Love to lift. In my mid forties and squat/ deadlift/overhead press/ bench every week. Deadlifting for low reps and heavy weight has cured all my back issues. If your back has pain (weakness). How would it get better (stronger) without training?

I love the stuff from Mark Rippatoe and Alan thrall on YouTube (starting strength).

I think they are all pretty much worthless. If anything does end up actually working, it is usually banned pretty quickly.

If you eat a lot of red meat, creatine will do nothing for you as you are already getting plenty from the meat. Protein powder can be convenient, but that is the only real benefit. Anything else will either do nothing, or very little. I wouldn't waste your money.

The only supplement I ever used that worked was Ultimate Orange back in the 90s. It gave me a ton of energy. Then it was banned, and they changed the formula. It didn't do anything after that.

I take a multivitamin everyday.

At every meal, I’m eating a lot of protein, some fat, very few carbs...the carbs I do eat, are high quality (raspberries, broccoli, kale, blackberries, tomatoes, etc...).

I’m down a total of 123 pounds in 15 months.

I take protein shakes (2-4) a day depending on things. Also take multi vitamin,fish oil and and glutamine and bcaa on workout days. The extra protein and your diet are the most important imo but the rest does help recovery. Also if your over 35 go get blood work done to see testosterone levels as they are super important for everyday life and especially building muscle and losing fat.

I once dead lifted a WOZ and TH, but I swear I’ll never do that again

It had ephedrine in it. Everything with ephedrine was taken off the market. I am sure there is a potential for side effects, but I think the main reason is because it worked. Supplements are drugs, so one that enhances performance is by definition a performance enhancing drug (PED).

Why are you holding out?!

Let’s see some pics of the results, you pinside studs!!!

There was a time I could bench 300 but that was a long time ago!

Thinking about picking up an SSB (Safety Squat Bar)...anybody used one?

SSB (resized).jpg

I think they are great. I am old and benched too much to have good mobility in my shoulders, so the ssb really helps me.

I am not sure what your budget is, but check out the transformer bar from kabuki strength. It is very versatile.

Variation is one of the best ways to get stronger. The body will adapt to anything over time, so it is good to mix things up a bit. Most people lifting at a really high level use bands, chains, specialty bars, and anything else available to add more variety.

I was actually in the Olympics as a power lifter back in the late '80's. Here's a video of my world record attempt.

You will probably want to start using chalk before you get too heavy. It helps, and is allowed in any powerlifting competition.

I hit a new PR on deadlift today, even though I used straps. I keep my grip strong doing farmers walks without straps, so for now, I am not going to risk my bicep tendon on mixed grip. If I decide to do a powerlifting comp again, I will go back to it.

Anyway, here is 600:

Just since posting that my deadlift has increased to 275lb working sets and around a 350 max. And that was with taking two weeks off for a vacation. Although I did switch to doing deads with a trap/hex bar.

Keep up the good work!

I pretty much never use a belt working out. That being said I always wear a belt when attempting near maximum or maximum deadlifts or squats.

You can also lift more with a belt (if you're using it correctly).

I use a belt for anything above 400. A belt is not used to protect your back. It is used to give you something to brace against. You protect your back by activating your core and pushing out. The belt just makes it easier to do that.

happy to share that I hit my goal of a 300 deadlift! As a woman, I wanted to say that I could lift a pinball machine.

Anyone who lifts pinball machinesis a powerlifter

Low. I follow Mark Rippetoe for squats and find the low bar hold way more comfortable. I also squat as low as possible ("ass to the grass") and have no problems going well below parallel.

I'm certainly not a top expert but I do like to study (my degree is actually a bachelor of science in exercise physiology with a focus on kinesiology) and I like to stay current even though my day job has had nothing to do with my major for the last 20 years. So just a few things I've picked up along the way.

As you work up into heavier weights (vs your body weight) shoring up weak links becomes even more important:
1) Core strength. I used to think I had pretty good core strength; after all, I was squatting and deadlifting and those build core strength right? They do...but not enough as the weights go up. You need to work specifically on your core (think abs and lower back mostly). Bringing up this weak area will increase all your major lifts (including bench) and help you get past a "stuck" phase. If you can't bring your legs straight up beyond parallel when hanging from a pull-up bar then you need to work on it. I couldn't do one good one. Had to start out doing them with bent knees and it was still a bitch. Now I can crank out sets of 10 legs straight...abs and hip flexors build fairly quickly and can handle high volume.
2) Wrists...wrap them on heavy pushing movements (Bench, Incline bench, dips...etc...) TIGHT...should not be painful or have your hands turning blue...but shy of that your good...much loser and you're not. Wrist are a major genetic weak point for me...mine are 6.5 inches if I'm being very generous. But even if you have Lou Ferrigno wrists...if you're powerlifting it probably means you're still moving weight that can damage those big wrists of yours. Wrap them and forgo the long layoff from an unnecessary injury.
3) Pull-ups....for me and many...another weak point. For point of reference if you are doing working sets of bench press with 225lbs then you should be able to do a set of 10 pull-ups with 270lbs (body weight included of course). Basically...to be "equal" your back should be 20% stronger than your chest...if it isn't you're out of balance which can lead to shoulder issues. I'm currently WAY out of balance, but I'm working on it. A major weak point in the pull-up is the BRACHIORADIALIS (https://www.earthslab.com/anatomy/brachioradialis/) of the forearm. For clarification a "pull-up" is palms facing away from you...a "chin-up" is palms facing towards you and bring into play your biceps.

There are many other possible "weak links"

Find your weak links and shore them up...they will push you past any sticking points towards your goals.

