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

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 239.5

Warmup on the bike. (Heavy Day)

Standing Overhead Press: 150 3-3-3-3-2. The last rep on the last set came completely unraveled. I could not get the breathing, layback, or anything together and finally leaned forward and slammed the bar back into the rack in disgust. But otherwise, the rest of the form and such is getting firmly ingrained.

Pull-Ups: Bodyweight for 5 sets of 3. Considerably easier at under 240.

Deadlift: 325 for 3. Challenging, especially when my grip began to go wobbly at the top of rep 2. I set it down, reset in a mixed grip, and not surprisingly, the bar drifted out from my legs a little. But I did it. I thought I had enough left for another set of 3 with 335. Which I got with a mixed grip. That took so much out of me though I called it quits and will save the GXP and stretching for later.

Altogether a pretty satisfying return to lifting after feeling out of it for a week or so.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 240.5

5 minutes warmup on the bike.

After getting 5 sets of 5 with 225 in the bench week before last, I decided I was going for a max single. Then I got sick and missed 2 days lifting last week and all jujitsu. So today I went for it. I figured 255 would be a launching pad for a run at 260 next week if it went up reasonably well this morning. So here's how that plan worked out.

Bench Press: Sets of 5 reps in warmup 45-95-135-185, 225 for 3, 240 for 1. That was pretty easy so I decided to cut to the chase and try for 260. I scared up a spotter and nailed it! 260 for 1! That was challenging but I knew I had more, so I waited 5 minutes. Then I loaded 275 and got that for 1! WHOO-HOO!!!! I didn't think I'd make a 275 bench again. The last time I pulled that off was in my early 40's. No PR's here, but in a few months I'll try again a little heavier. Time for a slight routine change while I reconstruct my standing overhead press. Damn what a pleasant surprise.

Curl: 110 for 5 sets of 5.

Claw Grip: 222 for 2 sets of 5. PR!

Foam rolling and stretching.

[Oldster]

Nice job on the bench, Mark! The thing about singles in the bench is that the first time we attempt them is the worst we are going to be. If you were to take a couple weeks doing a light/heavy scheme per week you'd find yourself bumping at the edge of 300lbs, depending on a few different things. Unless you've been performing quite a few heavy singles, your nervous system isn't going to be firing the muscles correctly to really lift heavy and it takes a few weeks or even a month before everything is in sync.

Nice job with the grip PR.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thank you. How would the light/heavy scheme look in terms of sets, reps, weights, and weekly programming?

[Mike Mantzouris]

Congrats on the bench!

[Oldster]

The first session during the week would be the light one, followed by the heavier one 72 hours later.

Your light day would have you working up to about 165lbs for 6-8 sets of 2 followed by whatever assistance work you normally do.

The heavy day would have you working up to 2 or 3 singles maybe even 4, at 255 or so (whatever doesn't have you struggling for each rep). Warmups up to the singles are up to you, I prefer medium reps to warm up, my partner prefers singles. Then go up 10lbs per week for 3 or 4 weeks, dropping back to just 5lbs or so for as long as you showed good progress.

But remember, NO ELBOW FLAIR!

[bob g]

...
but I knew I had more, so I waited 5 minutes. Then I loaded 275 and got that for 1! WHOO-HOO!!!! I didn't think I'd make a 275 bench again. The last time I pulled that off was in my early 40's.
...

That's fantastic, Mark. Way to go!

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 238.5

Thanks to all of you! OK so I've tweaked my programming like you said, Oldster. Looks like it's going to be fun.

Jujitsu last night at last. I worked with a newbie who, while well behaved and attentive, seems to have a terrible time remembering from one coaching cue to the next. I'm consciously working with short brief cues now and it didn't seem to help much with this particular kid. Not because of any shortcomings of the method I don't think. Some people really have a hard time getting motor skills together and he seems to be one of them.

I had a chance to teach the blue belts last night. A couple of good young guys in their mid 20's. It's been a while since I taught the blue belt techniques and it was a refreshing change from the white belt stuff. They had a lot of questions which caused me to stop review and rethink what and why I had just told them to do in executing the technique. Foot work especially has become a key focus for me now and that's relatively new even though it's so fundamental. But often entirely overlooked. We did some escapes from a two handed rear wrist grab into an arm ripping right angle hold that ends up with the attacker's elbow bent at 90 degrees pointed at the sky and wound up like a rubber band. Very painful and an excellent set up for a come along, take down, or strangle. They actually thanked me after the class. Nice.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 238.5

5 minutes warmup on the bike. (Light Day)

Bench Press: 165 for 6 sets of 2. Into the heavy/light program as recommended by Oldster. Otherwise no changes to the rest of today's routine.

Squat: 135 for 3 sets of 6.

Power Snatch: 95 for 3 sets of 3. These movement patterns are getting cemented in and more smooth.

GXP followed by foam rolling and stretching.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 237.5

I think maybe the weight continuing to come down is the not drinking.

No jujitsu while Master Bellman finds a new home for the dojo in the San Fernando Valley. I'm really missing the Saturday sessions. So today I went to Golds and did some easy cardio to get warmed up followed by my newly now favorite grip exercise the wrist roll up with a 45, 25, and a 2 1/2 lb. plate pinned to the 100 lb. stack. It just climbs steadily. Then foam roller and stretching with a bunch of late teen early 20's dude bros were primating their way around the heavy bag. I almost thought they were going to start grooming each other.

Our daughter stunned me this afternoon by asking if I'd help her with some strength training she out of nowhere got interested in. I tried this with her in high school when she went out for the shot put and discus on the track team and she mostly blew it off. Even though it was her idea then too. Maybe this time for sure. I sure hope. So I started her out by getting her in the right stance and back position for squats. Her achilles tendons are tight like mine were in my late 30's until I started stretching them so it was hard for her to keep her heels on the floor. So I had her put on some shoes and that helped a lot. But I told her to stretch and get comfortable in a low squat. Let's just see how this goes.