Ordinary guy, lifting at 60

[ElrondHubbard]

I’ve had most of my strains and pains after going heavy. Probably because of bad form. Your method sounds good.

Truth be told, I’m only doing very high rep sets these weeks because my wife was out of town. No way I could indulge lifting over a span of two hours, even if doing other tasks in between. I’ll soon be back to doing two sets. <sigh>

Well, if that's the way you run wild when the wife's out of town, she's a lucky woman! When I'm unsupervised, I'm liable to do something really bad, like participate in an orgy.... of ice cream eating (Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie is sent to Earth by Satan himself), or to spend hours perusing rocket porn on the NasaSpaceflight forums. Your wife should count her blessings!

[HomeGymChains]

Well, if that's the way you run wild when the wife's out of town, she's a lucky woman! When I'm unsupervised, I'm liable to do something really bad, like participate in an orgy.... of ice cream eating (Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie is sent to Earth by Satan himself), or to spend hours perusing rocket porn on the NasaSpaceflight forums. Your wife should count her blessings!

VERY funny! Thanks for the laugh!
(Reps on spread.)

[HomeGymChains]

Monday February 25, 2019

Dumbbell bench press warmup 32.5 x 15

Bench press
140 x 2,2
170x3
190x2**
170 x5,7,7
120 x15,20

Practicing lift off from the rack
(since due to shaky lift off, at 190 I was feeling I was in trouble before even lowering the bar)
200 x1 x2 x7

Arm wrestling (cable inner rotations)
Each arm 10 x 10, 15 x 10
Right arm 20 x 5
Right arm static holds 25 x 5sec, 5sec

[MajorTendonitis]

Your certainly doing well imo . Was curious how heavy you used to bench press in your hay day?
I’ve been getting serious again , and my bench press goes up quite fast , which I mostly contribute to muscle memory .
I have a feeling I’m going to plateau quickly though . I’m 58 in April so I’m not far behind you

[HomeGymChains]

Thanks for the very kind words that you think I’m doing well! (Reps on spread.)

No muscle memory. This is actually all new territory for me.

I started lifting casually around age 20 and probably hit my peak around age 30. Not much of a peak though, since I was only lifting once or twice a month. (bench around 150, curl 100) I started lifting somewhat more consistently in my mid 50’s, but still benching only around 150 or 160. I was too nervous to push it because I didn’t have a good rack with safety arms.

You’ve probably heard this part of the story... The turning point was when I lost control and the bar ended up on my neck. Thankful to survive, I set up the safety chains above my bench. Now that I can bench without hesitation and push closer to failure, I’ve started making the kind of progress I wish I had done when younger.

[pastorpritch]

Wow! Glad you survived indeed. Scary
Good work in here, I don't say much but I am following. You are a great example, so thanks for posting!

[HomeGymChains]

Wow! Glad you survived indeed. Scary
Good work in here, I don't say much but I am following. You are a great example, so thanks for posting!

Thank you for your very kind words! (Reps on spread.). I am very blessed to be alive.

[HomeGymChains]

Update:

It’s been a very rough year with three deaths among close family members. It’s been an even tougher past few months with my son in and out of hospitals due to a persistent and serious medical problem.

I don’t have much control over my available workout time, so I have started doing a push-pull-legs split for flexibility. That gives me two independent workouts I can do at home, and then go to a commercial gym for leg day.

Best wishes to all until I can post more regularly. I appreciate your kind thoughts.

[HomeGymChains]

June 2019 updates...

I went for a body composition measurement. Compared to January 2018, I lost fat and gained lean body mass for an overall 3% drop in body fat.

I hit one million pounds lifted in my BodySpace online workout logs since I started recording there in October 2017. I aim to get the next million in less than a year.

Added stands in my home gym to let me do rack pulls. I always was nervous about re-injuring my lower back, so I usually avoided deadlifting. This gives me a lot more confidence so I’m easily doing heavier weights and more reps now.

I had goals to 1RM my body weight (235 lb) in four lifts by age 61. Succeeded in three of them three months ahead of schedule (squat, rack pull deadlift, and lat pulldown.

[HomeGymChains]

I have been using lighter weights with more reps and sets in order to work on improving my technique and bar path. That has been very effective, since for the past four weeks I’ve been able to consistently add five pounds or more per week to bench, squat, and deadlift while maintaining those sets and reps.

Last week had been a particularly good week with significant jumps for squat and bench, and a record week of 122,000 total pounds lifted.

Unfortunately, Friday evening after lifting, I had some visual disturbances of flashes around my peripheral vision. Since I am at a somewhat higher family risk for retinal detachment, it was a big concern. Fortunately, my ophthalmologist confirmed that it was just the much more benign “posterior vitreous detachment.” Still have to take a week off from lifting to let the separation process happen as slowly as possible for maximum safety of the retina.

