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
DB Bench 5,6,5-35kg, 2x13-27.5kg
Isometric bench 3x10-80
Flye Machine 3x13-54kg
Seated DB Press 4x12-22.5
zonked = tired and groggy
re sleeping pills, the names will be different but it's an OTC one. sometimes I take a half and sometimes a whole. I'm a feel player
leg extensions, single leg alternating 4x11-47kg
leg press 4x8-270kg
hack squat 4x10-100kg
skullcrushers 4x12-42.5kg ss with
close grip ez bar press 4x20-42.5kg
very boozy last night. Only saving grace was that it was 5-9.30, so I got to bed at a reasonable hour
had to walk to collect my car and then gym, a little later than usual
neutral grip pull downs 4x13-72kg
close grip pull downs 3x11-77kg
isometric chest supported wide grip row 3x11-140kg
back extensions 3x10-20kg
barbell curls 4x11-35kg ss with
hammer curls 4x10-15kg
half session today as...hungover again. Could probably have taken a day off, but I've got another boozy day planned today and will take tomorrow off instead
isometric bench press 3x11-80kg
incline db bench 3x11-27.5kg
standing barbell press 4x10-40kg
seated shoulder press machine some
day off yesterday after a 10 hour lunch on Fri. Good fun to engage with some decent hedonism, but really felt it the next day
single leg alternating
leg extensions 3x12-47kg
leg curls 3x10-20kg
then
leg press 5x8-270kg
deadlift 3x8-120kg
back felt a little tweaky so stopped lower body at this point
dips 20,17,20
unable to remember my last 10 hour lunch
probably means brunch still continues
wide grip pull downs 3x12-70kg
isometric chest supported rows 3x11-140kg
close grip pull downs 3x11-77kg
power cleans 3x2-80 *this was a mistake to do them at the end of the pull session
barbell curl 3x11-35kg ss with
hammer curl 3x9-15kg
ezy bar preacher curl 3x8-47.5kg
DB Bench Press
5,5,6-35kg
13,14,15-27.5kg
seated isometric press 11,11,13-80kg
barbell Press, Push Press complex 3x8/8-40kg
lat raise machine 3x14
given I'll likely be off for 2 days and overindulging, my manorexia sent me into the gym to do a second session. Very easy 35 min zone 2 on the bike
first training session since Christmas Eve. had planned to take 2 days off, but picked up a really gnarly stomach bug/food poisoning thing that hit me hard on 26th. Was vommitting & hallucinating with a high temperature all of 26/27. The good news is that I dropped a few kg and I stayed off the booze. bad news...super boring few days at a time when the weather is great and the ocean has looked awesome
Recovered in the main now but took it easy today as first day back
all single leg
leg extensions 4x11-40kg
leg curl 3x10-17.5kg
glute extensions 3x11-72kg
hip thrust 3x12--180kg
dips - 17,19,20
all fine and feel ok after.
Sorry to hear you picked up a stomach bug but glad to hear you're over it; Christmas being in the middle of the summer will never not be weird to me, but hopefully you get some time to enjoy the beach with Santa Giant Roo Spider to complete your traditional holiday activities.
Sorry to hear you picked up a stomach bug but glad to hear you're over it; Christmas being in the middle of the summer will never not be weird to me, but hopefully you get some time to enjoy the beach with Santa Giant Roo Spider to complete your traditional holiday activities.
Next you’ll be telling me that you don’t go for a traditional Christmas morning ocean swim
pretty much all the way better now.
neutral grip pull downs 3x11-77kg
close grip pull downs 3x11-77kg
chest supported isometric rows 3x10-140kg
barbell curl 3x11-35kg ss with
hammer curl 3x9-15kg
Incline DB Bench 7,7,6-32.5kg, 3x10-27.5kg
Machine seated chest press 3x11-80kg
seated DB Press 3x11-22.5kg
last training session of the year. Am off to the beach, but will probably attempt some kind of 2024 wrap/2025 plans & goals post over the next 24 hours
Happy New Year guys!
very quiet night last night as I stayed sober to be able to collect kids from various parties. Got a decent night's sleep and went and had an ocean swim with two of my kids. Magic way to start the year!
Weighed in this morning at 81.6kg. First weigh in of 2024 was 90.6kg. I'm really happy with the weight off and committed to keeping it at around this level moving forward - ideally under 83.5kg the entire year, I might actually try to drop down to 79ish, just to see what that looks like, but I suspect it'll be unattainable.
the weight loss really came by accident. Agreed to separate from my wife in early Feb and at that point, the rowing stopped. I'd been 4 weeks out from the world champs and I was on course for a better time than the year before but I just didn't have the heart for the pain any more. No intense cardio meant the body wasn't craving carbs and I ate cleaner and smaller. In addition, with everything going on at home, I made a conscious decision to drink a ton less and that's made a huge difference too....not only less liquid calories but way way less bad food decisions while drinking and then the next day.
I'm still having a few each day on the weekends, but way less.
