Return to Powerlifting, I Think

I am new to this site. Am an old person and was told by one younger than myself that it is common etiquette to introduce oneself when first posting.

Okay, trying to get back into powerlifting as a competitor. I am 56.

I powerlifted mostly in the ADFPA from 1989 to 1993, then injuries piled up (disc ruptures cervical [partial paralysis L arm]& lumbar ruptures all levels, dislocated ribs, both shoulders injured[go figure]) and took to recovery until a single meet comeback in 1999.

Best lifts in competition as a 181 were

SQ 525
BP 320
DL 630

Always had shoulder problems from injuries in my late teens. Thank the cotton growers for denim bench shirts or I’d never even have the 320.

Still have an ADFPA (now posted at USAPL) National Meet Record (my one meet comeback in 1999) see 90 kg / 198 lbs record.

Started comeback after 2 shoulder surgical decompressions a few years ago and aggravation of lumbar issues prompting me to start rehabbing my back. Deadlifts of course…

Pretty much only “good” at DL now. Here is me in a video from about a year and a half ago in July pulling 550 at age 54. No belt because, as you can see from my gut, I am NOT a 181 anymore and my old belt did not fit. (I bought a bigger one since, and yeah, I am wearing a singlet).

Anyway hope to learn from you guys, further hope that I have something of value to add.

Cheers.

Welcome. Glad to see someone 20 yrs my senior lifting strong.

Well said, and goodluck !

Thanks both.

I’m used to being the old guy around here, coming back to Pling after injuries, and life got in the way for 20yrs, but thanks to you, I don’t feel so injured, or so old anymore :slight_smile: I hope you stick around, and share some wisdom, and probably some great stories as well.

If your planning to train for a meet again in the future, you should think about starting a log here, and tracking your workouts, I know I’d be interested in following along, and learning some old tricks. I’m sure it would be inspiration to alot of the over 35 crowd here, as well. I f you do start a log, let us know here, so it’s easy to find. ( I’m computer iliterate, and I figured out how to set up a log here ) Anyway like I said. Goodluck !

AnytimeJake,

My pleasure unloading from you the double onus of “so injured, so old”.

Yeah, I’d like to stick around.

And by the way, I’ll take you on ANY DAY for the title of least computer literate.

Okay, I’ll pop on over to the workout log thing and post this weeks efforts.

I suppose I will title it “So Injured, So old”.

Thanks for the good words, I really, really appreciate it.

Now, I have my easy chair in sight, where’s my cane…

Mike

Very nice deadlift

haha, goodstuff !

[quote]csulli wrote:
Very nice deadlift[/quote]

Thanks.

Finally got a belt that fits. Really want a 600 deadlift before I die. Last big DL was a 610 in 1999. Maybe the belt will help me get back up there. I also hope the belt helps hold in the small umbilical hernia I developed lifting bare belly. (grrrrr)

[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
…you should think about starting a log here, and tracking your workouts, I know I’d be interested in following along, and learning some old tricks. I’m sure it would be inspiration to alot of the over 35 crowd here, as well. I f you do start a log, let us know here, so it’s easy to find. ![/quote]

Okay, done.

It’s called “So Injured, So Old: 600lb DL Before I Die”

I’ll post some stuff tonight if my senile dementia doesn’t cause me to forget.

Thanks again AnytimeJake.

BAADDD AASSSS BRO !!! I’m hitting 41 and my girl tells me I’m going to have to give up deading I’m getting to old I’m showing her your vid ,awesome brother your inspiring KEEP SMASHING !!!

[quote]JOEDIESELDIAMOND wrote:
BAADDD AASSSS BRO !!! I’m hitting 41 and my girl tells me I’m going to have to give up deading I’m getting to old I’m showing her your vid ,awesome brother your inspiring KEEP SMASHING !!![/quote]

Holy Zhit!!

No, No, No, No, No (that’s 5 times NO), never give up deads. That’s the point. Deads until you are DEAD.

Anyway, deadlifts are important as you get older and more domesticated.

Picking up kids. One trip from car to house with the groceries. Recovering from a shoe tying effort upright, chest out, shoulders back. “Here KID, let me get that for you”, push 23 year old to the side and hoist the (insert name of large heavy thing here) he was going all purple faced over.

A guy who is probably dead now (no doubt having hit a dead workout within weeks of his untimely demise at an old age, old and untimely because he was in great shape because he did crazy heavy deads all the time) said to me, and I paraphrase:

“If you want to show people how strong you are, it ain’t always possible to find a barbell and squat it or to throw yourself onto your back and bench it. But you can always show people how strong you are by just picking up some heavy ass thing.”

My back is SOOOOOO bad that I have had to use a cane to walk for months at a time.

I rehabbed by getting back over the bar again.

Strong fucked up back is better than weak fucked up back. Or so I say.

