Old Growler's Place

[RdC]

Hi everyone. I'm a 66 year old, retired vet trying to regain and maintain some degree of fitness. When I retired from the military 20 years ago, I was very much in shape, but over the years I allowed myself to become lazy, undisciplined and overweight. So, seven years ago I cleaned up my act by putting down the cigarettes and alcohol. More recently I started going to a gym to begin getting back in shape. I started in the weight machine room, then advanced to the free weight room. It was there that I found out you could seriously hurt yourself with barbells and weights if you don't know what you're doing. After experiencing all the gym shenanigans, including having to use a bench or rack with no safeties and distracted spotters, I purchased a power rack, barbells, weights and bench and set up my own gym, in the garage of our new home. I'm loving it. For the record, I lurked at the other site, but never posted. I enjoyed reading your logs and learned a lot from them. They inspired and motivated me, so – thank you!
Now I will try to post my log:

Me:
Male, 66 years old
5' 11”
242.6 lbs

I married my elementary school crush in 2013.

Trying Bb Training again-July 2017-garage gym tested 1RM (form/technique felt bad--I need to figure out how to take video with my old nikon cool pix camera):
SQ: 155 lbs
DL: 185 lbs
BP: 135 lbs
PR: 85 lbs

Goals-July 2019: I will probably garage gym test these when the time comes and I will leave reps, blank until then.
BW to 205 lbs
SQ: 315 lbs
DL: 365 lbs
BP: 260 lbs
PR: 185 lbs
(I have no method in determining these weights, I just figure by being consistent and adding a little weight to the bar over the time and assuming my health and body holds up. It should be doable, I think.)
I not sure yet if I'll post every day but I will try to update my log a least a couple times a week.

[RdC]

(WxRxS)
Bench 177.5x5x3 @ 8.5,9, 8.5
Back-Off 170x5x2 @ 8,8
CGBP: 170x8x2 @9, 9.5
Light Press: 115x5x3 @8.5,8.5, 8
Bb Curl: 72.5x8x2 @8,8
LTE: 72x5x8x2 @8,8

My first attempt at judging RPE's--accuracy not guaranteed.
Bench: Need to stay tight, push chest up, speed up descent.
CGBP: Index fingers next to smooth. Wobbly did not touch my sternum at the same place on each rep. Ugly.
Press: Must keep body locked and tight, chest up, breathe.

[RdC]

Nice day today. I spent most of the day trying to sell my cargo trailer that I used to store my Harley Road King and Dyna (already sold the bikes and had no use for the trailer.) Anyway, I hope before I hit the sack I have money in hand and the trailer gone.

Another early AM session in the garage:

LB SQUAT
200x5x3 @ 8.5, 8, 8
190x5x2@ 8.5,8.5

I don't have a coach and probably couldn't afford one. So with each exercise I go with feel. Today with the squat: I need to stay mid-foot and drive the hips straight up (I felt during the ascent on some reps that I was getting on my toes and on a couple reps my ass wanted to shift back before driving up. Must fix both flaws.)

LIGHT DL (Conventional
215x5 @ 8
205x5 @ 7.5

I lifted in DL slippers today. I like these better than weightlifting shoes or barefoot. I spent the past 10 days using 135# trying to get my form fixed. I like to look down. I like to squat the weight up. Today, I know I dropped my hips a tad when I sat back, but it sure felt better than any DL before today. I will continue to practice every day until I figure this lift out.

MG Bar Row
150x8x2

Db Row (Long Handle Bar)
60x8x2

I'm trying My Fitness Pal to track my macros.

[cgeorg]

Video is helpful on all lifts but so very helpful on deadlift. If you can video your sets and watch in between, you can get yourself good near-realtime feedback.

Also welcome!

[cwd]

Welcome aboard!

[RdC]

Video is helpful on all lifts but so very helpful on deadlift. If you can video your sets and watch in between, you can get yourself good near-realtime feedback.

Also welcome!

Thanks! I think I'm actually going to try that.

[RdC]

Welcome aboard!

Thanks!

[RdC]

WeightxRepsxSets

Press
135x5x3 @ 8.5, 9, 9.5
130x5x2 @8.5, 9.5

I took videos...from warmups to the final work set...it looks like I'm doing a standing seated press.

