A Hebridean Diary
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| Martin1956 |  | ... | 04-11-2019 @ 18:37 |
 Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Never take a backward step, the unwise advise. Talk to a fighter. They'll go backward, forwards, sideways, up and down to achieve their goals. And so, sometimes, do us folks who lift things for pleasure. I've lost my mojo. I hope it comes back soon, but that inner energy, that belief that the bar can be lifted whatever weight it carries, has temporarily gone. So today I opted for a backward step, rather than let failure punch me on the nose and deflate me further. Bench Usual warm up to 100 for 2 120 for 1 140 for 1 130 for 3 127.5 for 3 125 for 3 112.5 for 3 120 for 3 Finish. It's all that was there today, and it was better than getting punched on the nose by 145. The days of being a film star hurt, and I suspect the flu jab played a part, so we start building again from a starting point of 140. Onwards and upwards, with the occasional sideways feint. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 05-11-2019 @ 20:58 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | I didn't start until 7.30. I can't recall a later start for many years. Fatigued before I started, but I chose to walk the dogs early afternoon because they didn't get a walk yesterday. On other days I might just have passed, but I didn't get a chance to train back and rear delts last week and I didn't want one week to turn into two, or longer... Seated Rows, Wide Grip - 75 for 15 x 3 sets Lat Pulldowns - 55 for 15 x 3 sets Band Work Y Pulls for 20 x 3 sets T Pulls, Palms In for 20 x 3 sets T Pulls, Palms Out for 20 x 3 sets W Pulls for 20 x 3 sets Shoulder Horn 7.5s for 15 x 2 sets 7.5s for 20 Finish. Knackered, hungry, but glad I got it done. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 07-11-2019 @ 15:43 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Still feeling yuck, but if I wait until I'm 100% I may never train again! Decided to try something different - max width (index finger) grip. I've been on third finger grip since before I can remember. Maybe I was just looking for an excuse when I failed? Bench Usual warm up to 100 for 2 120 for 1 140 for 1 110 for 10 110 for 9 110 for 8 110 for 7 110 for 6 Finish. I wanted to give up several times. After the 10, after rep 6 on the 9 set. after the 9 set (I actually walked out of the garage, gave myself a good talking to, and went back in), and after the 8 set. But I plodded on with generous rests between sets and hit every rep. Chuffed with today's work, it was a real battle throughout, in ways that mere words can't convey. Some assistance was part of the plan, but I struggled to unload the bar so finally gave in after bench was done. | ||
| Billytheold | | ... | 07-11-2019 @ 17:34 |
 Sugdens crazy old person. Member 4936, 7288 posts SQ 270, BP 155, DL 270695.0 kgs @ 100kgs UnEq | Had to go to Agway to get hay for the goat. Spine and quad just pounding. Cold and rainy here. I sure wish I could of benched with you. It would be so cool to have a neighbor to meet once x week for benching. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 08-11-2019 @ 11:21 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Billytheold said:Had to go to Agway to get hay for the goat. Spine and quad just pounding. Cold and rainy here. I sure wish I could of benched with you. It would be so cool to have a neighbor to meet once x week for benching. Yeah, that would be cool for sure! Two oldies raging against the dying of the light. Pec cramps last night (People thought I was having a heart attack) and major doms today. Amazing what changing your grip by two finger widths does! | ||
| jt | | ... | 08-11-2019 @ 20:10 |
 old age traveller Member 332, 7866 posts | Martin1956 said: Yeah, that would be cool for sure! Two oldies raging against the dying of the light. Pec cramps last night (People thought I was having a heart attack) and major doms today. Amazing what changing your grip by two finger widths does! I am also a 3rd finger(ring) guy, widest is better for reps I find. | ||
| Billytheold |  | ... | 08-11-2019 @ 21:37 |
