64 yo Barbell Neophyte Trying Novice LP

[Richard Seaman]

Background:

age 64 ½; weight 203-204 (down from 225 in March 2014); height 6'1”.
BF% not sure but too much. Navy test says 26%. Omron BMI calculator at the fitness club when I weighed 206.5 said 29%. 5 point body caliper measurement same day said 22%.

Live in SE Wisconsin.

Before Sept 2014 I had never touched a barbell, never worked on a weight machine, never been on a treadmill or elliptical, never a member of a gym or fitness club. Once owned a schwinn airdyne bike but hated it (bored me to death). Rode it on and off many years ago.

Main form of exercise for many years has been golf (walk and carry my own clubs for 18), when not golfing walk 4-6 miles/day with walking sticks (www.walkingpoles.com – an enhanced form of walking), in winter snow shoeing, XC skiing, and dabbled with P90 in the winter for the last 2 years but only when I couldn't get outside. Also dabbled with kettlebell swings in winter, also when I couldn't get outside.

This past summer I also worked with a 'golf fitness trainer' for 3 months, but the only work that wasn't bodyweight used light resistance bands. When I didn't get much stronger I decided to try SS, novice linear LP after reading Rip's articles at PJMedia and buying and reading SS:BBT3, and buying and reading the portions of PPST3 relating to older folks.

There were no SS certified coaches within 100 miles, but I did find two trainers nearby familiar with SS:BBT3, interviewed them, did trial workout sessions with both, picked one of them and joined the fitness facility where he worked. Decided right away to try 2 workouts/week, Monday & Thursday.

[Richard Seaman]

The trainer I selected suggested we spend the first few weeks learning the lifts and having me get acclimated to lifting and working out, before specifically attempting linear progression. We spent 3 weeks doing that. Squats and presses on Mondays, bench presses and deadlifts on Thursdays. Note that I had had introductory trial workouts with two different trainers before starting this.

Squats:
9/29: 45x10x2, 65x10, 85x5, 105x5 (needed assist on r4 but not r5)
10/6: 45x10x2. 65x5, 85x5, 105x4 (planned as 4), 105x6 (planned as 105x5+)
10/13: 45x10, 65x10, 85x10, 95x10
Trainer recommended starting LP at 95

Press:
9/29: 30x10x2, 45x5, 55x5
10/6: 30x10, 45x5, 55x5, 25x10x2 for form work
10/13: 20x10, 25x10, 30x10, 35x10, 40x10
Trainer recommended starting LP at 45

Bench Press:
10/2: 45x10, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5, 95x3 (assisted on r3)
10/9: 45x10, 55x5, 60x5, 70x5, 80x8 (planned as 5+)
10/16: 45x10, 55x10, 65x10, 75x10, 80x10
Trainer recommended starting LP at 80

Deadlift:
10/2: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x3 (planned as 3)
10/9: 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 125x5, 140x3x2, 160x3 (planned as 3)
10/16: 65x5, 85x5, 135x5, 145x5x2, 160x5
Trainer recommended starting LP at 160

Overall, I struggled the most with form on the presses. Deadlift seemed like my best lift. Initial starting weights seemed conservative to me, but that was ok with me since I figured steady linear progression would get to enough weights sooner rather than later if we were too conservative.

[Richard Seaman]

Week #1 Novice LP:

10/20
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 95x5x3
BP: 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x5, 80x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 160x5

10/23
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 95x5x3
Press: 25x5x2, 30x5, 35x5, 45x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5x2 (planned light day)
Lat pulldowns: 30x10, 50x10, 70x10x2

Week 2 Novice LP:

10/27
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 105x5x3
BP: 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x5, 85x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 170x5

10/30
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 105x5x3
Press: 25x5x2, 30x5x3, 45x5, 50x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5 (planned light day)
Lat pulldowns: 30x10, 50x10, 70x10x2

Week 3 Novice LP:

11/3
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 115x5x3
BP: 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x5, 90x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 180x5

11/6
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 115x5x3
Press: 25x5x2, 30x5, 45x5, 55x5x3
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5x2 (planned light day)
Lat pulldowns: 37.5x10, 57.5x10, 77.5x10x2

Week 4 Novice LP:

11/10
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 125x5x3
BP: 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x5, 95x5x2, 95x4 (assisted on r5)
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 155x2, 190x5

