T Nation

Strength and Grace

Over 35 Lifter
#1

I read that term in a comic book about a warrior race that lived on a very hostile planet. “Strength and Grace” was the term used by the people for greetings, good-byes and good luck. Obviously it stuck with me.

41 years old in the worst shape in my life. Been partying with 19-21 year old porn stars the last 2 years, what an experience! Luckily for me, I have been a pretty dedicated athlete all my life and was a personal trainer from 2007-2010 and I’m looking to get back into the field.

Goals: Strength and speed for flag football starting in the spring. Enhance flexibility and core strength. Develop explosive power since the FF leagues are bump and run ( hear that NFL? Bump and run flag football!) Enhance cardiovascular endurance and just plain look good while on the field.
DB Bench 110s x 10 Squat 2 x BW x 10 Deadlift 405 x 10

Stats 8/3/2012: 6’2 179lbs
Target stats: 6’2 195lbs

#2

8/3

12 min warm up on treadmill
Stretch
9 sets of 10 pushups
9 sets of 15 ATG BW squats
5 sets of 15 lying leg lifts.

10 min CD on treadmill

Workout time was 45 mins

Exercises were super-sets with 45 secs to 1 min RI. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you have been completely inactive while destroying the body partying with hot young thangs, it was rough. Being this out of shape just makes me that much more motivated to never let this happen again.

Not touching iron until I get a base level of strength with body-weight exercises.

  • Meant to do some sprinting in the afternoon but got tied up running errands.
#3

congrats on rediscovering fitness, better late getting back at it then never. I heard it said that if a person hits 40 and is sedentary they likely lose a pound or 2 of muscle permanently each year.

Beastly deadlifts, I never got 405lbs up for more than about 4 several years ago, so there you go.

#4

Thanks for the encouragement! Those lifts are the goals I am setting for myself for Halloween so I can look good in costume. My 1 rep max in the DL was 475@ BW of 185 back when I played college football, many many moons ago. I was the tender age of 28 :stuck_out_tongue:

#5

8/4 Strength and Grace

10 min W/U
Stretch
10 sets of 10 pulldowns @ 60lbs
10 sets of 10 Burpees with push-up in the down the position
10 sets of 10 crunches
5 min cool down

work out time 50 mins

All done as a giant set. RI was as long as it took to get up weezing and cursing off the floor and back to the pull-down machine with 2 water stops.

May work in some sprints this evening. It’s damn cold here in the Bay Area!

#6

8/6

Warm up 15 min treadmill
Stretch

Giant Sets: 10 sets 10 reps
Bi-Lateral Lunges
Unilateral DB row 35lbs
Pushups

CD 10 min treadmill

Workout time 55 mins

45 sec RI

Cardiovascular beat down!

Next day DOMs set in.