After researching this, I’ve decided to NEVER again hold my breath during a lift (Valsava maneuver) as I did during the deadlifts on Friday. The consequences of that spike in blood pressure is just not worth the risks at age 60. I wish those risks had been better publicized before I went through this. I actually found quite a few threads when I searched for “retina detachment” from lifters who were a lot less lucky than me. Perhaps we need a “medical awareness” thread in the O35 forums?

Be careful out there!

[ElrondHubbard]

Wow, I've never heard of that one before! Hope everything works out well, HGC!

[pastorpritch]

wow, glad the "eye thing" wasn't worse ... thanks for the warning about holding the breath! I don't usually the whole time, but at the beginning of a big movement I do until halfway through the lift.

Awesome on focusing on the movement and bar path, you'll find that to help a great deal - so important

[HomeGymChains]

Thank you all for the kind wishes! (Sorry I can’t rep back, since I seem to be on spread with almost everyone.)

No recurrence of the eye problem. And should be fine going forward. (On my eye doctor’s advice, I did take about two weeks off from lifting, and then for my own peace of mind stayed with lower weights and practiced mindful breathing during lifts for the next two weeks.)

Before the eye problem, I had been doing several weeks of working with lighter weights but much higher total volume of reps and sets to improve my technique and bar path habits. I feel that really paid off. Tonight I hit a bench press 1RM that was 15 pounds higher than the personal record I hit in February.

Again, thank you for all your kind thoughts and encouragement!

[ElrondHubbard]

Thank you all for the kind wishes! (Sorry I can’t rep back, since I seem to be on spread with almost everyone.)

No recurrence of the eye problem. And should be fine going forward. (On my eye doctor’s advice, I did take about two weeks off from lifting, and then for my own peace of mind stayed with lower weights and practiced mindful breathing during lifts for the next two weeks.)

Before the eye problem, I had been doing several weeks of working with lighter weights but much higher total volume of reps and sets to improve my technique and bar path habits. I feel that really paid off. Tonight I hit a bench press 1RM that was 15 pounds higher than the personal record I hit in February.

Again, thank you for all your kind thoughts and encouragement!

Hey, now that's cool! Hard to give you advice, since you seem to be applying yourself quite intelligently to your program. Good to see you progress!

[Cantplankwell]

I have been using lighter weights with more reps and sets in order to work on improving my technique and bar path. That has been very effective, since for the past four weeks I’ve been able to consistently add five pounds or more per week to bench, squat, and deadlift while maintaining those sets and reps.

Last week had been a particularly good week with significant jumps for squat and bench, and a record week of 122,000 total pounds lifted.

Unfortunately, Friday evening after lifting, I had some visual disturbances of flashes around my peripheral vision. Since I am at a somewhat higher family risk for retinal detachment, it was a big concern. Fortunately, my ophthalmologist confirmed that it was just the much more benign “posterior vitreous detachment.” Still have to take a week off from lifting to let the separation process happen as slowly as possible for maximum safety of the retina.

After researching this, I’ve decided to NEVER again hold my breath during a lift (Valsava maneuver) as I did during the deadlifts on Friday. The consequences of that spike in blood pressure is just not worth the risks at age 60. I wish those risks had been better publicized before I went through this. I actually found quite a few threads when I searched for “retina detachment” from lifters who were a lot less lucky than me. Perhaps we need a “medical awareness” thread in the O35 forums?

Be careful out there!

I have done my research and I am wary of the Valsalva myself. Since I have some family history on the male side for heart problems I dont think its worth the risk either. I think holding your breath for a very short period of time is fine, I do this in the squat, you probably do it outside of the gym often without knowing it. I begin to breath out just out of the hole in a slow controlled manner, so I am kind of breathing. If this comprimises my bracing and form the weight is too heavy. I think the worst thing to be doing is straining in the bottom of a "slow" big lift like a squat or deadlift and forcibly breathing out against a closed airway for a couple of seconds. So this limits me to lifting to around 70% in the squat only adding weight or reps very occaisonally (I dont deadlift) there will be never be any 1 rm attempts ever. Glad you are aware of this.

[HomeGymChains]

Hey, now that's cool! Hard to give you advice, since you seem to be applying yourself quite intelligently to your program. Good to see you progress!

Thanks for the encouragement! I always enjoy hearing your wise advice, so please feel free to make suggestions anytime.

(I struggled for a long time with your praise about “applying myself intelligently.” I feel I am always tempted to get carried away and overtrain in some stupid way. I have to consciously remind myself of how long it took me to rehab past injuries and that I’m still nursing a few. For example, I think I’ve *finally* permanently convinced myself not to try to train for a powerlifting competition. Aside from starting so late in life, I have far too many responsibilities at home and work to be slowed down again by some back or knee injury. I have to always remind myself that even light and easy workouts (that would be scorned by the bb.com miscers) really help my physical and mental health, and put me way ahead of the pack of 60-year-olds.)

