Lifting to Live

[Bill Anders]

12/13/21 - Monday

SQ - M @ 5'
45x10x3
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
260x1
290x5x2

BP - M @ 5'
45x5
95x3
135x1
165x1
185x1
205x5x2

PC @ 3'
65x5
95x3
115x1
135x1
150x3x5

Music — Top Picks from SiriusXM's Liquid Metal Corridor of Covers, New Covers, 12/9/21 - Extinction A.D. vs Sepultura, Propaganda; Dropdead Chaos vs Slipknot, Surfacing; Eighteen Visions vs N.I.N., Terrible Lie.

Notes — 40°F outside / 46°F garage. Winter is finally coming, so it's time to start tapering down and start my transition to my winter maintenance mode while I spend the next several months focused on snowboarding.
- SQ - Medium Day. I'm still dealing with a bit of lower back tightness, so the warmups were slower and deeper than required. Even then, the first couple of workset reps felt like I was just getting to parallel, if barely below.
- BP - Medium Day, but it sure didn't act like it. Rep 5 of the first set was very iffy, while the second set felt like it was 20lbs heavier.
- PC - Not as clean as these cleans should have been, even with focus on form, especially keeping the shoulders over the bar through the pull. Rep S2/#3 bounced off the knees and ended up way forward, so I halted and reset.

- Overall, a very "meh" workout, for some odd reason, especially considering that this was a "Medium" Day. But they happen.

[Fred J]

I know you are younger than me but I wished that I could still do medium day squats like that. (back in my thirties.)

You say meh but still great lifting!

[Bill Anders]

Thanks Fred! I do try to keep it in perspective.

I didn't mention that we had to clear a tree off the local trail this morning. It wasn't a big deal and didn't impact this workout, but trying to keep pace with the 73 year old crew leader? Nuts! But watching his example, and yours, fuels life goals.

[dalan]

Thanks Fred! I do try to keep it in perspective.

I didn't mention that we had to clear a tree off the local trail this morning. It wasn't a big deal and didn't impact this workout, but trying to keep pace with the 73 year old crew leader? Nuts! But watching his example, and yours, fuels life goals.

I work with a man who is 70 and he works like a man half that age. I don't know how he does it.

[Bill Anders]

I work with a man who is 70 and he works like a man half that age. I don't know how he does it.

He does it until he can't. That's the beauty.

I've tried explaining to friends & family about "circling the drain." Some start as soon as they think that 40 is "over the hill" and let that be an excuse to decay. I've watched too many do just that, spending 1/3 or more of their life just wasting away until the end. My goal is to stave off the circling so that it's a quick, tight descent. I see so many great examples of that sort of thinking on these forums, too.

[dalan]

He does it until he can't. That's the beauty.

I've tried explaining to friends & family about "circling the drain." Some start as soon as they think that 40 is "over the hill" and let that be an excuse to decay. I've watched too many do just that, spending 1/3 or more of their life just wasting away until the end. My goal is to stave off the circling so that it's a quick, tight descent. I see so many great examples of that sort of thinking on these forums, too.

That's right! Until the wheels fall off!

[Bill Anders]

12/15/21 - Wednesday

SQ - L
45x10x3
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
250x1
280x5x2

OP - L
45x5
75x3
100x1
120x1
132.5x5x2

RDL
135x4
185x2
210x1 oops
225x1
235x8x2

Music — Top Picks from SiriusXM's Faction Punk, Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) Takeover, 12/6/21 - Stomper 98, Keine Helden; Suicidal Tendencies, Lost My Brain...Once Again; Weaponized, Welcome to the Pit.

Notes — Light Day, continuing the taper as winter/snowboarding season ramps up with all of the regional resorts opening this weekend for the holidays. It's time to get the aerobic conditioning in gear.
- SQ - Still a bit of lower back pain, but nothing hindering lifts. Of course my bride, the licensed massage therapist in the house, asks if I'm doing my stretching. She knows the answer. All good here at this light weight and short sets.
- OP - Misgrooved 1/#4, which stalled just above my head, but I managed to save it and lock it out and the next went just fine. Otherwise, all good.
- RDL - Autopilot during the warmups, so that last one was 96% instead of 89%. But again, at this relatively light weight, it didn't impact the work sets.

[Fred J]

I've tried explaining to friends & family about "circling the drain." My goal is to stave off the circling so that it's a quick, tight descent.

Exactly!!

[Bill Anders]

I've had some issues getting logged in here over the past few days, but thanks to some weekend heroics by stef, I'm able to get back to normal (at least around these parts).

It's the end of the year and the snow is falling and starting to pile up sufficiently enough that I'm going to spend the next four months focused on snowboarding, with weekly lifts to maintain, or at least minimize, losses. Last year I only tested my deadlift, since I was poised to be able to pull a PR (which I did at 360lbs). This year I decided to do it as a mock meet, testing the three main lifts and doing it in a powerlifting meet format (three attempts per lift, but without the commands). I started each lift conservatively, as I would in a meet, at a step above my recent Intensity x5 sets, and went up from there. I extended my breaks between attempts by a few minutes compared to my x5 sets and just went after it. Granted, in the garage is missing the pump of a competition crowd, but whatever.

12/17/21 - Friday

Outside - 19°F and falling / Garage - 38°F and steady

SQ @ 8'
45x10x3
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
270x1
———
300x1
315x1
335x1 PR

BP @ 8'
45x5
95x3
135x1
170x1
190x1
———
212.5x1
225x1 PR
235x1 PR

DL @ 10'
135x4
185x2
225x1
275x1
305x1
———
340x1 - straps
360x1 - straps (Tie w/ Raw PR)
380x1 - straps PR

Music — Top Music Picks - Suicidal Tendencies, You Can't Bring Me Down; Agent Orange, Bloodstains; Fear, Gimme Some Action; Discharge, Protest and Survive; Body Count, Body Count's In The House.

Notes — Mock Meet, 12/17/21
- SQ - All good. Felt like I left 10lbs+ on the platform with that 335x1, but it was still a 15lb PR over a 320x5x3 on 6/1/21. Plus, I needed to save some gas for the rest of the lifts.
- BP - All good and my first time ever at/above bodyweight for this lift. The last 235x1 started to stall on the way up, but I pressed it out. Probably could have added another 2.5-5lbs for a complete grind, but 235lbs was still a 20lb PR over a 215x4 on 11/19/21.
- DL - All good. I left maybe 5-10lbs on the platform with this 380, with the +10lbs being a real stretch that would have likely been a massive grind. This is an asterisked PR, since I was strapped. Raw PR for this remains 360lbs.

- Based on my most recent Intensity x5's for each lift, I ran 1RM calculations just to get an idea of where I could be; those calculated numbers were 337/239/388 for a total of 964. My actual 335/235/380 totaled 950, so the calculators were fairly accurate, especially based on the amounts that I felt like I left on the platform for the squat and deadlift. Considering how inconsistent I am, and have been, with my training, I'm still quite pleased with the slow progress.

Happy Holidays, y'all!

[Fred J]

Very good lifts Bill!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too!