Sugdens crazy old person. Member 4936, 7288 posts SQ 270, BP 155, DL 270695.0 kgs @ 100kgs UnEq | It takes a little time to not cramp up when I first start benching. I feel so much aligned when I finish. When I awaken it’s as if something power slammed me off the concrete. The temperature dropped here now. Training keeps us alive and circulating | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 09-11-2019 @ 22:19 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | jt said: I am also a 3rd finger(ring) guy, widest is better for reps I find. I was always an index finger gripper, but the narrower grip protects the shoulder so I've done that for a couple of years now. Also, the wider grip hurts the forearm more, but I need to redevelop the wide grip before I go equipped again.  | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 11-11-2019 @ 20:52 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Post Edited: 11.11.2019 @ 20:53 PM by Martin1956 People often ask me why I compete, and, more recently, why I still compete at my age. It's not for the glory or the plastic trophy, it's to give me something to train for. Because if I didn't compete, I wouldn't train on days like this, and missed sessions would turn into missed weeks and before you know it I wouldn't be doing it any more. And I'm not yet prepared to give up what I've spent over half my life developing. And I know I'm healthier for training, especially with the intensity I do, than I would be if I didn't.So, in spite of feeling under the weather, in spite of the cold and the damp, in spite of the comfort of my lounger, I dragged myself to the garage a little after 7. It's the latest I've trained for a long, long time, but I had to wait because I wasn't up to it at my normal training time. I may revert to evening training more regularly in order to make better use of the daylight on dry days, so it's good to know I can still train later, even after a power nap. Bench (Third Finger Grip) Usual warm up to 100 for 2 120 for 1 140 for 1 122.5 for 5 120 for 5 117.5 for 5 115 for 5 112.5 for 5 Finish. A slight step backwards - my recent best 5 is 125 - but just enough to get the sets done and I'll be back at 125 in two weeks time. Every fifth rep was on my limit, except the 115 set, for some reason. Now to eat... | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 13-11-2019 @ 22:38 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | A break from the norm today. After a two hour dog walk in glorious sunshine (I think I got a slight tan) and a chill in the chair for another couple of hours, to the garage. Seated Row, Wide Grip 75 for 10 75 for 12 75 for 14 75 for 16 75 for 18 75 for 20 Feeling the burn by the time I finished. Shoulder Horn 7.5s for 15 x 4 sets 7.5 for 20 More burn!! Then to the sports centre Cross Trainer 10 minutes. Thought it would never end. Knee hurt less at the end than at the start, lungs were fine, it was just the boredom. But I need to do more of this, especially when I'm not golfing. Lat Pulldown 40 for 10 45 for 9 50 for 8 55 for 7 60 for 6 65 for 5 60 for 6 55 for 7 50 for 8 45 for 9 40 for 20 - yes, 20. Seated Rowing Machine* 35 for 10 60 for 8 x 2 sets 50 for 10 x 2 sets Then Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. *It was a strange machine, with handles and cables and two separate stacks to allow one arm rows and lots of other esoteric stuff. It had far more resistance for the weight than my own seated row machine, so the difficulty of 60 took me by surprise. Mind you, I'd done seated rows earlier I suppose. It was also strange training in a gym other than my garage. Not sure if I could ever adjust to training in a gym again, but I want to keep going on the cross trainer. Also not sure I can get used to small people with proportionally large upper arms doing lots of isolation exercises. Each to their own, I suppose... Back to 'normal' tomorrow - volume bench with a wide grip, in my own gaff. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 15-11-2019 @ 17:17 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | I didn't train yesterday. I have something akin to sleeping sickness and I couldn't rouse myself from my chair. Much the same today, but I forced myself to the garage a little after 4. Bench, Index Finger Grip Usual warm up to 100 for 2 120 for 2 140 for 1 112.5 for 10 Finish. The plan was to do the same weight for 9,8,7,6 as usual on my volume day, but when I unracked the bar for the 9 set it was clear that I hadn't recovered from the 10 set and had very little left. So I just put it back and left it there. I've also left the lights on in the garage. I beat the tumble dryer today and need to go back and empty it later, and if I perk up in the evening, as I've been doing most evenings, then perhaps I can do some assistance work. Good news - 140 still there and I equalled my M3 10s pb. Bad news - no energy to finish my workout. Not sure which one takes precedence in my mind. