Wednesday 27th February
50 for 8 x 2 sets
80 for 5 x 2 sets
100 for 5
120 for 5 x 5 sets
100 for 5
80 for 8
50 for 10
Shrugs - sets of 10 with 14, 16, 18, 20 plates.
Hypers - 4 sets of 12 and 1 set of 20.
That was really hard. I'm changing the programme now. I can't cope with that level of effort twice a week, and if I try to I'll just go backwards. Deadlifting isn't an exercise you can just keep hammering away at, and if you try the law of diminishing returns kicks in. So from now on it's one heavy session and one speed session each week.
The heavy session will be five threes one week, three fives the next. I'll do my speed work with something between 80 and 100 for ten sets of three. That training system's worked really well for me on bench press, and now that I've reached a base strength level it's time to give it a try. Perhaps it won't be as effective on deadlifts, but only by trying it out can I tell. Speed work is great for getting technique just right, as well as generating speed in the early phase of the movement, so it'll do me no harm. And I'll still be getting a heavy grinding session in once a week as well.
I'll be doing speed deads the day after heavy bench and heavy deads the Saturday after speed bench. See how that goes. One thing's for sure. It's bloody harder than benching! Not so much the lifting, but the recovery. When I bench heavy, it might take me a few seconds to get over the set. In deadlifting it can take minutes. On today's workout, I must have taken 6 or 7 minutes rest between heavy sets, and I needed every second.
It's getting close to the British Bench Press Championship, which this year is on 9th March in Solihull. I'll do a deadlift session next Wednesday, and that will be my last lifting session before the British Bench. With no deadlifting that weekend, I'll have a week's rest from deadlifting.
It'll be interesting to test out my 1RM after the rest...
Friday, 29 February 2008
Monday, 25 February 2008
The Work Goes On
Saturday 23rd February
60 for 5
80 for 5
100 for 5
120 for 4 x 5 sets
100 for 5
60 for 10
Hyperextensions - 5 sets of 12, no time for any more, gym closing time.
That little session took ages today - I probably took at least 5 minutes rest between sets. I think I'm getting close to the end of the silly improvements, based on how hard the 120s felt - but hey, I got them all. No overheads today. Simply not enough time today after queueing for ages thanks to roadworks on the Runcorn Bridge. On reflection, it's probably best to leave overheads now until after the British Bench, which is only a fortnight away.
My plan is to do five fives with 120 next session, then I'll try five threes with 130 the session after that. That might be a bit ambitious, in which case it'll be time to adjust my training methodology. I have a plan! When I hit my sticking point, I'll reduce my heavy sessions to once a week and introduce a speed session as well. The speed session will help me to develop dynamic power and the lighter weight will allow me to focus on getting the technique right.
Everyone's telling me that 185 in May will be no problem. It seems it's a given. I'm not so sure. I'm taking nothing for granted. I'll just have to see where the training takes me.
60 for 5
80 for 5
100 for 5
120 for 4 x 5 sets
100 for 5
60 for 10
Hyperextensions - 5 sets of 12, no time for any more, gym closing time.
That little session took ages today - I probably took at least 5 minutes rest between sets. I think I'm getting close to the end of the silly improvements, based on how hard the 120s felt - but hey, I got them all. No overheads today. Simply not enough time today after queueing for ages thanks to roadworks on the Runcorn Bridge. On reflection, it's probably best to leave overheads now until after the British Bench, which is only a fortnight away.
My plan is to do five fives with 120 next session, then I'll try five threes with 130 the session after that. That might be a bit ambitious, in which case it'll be time to adjust my training methodology. I have a plan! When I hit my sticking point, I'll reduce my heavy sessions to once a week and introduce a speed session as well. The speed session will help me to develop dynamic power and the lighter weight will allow me to focus on getting the technique right.
Everyone's telling me that 185 in May will be no problem. It seems it's a given. I'm not so sure. I'm taking nothing for granted. I'll just have to see where the training takes me.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Wednesday 20th February;
Deadlifts:
40 for 10
60 for 8
80 for 5
100 for 3
120 for 3 x four sets
140 for 1
150 for 1 (PB)
120 for 3
100 for 3
It's been a week since I trained deadlifts, but I have a good excuse! I missed last Saturday's scheduled session because I was competing in the BWLA North West Counties Raw Bench Press competition. And I did rather well. I exceeded my own British Over 50's record twice, finishing up with a bench press of 165 kilos (363.5 pounds).
In one of these quirks of fate, I didn't win the NW title. There was only one person out of the 28 competitors who lifted more than me, and he was in my weight class. Chris Edwards broke the British Over 40s record three times. I lifted more than all the 110s, the 125s and the 125+s. Not bad for a little 52 year old! Being the second strongest competitor out of 28 is quite an accomplishment.
