50th year PRs
Cliffs: I'm 50 later this year and am challenging myself to set as many lifetime PRs as I can
tldr
49yo male. 6ft, 90.5kg/199lbs. Grew up in London, now live in Sydney Australia.
Have long term sporting background. International representative rugby player at top tier sporting university and played semi pro into my late 20s. Also played varsity soccer as freshman at college, plus all the sports including track and field growing up.
The past 20 years since rugby finished...I've almost always exercised/trained and have always been fit but it's mainly been 'working out' rather than training. By which I mean I train hard when I go into the gym...but without any real plans or goals.
I had two serious sporting injuries that still impact my training - the knee reconstruction plus a torn & bulging disc in the L5/S1 region and after a really frustrating 3ish years of a cycle or injuring myself every time I tried to go hard for a period of time, I've cut the intensity of my training over the past 5 years. By doing this and giving up several movements (squat, snatch, squat clean), I've managed to stay active and training all the way through....albeit going through the motions for months and then more committed at other times.
But I find myself bored with my training and staring down the barrel of a major milestone as I turn 50 in the middle of 2021. And so I'm going to aim to reach 50 in great shape and to give myself something to keep me interested by aiming to break as many of my lifetime PRs as I can.
Realistically, I'm never running a sub 11.5 100m or hitting the roads to run a marathon again and I'm not squatting or o lifting heavy any more, so those ones are out. But I think the upper body lifts are within reach (I've never been 'strong' in those anyway, but they haven't dropped off much) and I think some of the cardio PRs are definitely do-able if I can commit to the pain...albeit I'm definitely scared of the pain
Simultaneously, my cholesterol levels have been rising the past few years and I'd like to drop some body fat...so I'm going to be adopting a better diet and substantially reducing my drinking
Here's a list of my PRs...some of them are relatively soft, in that I haven't really trained them for that long.
PRs within reach
Lifting
Bench 107.5kg (currently at approx 100kg)
Press 70kg (currently probably 67.5 but gym closed right now and my home gym ceiling is too low for me to do standing press)
Bar Dips 26 (guessing I could do 15ish)
Erg
1km 3.17 (guessing 3.30)
2km 6.59 (I did a 7.19 yesterday and it damn near killed me)
Assault Bike
100 cals 3.11
200 cals (can't find the PR but I'll be attempting one)
DEXA PR: 16.2% (I think I'd be 18% ish now)
PRs that are possible but not probable
Dead Hangs 18
Erg
500m 1.28 (est 1.32 right now - 4 secs is a HUGE difference in a 500m)
5k 18.43 (guessing 19.30)
Caliper bf% when playing rugby was 12.1 - which I'm guessing equated to 14% ish?
Other lifetime PRs fyi that we won't be attempting to break
Squat 165kg (in 1993)
Deadlift 170kg (2010)
Power Clean 105 (2015)
Snatch 82.5kg (2015)
11.5 100m
1.28 half marathon
This is about as far as I've got.
I haven't worked out an exact training plan yet - our gyms are closed for covid at the moment but I have a barbell, rack and bench at home plus an erg and a pull up bar so I can train most of the above. I generally get to the gym 4 to 5 times a week and aim to do at least one other 'activity' per day as well - I've got quite obsessive about getting 10k steps in since I've been working from home since March. And then I have a very sporty 10 year old son who I am helping get fit for his upcoming season - both soccer and rugby will start in March. So we're doing sprints and skills training too.
Next steps
keep things ticking over with no huge focus for the next 2 weeks, then after a week's holiday 13th to 20th January, I'll commit to a more detailed plan and improve my lifestyle.
I'm very heavy for me (most of my PRs were done with me weighing 83-85kg and I'm 90kg right now), so it's a good time to try to get some upper body PRs.
the cardio goals scare me and are the main reason I've started the thread.
I want to force myself to do more conditioning work but I know the pain I'm in for - that 5k row PR was done when I was peak crossfit and will be a total nightmare to get to from where I am right now.
I'll be getting a DEXA in late Jan.
I had my bloods done last month and will probably get another lot done before my birthday.
I may also add some additional fitness goals...just not sure what they'd be right now
sorry for the wall of text and sorry if you're unable to multiply kg by 2.2 to get to lbs
Did you sleep for two days?
I did not. Sleep remains elusive - even with a sleeping pill last night. A lot of **** going on right now and when I wake up at 3 am or w/e for a pee, the nervous energy kicks in and I'm wired.
In negotiation phase for the separation/divorce....we had the 'who gets the kids' part at the beginning of the week and we've now entered the financial separation stuff which is going to be difficult and complicated. And this is terrifying for me - we have a handshake agreement on 50:50 separation of wealth which is already crippling enough. But if she decides to play hardball, she can get more...up to 60%, so it's high stakes stuff right now because that ends up being a lot of $$.
Plus getting the house ready to sell which is involving a lot of work for me plus organising and negotiating with trades to do the stuff I can't do. And there's no money because she had secretly been funnelling giant amounts into her own bank account to fund a coke habit.
And then our economy is ****ed which is having a very bad impact on my business which makes the 'everything's gonna work out ok in the end' thoughts a lot less believable.
