I',m gonna be 52 this year. Body fights with me daily on EVERYTHING! Nothing new so you battle on working your way to someplace acceptable for the moment. I say acceptable not as it is okay but that is the moment you get. Currently , we are getting some guys ready for a meet in April. I am excited for them again.  Ben had a good comeback(after a 7 or 8 year layoff-well life off) meet in December at out Spud Inc Holiday Bash.  Old Man Mike is coming back from a adductor tear a few months back.  I made a ton of progress working on breathing during all aspects of training. Essentially to make it completely independent of movement. That went along swimmingly until I strained a few things in the mid back ,then jacked my sciatic up so much I fell out one day.  That injury has mostly healed but the spot where I hit it on the ground right below the knee cap is still iffy meaning I think I fractured it-feels sorta of numb . I mentioned in a prior blog that it felt like a kickstand on a bike that was not locked in and the bike may or may not topple over on any lift.  To blather on, now my right hand constantly hurts around the thumb joint-fat pad area-arthritis more then likely.  Activations keep me moving amid the crashing waves. Added to that, a mild re-sprain of the right hamstring a few weeks back.   There is more but...

Encouraging right? It sure is.   I still have to find ways to hang with the guys. I know in most instances I could bring it and win some battles but the domination days are long gone and not needed-as dearly as in the past.  And honestly, what is the point, pretty much all my numbers are still on the wall although I do dream of them getting erased.  I remember chasing and catching many in the past and often surpassing them so that is my desire for up and comers.  But, that is a aside from what I am doing now.  Currently, I look for minute ways to increase performance without breaking as much shit. I look for trends and patterns continuously in training and performance.  Basically, a throttle down moment but not a stopage of work or volume. Without adding volume, you can't make as much progress as possible. Additionally, loading has to be taxing enough to elicit a positive response.

I still have a 2 week window response I believe in.  I found that adaptive progress slowed after the two week runs. This was something I learned over the years.  This simply means I try to run two weeks of a max or rep style of main work then rotate to a high volume/deload for one week-so for example 2 weeks of floor press with chain followed by a week of something higher rep/tempo work.

-Testing the water is difficult weekly. I spend approximately 20 to 30 mins doing activations/RPR before I do any pressing, squatting or pulling now.  Sometimes this can be longer depending on recovery week to week. Generally, I do another 15 minutes going back over the activation/RPR points where I feel the most work is. Also if needed, some band static stretching for high reps to force the movement and blood back into the areas.

-I spent many years honing speed and technique. My application of force and torque is always as high as possible.  Loading on the eccentric is vitally important as well. Too slow and you burn up  gas. Too fast and it is a 50/50 shot you will have the bar in the right position to load correctly on the concentric part.  I find I can do this on the pressing side most of the time, but on the squat and deadlift, I have to load slower on the descent and accelerate slower on the ascent. Keeping it smoother and a bit slower keeps pressure off old injured areas like the hamstrings. It is certainly not as fun as blasting out of the hole. The benefit is a longer time under tension(tempo/static load)

-This leads me to my next training tool.  I was never into lots of pauses or static. In retrospect, I should have done them on the regular or a at bare minimum as accessory work once a week .Dave use to do alot of this time in his training, I assumed it was just bodybuilding work which at the time, I thought it would not transfer since I was already large and well muscled .  I tell people all the time if you hate something or you are not good at it, there is a hidden weakness in there which will expose itself later as a injury. This is exceedingly true.  Upon, practicing diaphragm breathing with very light weights(20% or so) for time including multiple pauses in poor leverage positions for me, I discovered this reality I was hiding from.  Not that it is a end all be all catch, just something I avoided which could have helped later on had it been implemented more a couple of decades ago! The diaphragm  breathing has also added another dynamic to loading muscle and connective tissue.

So, that translation is the tempo and breathing pointed out many things I bypassed by  forcing my way past my weaknesses using speed  and skill. The other high end benefit has been a direct transfer to strength and training volume.

An example is when I started this on the squat, I would start with the bar and descend slowly pausing at various points. At each point I tired to get 2 to 3 full diaphragm breathes.Each set would last 1 to 2 minutes when I started  I would do 3 sets with the bar. Then 3 sets with a  quarter. Then 3 sets more two quarters and so on.  Week after week I built up more tolerance.  Everything is done without a belt.