Ha Ha !! I love that "DEADS TIL YOUR DEAD " I’m putting that shit on a shirt

[quote]JOEDIESELDIAMOND wrote:
Ha Ha !! I love that "DEADS TIL YOUR DEAD " I’m putting that shit on a shirt [/quote]

I’d appreciate 10% once this goes to market.

[quote]emskee wrote:
Strong fucked up back is better than weak fucked up back. Or so I say.[/quote]

I totally agree with you sir. Nice to have you here.

HA HA ! You got it brother

[quote]niksamaras wrote:

[quote]emskee wrote:
Strong fucked up back is better than weak fucked up back. Or so I say.[/quote]

I totally agree with you sir. Nice to have you here.[/quote]

Nice to be haved. Or halved. No, it is nice to be haved.

Any way I am glad to be here.

I do miss the gym thing, but this e-gym-cadre thing is pretty slick. FOR EXAMPLE, I don’t have to smell anybody.

Not just body odor, but body builders used to eat this shit called Yohimbe bark (is this insanity still going on?) because some one made up this story that the plant sterols in it would act like T in your system and you’d get HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE by eating it. So, they’s sprinkle ground up wood onto or into everything.

Problem: people don’t digest tree bark.

So, 5:30 am, body builders blasting out 750 degree Fahrenheit tree bark farts AND running up to the poor guy’s men’s room (off limits rich guy’s men’s room DOWNstairs) a couple of times a workout to have the squirts.

No escape.

I digress…

I was wondering, do you have the means to purchases such as a reverse hyper, ghr, hex bar, and front squat harness?

I guess I’m just thinking, with all those injuries, would it not be best to put your training efforts into those tools to better ensure you don’t get injured along the way, and leave the actual barbell training for the last couple weeks peaking up to a meet? Assuming your goal is to stay healthy and hit a heavy PR, I think you could achieve both easier by getting really strong on a ghr, hex bar deadlift, and perhaps a front squat harness if you don’t like the positioning of your wrists with a fs.

I don’t know, I guess to me personally the sound of all those injuries just seem like it’d be time to find alternative ways around to get to my goals. No one can convince me that you couldn’t still hit a 600 deadlift off hex bar deadlifting and hitting ghr’s and reverse hypers like crazy.

[quote]lifter85 wrote:
I was wondering, do you have the means to purchases such as a reverse hyper, ghr, hex bar, and front squat harness?

I guess I’m just thinking, with all those injuries, would it not be best to put your training efforts into those tools to better ensure you don’t get injured along the way, and leave the actual barbell training for the last couple weeks peaking up to a meet? Assuming your goal is to stay healthy and hit a heavy PR, I think you could achieve both easier by getting really strong on a ghr, hex bar deadlift, and perhaps a front squat harness if you don’t like the positioning of your wrists with a fs.

I don’t know, I guess to me personally the sound of all those injuries just seem like it’d be time to find alternative ways around to get to my goals. No one can convince me that you couldn’t still hit a 600 deadlift off hex bar deadlifting and hitting ghr’s and reverse hypers like crazy.[/quote]

L85,

Thanks. That was a really thoughtful post and I really appreciate that.

I bought a reverse hyper machine from Rogue. This was during my last big bought of useless, right-leg-hurts-so-much-I-wish-I-could-die back injury. For some reason, the RH was the most painful thing I ever did to my back. BUT, I was in the acute/just getting better stage and maybe it would have helped when I was asymptomatic had I been patient. Instead, I sold it to a Crossfit box nearby. At a loss. But the guy was so happy to get one that it was worth it.

I’ve thought about building a GHR set-up. I have enough steel and welding rods laying around, just haven’t done it. Hmmmmmmm.

I’ve tried various front squat methods and find that the rib and thoacic vert issues aggravate with weight up front and the costochondritis acts up. That is, I’m stuck with a bit of kyphosis if I want to keep my ribs in place. Did you see my Quasimodo deadlift technique?

Hex bar: Tried one for a month or two WAAAAAAAAAAAY back and didn’t like it BECAUSE, though it hits the same groups, the pulling is “cartoon” in nature: the “bar” gets to pass through your shins. Lines all wrong for a bar pull. When I went back to a power bar, I was all dicked up. I somehow remember a trap injury too, but I could be making that up.

Have talked with my pain management doctor (who grins a lot when I talk, like “sure Mike, whatever…”) and “we” have agreed that my body is “grooved” for certain lifts and when I maintain or build strength along those lines my parts stay where they belong. When I try new stuff, it’s like derailing the train; I go off track and all the people die.

The old dog/new trick idiom describes not only a mental state, but also hints to the physical.

BUT, you do raise very valid counterpoints. After all, in contrast to the aforementioned idiom and its application to me, I DID, after all change my bench grip from 27-28" to 18".

You serve a banquet of food for thought.

I will surely start burning neural activity and internet bandwidth on this, so thanks for the kind thoughts and taking the time to offer.

Mike