Age 78, Last 6 Months of Training

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

Greetings friends. I am reporting on the last 6 months
training, on the probably conceited idea that the people on
this site will be old enough one day to be interested how it
goes when you are over the hill.
Sure enough I am far weaker than the people training here,
including the oldies, but we all have to work from where we
are.
This 6 months began with a 3 month recovery block, all sets
done with light weights to restore body and mind.

The program was 2 workouts a week, each with 2 of the 4
exercises done for 5 singles, then 5 sets of 5, then 5 sets of 10.
These were followed by 10 sets of 2-3 reps of one of the
olympic lifts, and 10 sets of flexing single joint exercises.

So that was 50 sets of easy weights. Ended Dec 27, 2018. There
was a gentle increase in intensity all the time. There were 22
workouts amongst the disruptions.

The Olympic Deadlift / Press on back tonnage went from 10,660 k
to 13,337 k. Press /Squat 9,084 k to 12,736 k. Didn’t mean I
got any stronger, just increased training weights a bit.

Starting January this year began a program with oldie low
volume and heavier weights. Very slow increases in weights
planned for the whole year.
Paused breathing sq started at 80 k for 10, now at 22 reps.
Weight to jump when I get 25 reps.
Breathing squat started at 90 k for 20, now at 96 k.
I started with jerk triples 35 k : power clean doubles 42.5 k :
clean & press 35 k for 5, 37.5 k for 3 : power snatch 30 k for 3 :
power JBN 42.5 k for 2 : olympic deadlift 85 k for 5.

My targets for the year are Breathing sq 110 k, Clean and Press
55 k, olympic deadlift 115 k for 5, sets of 20 ab rollouts on
knees and some standing.
On my flexing bodybuilding exercises the plan is to work up
to 2 sets of 15, then increase weight.

Because in my country, men who have a V shape are admired,
& men who have a pear shape are looked down on, and also
for health and longevity reasons, I strictly keep my weight
down to 85 k, mainly by the 5/2 diet.
When I don’t, my weight rends to rise about a pound a week.
This would be nice for strength gainz, but I cannot afford
to have a bulk up season, as old skin don’t shrink well once
it’s stretched, & I don’t want to be covered in wrinkles.
Also I move pretty quick thru workouts because my
sport operates on 2 minute rests between attempts.

So, having boasted about what i’m gunna do, if
sarcopenia cuts me down this year, i’ll have to
admit i’m a pussy at years end.

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For the record I think it’s impressive your still hitting it at 78 !

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Good motivation for us younger guys.

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Good on you 76’er, impressive stuff.

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Thank you bulldog, biker, and alphonsus for your kind words.

Of course we are brothers, & committed to the physical culture way of life. The years pass quickly, and before you know it you will be older than i am, and still lifting weights i can only dream about.

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Hats off to you, you are a genuine badass sir.

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No thanks needed! Hats off to you sir!

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Good on you mate, be safe, and enjoy!

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Thank you Leo, and again Bulldog and Red. It’s nice when people encourage. My breathing squat has reached 101 k. So far, so good.

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Thank you for posting this. I think it helps all of us who’ve already discovered how quickly the years pass. A favorite song line goes “time doesn’t take long…three kids up and gone…I wasn’t expecting that.”

I don’t think any of us were expecting things to move so quickly!

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Greetings friends.

Another 6 month block finished. Was going heavy – Ha Ha! At least that’s what I call it.

Most things progressed a bit.

Breathing squat went from 96 k for twenty to 106 k. Looks like I will make the target 110 k around year’s end.

Paused breathing sq started at 80 k for 22. That reached the target 25 reps, then jumped to 85 k for 10, and then increased by single reps to 14 currently.

Clean and Press disappointing. Started at 35 k for 5, 40 for 3, and a single at 45. Currently 40 k for 5, 42.5 for 3, and the single hasn’t moved. Keep failing with 47.5. And I boasted I was going to do 55 this year. Ain’t gunna happen.