The break from deadlifting seemed to do me no harm. It was the first time I had repped with 120, and although I had to work there was no question that I would get them. After four sets I decided to try a couple of singles and, to my pleasant surprise, I took my PB up to 150 (330 pounds).
That's a 50% improvement in five weeks.
I thought that was worth a paragraph all on its own! The 150 felt right at my limit. Normally the strain is on my lower back. On the 150 my hamstrings were fully engaged and it's inevitable that the progress will slow down now. After the 150, I still managed my fifth triple with 120.
My plan is just to plod along with the little system I've got. It seems to be working so far. When I hit a plateau, that'll be the time to re-evaluate my training, but until then, if it's not broken, don't fix it!
I had planned to do more down sets, but on my third rep with 100 I felt a little twinge in my back and I just left it there and walked away. The hard work had already been done and there was no point in risking injury. I had the sense to follow my own advise - 'Do what you would tell someone else to do'!
And so I lived to fight another day. Five sets of four with 120, here we come...
Oh, and my non-training on Sunday was nothing to do with excessive celebrations on the Saturday night. Sunday was the divisional BWLA AGM and by the time the meeting was over and we had planned for the year ahead over Sunday lunch it was gym closing time.
Deadlifts:
40 for 10
60 for 8
80 for 5
100 for 3
120 for 3 x four sets
140 for 1
150 for 1 (PB)
120 for 3
100 for 3
It's been a week since I trained deadlifts, but I have a good excuse! I missed last Saturday's scheduled session because I was competing in the BWLA North West Counties Raw Bench Press competition. And I did rather well. I exceeded my own British Over 50's record twice, finishing up with a bench press of 165 kilos (363.5 pounds).
In one of these quirks of fate, I didn't win the NW title. There was only one person out of the 28 competitors who lifted more than me, and he was in my weight class. Chris Edwards broke the British Over 40s record three times. I lifted more than all the 110s, the 125s and the 125+s. Not bad for a little 52 year old! Being the second strongest competitor out of 28 is quite an accomplishment.
The break from deadlifting seemed to do me no harm. It was the first time I had repped with 120, and although I had to work there was no question that I would get them. After four sets I decided to try a couple of singles and, to my pleasant surprise, I took my PB up to 150 (330 pounds).
That's a 50% improvement in five weeks.
I thought that was worth a paragraph all on its own! The 150 felt right at my limit. Normally the strain is on my lower back. On the 150 my hamstrings were fully engaged and it's inevitable that the progress will slow down now. After the 150, I still managed my fifth triple with 120.
My plan is just to plod along with the little system I've got. It seems to be working so far. When I hit a plateau, that'll be the time to re-evaluate my training, but until then, if it's not broken, don't fix it!
I had planned to do more down sets, but on my third rep with 100 I felt a little twinge in my back and I just left it there and walked away. The hard work had already been done and there was no point in risking injury. I had the sense to follow my own advise - 'Do what you would tell someone else to do'!
And so I lived to fight another day. Five sets of four with 120, here we come...
Oh, and my non-training on Sunday was nothing to do with excessive celebrations on the Saturday night. Sunday was the divisional BWLA AGM and by the time the meeting was over and we had planned for the year ahead over Sunday lunch it was gym closing time.
Friday, 15 February 2008
A Much, Much Better Day
Wednesday 13th February. Having worked up to five fives during the previous session, today was about finding my new 1RM. Could I get the 130 that was beyond me the last time I tried it?
50 for 5 x 2 sets
70 for 5 x 2 sets
90 for 3
100 for 1
120 for 1
130 for 1
140 for 1!!!
100 for 5
60 for 10.
I can't tell you how delighted I was with today's session. Sometimes I feel like going back and editing previous posts, but that's totally against the spirit of the exercise, which is to record my journey truthfully and accurately. Not just what I lift, but the emotions that go with it, the highs and lows. I'm totally enthused by what I did today, and delighted to have broken through the 300 pound barrier.
I started off exactly one month ago with a 1RM of 100, a qualifying target of 185, and a huge gulf of 85 kilos separating me from my target.
The 140 was easy! There was more there. When I say 'easy', lifting over 300 pounds is never easy. Lifters use the term easy to describe any lift that doesn't take us to our absolute limit, and the 140 wasn't.
In the previous post, I was harping on about how I might not get 185 in time. Today, I offer a completely different perspective. I have managed to complete half the journey in exactly one month. I have another three months to complete the other half, and if I was advising someone else I would tell them that the target will easily be achieved.
The next workout is planned to be five threes with 120, and when that is built up to five fives it will be time to test the 1RM again and, hopefully, break through the 150 barrier. The Sugden Classic lifting day is on 1st March, and that might be a good place to make my attempt on the 150. But before I can even think of that, it's back to the grind that is five heavy sets.