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 18-11-2019 @ 21:42 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Dentist in the morning, then a lunchtime breakfast, a long walk with the dogs in the afternoon, taking advantage of another beautiful day, home just after 4, ate early, power napped for an hour, came round gradually, took my supps, watched a bit of Counting Cars and finally hit the garage shortly before 8. A bit late, but the alternative was wasting daylight hours in the garage and the dogs going without a walk. Bench - Third Finger Grip Usual warm up to 100 for 2 120 for 2 140 for 1 132.5 for 2 130 for 2 127.5 for 2 125 for 3 122.5 for 3 Finish. Supposedly 3s. But I least I did all my sets... Actually felt better today than I have in weeks, no excuses today, just weak I guess. Doing a bit of self analysis, I'm strong off the chest and weak/slow at lockout. All the second/third reps flew off the chest and stalled just over half way up. This seems to have coincided with me getting my bench in at all costs when feeling lousy, but neglecting assistance work on my arms. Hardly a coincidence that I'm weaker at lockout when I'm not training my arms enough. So tomorrow's session will start with arms, and if that depletes me too much I'll just do band work for my back. Only a week and a half before I head for Lithuania. I know I'm not going to get the opportunity to train while I'm there, so I plan to put some bands in my case and use them to try and keep everything ticking over. Just hoping I don't go backwards too much while I'm away. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 19-11-2019 @ 22:32 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Trained 8.30 to 10. Latest I can remember in years, but to make the best use of the daylight hours this may be the way forward in good weather. Also stops me slouching in my chair grazing every evening, so may also do my waistline good. I've neglected the arms in recent weeks, and my bench lockout is suffering as a result, so all about the arms tonight, with some balancing work thrown in. Dumbbell Arm Curls 20s for 10 x 5 sets EZ Bar Curls (the bar weighs 8 kilos, hence the 'strange' numbers) 13 for 10 18 for 10 23 for 10 28 for 10 33 for 10 x 3 sets 28 for 15 23 for 20 Shoulder Horn 7.5s for 15 x 4 sets 7.5s for 20 Band Work Y Pulls for 20 x 3 sets T Pulls for 20 x 3 sets Finish. Gunz pumped. Call of nature dragged me in before I'd done W Pulls, but did what I needed to do. I was very circumspect on the EZ Bar. Last time I tried it, the trapped nerve hurt too much to let me do the movement at all. There was no pain tonight, so very good news on the injury front. Rest day tomorrow. Volume bench Thursday. | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 22-11-2019 @ 21:53 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Training was preceded by a two hour dogs walk, the requisite two hour chair slump and one hour power nap afterwards, and the following hour coming to again and preparing to train. My plans were changed by the realisation that the leaders' QT started at 7, so I watched the first two in the house and the last two in the garage while I trained. Bench - Index Finger Grip Usual warm up to 100 for 2. Everything felt heavy. 120 for 2. Felt so heavy I checked I hadn't loaded to 140 by mistake 140 for 1. Phew. 115 for 8 115 for 7 115 for 6 115 for 6 115 for 6 Finish. Not the numbers I had hoped for. I wanted 10 on the first set but it simply wasn't there. I thought it was after 6, but strength/energy went suddenly. Not as disappointed as I probably should be. Ground out as many reps as I reasonably could on the night, and the session certainly won't make me any weaker. Weirdly chuffed that I kept going, when I couldn't last volume session. I'm going to start preparing for equipped lifting in my last two sessions before I head off - thin blue band on Sunday, red band on Tuesday. The variety should help. It'll be interesting to see where my singles are with each of the bands. Then, come December, the joys of touching in a shirt. It's been a long, long time... | ||
| Martin1956 | | ... | 24-11-2019 @ 19:55 |
Old Age Presser Member 75, 7739 posts SQ 0, BP 200, DL 200400.0 kgs @ 105kgs Eq | Didn't train until after 6, after a quite depressing afternoon. But needs must and I need to get two band sessions in before I have my two week break. Bench - Third Finger Grip Bar for 10 Thin blue band on 40 for 6 60 for 4 80 for 2 100 for 1 120 for 1 130 for 1 - that's pretty much my limit today 100 for 5 x 3 sets Finish Tired before I started, arm hurt throughout the session, biggest plus was that I kept going. Tomorrow will be a better day. Red band Tuesday... | ||
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