Liftin' weights & lacin' skates
Hello all, I am new to this forum and will be throwing my past year's collection of journal entries onto here for my own reference & historical purposes.
Age: 35 (36 in 3 weeks)
Height/weight: 5'10", 210bs.
bf%: good enough to see abs & serratus, quad heads, and separation everywhere, but definitely not ripped.
Nagging injuries: biceps tendinitis (golfer's elbow) - Causes me inability to grip at times, and over the years has kept me from doing much back work, all bicep work, etc. It still bothers me a little during my lifts but I've stuck to things I can get away with without much discomfort. Volume ends up bugging it though, so I keep bicep volume pretty low.
[B]Lifting history:
[/B]
Began at 19 or 20, 160lbs. Took forever to reach/pass 180lbs. Almost got to my main goal of 220lbs., but broke my forearm/wrist/hand. That set me back A LOT and lifting was never the same in that I didn't do any true powerlifting work anymore. I broke it unrelated to lifting, so it's not like I'm afraid, I was just beyond all the work to get back to it and all that...for a while.
I finally reached 220 (226-227 exactly) and then decided to get back into hockey. Being 70lbs. heavier and with 10 years off from playing, you can imagine how rough it was compared to what I was used to as a teen. I decided to change gears in my lifting so that it wouldn't hinder hockey and vice versa. Over time I dropped to 185 at my most extreme and that was at a time where the gym was no longer my main mistress. Hockey was it, but there was no way I was giving up lifting. I still NEEDED to lift, but it was more about being there, getting a pump, feeling great, and not about the numbers, seeing linear progression, weekly successes, etc. I tried, but I'd dial it back from what I was used to for sure.
I teetered around 190-195 for a while, then 195-200 for a while, then next thing I know I'm 210 again! I don't think it's affected me negatively in hockey, but who knows. I feel I should be able to be faster or more tireless at times, but maybe that's because I'm 35 now and was still in my 20s when I hit 225+. Doesn't help that I play against kids that are just entering their 20s, either! The fact that few of them can outplay me in any way is awesome. People think I'm 10 years younger.
[B]
Random thoughts:[/B]
Ex-serious lifter, play hockey upward of 3-4x per week at times, and still love to lift. I skip leg workouts at times due to hockey, since sore/fatigued legs make me half-useless on the ice, but I used to be all about powerlifting and non-competitive bodybuilding. Whatever happens these days happens, but I always try to kick ass in the gym.
For the curious, my all-time best lifts were many years ago and I rarely do 1RM work. Squat was 430+, dead was just short of 500, and bench was 345. For fun I've done 700+lb. rack pulls from just below the knee, 225+ BB military, I'm not sure what got into me in my 20s, but that stuff sure isn't happening these days! I did take half the year this year to re-acquaint myself with flat benching, something I had barely done in about a decade since I broke my forearm & wrist. That actually was the point when all my lifts were their best and I never recovered. Soon after that I got back into playing hockey and never stopped. I just kept playing more and more and working to find a way to keep lifting without having to let it run my life 24/7 anymore. I've got a happy medium, I'm all about linear progression, I rotate my lifting style and focus to achieve new goals, and my bench is back up to 315+. I probably can't hit that right now but I did a few months ago and shifted gears again. As I said, I don't stick to one thing entirely and don't burn myself out on one thing or always being a slave to the routine lest it burn me out mentally. I have far too much going on in my older age, so I want no more days ruined thanks to bad/missed efforts in the gym.
My split depends on my hockey schedule. Lately it's been back (with biceps, calves or abs, traps) / legs / chest (sometimes with triceps/delts) / triceps and delts if i can get them a bonus day of their own. I put a 2nd day of calves & abs on the other days as well. Trying to bulk up my abs, and my calves have always been my worst part as I'm mostly ecto. I have seen great progress with them this past year though, so I'm happy keeping it going without having to kill myself or put myself into tears like the old days.