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

[Mark E. Hurling]

Feeling less like one of the walking dead today. Rounds of speed bag, cable rotations, SciFit, medicine ball toss, heavy bag, and rower with hip and knee flexor stretches.

30 minutes average HR 133 BPM @ 89% of MHR. Average resting HR of 61 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sets of 3-3-3.

Seated Press: 120@70%-3, 135@80%-3, 155@90%-2.

Hammer Row: 240@70%-3, 270@80%-3, 305@90%-4.

Pin Press: 175 for 3 sets of 5.

Music: Locomotive Breath, Fanfare for the Common Man, Won't Get Fooled Again, Simply Irresistible, Rock Steady, Working for the Weekend, Living La Vida Loca, Even It Up, Pain, Game og Thrones, Goldfinger.

49 minutes average HR 120 BPM @ 81% of MHR. Average resting HR of 61 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Rounds of speed bag, crunches, elliptical, prowler push, medicine ball toss, plate haloes, heavy bag, and rower with hip and knee flexor stretches.

30 minutes average HR 137 BPM @ 92% of MHR. Average resting HR of 61 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sets of 3-3-3. At least that was the plan and my hopes.

Squats: 170@70%-3, 205@80%-1, 230@90%-0. I got 1/3 of the way down on the 230 and my back started to object. Next time. My squatting has been hit and miss for months, so this was in the way of confidence building.

High Pulls: 140@70%-3, 150@80%-3, 170@90%-3.

Music: Black Betty, My Sharona, Shotgun, Washington Post, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, 16 Tons, Sympathy for the Devil, Sledgehammer, Once Bitten Twice Shy, Hair of the Dog, The Chain, Let It Ride, Ghost Riders.

61 minutes average HR 127 BPM @ 85% of MHR. Average resting HR of 60 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

I got my registration for the North American Championships confirmed by the IPL. Niagara Falls, here I come.

[Mark E. Hurling]

The results of my Indianapolis meet finally got posted to the Powerlifting Rankings. I ranked #9 internationally across all federations for my total.

Powerlifting Rankings

In Push/Pull, I came in #1.

Powerlifting Rankings

I've ranked in the top 10 every year I started competing again in 2019.

[BrooklynJerry]

Good to see the training is going well.

[Mark E. Hurling]

To tell the truth Jerry, my performance at the meet that got me this ranking was the worst I've had since I started competing over 10 years ago. I only made my opener in the bench press, and my 2nd attempt in the deadlift was all I had left in me. I barely, and I mean barely, ground it out.

That said, today's training went very well.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sets of 5-3-1.

Bench Press: 170@75%-5, 190@85%-3, 215@95%-1. I enlisted a nice young Army ROTC guy to spot me on the last single. The 215 went up slow but without too much of a grind. I could have had 220 and possibly 225. I don't know where this was in Indianapolis.

Hammer High Row: 230@75%-5, 255@85%-3, 305@95%-1. This was 5 lbs. better than my last top single.

Push Press: 100@75%-5, 110@85%-3, 135@95%-1. This was also5 lbs. better than my last top single.

Pendulum Curl: 60-5, 70-5, 70-5.

Music: Crazy Train, Mars the Bringer of War, White Rabbit, Fire on High, Round and Round, Enter Sandman, Reach Out I'll be There, Walkin' on the Sun, Amadeus, She's Got Me Under Pressure, Better Be Good to Me, Shipping Up to Boston.

54 minutes average HR 122 BPM @ 82% of MHR. Average resting HR of 60 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Another lousy nights sleep. (sigh)

It was a huge temptation to be a lazy layabout and sleep in this morning, but I mustered up some cojones and got myself into the gym.

Deadlifts: 95-5, 185-5, 235-3, 270@75%-5, 305@85%-1, 340@95%-1. The 340 went up with a little added effort, but no shaking or trembling like at Indianapolis, so I tried 360. Alas, it was not to be. I broke the plates free of the platform and got the bar halfway up to knees and just ran out of gas.

Music: HIghwat to Hell, Stars and Stripes Forever, Smugglers Blues, Bond Theme, British Grenadiers, Folsom Prison Blues, Shaft, Lunatic Fringe, Dream On, Another One Bites the Dust, I Will Survive, Working for the Weekend, Crazy on You, Head Games.

51 minutes average HR 127 BPM @ 85% of MHR. Average resting HR of 60 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.

Drowsing back at home.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Sets of 5-3-1.

Seated Press: 130@75%-5, 145@85%-3, 160@95%-2. A pleasant outcome. I haven't managed more than one rep on the last set in quite a while.

Hammer Row: 255@75%-5, 290@85%-3, 345@95%-1. This was 5 lbs. better than my last top single.

Pin Press: 175-5, 180-4.

Music: Anvil Chorus, Her Strut, Magnificent Severn, I'm So Excited, Discombobulate, Dragonstone, Miami Vice, Tush, Tuff Enuff, I'm Alright, Draggin' the Line, Heartbreaker, Cold As Ice, Taiko Drums.

49 minutes average HR 128 BPM @ 87% of MHR. Average resting HR of 59 BPM and with a VO2 Max Very Good to Excellent @ range of 37-41.