taking a light to moderate session of pressing only this week and trying it again next week. It was soooo close.

Yep, now is the time to do exactly as you are thinking. THIS TIME, my money is on you getting it.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of counsel I needed. I'll do just that on Wednesday.

[tertius]

That's a nice press, MEH. I'm sure you'll hit it Wednesday.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Just to clarify, I'm planning on a moderate 5 x 5 session on Wednesday and maybe a light session on Friday in Corvallis, OR, then going for the horn of Odin's mead (225) on Monday of next week. Dearly Beloved and I will be driving up I-5 (950 miles and 14 hours) on Thursday. Loading our daughter's worldly goods on Friday, attending graduation on Saturday, and then all of us wending our way homeward on Sunday. Thank you for the encouragement as well tertius.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

Safe journey, my friend.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks for your good wishes Sully.

Now for the latest lessons learned as I prepare for the next shot at glory and a little recovery thereafter.

The big one for me is planes of movement. I need to balance my pressing with an equal amount of pulling and just deadlifts with one other pull is clearly not enough and almost certainly contributed to my shoulder problems. I guess I’ll just have a slight variance of opinion with Rip on this but hey, we don’t all agree on everything all the time. I managed to get my total up to 930 pounds, assuming I can get the delt back in sufficient commission to equal and perhaps exceed the 255 bench press I did months back. Now I just have to find a raw meet with an over 60 class in CA. I learned that I can strive for still other goals and I want that 225 in the overhead press, and I will lock it out. I’m going for a second bite at the apple. I did manage to lose some more weight and am now 4 – 5 pounds lighter at 205 - 206. I think this weight loss, which I didn’t intend or try for in the last couple of weeks was the result of a protein heavy shift in eating that may have slightly dehydrated me. This along with peaking at 315 in the squat and 365 in the deadlift the last two weeks may in part account for a tap on the central nervous system that needs a slight recovery interval to get that 225 next week. One thing is certain, as much as we may deplore failure, the contrast it provides to the triumphs of achieving PR’s rekindles the drive to excel all the more. Too many serial successes can cheapen the appreciation of those successes for what they are. Being humbled along the way is a good scouring of the soul and a wire brushing for any developing hubris.

I have found that the GXP now requires a couple ticks up of intensity in the last weeks because the previous levels do not drive up the heart rate to 85% like before. I think this too is a function of the 4-5 pounds I have lost. I have a growing suspicion that some of the weight loss can be attributed to increased lean body mass burning more calories each day than I am used to eating. As for the conditioning, I only got one ramp run in so far, and one session of heavy bag drills and clap push up sessions. I didn’t want to tempt further abuse to the delt with those so I held back. For now. The lower back continues to be solid for the most part, some minor recent blips, but overall very good.

I am really happy to see a gaggle of geezers gathering and making their presence increasingly known here. You guys are good company and I appreciate your support and encouragement as well as what I get from the younger folks here as well. I also want to thank all of you for helping me clarify my thinking about lifting and all that other extraneous BS we get into on Ends and Pieces. Once I get 225, I am coasting on the overhead pressing for the foreseeable future and concentrating on the bench press, always assuming I can handle it properly going forward.

[Oldster]

I am really happy to see a gaggle of geezers gathering and making their presence increasingly known here. You guys are good company and I appreciate your support and encouragement as well as what I get from the younger folks here as well.

Gaggle of geezers.

I/we resemble that statement......!

Good luck with the 225. My money is still on you.

[Mark E. Hurling]

5 minute warm up on the bike. (Medium Day)

Overhead Press: 160 x 5 x 5. This was it, just a prep and feeder for the next run at 225 next week. I'm letting everything else recover. I'll just have to see if I can get anything in as a light day on the road.