Did you guys train yesterday or today?

[Karl_Hungus]

Appreciate the perspective and the thought that you came out on the other side. That definitely helps!

Hope you have a great New Year!

You as well!

Wouldn’t you want to switch your goal to be the healthiest, strongest and the most youthful old person? Like using training and nutrition to stay in remarkable shape and to be able to be old person with no aches and pains, and someone who can keep up with your grandkids even at 80 and 90?

Most Americans are not anywhere close to that goal. Wouldn’t that motivate you?

This actually does motivate me. I'm not lifting the same weight I did 10-12 years ago, but still out lifting the vast majority of those half my age. I want to be the 70-year old who out lifts all of the 25-year olds

Possibly the most honest post in the history of mankind, let alone on BB.com.

I feel privileged to be the only white man to post this.

You are a credit to white people everywhere Mark....and I'm not just saying that!

The reason for the name cross trainer Ben is because when you get tired of moving weights, you need another temporary challenge.

Just realized after all of these years that I had misunderstood your username . I always thought it meant you were a former trainer...e.g. ex-trainer Ben. My whole world has just come crashing down.

[x-trainer ben]

Karl, it was a safe assumption.
I was a lurker for 3 years in 2002 before joining because it was the fastest way to see who won Mr.O, here, this place
Then when 2005 came and it asked for a username, i thought what describes me, and cross training was a thing, thus the name.

[LWW]

I certainly understand not being motivated to “bodybuilding” eg sets and sets and sets and all the eating it takes to be a bodybuilder.

But I don’t understand loosing motivation to not do something with weights especially being over 40.

I never stopped doing things with weights even though there were a few years I only lifted once a week and in my mid 30s I lifted at times once or twice a month. I always did a squat or dead lift.

Weight training itself reverses the old age issues we all face after age 40.

I’ll always lift, but right now I have no issues admitting that my motivation to bodybuilding right now is mostly vainity and I used be so against that. Yup my drive is coming from filling out the shirt in public. I cutoff the sleeves of my old flannel shirts, gonna sport them soon! I’m doing other custom cuts on some of my old Ts too.

[OldFartTom]

Thanks for the feedback. The thing is in real life, I dont know anyone who is my age and been at this as long as I have. The pyramid gets small. For me ... ... ... New Year!

Thought about this for a while, want to reply with something sincere and sympathetic, but it's kind of hard as I've not trained near your level so it'll probably sound lame if I try to remind you to enjoy the journey or try to reconnect to what you originally enjoyed about lifting. It'd be genuinely well meant, but sound lame.

So instead I'll do the exact reverse and say "stop bitching like a princess and get back in the gym"

Hope that helps in some way

[x-trainer ben]

Thought about this for a while, want to reply with something sincere and sympathetic, but it's kind of hard as I've not trained near your level so it'll probably sound lame if I try to remind you to enjoy the journey or try to reconnect to what you originally enjoyed about lifting. It'd be genuinely well meant, but sound lame.

So instead I'll do the exact reverse and say "stop bitching like a princess and get back in the gym"

Hope that helps in some way

Solid words but his kid is embarking on a race car team journey, so he is a bit distracted.
As my friends with kids say, it is no longer about you....it is about them, which makes sense.

I hope you heal fast and test negative.
Everyone in my area, DC, is testing positive now.

[OldFartTom]

Solid words but his kid is embarking on a race car team journey, so he is a bit distracted.
As my friends with kids say, it is no longer about you....it is about them, which makes sense.

I hope you heal fast and test negative.
Everyone in my area, DC, is testing positive now.

Thanks, I must be a trend setter and early adopter
Just inconvenient, I have a really bad cold, slight headache and feel slightly tired. I'm not suffering worse than a bad cold, but aware not to pass to others as some people (asthma, old age, or just real unlucky) get a weird reaction to COVID

[induced_drag]

Thought about this for a while, want to reply with something sincere and sympathetic, but it's kind of hard as I've not trained near your level so it'll probably sound lame if I try to remind you to enjoy the journey or try to reconnect to what you originally enjoyed about lifting. It'd be genuinely well meant, but sound lame.

