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

[Oldster]

Deadlift: 135-3, 225-3, 315-1, 365-1, 4-O-fucking-5! for a single. It wasn't even hard

BEAUTIFUL!

Pullover and Press and Hammer Curls: 2 sets of 8 with 110. This was supposed to be 3 sets of 12 but I left all I had in that deadlift. So sue me for woosing out. I am content with the 405.

You are forgiven. Sometimes its best to revel in your glory. This was one of those times!

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks Oldster.

Weight: 250.5

I did a GXP this morning with a surprising number of others in the gym. Not crowded, but way more than I expected to see.

One young guy (silly me, almost every male in the gym is a young guy to me these days) was doing barbell rows. He seemed to be mostly doing them as Rip recommends in SS:3 and I was impressed. Even though he was using two 25 lb. plates on each end which made no damn sense to me as a way to get 145 lbs. on the bar. But still gotta give him some credit for genera,l if not perfect common sense. He'd set up his stance at the bar and then it struck me. He was doing much the same thing I do when I row. Rip recommends the same foot positioning and stance as for the deadlift and that's what I've been scrupulous about trying to do.

Which lead to another Joycean stream of consciousness linkage. Maybe my deadlift form and the ease with which the bar went up is a result of the "practice" of setting for the really big pull. Not that I'd necessarily recommend the barbell row as the path to success in the deadlift, but it does I think illustrate the importance of practicing and setting form in well.

Then there's the weight gain. I haven't been eating more, but it seems like the increase in strength came from somewhere besides form improvement. Or maybe the two are inextricably intertwined.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 249

5 minutes warmup on the cross country elliptical. My shoulders were feeling achy, so I thought this might loosen them up a little. Didn't.

Bench Press: 210, 5 sets of 5. Nothing joint threatening, but the shoulders were thoroughly grumpy this morning. Maybe from sleeping on them badly.

Power Snatch: 115, 3 sets of 3. I think maybe I can add 5 on these. Paying more attention to foot position seems to be paying off. I have the rotate elbows outward cue burned in reasonably well now I think. The jump still needs work.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 250.5

Took in a low key session of jujitsu today. We were working with alternative off balancing moves, called kuzushi's. These involved elliptical motions instead of the more commonly used 45 degree angles. It wasn't a new concept in that we train in them and talk about their use but there were some new twists on them. Like an upward and backward ellipse for a heel trip called Osoto Gari. Coupled with some left handed sleeve elliptical outward movement it disturbs the equilibrium pretty effectively. At one point I was working with a 14 year old blue belt 1st degree who started stiff arming me. I pointed out to him that once he'd lock out his elbows, the only thing he could do was a linear push backwards. So I had him keep his elbows bent and he started moving me around a little. Another interesting observation that I'd never had click for me before. But then the Frankenstein stiff arm is a very common kind of lock up that happens in judo a lot during a match.

We also worked some counters and escapes from a wrist grab where the defender goes with the attacker's grab by stepping in and across and driving their grabbed hand and wrist across the attacker's body and over their shoulder or down past their knee. The harder the attacker hangs on, and it's very difficult maintain a grip, the more they get taken off balance by the move. A classic example of the self defeating nature of an attack that is well countered.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 252

5 minutes warmup on the bike.

Lying Triceps Extension: 75, for 3 sets of 12. Cut the weight to get the form better because my elbow is complaining.

Hammer Curls: 110, 3 sets of 12.

Squats: 295, 3 reps.

Stretched and did some foam rolling.

[Mark E. Hurling]

No lifting today, but I've been going through PPST and cogitating on doing an 8 week cycle of 2-3 reps with 90%+ in the middle weeks of that cycle as a way to ramp up and recover from 1RM PR's. I'm seriously contemplating competing now and getting, as I said, 500 in the DL.

Or I may try a 5-3-1 again with a 1RM PR attempt every other 4 week cycle.

[Oldster]

Lying Triceps Extension: 75, for 3 sets of 12. Cut the weight to get the form better because my elbow is complaining.

Lying tricep extensions have always eaten my elbows up. The same way upright rows tear my elbows up. My partner thrives on both but they will break me down quickly and having sore elbows is like having your low back go out badly, there isn't much you can do until they heal.

The sore elbow thing is why I focus on Rolling Dumbells instead, they seem to work my triceps much harder, without any elbow pain. No pain, Oldster very very happy....

[Mark E. Hurling]

I'll give those a try instead. Thanks.

Had a routine evaluation of my blood and blood pressure this afternoon for the meds I take and WHOO HOO! BP 106 over 80. Really good for me. Also the doc, who has been our GP for years and knows the kind of nut case patient he has, asked me how lifting was going. So he wants a photo of the 405 (or so) DL to put in his waiting room as an ad for his senior growing population of senior patients. He said that not even his younger athlete patients DL at all, let alone that much. So I have to muster up Dearly Beloved and her camera for next Sunday's run at 415. I'll probably have to check in with the gym to see there are issues about photos in there too.

[Jonathon Sullivan]

I'll give those a try instead. Thanks.

Had a routine evaluation of my blood and blood pressure this afternoon for the meds I take and WHOO HOO! BP 106 over 80. Really good for me. Also the doc, who has been our GP for years and knows the kind of nut case patient he has, asked me how lifting was going. So he wants a photo of the 405 (or so) DL to put in his waiting room as an ad for his senior growing population of senior patients. He said that not even his younger athlete patients DL at all, let alone that much. So I have to muster up Dearly Beloved and her camera for next Sunday's run at 415. I'll probably have to check in with the gym to see there are issues about photos in there too.

This is fucking outstanding.

One lifter at a time guys. We're going to take over the world.

[Mark E. Hurling]

This is fucking outstanding.

One lifter at a time guys. We're going to take over the world.

Thank you kind sir. Now why do I suddenly recall that kid in Cabaret singing "The future belongs to me"? Hm, must be my dormant Deutsche DNA uber alles.

Weight: 251

Standing Overhead Press: 165, 2-2-2-2-1. Hard, hard, hard.

Barbell Row: 255, 5 sets of 3.

Claw Curl: 225 for 2 sets of 5.

I decided on going the PPST hormonal cycling route on an 8 week cycle as suggested for the elderly in the text. So I've programmed out December and January on my spreadsheet.