I won't be training on Saturday this week, because I'll be taking part in the North West Raw Bench Press Championships. I hope to get a new British Masters 2 record. Will I be in the gym on Sunday? Or will I go out and celebrate a record on Saturday night and give myself a day off? That one will have to be played by ear!
50 for 5 x 2 sets
70 for 5 x 2 sets
90 for 3
100 for 1
120 for 1
130 for 1
140 for 1!!!
100 for 5
60 for 10.
I can't tell you how delighted I was with today's session. Sometimes I feel like going back and editing previous posts, but that's totally against the spirit of the exercise, which is to record my journey truthfully and accurately. Not just what I lift, but the emotions that go with it, the highs and lows. I'm totally enthused by what I did today, and delighted to have broken through the 300 pound barrier.
I started off exactly one month ago with a 1RM of 100, a qualifying target of 185, and a huge gulf of 85 kilos separating me from my target.
The 140 was easy! There was more there. When I say 'easy', lifting over 300 pounds is never easy. Lifters use the term easy to describe any lift that doesn't take us to our absolute limit, and the 140 wasn't.
In the previous post, I was harping on about how I might not get 185 in time. Today, I offer a completely different perspective. I have managed to complete half the journey in exactly one month. I have another three months to complete the other half, and if I was advising someone else I would tell them that the target will easily be achieved.
The next workout is planned to be five threes with 120, and when that is built up to five fives it will be time to test the 1RM again and, hopefully, break through the 150 barrier. The Sugden Classic lifting day is on 1st March, and that might be a good place to make my attempt on the 150. But before I can even think of that, it's back to the grind that is five heavy sets.
I won't be training on Saturday this week, because I'll be taking part in the North West Raw Bench Press Championships. I hope to get a new British Masters 2 record. Will I be in the gym on Sunday? Or will I go out and celebrate a record on Saturday night and give myself a day off? That one will have to be played by ear!
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Catching Up
Saturday 9th February:
Deadlift
50 for 5 x 2 sets
70 for 5 x 2 sets
90 for 5
110 for 5 x 5 sets
90 for 5
70 for 8
Overhead Press
Bar for 10
30 for 8
40 for 5
50 for 3
60 for 1
65 for 1 (PB)
70 for 1 (PB)
60 for 3 x 3 sets
The deadlifts were a real grind today, but I got my five fives. My back felt under a bit more pressure than usual, even on the down sets. Oh well, no injury and I managed to do what I went in to do, which is always the main target. The overhead personal bests (pbs) were a bit of a misnomer, because I'd never tried singles before, but we've all got to start somewhere. 70 kilos felt right at the outer fringes of my capabilities and I thought I was going to topple backwards at one point. I'm still very inflexible at the starting position (wrists and, especially, shoulders) and that doesn't help. On the plus side, 60 kilos felt lighter than it did last week. I think the trick with these is to keep it around the 50/60 range for the time being - and get someone to stand behind me!
My next deadlift session will be Wednesday. Now that I've lifted five fives with 110 the weight on the bar goes up again, but before deciding what that weight will be I'll be finding my new 1RM and then going back to five threes, probably with 115.
At my current rate of progress, I suspect that the qualifier in May is going to come a little bit too soon for me. That's not negativity, just realism. If I can lift 130 on Wednesday, that leaves me 55 kilos short of the standard, and I'll have to improve at a rate of about 15 kilos a month. That might be asking a bit too much and invite injury.
I'll just plod on and see where my training takes me, and I'll enter the qualifier come what may. This was always going to be a long term project.
Since starting deadlifting, my back feels much stronger and healthier and my posture has improved. Another reason to keep at it, irrespective of the competitive side of things.
Wednesday 6th February:
I've just realised that my Wednesday lifts had been omitted. That might be something to do with the fact that it was my birthday! 52 years young, and getting younger and younger as each year goes by! At this rate, I reckon that by my 60th birthday they'll be asking me for ID when I try to buy a drink.
Very briefly, I did a thorough warm up, followed by five sets of four with 110 and a couple of down sets, then left for a slap up meal with the kids (their treat!).
There's dedication for you - not letting a birthday get in the way of the programme!