So instead I'll do the exact reverse and say "stop bitching like a princess and get back in the gym"

Hope that helps in some way

Ha! And so true in many ways. In fact, that sounds a lot like my inner dialogue for some time. I refuse to quit but just want to find a place where I can enjoy this like I once did. That is the challenge for me. Being competitive with myself to a fault, my motivation was always to try to be better than the day before. Unfortunately, I have passed the point where that is no longer possible.

Simply "looking good" or feeling good has never never factored much into my motivation overall. But yes.....I have no choice but to change. My choices are quit....of SFTU and keep going. Finding the 'joy' in that is what I seek.

I would imagine quite a few have been through this. But what scares me a little is to observe the majority of people who trained to a very high level often just 'quit' one day. Even in the upper end of the game, very few go on to maintain even fractions of their level of fitness.

[Cantplankwell]

My gym schedule sequence is out of whack because of the gym being closed 25, 26 and 31.

Went Tuesday evening, and it was stupid busy...then died within 15 minutes.
Yesterday Concept 2 rowing session at home (glorious)
Next visit Tomorrow nite after work.

Uni/College and high schools are still, and being a government town lots of those slackers are still off.....so that has been a factor as well as "resolutioners". Tomorrow should be interesting, or not.

Cant wait till March and back to early mornings. Cant do early mornings in the winter. Blah

[weiss1967]

I'm not lifting the same weight I did 10-12 years ago, but still out lifting the vast majority of those half my age. I want to be the 70-year old who...

There is no excuse, unless you were on gear 10-12 years ago. At 52, you can beat your own self 10 years ago.

Ask me how I know

[x-trainer ben]

Never tried gear, i am curious about trt but it wouldn't be for mass....it would be for the other listed health benefits.

[Mark1T]

Never tried gear, i am curious about trt but it wouldn't be for mass....it would be for the other listed health benefits.

Benny, I would subscribe to your thread if you went on a couple hard cycles

[LWW]

There is no excuse, unless you were on gear 10-12 years ago. At 52, you can beat your own self 10 years ago.

Ask me how I know

Karl was a hefty horse 10 years ago.

I bet he wore flannel custom cut vests?

[mtpockets]

There is no excuse, unless you were on gear 10-12 years ago. At 52, you can beat your own self 10 years ago.

Ask me how I know

Karl simply said that he wasn't lifting the same weight that he did 10 - 12 years ago...

This could be for many reasons not necessarily that he can't.


At 50 I stopped going heavy, I probably had some good heavy years ahead of me, it was just a personal decision. Chasing numbers was something I decided not to do any longer, my goals changed.

[LWW]

I bet he wore flannel custom cut vests?

Does / did anyone wear sleeveless flannel shirts?

I like the 90s era of lifting. I’m gonna order a fanny pack too to keep all the protein bars in it. I’m thinking on Saturdays when I go to the gym, I’ll buy a box of nature fig bars and the goal will be to eat the box during the workout!!!

[Kylehero]

Yes

[mtpockets]

Does / did anyone wear sleeveless flannel shirts?

Nope, I wear Flannel almost every day for 8 - 9 months a year for practical reasons, not into the trendy or fashion statement bullsh!t, I'll leave that for the kids on Tik Tac.

[friesbruh]

if by train you mean cawk-stretch then yes, yes i did

[Mark1T]

Added Farmer's Walk today. Did 3 sets of 3 minutes each with 35lb DBs. They are more challenging than expected.

[Karl_Hungus]

Karl simply said that he wasn't lifting the same weight that he did 10 - 12 years ago...

This could be for many reasons not necessarily that he can't.

^^This. I used to train for maximal strength which means I had to carry around a lot of bodyweight in order to hit the numbers I wanted. I am no longer interested in weighing 255-260 lbs just so I can get my bench back into the 400+ range. It was also really starting to beat up my body...so my goals have shifted. These days I am more interested in being a bit leaner and having a better balance of strength and cardio conditioning.

[TimKridel]

^^This. I used to train for maximal strength which means I had to carry around a lot of bodyweight in order to hit the numbers I wanted. I am no longer interested in weighing 255-260 lbs just so I can get my bench back into the 400+ range. It was also really starting to beat up my body...so my goals have shifted. These days I am more interested in being a bit leaner and having a better balance of strength and cardio conditioning.

