Can't put weights down ! Fitter at 40?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Straps can be a hoor for deadlifting because you have to strap up and then try and set yourself, which isn't easy.

Also, I'd advise kneeling if you're going to be strapping up for a heavy set of deadlifts. It's just a touch less tiring on the legs.

Yeah I never thought about it till I bent down and I was thinking I'm bent over far too long now the hamstrings where starting to feel tired , I just used them for the heaviest set then took them off .
Thanks never thought about kneeling .

week 8 Day 3 OHP

Ohp it's a love hate relationship I'm high up on the ape index with longer arms than my height so I'm always going to look a bit like Peter crouch holding the corner flag above his head .

Anyways find 4 rep max
20 X 4 , 30 X 4 , 40.x 4 , 45 X 4 all sail up decision time last time I tried 4 rep max was 50 and wasn't pretty tempted to go to 52.5 for attempt but I know Alf would say it's about the session not your real 4 rep max ! So I go 50 X 4 it flies up much easier than expected last rep slow but I'm pleasantly surprised .
Load 52 5kg the 2 min rest beeper goes off on strong app and boom it's up for 4 again last rep slow but that's a big improvement again that's close to my starting 1 rep max .
Drop sets of 45kg for 2/2/2/2/3* amrap very little left probably could of got 4 reps at a push ,

T2a incline bench
Ok so I failed this last week at 52kg for 6 sets of 5 .
Today called for 55kg for 5 reps of 5 .

55 X 5- last rep struggle
55 X 5 - same
55 X 5 - real struggle and shoulder feeling it
50 X 5 - decide to reduce weight
55 X 4 - loaded 55 again it's too heavy .

I can't understand how this is programmed so relatively heavy compared to everything else . Had a look at the spreadsheet again the exercise should be "legs up bench " not incline bench I swapped for incline , I don't know if that makes any odds But sure it is what it is i can't lift it as programmed and failed 2 weeks in a row so I'm going to program it down 5%.

T2b barbell row underhand grip
Find 10 rep max and 3 more mrs
Don't do this exercise but it's a staple it seems so
50 X 10/8/7/7 off 45 seconds.

T2c T bar row
Find 10 rep max

45 X 10/8/7/6 off 45 seconds.

T3a Arnold press
Find 18 RM
10Kg's X 18/14/10/8 off 45 seconds

T3b Dumbell scullcrushers
Find 18 RM
7.5KG'S X 18/15/10/9 off 45 seconds

Did a few practice ab rollouts but my shoulders where feeling it so I think I'll leave that till another day when I don't do much shoulder work.

Completed 1 hour 22 mins happy out .

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Did you do 4 sets of 52.5 x 4 reps?

I couldn’t tell you what my incline bench is. My adjustable bench is screwed to the ground and my flat bench is used in my squat rack where I do my bench pressing.

Oh no just 1 set of 4 reps of 52.5kg sorry .

Week 8 Day 4 Squat

Not my favourite day by any stretch , a full day out with family and carrying the youngest along a packed dun laoighaire peer so he wouldn't jump in sea meant I was tired and didn't wanna train but eh they weights won't lift themselves.

T1 Squat
Find 4 rep max
40/50/60/70 X 4
75 X 4 it's hard my legs are tired I biked hard sessions 2 days this week .
80 X 4 ok
85 X 4 just about , I get a little twing feeling in right hip when I'm near my limit , my squat sucks not happy at all with it , numbers are pathetic , I don't have that raw power I could cyxle or run for hours but power ain't there .
Drop sets of 72.5 X 2/2/2/2/4* amrap .

T2a Deficit deadlift
5 sets of 5 @ 112.5kg they where hard enough last rep of each set felt hard , not the weight so much as accumulated fatigue.

T2b incline dumbbell row
Find 10 rep max and 3 more sets

22.5 X 10/8/7/6 off 45

T2c Bulgarian split squats
Decided not to max rep set these and do them slowly and controlled with dumbells .
Used 12.5kgs for 4 sets to 10 off a minute , good burn in legs.

T3a incline bicep curl
Find 18 rep max and 3 more sets
10kgs x18/9/8/9 these where brutally hard after the first 18 , I think it was hard because I barely made 18 but also you kinda have to have your arms at 45 degree so dunbell doesn't hit bench on way up and down .

Completed 1 hour 30 mins
Was one of them nights that was just about getting it done , wasn't feeling it at all .
Onwards .

Thanks man ! It's good to read other logs and see how far people have come it gives me encouragement.

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I hope your commentary doesn't reflect the thought process during your squat.

Mentally clear the deck every time.

And yeah times, it will stall but you just keep working. Doing the right things. It will get there.

No I dont get negative about it mid reps I'm concentrating on form . I'm happy I'm doing something I suck at , it would be easy to pick exercises you enjoy doing .

When I got to triathlon I hated swimming in fact i couldn't swim a length at all (self thaught from YouTube )so i decided to swim as much as possible until I stopped hating it , I got to 1 full length and I was resting for a minute before I could go again . Some days I went the pool twice a day , through pure stubbornness I got to the stage of swimming 5k non stop in the pool . I was also swimming in the fast lane and able to keep with guys who where swimming years. So anything is possible even with zero talent or genetics .