My grip was my obvious weak link. So I started picking up kettlebells and carrying the straight up in the air, gripping them so they don't tip over, and walking around the gym with them bottoms-up. The grip strength is essential for keeping their bottoms pointing straight up to the ceiling.

So far my grip has been okay. It might show up as a weak point if my deads get heavy enough. I have a pair of very fat 45lb bumper plates that I like to pick up edge on every time I use them. There are no grip holes in them and not much of an edge so it takes some grip to lift them. I also keep a grip strength meter on hand. Checking your grip strength is one way to see if you are overtrained. Your grip strength is a key indicator of whether or not you're recovering properly.

Another note on grip. When doing pulling exercises (Lat pull-downs, rows, pull-ups etc...) never grip with just your fingers! You are begging for a tendon or ligament injury in your elbow doing that. Get the pad of your palm just below your fingers in the grip...that will save you a lot of grief dealing with tendonitis of the elbow...not a fun injury and a very frequent one.

since this is pinside...
https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=11692

Arent we all powelifters for moving pins from basements to ungodly locations?

Weekend warriors begging for an injury.

Hard to beat chicken and rice. A good "go too" meal.

I once leg pressed 1,700 lbs (trac weight) no bs when I was in my early 20's, benched 450 and curled 220. Ive always been around 300 now 350lbs and best advice I could give you is to find an extra 100 lbs and carry that round with you on a daily basis for a few years then you'll be a hulk.

Been a lifter since high school. Got hooked training for sports and for the most part lifted pretty regularly throughout my life. Like most, had times where I’ve really focused and been able to get quite a bit of strength and times where I get a little burnout and just try to keep enough of a base to stay in decent shape.

Have tried just about every lifting style out there over the years. Now that I’m getting older, I do a lot less “heavy sets” than I used to. Most often now, I’m staying above 5 rep sets. Had to adjust a few things due to injury and wear on joints over the years. Power lifting days of 1-2 rep sets are mostly behind me now. I get a wild hair every so often and will see what is still in the tank. But, it’s the exception now a days rather than the rule. Most often now I used some crossfit type exercises mixed in with the things I’ve learned my body best responds to.

Been training hard again since March. Doing just about everything in supersets with short rests to keep the heart rate high throughout the workout. Cardio has always been a chore for me unless I’m playing a sport. So trying to get as much as I can in lifting. Turn 50 in December and wanted to see if I can still get “cut up”. Not as easy as it used to be. My metabolism has changed so much that it takes a lot more effort on diet than it used to. But, I’m getting there. Here’s me messing around.

https://vimeo.com/287881631

Hobbit ?

At the beginning of summer, my kids wanted to get a gym membership to do squats. I instead purchased a rack( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LQSXSG/ref=od_aui_detailpages00 ) to do at home. I joined in with them and started to bench for the first time in 25-30 years(51 now). In HS football I did around 315lbs. I had no idea what i was capable of at this age so set a summer goal of 185-225. I have been doing half marathons over the last year so was in good cardio shape. First starting my bench was 165. I didn't want to hurt myself going too heavy. By the end of the week I was at 175. 10 weeks later which was last week I hit 230lbs. I'm so happy I was able to get back into it. My 3 kids and I have a great time working out together & I have more daily energy. I run about 100 miles a month to maintain for 1/2 marathons. Eating mostly rotisserie chicken rice, eggs, and beef seems to give me energy. I would encourage all you 50+ year olds to jump back into it. The rack is perfect and I loaded up on weights from Play-it-again Sports. Age 51, body weight is 165-170. My body weight is down from 185-190 before running again over a year ago. My new bench goal is 250 this year. I would recommend the Stronglifts 5X5 app. It is a nice addition to my normal workout. App is free and includes how-to videos on form.

5x5 (resized).jpgIMG_6364 (resized).jpg

Shit... I made the mistake of weighing my old plates! These things are WAY off. One of my 45's weighed 49.6lbs! One of my 25's weighed 23!

So...buying new "calibrated" plates...haven't decided which ones yet. Rogue's are accurate to 10grams! But damn they are pricey.

wow!

Still shopping for new accurate plates. I've decided I really don't need (or care to pay for) Rogue's competition steel plates that are accurate to 10 grams. I'm not competing.

So I've narrowed down to a set of "Six Shooter" Rogue machined plates (accurate to within 1%) with an extra set of 45's thrown in for a total of 335lbs worth (I have one pair of 45's that I will be keeping that are both 45.4lbs).

OR

Fringe bumper plate set (custom set). Mostly their "Black Training Competition" plates. Very accurate and a total of 295lbs including four 45's. I like that their competition bumpers are very thin compared to most. The 45's are only a hair over 2" thick. I also like that they have a color stripe around the outer edge (blue for 45's green for 25's...etc...).

Price is very close between the two sets with the Rogue's being a little cheaper and including an additional 40lbs of weight. But the Fringe plates are thin bumpers which might be nice for quieter lifting...especially on deads.

decisions...decisions.

Did my body fat today. My gym has the Inbody machine which I had never used and bought a 4 pack to track myself through the next few months. Trying to get to single digits by my birthday in Dec (turning 50). Still pushing decent weight in calorie deficit. Sitting at 12.4% and 198lbs at 6’0”. Starting to get there. May actually hit it early.

Inbidy is pretty cool for those that have access to it. Breaks down body fat by body part to show you if any parts are lagging behind.

Not sure what the point of that would be since you cannot "spot reduce" body fat. Fat follows a "first on, last off" principle. Which itself is a bit of a misnomer since you don't actually lose fat cells but only shrink them.

Single digit body fat is VERY impressive (especially at your age)...good luck to you sir. Sounds like you are well on your way.