This leads me to my next benefit which was way less dependence on  the belt and supportive gear as a  support and strength que. For about 5 months I used no belt.  This means I got stronger which led to being stronger when I reintroduced the belt. Albeit more of time now, I don't use the belt till the heaviest sets and sometimes not even then. This I believe was a nervous system response and also adding in the endurance from increased oxygen and blood volume to training muscles.

-Learning how to moderate the training. This is knowing when to continue and when to walk away.  Many days, in future's past , I would continue on even when the body was calling 911.  You go on a winning streak and sometimes the house took its weight in blood from you and sometimes you party for days.  Pastly Spudly would push on for the win and total dominance but not in that aspect of beating teammates. It was to beat the Doubting Spud that lurks in everyone's mind. The real enemy.

WTF does that mean. Typically, whatever you are shooting for1s, 2s, 3s  reps etc you continue on till you miss a weight or reach a point where you know you are done(struggle to get the final rep in).  Now, even if I know I can move up in the weight and probably get the weight but it does not feel right, I will back off.  I am sure you have heard the old adage of leave a rep in the tank. Well I try to leave two in the tank.  I may do a drop set or two but do my best to let my ego drop.  If for example, I hit a triple on a bench at 80% and I don't feel like anymore is not in the cards I will let it go-most of the time. Don't bring up that Weider Intuitive Training either, although it does have creedence.

-High volume party.  During the week, I still do the standard weekly westside set up of ME Upper and Lower and Speedy/Volume for Upper and Lower so a 4 day a week training cycle. The 4 day training is still in effect but now it is the sorta Max Efforty for Upper and Lower. The other two days are still upper and lower but often constitute the pause sets for time at 20% to 40% or sets consisting of 5 to 10 minutes straight.  For example, leg press for 10 minutes with 2 plates a side. Just a paced set that can go 100, 200  or more reps in most cases.

-Cardio wise I try to maintain the three 10 minute walks after eating every day.   Very simple Stan Efferding protocol that works well for weight management.  I will substitute sled drag, stepmill , stretcher sled drags(like a chain drag) for 2 to 4 harder 10 minute sessions to get my heart rate up. I still enjoy this very much and it helps keep my blood pressure in check as well as my mood.

There you go. Some simple things I do to keep moving forward with training.  At the soon to be 52,  you need all the help you can get.  I always want to be decently strong as time marches on.  Also, it keeps me in good enough shape to meet the challenges that life will always present to you.

2/13

3 10 min walks

2/12

3 10 min walks

Tim Tam activations pre and post training

Reverse Hypers 5 pre, 3 pos

Mondo Leg press 10 min set

Conventional deadlift 6 min set

 

2/11

1 20 min walk, 1  10 min walk

2/10

Tim Tam activations and other stretching

3 10 min walks

2/9

Reverse Hypers 4x10

Tim Tam Activations and band stretching

2 lap sled, 1 lap walk

Elitefts All American bar press reps. Works up to 3 platesx5

Fat Bell Rolling Triceps 5x12

Fat Bell Press 2 1 min sets of press

Lightning Rod Standing Rows 8x12

2/8

Tim Tam activations

2 laps sled, 1 lap walk

Box squat with chains and briefs. Worked up to 3 plates and 10 chain a sidex3

Farmers walk/Jefferson style deadlift. Worked up to 5platesx3.

Reverse Hypers 4 pre, 3 post

Lots of activations post to loosen up. These have made a giant difference in recovery.  So far the hamstring seems good. Been holding back on the acceleration out the hole. Seems to have helped alot and not aggravated it more.

2/7

Tim Tam activations

3 10 min walks

2/6

Tim Tam activations

1 10 min , 1 20 min walks

 

2/4

Couple of activations

3 10 min walks

2/5

Tim Tam activations

1 lap walk

Reverse hypers 5x12

2 laps prowler.