Light Bench
175x5x3 @ 8, 8, 8.5

CGBP
175x8x2 @9.75, 9.75 only because last rep on each set barely made it to lock out.

Bb Curl
75x8x2

LTE
75x8x2

[RdC]

I have gained over 3 pounds of fat since my first post.

All my lifts need technique work.

I lost 42 lbs before my first post. I still look PG.

I'm not quitting; I am rethinking. I want to be leaner and healthier.

Goals from my first post haven't changed.

Priorities: Diet down to a BW of 220 lb. I do better, mentally and from recent experiences, if I set smaller weight goals.

Improved training technique on lifts. Read, watch, improve. If I have to adjust (lower) weights...oh well.

Walk 45 minutes a day.

I'm very glad that I'm still here and able to worry about the chicken shit; many of my GI buddies and other friends aren't.

[cwd]

I've been gaining weight unintentionally too. Doc says it could be fluid retention from starting TRT, but I just feel fat.

Cutting sucks, except for seeing your bodyweight work go up. Be sure to include chins/pullups in your program if start a cut!

[RdC]

I've been gaining weight unintentionally too. Doc says it could be fluid retention from starting TRT, but I just feel fat.

Cutting sucks, except for seeing your bodyweight work go up. Be sure to include chins/pullups in your program if start a cut!

I hope your weight gain is only a temp side effect.

Thanks for the advice...I will include chins on my off-days.

[RdC]

A circus of errors...

I'm following cgeorg's suggestion to video myself.

It's hard to see myself, in my videos, as an old fat dude. I still remember years ago my life as a young, lean, love machine. These recent video experiences are sickening and yet motivating. No I will never be young again, but I believe in a couple of years I will be stronger and leaner.

LIGHT LB SQUAT
185x5 @ 8
185x5 @ 8

Remember to:
1. Rest the bar further down your back. It felt low but looks closer to a HB position vs LB.
2. Stand straight up and lock both knees. At start and finish.
3. Squat 1" to 2" lower...tad high on the first few warm-ups.

DEADLIFT
255x5 @ 8.5
235x5 @ 8

Remember to:
1. Big breath.
2. Raise chest more.
3. Tighten back and abs harder; feel the strain, and then
4. Push and pull to finish and lock knees.

This stuff is second nature to you.

I'm glad I'm using the video rather than going on feel...only to see I'm not the poster boy for lifting correctly that I thought I was becoming pre-video.

Yesterday, cwd recommended I include chins/pull ups. I tried chins last night. I'm going to have to work on these, too.

FYI: I'm not going to clutter my place with notes. But, I want to keep a record of my first humblings (i.e., first days of video self-analysis).

[RdC]

BENCH
205x3 @9.5
185x5 @8
185x5 @8 - On 4th rep, as I was pressing up, I hit the j-hooks; if that doesn't wake you up...
185x5 @9
185x5 @9.5

LIGHT PRESS
125x5x3
I'm fighting my tendency to push the bar up and back.

CGBP
165x6x3

Bb CURL
75x8x2

LTE
75x8x2

I'm spending more time in the garage. I'm not adding exercises, but I am spending way too much time after each set, from warm-up to work set, looking at my video playbacks and trying think about what/ how I need to do each exercise to improve my technique. Training, in my opinion, is a bitch of a mistress. Maybe as I get stronger and my lifting technique improves I won't be so damn OCD about this shit.

[Allentown]

I'm spending more time in the garage. I'm not adding exercises, but I am spending way too much time after each set, from warm-up to work set, looking at my video playbacks and trying think about what/ how I need to do each exercise to improve my technique. Training, in my opinion, is a bitch of a mistress. Maybe as I get stronger and my lifting technique improves I won't be so damn OCD about this shit.

I wouldn't film the warm up. And personally I wouldn't film any sets between the first and last work set- film the first set, pick something to work on, then film the final set to see if things changed, if you improved on that aspect, if you were working as hard as it felt like you were, etc.

FYI: I'm not going to clutter my place with notes. But, I want to keep a record of my first humblings (i.e., first days of video self-analysis).

Notes are important. It's totally fine if you don't want things going off-topic, but it can be helpful to look back a year and see how you were doing, not just with the weights, but sometimes with life.

Either way, welcome aboard!

[RdC]

I wouldn't film the warm up. And personally I wouldn't film any sets between the first and last work set- film the first set, pick something to work on, then film the final set to see if things changed, if you improved on that aspect, if you were working as hard as it felt like you were, etc.