Power Clean started with a double at 47.5 k. Now 50 x 2. I wanted a lot more.

Olympic Deadlift. Started at 100 k for 5, now 115 for 5.

Power snatch was 30 k for 3, now 32.5 for 3, and 35 for 1.

My muscle flexing exercises went like this -

wide grip lat machine 110 lb for 2 x 12 to 132 lb for 7.

close grip palms up lat machine 110 for 14 and 13 to 132 for 7.

one arm curl 10 k for 2 x 13 to 14 k for 7.

triceps pressdowns 90 lb for 13 to 100 for 8.

ab roller started 2 x 18. now 2 x 20, but haven’t reached touching chest to floor yet.

Bodyweight went up 2 k to 87 k, which it wasn’t s’posed to. Have to do something about this with summer starting.

When the next block is finished I will be 79.

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Sounds like you made some good progress… Congratulations!

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Thanks Mr Little. Kind of you to encourage me.
I’m looking forward to my new program next year, when I’ll fiddle with different exercises and strategies.

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Well, the Corona Virus crashed my 6 month training block, about a week out from its end.

This year my training plan was 3 months R+R light, while testing the year’s plan, and then going for it for the rest of the year.

The heavy is on hold, until they let me back in the gym & at it.

Major target is to push the 20 rep Olympic Deadlift as high as possible. Also I am doing High Bar Back Squats this year, with different rep ranges, again to the best of my ability.

I am determined to get the Clean and Press to a respectable level again, bearing in mind I did 15 lb above bodyweight when I was at my best.

……

So, my progress last year was sort of alright for a 79 year old, though some things were disappointing.

Breathing Squat 20 with 90 k (198 lb) to 20 with 110 k (242 lb)

Olympic Deadlift 5 with 85 k (187 lb) to 5 with 115 k (253 lb). If you don’t know this animal, it is a power clean that stops thigh high. Its for building pulling power for Olympic lifts by strengthening the muscles that do it.

Clean and Press. 35 k for 5 to 40 k. 37.5 k for 3 to 42.5. 45 k for a single to nothing better. Bugrit!

Flexing exercises ….

Wide grip lat machine, 100 lb 2 sets of 10 to 132 lb for 7.

Palms up lat machine, 110 lb for 10 to 132 for 7.

One arm curl, 10 k 2 sets 10 to 14 k for7.

Triceps pressdown, 80 lb for 10 to 100 lb for 8.

……

In 2019 my lower back was always sore from the Olympic lifts, power cleans, power snatches, high pulls, breathing squats, and

Olympic Deadlifts.

So this year I spread things out. It is Squat OR Deadlift once a week, and only 2 heavy exercises each workout day. A big variety of exercises on a rotating cycle of whole body routines.

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18/2/2021. Now 80 years old.

Just a run down on 2020.

In 2019 didn’t make my targets, but did get to 110 k breathing squat for 20, and 115 k olympic deadlift for 5.

That was good for me - an old 85 k lifter.

Was planning to do better across the board in 2020, starting with a 3 month light phase, to be followed with amazing improvements on everything.

The main alteration in training was a reduction in frequency of all the lower back stuff that had been making my erectors constantly sore – deadlifts, high pulls, olympic lifts, squats.

Yeh, good plan. Just as I was finishing the light phase, and starting to go for it, Covid hit the state. Gyms closed. All I could do was walks and light dumbell work at home.

Months later, when things get back to normal, I was as weak as a kitten, and instead of snapping back to where I was, progress was, and continues to be, agonizingly slow.

The reduced frequencies of squat one day in week one, deadlift one day in week two, and reductions in olympic lifts and strengthening exercises, suit me well, and i am recovering ok, and inching up without excessive fatigue.

Have not yet got to where I was in 2019, but I will get there if I can keep judging the correct training effect.

