50th year PRs

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

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31 December 2020 at 05:26 AM
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am gonna try all 1 body part 1x per week for a while

seated DB Press 3x10-25kg
Barbell Press 3x10-40kg
Push Press 3x9-50kg
Lat Raise 3x14-39kg
Shrug 5x16-130kg
seated machine Press 3x12

quite enjoyed this





got this scan thing done yesterday.

Not entirely sure how much stock into it....basically had to stand barefoot on these pads for a few mins while also holding onto additional pads on handles...so nothing like the rigour of a DEXA but still...good results so we will obviously be happy with it.

BF% at 11.2 - I'd guess I'd be between 15 and 16 on a DEXA right now

Water level being high also doesn't surprise me - I feel like I've been holding onto a ton of water since I started TRT - I'm up about 3kg and I'm sure it isn't muscle and also my diet has been pretty good so not sure it would be fat.

only slight trauma was that I measured 182cm - have always been 183.5 in the past, so this is the first sign of age/shrinking.


continuing the 'all one body part' theme, it was chest day today

DB Bench 10,10,9-32.5kg pause
DB high Incline 10,10,11-27.5kg pause
Isometric bench press 11,11,13-80kg
Machine Flye 4x18-54kg

all good


wide grip pull downs 3x12-70kg
neutral grip medium width pull downs 3x11-80kg
close grip row 3x11-77kg
chins 3x9
chest supported isometric row 4x11-120kg (2 close grip, two medium with)
isometric chest supported high row 3x11-80kg

19 sets in about 50 mins.


rest day yesterday. All arms today!

Barbell Curl 3x13-35kg
away facing cable curl 3x13
Preacher Curl 3x8-50kg ss with
Hammer Curl 3x9-15kg
ez bar Skullcrushers 3x10-45kg ss with
Close Grip Press 3x22-45kg
Tricep Push Downs 3x12-38kg ss with
Tricep Extensions 3x13-24kg
Dips 3x15


first time doing legs since I hurt my back 10 days go. Back is still a little tight so kept it very light.

All single leg other than hack squat

leg curl 4x10-20kg
leg extension 4x11-47kg
hack squat 3x12-90kg
leg press 3x9-100kg
rear glute extension 3x11-75kg

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