I had the first 'maybe I'm making the wrong decision' thoughts the other day. And that's a sign of sheer desperation.
Fri night legs
all single leg
glute extension rear push machine 3x12-60kg
leg curl 3x11-20kg
leg extension 3x11-47kg
leg press 3x10-100kg
glute thrusts 3x10-130kg
tricep push down ss with extensions 3x12/12-33.5/26kg
skullcrusher 3x12-40kg
Sat am
wide grip pull downs 3x11-67
neutral grip medium width pull downs 3x12-70
close grip seated row 3x13-70 ss with
back extensions 3x10
power clean 3x2-80
barbell shrug 3x16-100kg
barbell curl 3x10-40kg
I did not. Sleep remains elusive - even with a sleeping pill last night. A lot of **** going on right now and when I wake up at 3 am or w/e for a pee, the nervous energy kicks in and I'm wired.
In negotiation phase for the separation/divorce....we had the 'who gets the kids' part at the beginning of the week and we've now entered the financial separation stuff which is going to be difficult and complicated. And this is terrifying for me -
That's some heavy ****, man; not much to be done but to put your head down and grind through it and hopefully come out on the other side in one piece, but that much uncertainty has to be rough and it sounds like you're doing as well as can be expected and better than most. Hit me up if you ever need to chat.
That's some heavy ****, man; not much to be done but to put your head down and grind through it and hopefully come out on the other side in one piece, but that much uncertainty has to be rough and it sounds like you're doing as well as can be expected and better than most. Hit me up if you ever need to chat.
Yes, thank you. It’s a lot but really it’s just a ‘one day at a time’ proposition right now. I’ve accepted and ‘mourned’ all the different losses.
Just need to grind through it all now. Hoping to get it all done by the end of the year so I can move on in 2025
Yeah, what monte said. That all sounds so difficult to deal with. It does feel like it can only get better from here on.
rest day yesterday. couldn't avoid training at 5.30 on a Monday and paid the price with a truly rammed full gym. Fortunately it emptied out by 6.15 but I had to change my plan.
I did paused reps after reading that in GuyThat's page and I felt a bigger pump and fatigue so I might continue with that for a while
isometric chest press machine 4x11-80
prine isomteric machine press thing 3x10-80
incline DB flies 3x9-22.5kg.
seated DB Press 3x8-22.5kg.
seated machine press 3x13-37kg
cable lateral raise 3x8/4-7.5/5kg
shoulders were fried by the end
all single leg lower body stuff
4x11 leg extension 40kg
3x10 prone leg curl 20kg
2x14 calf raises 55kg
3x10 45 degree leg press 100kg
tricep push down/extension ss 3x14/13-31.5/24.5
skullcrushers with ez bar 3x10-40kg
all good. I commute to the city on tues and thurs and train at the gym near work. need to remember not to do legs on those days - no hack squat, no glute machine, no hip thrust and even the leg curl machine feels different
experimented with far slower reps today. definitely felt it even more in the muscles
wide grip pull down 3x11-67kg
neutral grip medium width pull down 4x13-67
close grip seated row 4x12-70 ss with
back extensions 3x12
hang power clean 3x6-60 just for the feels
ez bar preacher curl 4x13-40kg
cable curl 3x11-34
3x12 DB Bench 30kg
3x10 Prone iso bench machine press 80kg pause at bottom
3x10 DB Flye 22.5kg
3x11 seated DB Press 22.5kg
quick lunchtime session but all g
Really meh session after a business lunch. Don’t even really want to log it
Leg extensions
Leg Press
Leg Curl
Glute extensions
Hip Thrusts
Triceps Push downs
Tricep extensions
Switched it up a little with even more reps. Felt the burn. Albeit I still feel that I’m going through the motions right now
Neutral grip pull down 3x15-70
Close Grip row 5x15-70
Back extensions 3x15
Barbell Shrug 3x17-100
Hammer Curl 3x15-15
Woke up at 2.50am and didn’t get back to sleep. So much on my mind. Gonna pop a sleeping pill tonight, head to bed by 9 and hopefully get a catch up sleep
Did 30mins on the stationary bike to make myself feel a bit better but other than that, no training today or yesterday. Albeit I did about 5 hours of activity yesterday - yard work and then moving a load of furniture.
Back to the gym tomorrow I hope
That sucks man - hopefully you can get some better sleep tonight and have a better day tomorrow.
DB Incline Bench 4x11-27.5kg
Iso Flat Bench machine 4x11-80kg
seated DB Press 8,10,10,10-22.5kg
all fine. going through the motions but keeping everything moving
These sessions still seem pretty good considering the lack of sleep. A lot of people probably wouldn't even bother showing up given the circumstances. I'm sure you've tried all sorts of things for sleep but have you used melatonin? I've found it pretty helpful for falling asleep. Can still have problems if I wake up in the middle of night and the mind is racing, but overall it's helped.
These sessions still seem pretty good considering the lack of sleep. A lot of people probably wouldn't even bother showing up given the circumstances. I'm sure you've tried all sorts of things for sleep but have you used melatonin? I've found it pretty helpful for falling asleep. Can still have problems if I wake up in the middle of night and the mind is racing, but overall it's helped.