So yeah next thing on my mind is what if I got up half an hour earlier for a few months and before getting on the bike to work and do 30 mins squatting , I'd obviously not be using max weight but could do some kind of progressive overload . I think it's a good idea but I'll probably start at the end of this 13 week block so I can program a little less T3 exercises in attempt 2 to allow for this extra workload .

https://youtu.be/gUpIeZuK3Qg

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Took me ages to figure that out. I think I went with the theory that your forearms should be perpendicular to the bar when the bar is on your chest.

Yeah that was my thinking too I didn't like that my arms weren't perpendicular to the bar when bar touching chest it felt a bit off , so I've gone wider , thanks .

Week 9 Day 3 OHP

Busy week the chatter of a possible half ironman in July has me doing a decent bit of biking and a couple of runs. Need to make a decision, don't want to overtrain and in the meantime my priority is weights , I never going to be in top condition for an ironman now but it might be a good chance to not train so much for it and do it for enjoyment and not trying to finish top xx%.
Anyways feeling surprisingly good after two bike rides and a run today and yesterday .

T1 OHP
FIND 2RM
20 X 8 , 30 X 6 , 40 X 4 , 45 x 2
50 X 2
55 X 2
That was good and a new 2 RM
Working sets of 46 X 1/1/1/1/5* amrap
46 felt a little light for 1 .

T2a incline bench
5 sets to 4 at 58kg was on plan
I didn't manage 5 X 5 at 55kg last week so decided to do
5 sets of 4 at 55kg .. a very fair effort like 9/10 rep.

T2b bent over row
Find 8 RM AND 3 MRS
Wanted to do lots of these
30 X 8 , 35 X 8 , 40 X 8 , 45 x8
47.5 X 8/8/7/7 OFF 60 seconds

T2c incline dB press
Find 8 rep max and 3 more mrs
Need to work on this area so added this .
5kgs X 8 , 7.5 X 8 , 10 X 8 , 15 X 8
20kgs X 8/5/4/4 off 45 seconds

T3a Renegade row
Find 16 rep max and 3 more MRS
New exercise I cheated and did 16 alternating sides just to get used to it with 12.5kg dumbells, was interesting like punching the floor each time maybe the down portion should be more controlled .
Ended up as 4 sets to 8 each side using 12.5kgs , felt it in lats.
I'll program it better and do heavier in future .

T3b Skullcrushers DB
Find 16 RM
10kgs X 16/12/10/8 off 45 seconds

Completed in 1 hour 20.
The quality of all my reps has increased dramatically, thanks to advice here partially ALF who advised me not to concentrate so much on rep max . Now I work up to it using control.

Week 9 Day 4 Squat

Another week done , a very heavy cardio week and legs sore just standing from couch so I was apprehensive about this .

T1 squat
Find 2 RM
20 X 10 , 30.X 8 , 40 X 6 , 50 X 4 , 60 X 2 , 70 X 2
80 X 2 Getting heavy
90 X 2 ... Heavy but manageable.
95 X 0 :mad: load 95 it feels heavy on my back , I go so slowly down for fear of God knows what , I do like a quarter squat but fear kicks in of going past parallel and I rise and try again same thing stupid quarter squat and I come back up. I have safetys there I just have irrational fear of I dunno I guess I'll get over it .
Working sets of 76kg for 1/1/1/1/6* amrap lovely depth and drive on all them .
Just reinforces for me that I need to work on squat so much more in next block of training.

T2 Deficit Deadlift
5 sets of 4 at 120kg off 1.5 inch platform

These aren't easy but they aren't supposed to be I guess
Used straps for last 2 sets as hands where getting sweaty .

T2b T bar row
Find 8 rep max and 3 more mrs
50kg X 8/7/7/6 off 45 seconds

T2c Bulgarian split squats
I don't like doing these as max rep sets
15kg dumbells in each hand for 4 sets of 8 off 60 seconds
Legs burning like ....

T3a lateral raises
Find 16 rep max and 3 more mrs
I'm dead now and want finished.
Went with 7.5kg just made 16 then 8/6/5 for sets off 45 seconds.

Completed in an hour and 20 or so , I could of done more but I was flogging a dead horse . Have bench tomorrow so wanted to give upper body a rest too .

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

What happened on the squat has happened to all of us at some stage. Lots in the early days. It's a confidence thing because you're thinking if you go to depth you won't come back up so you cut it high even though you haven't consciously tried to.

It will come with time. And a positive mindset when the bar is on your back.

I was a bit annoyed but in hindsight you know you have to serve your time you can't expect to lift like people who have lifted for years . I was defeated as soon as I unracked the bar . But more generally I just don't have enough practice squatting been under the bar and failing . I will do loads more next block , it's good to have something to improve on otherwise life be boring . Thanks good to hear others suffered the fear also at some stage !