Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There was a big two page ad in the
New York Times a couple of days ago.
The headline was something like "When
you reach 50, you have to accept your
limitations -- or not!"
It was an ad for a Porsche or some
similar set of super-expensive
status wheels.
I'm 56, and I don't drive anything
remotely resembling super-expensive
status wheels -- but I do go out to
the garage and hit the iron hard and
heavy on a regular basis.
I guess that's another way of not
accepting age-related limitations.
Or flat-out whacking them. As in,
punching them in the mouth.
Of course, older trainees have to
train smart. Hard and heavy, but
smart.
One of the things I'm doing is to
train on a three-week cycle. Two
hard weeks followed by a recovery
week where I primarily work on form
and technique.
Week one -- hard and heavy. I do squat
snatches, squat style clean and jerks,
snatch grip high pulls, clean grip
high pulls, and front squats. I may
also do a special kind of flat-backed
deadlift for Olympic lifters, using
either a snatch grip or a clean grip.
Week two -- harder and heavier than
week one. Aim for progress in all
lifts and related exercises. Focus
on heavy weights in the snatch and
the clean and jerk.
Week three -- same lifts, same
exercises, but less weight and
less volume. Work on form and
technique in the squat snatch
and squat style clean and jerk.
Note that I use the same lifts
and the same exercises during
week three, the recovery week.
Don't change what you do in
week three -- change how you
do it.
I start things all over again
in week four.
It's a three-week mini-cycle --
and it works pretty well.
For older lifters, the three week
mini-cycle is a good way to help
stay fresh and focused -- and to
avoid the build-up of excessive
fatigue, stiffness and soreness.
I've designed the three-week cycle
for Olympic weightlifting because
that's what I'm doing now -- but it
works for any kind of training you
want to do.
And yes, you can drive the super-
expensive status wheels as much as
you want during week three -- or
ride your bike -- or walk -- or
head into town in that rusted out
pick-up truck with 450,000 miles
on it and the rear bumpers held
on with baling wire. Whatever
keeps you young, my friend.
As always, thanks for reading and
have a great day. If you train
today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. For more about real-world, sane
and sensible training advice for older
Dinos, grab a copy of Gray Hair and
Black Iron:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "The best
wheels are more wheels on the squat bar."
-- Brooks Kubik