Thanks for dropping by and the suggestions.
Yes, I’m lucky I think that going to the gym actually makes me feel better, fresher and more relaxed so it helps. I can’t/couldn’t row when I’m stressed/tired but I can keep things ticking over weights wise relatively easily. If I’m feeling really flat I can still do something like yesterday where I do the main lift/s per body part and keeping everything together. Particularly as I’m not drinking during the week and not emotional eating at all. So…no gains but hopefully no losses
Re melatonin, it’s actually not legal to buy over the counter in Australia until age 55 (I’m 53) although I could obviously get someone to buy it for me. I brought some back from wsop last year and it did help, albeit when things are really difficult, my anxiety/nervous system still ‘wins’. I take a different over the counter sleep aid that has similar stuff in it. And I’ve got a THC prescription too that can sometimes help but sometimes makes it worse l
Biggest thing that helps (other than not be in the most stressful and difficult period of my life, which I am now) is to not drink alcohol. Which I’m trying my best not to do but it’s difficult because I need to see friends and alcohol is often the currency and then there’s this huge social and almost physical conditioning with reaching for a glass at the end of a week or day when really tired
decent early am session - got 6.5 hours last night. the Olympic track & field finals start at about 4.45am here, so that actually works ok for me!
500m row warm up
single leg work
3x10 leg curl 20kg
3x12 leg extensions 40kg
3x11 leg press 100kg
then
4x10-hack squat 100kg
3x12 glute extension 130kg
4x10/20 skullcrushers/close grip press with ezy bar 40kg
almost 7 hours last night and feeling recovered pretty much
1x11 pull ups
4x13 close grip row 67kg
4x12 neutral medium grip row 70
3x15 barbell shrug 100kg ss with
3x13 back extensions
1x4 pull ups - stopped as elbow twinged
3x10/9 preacher curl 42.5kg/hammer curl 15kg
all good. weight has been very static between 81 and 82kg for the past few months. weirdly people keep asking me if I've lost weight recently. IDK, maybe Im pale. Will be into beach weather in a few months so want to at least hold it at this. I feel like I could go very clean for a few weeks and get under 80 which would be unheard of for me. But idk..just ticking along and staying in shape right now
Yes, I’m lucky I think that going to the gym actually makes me feel better, fresher and more relaxed so it helps. I can’t/couldn’t row when I’m stressed/tired but I can keep things ticking over weights wise relatively easily.
Would you say you enjoy lifting and / or it comes naturally easier to you than rowing? I ask because I enjoy cardio more than lifting, and if I had a bad night's sleep I am more motivated to go for a run or play basketball. Could also be because lifting (at least for me) requires a lot more sustained focus and I really have to slog through it if I'm not feeling 100%, whereas running I feel like I can auto-pilot and still record a relatively good pace.
Would you say you enjoy lifting and / or it comes naturally easier to you than rowing? I ask because I enjoy cardio more than lifting, and if I had a bad night's sleep I am more motivated to go for a run or play basketball. Could also be because lifting (at least for me) requires a lot more sustained focus and I really have to slog through it if I'm not feeling 100%, whereas running I feel like I can auto-pilot and still record a relatively
that's an interesting question.
I definitely find weights less of a mental effort than rowing...certainly hard rowing, but also probably an extended period of easy distance. Perhaps because rowing is static and there's very little to distract you? I used to love running and I definitely think that running outside in the fresh air with things to look at/feel/hear etc would be easier than rowing. And playing a competitive sport where the adrenalin was flowing and I could zone into the game would make that easier too.
perhaps the distraction is the key, because I do often go and sit on a stationary bike and read a book as active rest when I'm really tired as well
woke at 3.20 and didn't get back to sleep. the fact that the Olympic evening events are on at this time in Australia doesn't help. I'll wake and if I can't get back to sleep immediately, my brain will go 'hmm, well if I can't get back to sleep I'll turn on the tv for a little while to watch xxx'. i did that tonight, watched the men's 200m and then tried to get back to sleep again but couldn't. So I've been up since then
may as well get on with the day, so gym at 6.30
DB Bench 8,6,7-32.5kg (went up 2.5 on the past few months. considering a heavier 6 weeks cycle)
DB Incline 3x10-27.5
DB Flye 3x11-22.5
seated DB Press 3x12-20kg
that's an interesting question.
I definitely find weights less of a mental effort than rowing...certainly hard rowing, but also probably an extended period of easy distance. Perhaps because rowing is static and there's very little to distract you? I used to love running and I definitely think that running outside in the fresh air with things to look at/feel/hear etc would be easier than rowing. And playing a competitive sport where the a
For me I'd say lifting and basketball are both distracting but in different ways. Definitely agree that adrenaline takes over with sports and even during stressful times, I still feel fully present while playing basketball. Even with running outside I'll catch myself thinking of certain life issues. With lifting I'll be focused on form so I don't hurt myself which helps with staying present. I think it's just harder for me to "show up" to the gym when I'm fatigued because it feels more taxing. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
