Uncle Al's Training Log

[UncleAl]

The plan is to have three generations -- my son, two grandsons, and me -- competing in a powerlifting meet in October. Saturday is usually family bench press day, but the boys had a school outing today. So, it was just Vinny and me.

Bench Press:
Vinny - 135x10, 185x5, 225x3, 255x1, 280x4 singles (3 paused), 225x5 (3 second pause), 225x12
Me - 45x20, 95x10, 135x10, 185x3, 205x3, 225x4, 235x5 singles (paused), 205x6, 185x12

My assistance:
Pullup: 15 (vest) x 15,15,15 +5 rest/pause ss with
Dip: 15 x 20,20,15
Walk: 3 miles

Bodyweight: 164.8

* Vinny had a strong session, and I think he'll hit his 300 lb goal by early June.
* We had been experimenting with higher warmup reps (12,10,8,6,4) for hypertrophy, but it sapped too much of the strength needed for the work sets.

 

[5.0]

3 generations pl'ing together u
is damn great! glad you have a log started so we can see all of your guys progress.

 

[Turbolag]

That's great man!

Glad you guys are planning to compete at the same meet!

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Great post!!! I want to hear more about this!

 

[UncleAl]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Vinny (age 49), Bobby (13), and Little Vinny (10) will be doing bench press only for their first meet. I'm hoping they will get hooked and train for full power afterwards. We train together once a week, and they've all made great progress since starting in January. The boys play other sports and only li

 

[BrotherIron]

I think it's awesome the whole family is getting involved. These days kids just want to be fat POS's and play video games so I commend you.

 

[UncleAl]

I think it's awesome the whole family is getting involved. These days kids just want to be fat POS's and play video games so I commend you.

Thanks. Luckily, my son and his wife put strict limits on video game playing. Now, if they would only take a similar attitude toward nutrition!!!!

 

[ketsugo]

UncleAl that's like the coolest thing I've ever heard . I'm 50 been working out for 32 years no family at all as I've spent my life training in the martial arts around the globe , toured Iraq few times in army , while I've went to college and worked but all that pales to what you say . Please tell more - ages your age how you got generations interested

 

[UncleAl]

Great post!!! I want to hear more about this!

* The boys are still learning the lift, and I have them doing a simple 12,10,8,6,4, backoff set routine for added hypertrophy. Right now, they only train with us on Saturdays. They play team baseball, soccer, and basketball, so they really don't have time (or inclination) to do more weight training now. I'm happy just to have the bonding time with them and to play a part in their strength development.
* My son has great form and is working to get back into the 300+ range for the first time in nearly twenty years. I had him on Paul Carter's Base Building routine initially with an added wave training component for the overwarmup (month 1: 255-260-265-270; Month 2: 260-265-270-275; etc.). Now, he's pretty much peaking. I had tried 10,8,6,4,5 singles, backoff to work both hypertrophy and power, but it burnt him out after three weeks. So, now it's the reduced volume warmups you see above, the singles, and AMAP backoff sets. Once he nails 300, he'll go back to base building, then peak again for the meet. During the week, he does a typical bodybuilding split.
* I'm going to be 69 next week, so I have to be realistic about my potential for big PRs. The main thing for us seniors is adequate recovery and staying injury free, so I rarely take a set to failure or train on consecutive days. That said, I would say my routines -- which I guess you can say are a powerlifting-bodybuilding-conditioning blend of old school (a lot of Anthony Ditillo) and new (Carter, Wendler, Dan John) -- are pretty aggressive (nothing compared to your ultra-high volume, but then again, you're The Hulk). Lately, I've been doing a three-day split, typically something like this: Day 1 - Bench press, pullup, dip; day 2 - Squat, deadlift, leg press, leg curl, shrug, weighted carry; day 3 - Plate raise, lawnmower, row, DB bench or military press, curl, weighted carry. Abs and mobility/stretching every session. Walk or hike for an hour nearly every day. I may have to start splitting up the squat and deadlift, because of recovery issues. Last year, I moved from Florida to Virginia and put on some extra "insulation" to help me deal with the colder winter. I've been working on getting back to my usual 10% bodyfat, so I can look pretty in a bathing suit again. Almost there.

 

[UncleAl]

UncleAl that's like the coolest thing I've ever heard . I'm 50 been working out for 32 years no family at all as I've spent my life training in the martial arts around the globe , toured Iraq few times in army , while I've went to college and worked but all that pales to what you say . Please tell more - ages your age how you got generations interested

First of all, thank you for your service. Anything I do pales when compared to your bravery and sacrifices you made to keep us safe and protect our freedom.

To answer your question, I'll turn 69 this month. My son, Vinny, is 49, and my grandsons, Bobby and little Vinny, are 13 and 10, respectively. My son and I were training partners from his teen years until about ten years ago when we both moved from California...me to Florida and Vinny to Virginia. Last summer, I also moved to Virginia to be close to him and his family, and we decided to pick up where we left off. In the years we were separated, I became interested in powerlifting, which became a huge part of my life. After seeing how much it means to me and how much thicker I've become, he wanted in. The boys who love to spend time with us decided to give it a go, too.

 

[UncleAl]

Can someone tell me how to get that "Competitive Powerlifter" logo above my avatar?

 

[Bullmuscle7]

Ask PillarofBalance or Rottenrogue or Lizard King

They can help.