11/13
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 125x5x3
Press: 25x5x2, 35x5, 45x3, 60x5x3
Deadlift: 75x5, 105x5, 145x5x2 (planned light day)
Lat pulldowns: 57.5x10, 77.5x10x2, 77.5x8 (assisted on r9 and r10)

[Richard Seaman]

11/17
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 115x2, 135x5x3
BP: 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x5, 85x2, 100x5x2, 100x4 (assisted on r5)
Deadlift: 65x5, 95x5, 135x5, 175x5, 200x5

Failed again on the last rep last set of BP. It was really close. My trainer wanted to go up 5 again in spite of the fail at 95 last week (also really close call). We were waiting a timed 3 minutes between work sets, and I am wondering if that is enough. Maybe a 5 minute rest and I could have made all 5 sets? We haven't discussed what to try for my BP next week.

Other than BP the worksets are hard but I don't struggle particularly to get through, but I'm definitely handling weights I couldn't have when I started, and that's feeling pretty good.

I'm going to post something on nutrition soon too. Seems to me that is as much part of the 'program' as the weights.

[carson]

Young Knight, it looks like your trainer is carefully watching over you. It is good that you found someone to help you. Karl Schudt an excellent certified SS trainer lives in the Chicago Suburbs. He's the closest that I know and he's probably more than 100 miles from you. Before retirement my wife and I lived in the Chicago area most of our lives. If you are willing to share where in SE Wisconsin do you live. I'm 67 and have very much benefited by my nearly 2 years of SS training. Let's keep in touch and support each other.

BTW As you gain muscle you will find that you are by no means heavy. I wouldn't worry about it. You may find that you will gain some weight as you progress.

[Gumboots]

I think it's really cool that you lifting weights at 64yrs, never having done it before. Congratulations for trying something new. Good gains on the weights so far

[BarryF]

Great job on getting started with strength training. I wish you huge success! I think your decision to workout twice a week was a smart move to allow for recovery. I am curious why you are moving up ten pounds per week on squats rather than five pounds per workout. Although the net progress is the same, just wondering why you went this route. Unless this is recommended for older lifters, I have not read that section thoroughly.

Also, since you are missing reps on the Bench in week 5, wonder if smaller jumps might be in order i.e. 2.5 instead of 5?

Overall great job so far on your progress!

[Richard Seaman]

11/20
Squats: 45x5x2, 65x5, 85x5, 115x2, 135x5x3
Press: 35x5x2, 45x5, 55x2, 65x5x3
Deadlift: 75x5, 105x5, 145x5x2 (planned light day)
Lat pulldowns: 57.5x10, 77.5x10x3
Tricep Pushdowns: 50x10x2, 57.5x10

Left workset rests at 3 minutes except for last set of lat pulldowns was 5 minutes rest. Trainer suggested trying some tricep pushdowns to work on triceps since he felt the BP fails I had were the last few inches of lockout and were tricep weakness. But, the TP wasn't that hard at these weights, and I doubt it made much difference.

Trainer also suggests still going up 5 on the BP next session but doing 5 minute rest intervals on that. If still fail then repeat without going up.

[Richard Seaman]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Carson -- I live about 30 miles west of Milwaukee near Hartland. Yeah both Chicago SS coaches are more than 100 miles. Karl is about 140 miles. Close enough for some help if I need it but too far for regular workouts. I was scared as heck when I first decided to try this and I wanted someone experienced with lifting and coaching with me every step of the way. I think I found that and I'm grateful for it. Someday I will be confident enough to try going it alone, but not yet.

As for body weight, my near term goal has been to keep it roughly constant, and keep my waist the same, or eventually getting smaller. So far waist hasn't changed by more than measurement error (I have it officially down about 1/2 inch) and weight is down 1-2 pounds from when I started, though my daily weight fluctuates by a surprisingly large amount, so basically its unchanged.

Got2squat -- The 10lbs per week vs 5lbs per workout was just a choice of the trainer. Yes, I understand the SS protocol would be 5lbs per workout. I've decided not to nitpick every little thing the trainer suggests that differs from the programming in SS. I have challenged a couple of more important deviations and we've stayed on SS for those. I'm pretty happy with the trainer, and he seems to coach me on form pretty much the same as SS:BBT3, which I feel is important.

[Karl Schudt]

Good luck with your training!