[HomeGymChains]

I have done my research and I am wary of the Valsalva myself. Since I have some family history on the male side for heart problems I dont think its worth the risk either. I think holding your breath for a very short period of time is fine, I do this in the squat, you probably do it outside of the gym often without knowing it. I begin to breath out just out of the hole in a slow controlled manner, so I am kind of breathing. If this comprimises my bracing and form the weight is too heavy. I think the worst thing to be doing is straining in the bottom of a "slow" big lift like a squat or deadlift and forcibly breathing out against a closed airway for a couple of seconds. So this limits me to lifting to around 70% in the squat only adding weight or reps very occaisonally (I dont deadlift) there will be never be any 1 rm attempts ever. Glad you are aware of this.

Thank you for the suggestions about Valsalva!

(I am trying hard to be smarter about my workouts. For example, I’ve managed to cut down my ego-lifting from every workout to a few times a year. I’ve resolved to NOT set any more 1RM goals.)

[GrouchyUSMC]

Subscribed with the new account. Glad to hear the eye issue was only a temporary setback!

[JohnButz]

Subbed in Brother! Thanks for the friendship.

[LWW]

After researching this, I’ve decided to NEVER again hold my breath during a lift (Valsava maneuver) as I did during the deadlifts on Friday. The consequences of that spike in blood pressure is just not worth the risks at age 60. I wish those risks had been better publicized before I went through this. I actually found quite a few threads when I searched for “retina detachment” from lifters who were a lot less lucky than me. Perhaps we need a “medical awareness” thread in the O35 forums?

Be careful out there!

Glad your ok, my lifting education comes from people who are of ages 60-90 (which at times I'm as mature as a 15 year old, and sometimes they are too), but they cautioned this type of thing and have also confirmed that breathing is very important.

......hopefully more folks are actually reading your posts and thinking about these things.

.....and I know one guy over 70 who decided to use creatine before lifting meets and ended up with a stroke, he said he lost vision while driving too the meet.

[HomeGymChains]

A bit of a milestone last night.

After the eye scare, I did a few weeks with lighter weights to practice my breathing habits (and had less time to lift than usual due to work issues). Last night was the first time I went up to my pre-eye-scare weight on deadlifts. So now bench, squat, and deadlift are all back on track.

Thanks again for all your encouragement!

[ElrondHubbard]

Nice to hear! Just keep the form good, and keep the breathing good, and you'll make it! (I have to keep telling myself that, too!)

[JohnButz]

Good to hear!

[HomeGymChains]

For those of you who remember that I could have died when I dropped a bar onto my neck during a failed bench press... I am still a novice and an old fart, but nowadays I am repping weights that almost killed me a couple of years ago. (Take that, cosmos!)

Today’s bench workout had a few reps-PRs:
135x15
155x20
170x16
185x12
200x5

(And the BodySpace calculator predicts my 1RM as 328 pounds. Who the heck wrote that thing?)

Seriously though, I am just happy to be alive and healthy enough to work out.

[JohnButz]

For those of you who remember that I could have died when I dropped a bar onto my neck during a failed bench press... I am still a novice and an old fart, but nowadays I am repping weights that almost killed me a couple of years ago. (Take that, cosmos!)

Today’s bench workout had a few reps-PRs:
135x15
155x20
170x16
185x12
200x5

(And the BodySpace calculator predicts my 1RM as 328 pounds. Who the heck wrote that thing?)

Seriously though, I am just happy to be alive and healthy enough to work out.

Great job! Those are some excellent reps with challenging loads. That 170 for 16 probably glitched the algorithm.

[MajorTendonitis]

Glad to hear your eye issue turned out ok. I am almost blind in one eye from a virus, so I always think about retinal detachment.
I have to remember your comment about breathing properly . I’ve never been a fan of old age . Unfortunately I don’t like the alternative

[ElrondHubbard]

For those of you who remember that I could have died when I dropped a bar onto my neck during a failed bench press... I am still a novice and an old fart, but nowadays I am repping weights that almost killed me a couple of years ago. (Take that, cosmos!)

Today’s bench workout had a few reps-PRs:
135x15
155x20
170x16
185x12
200x5

(And the BodySpace calculator predicts my 1RM as 328 pounds. Who the heck wrote that thing?)

Seriously though, I am just happy to be alive and healthy enough to work out.

Very, very nice! Those are great numbers all around. And I hope you're using safety pins for that bench press now!

[HomeGymChains]

Very, very nice! Those are great numbers all around. And I hope you're using safety pins for that bench press now!

Thanks for the very nice comment!

And yes, I am still using my system of safety chains attached to a ceiling beam. (I was too cheap to buy a decent rack or safety cage, and I wouldn’t have had enough space to put it.)

[ElrondHubbard]

Thanks for the very nice comment!

And yes, I am still using my system of safety chains attached to a ceiling beam. (I was too cheap to buy a decent rack or safety cage, and I wouldn’t have had enough space to put it.)

Thus, the moniker... Yikes, I had forgotten. I remember those pics now, quite resourceful!

[GrouchyUSMC]

Some solid benching, especially at those higher reps.