Thanks for separating the wheat from the chaff for me. I really have over complicated the process. I was making so many notes on form corrections I actually forgot how many reps, on a few sets, that I had done, so I would just put down what my target was and then annotate what my RPE felt like; then I would watch my videos and say damn that looks less/more than the RPE I just recorded...I'm a work in progress. Bottom line: You put me on the right track!

Notes are important. It's totally fine if you don't want things going off-topic, but it can be helpful to look back a year and see how you were doing, not just with the weights, but sometimes with life.

I agree notes are important. I will try to keep my notes brief. I solicit advice from you and all the lifters here and I don't want anyone to become so bored and frustrated with my posts that they avoid giving me the feedback I need. Thanks again for this valuable input on notes and I appreciate the welcome, too!

[RdC]

Getting up and going this morning was hard. I just wanted to be lazy.

I followed Allentown's advice on video analysis. Thanks again, it saved time.

Weight (in lbs) x Reps x Sets
Squat
235x3 @8.5
215x5 @8.5
215x5 @8.5
215x5 @8.5-9
215x5 @9

If the knees don't extend past the toes, at the bottom of a squat, does knee travel really matter?

Light Deadlift:
245x5x3

Experimented with different stances during my warm-ups; settled on, today, shins barely inside smooth. I'm struggling to get into and set with a good pulling position. I don't think it's my body (long legs, short torso and big gut; I want to blame it on my technique.

In the video I saw that I was hitching my right arm each time when I finished the movement. Not good. I must really take a deep breath. My bracing is sub par.

BB Bb Row
155x8x2

Db Row
70x8x2

[RdC]

Off-days (for reference)

Walk o/a 30 minutes.
*Mess around with push-ups (10), sit-ups (10), chins (2), dips (3), COC T (1st round only for 10) then COC 0.5 (5).
*1-4 rounds depending on how tired I am from the previous day's workout. Resting, 3-5 minutes, between rounds.

10/14/2017
BW: 242.2 yeah, knocked off that extra weight I put on after my first post along with 4 more ounces. My next mini-goal is: 230.

PRESS
155x3 @9.5
145x3,F @9.5; failed 4th rep attempt at forehead; just couldn't get under the bar...nice standing incline press...
135x5 @9
130x5 @9
125x5 @8.5
125X5 @9

LIGHT BENCH
175x5x3

CGBP
165x5x3

Bb CURL
85x8x2

LTE
90x8x2

This Press workout coupled with the other exercises about got me; hours later I'm still feeling wiped out. Not complaining--just the facts.

[RdC]

10/16/2017

I didn't feel worth a damn today--I can't put a finger on the what or why...anyway, did something in the garage...

LIGHT SQUAT: 185x5x2
DEADLIFT: 275x5 @9 This set felt better than any DL set I have done in the past. However, the only note I made for myself, on my garage note pad, was: "got real tight and concentrated hard on each rep--reps went up nicely." which doesn't tell me shit. I chalk up today as: FUBAR.

I ran out of mojo...skipped Bb and Db Rows.

[RdC]

For grins...I thought it might be important to occasionally document my progress or lack thereof...

Week 1 (July 17, 2017) to Week 13 (Oct 16, 2017)
BP: 135x5 to 205x3
SQ: 155x5 to 235x3
PR: 85x5 to 155x3
DL: 185x5 to 275x5

Notes and Observations:
*Time includes 23 days off due to Hurricanes Matthew and Irma.
*Nothing to brag about
*Must keep working on technique
*Dieting is no fun...particularly when my weight yo-yo's. I'm trying to keep carbs at 100 or less; I haven't perfected this yet.
*I must not expect results overnight
*I told my wife that I want to enter a PL comp when I'm 70. She told me that I was nuts and said she was unsure if my health would support this idea. Well, I'm just not going to mention it again until I ask her to come watch me at a PL meet. She always enjoys a good laugh.
*I like walking but I still don't know what it does for lifting.

[RdC]

10/18/2017
BW 241.2

BP:
Paused sets: warmups, 205x1, 215x1, 225x1
TnG sets: 195x5, 185x7

CGBP: 165x8x3 came close to failing last rep on each set

LIGHT PRESS (V 1.0): 105x6x3

Bb CURL: 65x10x2