Same here.

[LWW]

Nope, I wear Flannel almost every day for 8 - 9 months a year for practical reasons, not into the trendy or fashion statement bullsh!t, I'll leave that for the kids on Tik Tac.

Most of my flannel shirts are from 5+ years ago or longer. When I had a gut, they were getting tight around the mid section. Now they are getting tight around the arms, which had me thinking to just cut the sleeves. That reminded me of the 1990s bodybuilder days.

I’ve never personally seen anyone wear one, expect an older lifter/biker guy. He was a huge bber in the 90s.

I’ll be wearing them.

[bustasinclair]

^^This. I used to train for maximal strength which means I had to carry around a lot of bodyweight in order to hit the numbers I wanted. I am no longer interested in weighing 255-260 lbs just so I can get my bench back into the 400+ range. It was also really starting to beat up my body...so my goals have shifted. These days I am more interested in being a bit leaner and having a better balance of strength and cardio conditioning.

Cosigned. I'll never beat my 525# squat because I don't do barbell squats anymore. I'll never beat my 375# bench press because I don't do flat barbell bench press anymore due to my torn and surgically repaired pectoral. Now, I suppose I could beat my 615# deadlift, but I'm not sure I really want to pursue that goal. In my 30's and 40's I loved to chase numbers, but now I'm more interested in cardio conditioning for my heart issues and like you said, a good balance of strength and conditioning.

[x-trainer ben]

Does / did anyone wear sleeveless flannel shirts?

I like the 90s era of lifting. I’m gonna order a fanny pack too to keep all the protein bars in it. I’m thinking on Saturdays when I go to the gym, I’ll buy a box of nature fig bars and the goal will be to eat the box during the workout!!!

i never stopped using a fanny pack, too many gym break ins so phone/keys/wallet are always with me and pockets in gym pants are useless.
the new ones are cool like this for example.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PR3R596...WxfdGhlbWF0aWM

[x-trainer ben]

Cosigned. I'll never beat my 525# squat because I don't do barbell squats anymore. I'll never beat my 375# bench press because I don't do flat barbell bench press anymore due to my torn and surgically repaired pectoral. Now, I suppose I could beat my 615# deadlift, but I'm not sure I really want to pursue that goal. In my 30's and 40's I loved to chase numbers, but now I'm more interested in cardio conditioning for my heart issues and like you said, a good balance of strength and conditioning.

Let me guess enlarged left side of the heart from decades of lifting?

[weiss1967]

I understand. It IS an old farts thread.

Well, enjoy your progress-less lifting, big boys, and keep telling stories. About priorities change, and how big you were.

It is sane, very sane.

[mtpockets]

I understand. It IS an old farts thread.

Well, enjoy your progress-less lifting, big boys, and keep telling stories. About priorities change, and how big you were.

It is sane, very sane.

[bustasinclair]

I understand. It IS an old farts thread.

Well, enjoy your progress-less lifting, big boys, and keep telling stories. About priorities change, and how big you were.

It is sane, very sane.

Well, $hittt man, so sorry our goals do not align with yours. Feel free to tell us about how you're smashing PR's in your 50's.

[GrouchyUSMC]

I trained Monday through Friday this week so far, hoping to get something in today once we finish a lot of cleaning and storing at the house. I have a bunch of gear at home that lets me train and a work gym that has at least dumbbells and a pull up bar.

Most of my training lately is two days of strength work (heavy sandbags, kettlebells, weighted backpacks for calisthenics), two days of load bearing work (e.g. ruck marching), and two days of running.

We may end up getting a squat rack at work which would be good to try, but with two herniated discs most of my barbell days are behind me it's starting to look like.

[bustasinclair]

Let me guess enlarged left side of the heart from decades of lifting?

No, my heart size and shape are fine, I have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

I scored 19 METS on my stress test (3 points below elite athlete), so my heart is healthy, but I have to be careful with elevated heart rates.

[LWW]

Well, $hittt man, so sorry our goals do not align with yours. Feel free to tell us about how you're smashing PR's in your 50's.

With my help and encouragement Weiss will certainly do this!