I know I am supposed to lose 2 percent of my power every year now at my age, but I am determined to instead improve ( a bit).

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Inspiring!

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Greetings fellow Aging Derelicts. Just an update note, for the last 6 months.
Despite being 80 and having the odd covid lockdown, i have made a little progress.
Due to recovery issues, I not only have just 2 sessions a week, but cycle through a bunch of whole body workouts that limit the frequency of each exercise. For instance, squats once a fortnight, deadlifts once a fortnight.
This year I have been doing high bar squats. 6 months ago was getting to sets of 12 with 80, 85 and 90 k’s. Bodyweight 85 k. When that was made, jumped to 90, 95, 100, starting with sets of 5 and adding one rep to one set each time the workout came around. Now at 90 k for 11, 95 for 9, 100 for 7.
Olympic deadlifts 20 reps. Was at 103 k. Now have made my target of 115 k, which i have been working towards since Jan 2020, when I started at 70 k. Now going to drop the exercise, and replace it with front squats and romanian deadlifts.
Power clean was 5 sets of 2 with 45 k, now at 5 sets of 2 with 47.5 k.
Lat machine sets of 12 with 42.5 k, to sets of 8 with 50.8 k, adding one rep per workout.
Leverage calf machine was 75 k for 13 and 12, to 90 k for 11 and 10, adding one rep per WO.
Max clean and press was 41.25 k, now 46.25.
Each workout i do a series of split snatches or split C+J. Like these, they are more fun than the squat technique.

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Congratulations!

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Thank you Mr Little.

Greetings friends. Next month I will be 81, and statistics show that aging sarcopenia should see me at 2% less power and muscle over the last year. Of course I am always determined to avoid this fate, and here is a run down of the doings in 2021.

I was doing a 12 month cycle of hi bar back squats. It had started 80k, 85k, 90k – 5 reps a set, and adding one rep each workout towards a total of 3 sets of 12. In Jan I was at 80k/12, 85/10, 90/8. In March I made 12/ 12/ 12. Then upped the weights to 90k, 95k, 100k. Starting at sets of 5 and adding one rep per workout. Have now made the target of 12/12/12. Time for a new exercise – repetition clean and press.

This works more of the body’s muscles than any other exercise, and improves coordination and athletic power.

The Olympic Deadlift cycle I was on started at 115 k for 5 in 2020, and I fancied doing 20 reps with this weight. In Jan I was doing 102 k for 20, and by adding 1 k per workout, I made the 115 for 20 on 30/8/2021. Then a workout change to a combination of front squats and Romanian deadlifts. Front squats started with 5’s at 40k/45k/50k. Romanian deadlifts sets of 10 with 65k/70k/75k.

Currently Front squats are 5’s with 45k,50k,70k. Romanian deadlifts 10’s with 70k/75k/92.5k.

Lat machine in Jan was 42.5k for 14,13. End of year was 59.9k for 10 and 53.3k for 15.

In Jan my clean and presses was 35k for 4, and 40k for 1. In December it was 40k for 4, 46.25 for 1. 47.5 keeps stopping me.

Leverage calf machine started at 75k for 11,10. Ended at 95k for 14,14.

I did a slew of other exercises in my workouts cycles – triceps various, curls, power snatches, cleans, hi pulls, hise shrug, jerk behind neck, jerk press, snatches , C+J – with these I gradually increased the loads over the year.

If I eat all I want, my bodyweight tends to increase steadily, and I don’t want it to, as a lot of it is fat, and while it makes me stronger, I can’t afford to stretch my skin and wrinkle up.

So I keep my weight down to 85k with the 5/2 diet, which I do hardcore with 36 hour water/coffee fasts.

In the coming year I am going to trial a strategy outlined by Marty Gallagher – one hard, heavy workout a week, followed by 6 days rest. In my case I will do a second WO with calves, abs, and a bit of bi’s, tri’s, delts.

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Still inspiring! :+1:

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