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| Super soft box training with 435lbs at 150lbs body weight |
I was reading Alwyn Cosgrove's blog and stumbled upon a guest blog by Micheal Boyle.
It was about the evolution of a strength coach ( www.alwyncosgrove.com ) and it got me thinking.
I turn 42 this year and I have been lifting for over two decades. I have also been lifting pretty heavy for most of those years and my totals have been at elite level for over 13 years. Based on the phases in Micheal's article, I thought I was due for a rude awakening. I've been injured many times, but I've been fortunate that I've never needed surgery. My training has definitely evolved over the years and perhaps it evolved quickly enough to have prevented major injuries. I also retired fairly early from competition. I was well aware and expecting the "inevitable" loss of strength that comes with age and moving passed your peak though I can still regularly total over eight times body weight. Now, I simply need to move weights to keep my head right. So I never really experienced phase 3, but how different is my training from what I used to do?
Is that last comment a clue to what might be the key to successfully strength train in midlife and beyond?
According to Micheal's article, most of us probably did start out body building. We wanted to "... look good for the girls." (Boyle, 2011) We got a little stronger but we were narcissistic and focused intensely on how we looked. Specifically, were our muscles large enough? Were we well proportioned and were we lean enough? It was kind of pathetic, but many of our senior lifters passed through this phase. It is just like being very "me" focused prior to having kids.
The next phase we realized that the strongest guys in the gym weren't the strongest looking guys in the gym. There are these guys that do exercises that no one else does and they do them HEAVY. Most of these guys don't have a six pack and they are a bit intimidating. They are built very boxy and thick like a brick house. Eventually, you want to move the weight these guys move. Once you get a taste of moving heavy weight, you're hooked. I could never forget my first heavy dead. It was 505lbs and I weighed 167lbs. When I pulled it (sumo, belt only) the pressure in my head made the music in the gym drop an octave and slow. I felt like time slowed to a crawl and when it was over I was glowing. There is nothing quite like moving what seems to be an immovable obstacle in your path. I mean this figuratively, as well as literally.
Now here is where I seemed to diverge from Micheal's pattern. I kept striving to train smarter and minimize injuries. I didn't just take what anyone wrote for granted. I dug in and researched. I routinely went against the "wisdom of the times" and got lucky. I read text books instead of relying on magazines. I competed and I did it before I was "ready". That is difficult for the ego, but probably the best thing that could have happened to me. You see when you get beaten really bad, there is a kind of acceptance that comes over you. I know that sounds comical, but I am serious. It is almost like surviving a horrible accident. It tends to help you transcend the event. If I had just barely been beaten, I wouldn't have had that perspective and I was beaten by some of the best lifters in the nation. It helped me see things from a distance and plan accordingly.
Now I train to keep my head right and it makes me stronger. I am OK with getting marginally stronger or staying strong without getting injured. I train with chains, bands, boards, straps, wheels, tires, or anything I think will help. When I first started, I took a long-term view of things because I had no other choice. There was no "get stronger than these guys quick" scheme that would have worked. Humility and discipline were forced upon me. So I will I ever see the other phases?
In the end, we have to travel our own path and we should have a picture of how we'd like to finish. We need to setup realistic goals with the understanding that we will have to be flexible if we experience friction. This is why your training must evolve as you do. Keep your will strong and be disciplined, but know that you will one day fight the battle of attrition. Regardless, I urge you to not go quietly into the night. Stay strong and press forward until you are no more.
The next phase we realized that the strongest guys in the gym weren't the strongest looking guys in the gym. There are these guys that do exercises that no one else does and they do them HEAVY. Most of these guys don't have a six pack and they are a bit intimidating. They are built very boxy and thick like a brick house. Eventually, you want to move the weight these guys move. Once you get a taste of moving heavy weight, you're hooked. I could never forget my first heavy dead. It was 505lbs and I weighed 167lbs. When I pulled it (sumo, belt only) the pressure in my head made the music in the gym drop an octave and slow. I felt like time slowed to a crawl and when it was over I was glowing. There is nothing quite like moving what seems to be an immovable obstacle in your path. I mean this figuratively, as well as literally.
Now here is where I seemed to diverge from Micheal's pattern. I kept striving to train smarter and minimize injuries. I didn't just take what anyone wrote for granted. I dug in and researched. I routinely went against the "wisdom of the times" and got lucky. I read text books instead of relying on magazines. I competed and I did it before I was "ready". That is difficult for the ego, but probably the best thing that could have happened to me. You see when you get beaten really bad, there is a kind of acceptance that comes over you. I know that sounds comical, but I am serious. It is almost like surviving a horrible accident. It tends to help you transcend the event. If I had just barely been beaten, I wouldn't have had that perspective and I was beaten by some of the best lifters in the nation. It helped me see things from a distance and plan accordingly.
Now I train to keep my head right and it makes me stronger. I am OK with getting marginally stronger or staying strong without getting injured. I train with chains, bands, boards, straps, wheels, tires, or anything I think will help. When I first started, I took a long-term view of things because I had no other choice. There was no "get stronger than these guys quick" scheme that would have worked. Humility and discipline were forced upon me. So I will I ever see the other phases?
In the end, we have to travel our own path and we should have a picture of how we'd like to finish. We need to setup realistic goals with the understanding that we will have to be flexible if we experience friction. This is why your training must evolve as you do. Keep your will strong and be disciplined, but know that you will one day fight the battle of attrition. Regardless, I urge you to not go quietly into the night. Stay strong and press forward until you are no more.
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