2/4

3 10 min walks

2/3

Tim Tam activations

2 10 min walks

6 hours counting bowties, 3rd  walk was not needed

2/2

2 laps sled, 1 walk

3 sets reverse hyper

Bench with monster mini worked up to 285x1 off softee pad. Drop set of 5

Banded face down flyes 3x8 with pauses

Pulldowns many sets

2/1

2 laps sled and 1 lap walk

Reverse hypers 4 pre, 3 post

Tim Tam activations. Many before and many after.

Squat free with briefs. Still nurturing the hammy but seems to be back to semi-normal.  sets of 5 working up to 445

Set up one farmers as a jefferson variation . Worked up to about 400x3. This one is very difficult and handle wants to chopper away to one side or the other

 

1/31

2 laps 20 min total walk

Tim Tam activations

Seated row with pauses. Getting back to the breathing work on all sets.  8 set

Inverted rows same with pauses 5 sets

Push up off straps 150 reps with pauses and breathing etc

Snatch test with 20 kg after several warm  up sets.  Wasn't the standard 53lb for the test but hadn't done it for quite awhile. 4:27 on the time. Had the mouth piece in to work on nose breathing and that was good till the last 20 reps per arm. Turned into the mouth breather after that.

1/30

Tim Tam activations

1 30 min walks

1/29

3 10 min walks

Tim Tam acvtiations

Reverse hypers 5 pre, 2 post

1 10 min  straight set Tsunami bar squat.  About 3 min or 4 minutes on slant box and rest straight.

Set up farmer's walk as a Jeffersoney deadlift with 4 inch box to stand on. Worked up to 3 plates x3x3 and one down set staggering legs.  Got to admit, pretty terrible. Pretty much wiped me out . Gonna make the dudes do it on Saturday.

1/28

2 10 min walks

Tim Tam activations

1/27

3 10 min walks

Tim tam activations

Light upper training consisting of many pauses and breathing throughout

Hammer bench 8 sets

Mag Grip pull downs  6 sets

Kaiju long ab pullsdowns 6 sets . Standing low rows 8 sets, Tricep pushdowns 8 sets

Rear delts on pec dec 6 set

1/25

2 laps sled , 1 lap walk

Reverse Hypers 4 pre and 2 post

Box squat with briefs and 2 strong per side/. Worked up to 3 plates for 2x2. After last weeks mild strain of the hammy, I went really slow and did not accelertate as normal.  Ham held .  Spent the week with the heating pad and work it with the Tim Tam. Expected some bleed out but none occured so that is good.  Oddly, I kept the belt off this week and seemed to do better.

Dragged the stretcher sled for 2 passes with 300lb. One backwards and one forward on each pass.

1/24

3 10 min walks

Lot of activations

Ton of accessory  work with pauses and slow tempo.

Arm bars 3 sets

Machine press 8 sets

Used new prototype rope/strap for back, triceps, rear delts for 6 sets each

Speed work 5x5, two drop sets with pauses and breathing to failure.

 

1/20

Activations

3 10 min walks

1/19

2 laps sled

Activations

Little bit of back beforehand.

Bench with chains- squat bar and used softee pad,235 bar weight and worked up to 7 chains with one drop set at 5 chains for 4 or 5.

Tricep work close grip with 3 softee. Changed it up a bit with  very soft landing of the bar while keeping most of the tension on. Typically like a 4 board tricep work, the relax on the board is 30 to 40% but on this more like 10% or less. 3 platesx5 reps x3 sets.

Added in a element of tricep death with the softees as well.  Start with 3 pads. Do  a rep and pull a pad so 3,2, 1 and then go up the same way.   Still do only a slight relax on the pad and let it sink a inch or less.  235 and 275 was all I managed. Trashed after that

1/18

2 laps sled and 1 walk to start

Lots of activations to start off.

Reverse Hypers 3 pre 3 post

Box squat with gateway briefs. Buffalo bar and 2 strong per side. Worked up to 3.5 plates for a double but the double got left on the box.  The right hamstring balled up on both ends. I tried a down set but it still said no so canned it there.  Felt good going into it after a ton of activations and warm ups.

Few sets of good mornings to complete the day. Light and close stance.  3x5

Post training I did alot of  activation and massage works to keep the tissue looser and promote blood flow. Sat on the heating pad for 4 rounds and one in the bed which helped tremendously.  Heating pad took a crap on me on Sunday so I only got one session in.   Lots more activation work.