My fitness year has been relatively uneventful. Since I stopped the rowing, I've mainly been doing bro splits at the gym, training 5-6 times a week. I'm not breaking any records but I've managed to retain pretty much the same weights and rep counts as when I was 20lbs heavier and that's an achievement of sorts. I'm sure (and I kind of hope) that a new passion/challenge will emerge but for now, training 50 mins a day for physical and mental health and feel good/look good reasons is fine with me.
all up, I'm pretty proud of how I managed last year. I already had an alcoholic wife and was doing most of the parenting but in 2024 I (in order)
- finally agreed to split with wife
- discovered she had been having an affair with a bloke from rehab
- discovered she was a coke addict
- discovered she had siphoned 6 figures into private accounts to fund this addiction
- had to renovate and paint a 5 bed house with basically no money due to above, handling all trademan negotiations, management, supervision etc
- had to live with stealing, lying, addicted wife for 9 months while doing this because no money for her to move out
- had to run a business in **** economic times and be main parent to 3 teenagers
- had to manage entire negotiation and house selling process with agents etc
- had to manage renovation and sale of UK property to fund house sale here and for divorce settlement
- work through the not inconsiderable tax and FX details of getting that money to Australia
- had to negotiate child supervision and all financial separation details with ex and her lawyer and I've managed to get (by Australian standards) a very good deal, by only having to give her 51% of combined wealth
- am about to transfer a 7 figure amount to her including 51% of my retirement $$. Fortunately, I've had the funeral for the $$ and my financial dreams and I've accepted the reality of it. I won't ever be 'rich' by the standards of most successful people, but I should be able to continue living where we (very expensive area, but I love it here) are and keeping my kids stable. And who knows what the future brings?
we are almost there thankfully. ex wife has moved out. kids all still here with me. I've got to pack up, sell, move, throw out all the possessions over the next week and then I'll be moving to a rented 3 bed + study apartment house on 15th Jan. And then hopefully I'll be able to find something to buy so I can stay on the all important property ladder in Australia.
Not many fitness plans for right now, albeit I'm going to trial fitting in 2 cardio sessions a week...probably on the rower...probably one long slow and one interval type thing...and see how that goes. It's all about enjoyment though, so we'll see how it goes for a month and then adjust from there.
I count/quantify almost everything and here are a few counting stats
2024 training sessions - 309 (275 in 2023)
2024 Alcohol Free Days - 227 (179 in 2023)
2024 Ocean swims (mainly just for 2 mins after gym) 208 (197 in 2023)
2024 Weight Average - 83.1kg (89.5 in 2023)
started off my plan with 20 mins on the erg today
4612m at r17 at 2.10.5/500m
all fine. rhythm was ok, hip flexors were tight but it all felt manageable
then
single leg extensions 4x11 each side 47kg
single leg curl 2x9 each side 20kg
leg press 3x10-220kg
I'll need to work through a proper day split if I'm going to add this in and doing leg weights after rowing is definitely the worst I'm thinking about either...making it a 4 day rotation of
Pull
Legs
Push
Row
or doing a 3 day rotation of
Chest & Back
Row + arms
Legs & Shoulders
Good Lord man, that is a lot to deal with; even given you've alluded to some of it, the full picture is quite daunting. It sounds like you've managed to work your way through everything quite well, though I'm sorry you had to. Best of luck moving through the rest of the plan this year, and great work staying healthy and sane this past year.
Good Lord man, that is a lot to deal with; even given you've alluded to some of it, the full picture is quite daunting. It sounds like you've managed to work your way through everything quite well, though I'm sorry you had to. Best of luck moving through the rest of the plan this year, and great work staying healthy and sane this past year.
yep, it was interesting writing up and seeing the list of stuff and realising how much it was. TBH, that was why I spent the time I did on that post, as a reference of some kind that I can come back to if needed.
There was a time around Aug/Sept when it really felt like a lot and that was probably when I could tell I was in danger of going a bit wobbly with it all. I think I've written it before in here, but handling all the divorce/separation/house stuff while also grieving the relationship/not being happy with the break up would have been almost impossible. I'm lucky in a way that as soon as the decision was made to split, I knew I was 1 million per cent happy with it and saw it as essential. I've never for a second doubted it, so I've been focused on the end goal of getting it all done and behind me. It's ironic, given it's an AA saying, but 'one step at a time' was really useful....just doing what's right in front of you and then worrying about the next step after that.
It's a little LDO but I do think of all years, this was the year when I was lucky to have my lifelong focus/addiction with fitness and health. The daily gym escape was/is very very helpful.
all the best to you too for the year ahead mate. Hope you can stay healthy and chalk up a marathon performance you're happy with and....
chest supported isometric wide grip rows 4x10-140kg
close grip seated cable row 3x10-77kg
wide grip pull downs 3x10-70kg
barbell curl 3x10-35kg ss with
hammer curl 3x8-15kg
9 hours sleep last night. Feel ****ing awesome today
Incline DB Bench
7,7,7,6-32.5kg
3x14-25kg
Flyes 3x14-20kg
seated DB Press 12,10,10-22.5kg
Machine Lat Raise 3x14