Deadlift
50 for 5 x 2 sets
70 for 5 x 2 sets
90 for 5
110 for 5 x 5 sets
90 for 5
70 for 8
Overhead Press
Bar for 10
30 for 8
40 for 5
50 for 3
60 for 1
65 for 1 (PB)
70 for 1 (PB)
60 for 3 x 3 sets
The deadlifts were a real grind today, but I got my five fives. My back felt under a bit more pressure than usual, even on the down sets. Oh well, no injury and I managed to do what I went in to do, which is always the main target. The overhead personal bests (pbs) were a bit of a misnomer, because I'd never tried singles before, but we've all got to start somewhere. 70 kilos felt right at the outer fringes of my capabilities and I thought I was going to topple backwards at one point. I'm still very inflexible at the starting position (wrists and, especially, shoulders) and that doesn't help. On the plus side, 60 kilos felt lighter than it did last week. I think the trick with these is to keep it around the 50/60 range for the time being - and get someone to stand behind me!
My next deadlift session will be Wednesday. Now that I've lifted five fives with 110 the weight on the bar goes up again, but before deciding what that weight will be I'll be finding my new 1RM and then going back to five threes, probably with 115.
At my current rate of progress, I suspect that the qualifier in May is going to come a little bit too soon for me. That's not negativity, just realism. If I can lift 130 on Wednesday, that leaves me 55 kilos short of the standard, and I'll have to improve at a rate of about 15 kilos a month. That might be asking a bit too much and invite injury.
I'll just plod on and see where my training takes me, and I'll enter the qualifier come what may. This was always going to be a long term project.
Since starting deadlifting, my back feels much stronger and healthier and my posture has improved. Another reason to keep at it, irrespective of the competitive side of things.
Wednesday 6th February:
I've just realised that my Wednesday lifts had been omitted. That might be something to do with the fact that it was my birthday! 52 years young, and getting younger and younger as each year goes by! At this rate, I reckon that by my 60th birthday they'll be asking me for ID when I try to buy a drink.
Very briefly, I did a thorough warm up, followed by five sets of four with 110 and a couple of down sets, then left for a slap up meal with the kids (their treat!).
There's dedication for you - not letting a birthday get in the way of the programme!
Monday, 4 February 2008
What A Difference A Week Makes!
After last Saturday's disaster, this Saturday's session was so much better. I did my overhead presses first:
20 for 10 reps x 2 sets
30 for 8 reps x 2 sets
40 for 5 reps x 2 sets
60 for 5 reps x 3 sets (that's a new personal best!)
50 for 8 reps.
Then I moved on to deadlifts and did the following:
50 for 8 reps x 2 sets
70 for 5 reps x 2 sets
90 for 3 reps x 2 sets
110 for 3 reps x 5 sets
90 for 5 reps
70 for 8 reps.
I was really pleased with that. My body is beginning to adapt to coping with heavier weights. Only three weeks ago I was rejoicing at lifting 100 kilos once. Here I am already doing five sets of three with 10 kilos more.
The big danger at this point is to get carried away with progress and try too much too soon. This whole process has to be structured, the only variation being if something feels just too easy. My next deadlifting session will be on my birthday (Wednesday), when I simply repeat Saturday's session but add one rep to each of my sets with 110. Then next Saturday I'll try for five sets of five, and once I can hit that I'll test my 1RM in the session after that to see how much it's improved. No silly straining, busting-a-gut stuff, just a test to see if I can pull 130 yet. If I can do five fives with a weight, lifting an extra 20 kilos for a single should be achievable.
I'm going to keep this writing format from now on. Numbers first, then words. So if the numbers mean nothing and you want to focus on the words, it should be easier. Likewise if you want to call in and see what I'm lifting without having to plough through the verbiage!
20 for 10 reps x 2 sets
30 for 8 reps x 2 sets
40 for 5 reps x 2 sets
60 for 5 reps x 3 sets (that's a new personal best!)
50 for 8 reps.
Then I moved on to deadlifts and did the following:
50 for 8 reps x 2 sets
70 for 5 reps x 2 sets
90 for 3 reps x 2 sets
110 for 3 reps x 5 sets
90 for 5 reps
70 for 8 reps.
I was really pleased with that. My body is beginning to adapt to coping with heavier weights. Only three weeks ago I was rejoicing at lifting 100 kilos once. Here I am already doing five sets of three with 10 kilos more.
The big danger at this point is to get carried away with progress and try too much too soon. This whole process has to be structured, the only variation being if something feels just too easy. My next deadlifting session will be on my birthday (Wednesday), when I simply repeat Saturday's session but add one rep to each of my sets with 110. Then next Saturday I'll try for five sets of five, and once I can hit that I'll test my 1RM in the session after that to see how much it's improved. No silly straining, busting-a-gut stuff, just a test to see if I can pull 130 yet. If I can do five fives with a weight, lifting an extra 20 kilos for a single should be achievable.
I'm going to keep this writing format from now on. Numbers first, then words. So if the numbers mean nothing and you want to focus on the words, it should be easier. Likewise if you want to call in and see what I'm lifting without having to plough through the verbiage!
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