Free the Scapula

I completed two PT sessions, one assessment and one follow-up. The therapist and I agreed that I don't need any more - for now. My overall mobility is decent, and the exercises she prescribed seem to be taking care of my shoulder problem. I'll go back if something flares up again, but for the time I'm just doing extra mobility focused on scapular movement.

Therein lies the rub. Within the first five minutes of my assessment, my therapist remarked on my lack of scapular mobility. In a scap shrug/pushup movement, I wasn't able to get more than about an inch and a half of ROM in my painful right shoulder. My protraction was incredibly limited.

Which makes sense, because scapular protraction is something you want to avoid at all costs in a heavy bench press. For close to three decades of working out, I've been over-emphasizing scapular retraction in order to lift heavy weights. But while scap retraction saves your shoulder in pressing movements, it can cause impingement further down the road. Couple this with two decades of desk jobs, sitting hunched over in front of a computer screen, and you have your first class ticket to Snap City.

Fortunately, there's no reason to suspect e.g. a rotator cuff tear. My shoulder mobility overall is better than average (which was a surprise), and my tendonitis has all but cleared up. Back squats are the only lift that causes shoulder pain, and even that seems to be improving with my new scapular mobility program. The real test will be going off the prescription NSAID and seeing if the pain returns.

At this age (both in calendar and lifting years), I have to be very careful with every little tendon and muscle. Hopefully I get to eke out another few years under the iron.

Pressing felt especially strong and smooth. One week before 1RM testing, I bench pressed 410 lbs. x 4, followed by 410 lbs. x 3 on the same day. It's the heaviest repetition work I've ever done, probably more impressive than the single with 447.5 lbs.

Got three plates on the seated overhead press too, which is simply mind-boggling weight for me. I feel like I might have cheated by turning it into more of an incline press, but I'll take it. My standing press has improved, but it's starting to really bother my low back, so it might not be worth pursuing any further. Maybe focus on getting more reps with 225 instead of trying to push the weight higher.

Squats and deadlifts also felt strong. Probably the best training cycle I've ever done.

Lifts this cycle:

Squat 525-550-615 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 460 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Seated overhead press 275x2-315 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 190x2-225-250 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 525-575-605 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Bench press 365x2-405-447.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Bodyweight

Good News

My ortho is pretty sure I don't have a rotator cuff tear. My mobility is "really good" and the usual tests revealed no weakness and barely any pain. He still wanted me to commit to 4-6 weeks of PT, and to "lay off exercises that cause pain", which is to be expected. He also prescribed me a prescription-strength NSAID at a fairly high dose, which has worked miracles. Almost all pain was gone within 2 days I started using it.

Scheduled my PT assessment in early January and will see where it goes from there. I don't have any loss of strength or function in the shoulder, and the ortho in fact commented favorably on my shoulder mobility. If I can keep it relatively pain-free, I don't see why I should lay off my usual exercises.

With the pain gone, I was able to crush a few PRs:

Squat 500-550-610 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 445 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 205-230-240 lbs. x 1 (might be a PR, not sure)

Seated military press 275-300-310 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Pullups bodyweight x 20 (maybe not a PR, but it felt great)

Deadlift 500-550-600 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Bench press 405-430 lbs. x 1

I had some misgivings about trying for a 600-lb. pull, and it was hard, but doable. I don't think I have much more left in the deadlift. Might try 605-610 in 2026, but am also very cautious about hurting my hips/back again. So I'll probably just stick to sub-600 lbs. for singles.

Squats, on the other hand, feel great. The biggest obstacle is my injured shoulder, which spasms and hurts like hell when I place the bar on my back. If it wasn't for the shoulder, I'd definitely gun for heavier weights. I felt like I had strength to spare after squatting 610 lbs.

Front squats are finally moving, after a long period of being stuck. I'm finally front squatting more than I can bench press.

Speaking of the bench press - the weights felt nice and explosive. 430 lbs. felt no heavier than 405, and it's the heaviest I've pressed in a while. Not sure if the partials had anything to do with it, or simply being able to use my shoulders without the anticipation of pain. I might do another round of partial lifts and see what it nets me.

A couple of PRs in overhead pressing, which is always nice. On the seated press, it's hard for me to be 100% sure whether I'm getting stronger, or just better at turning the angle of motion into an incline press. But at this point I don't really care. Shoulders are feeling nice and strong, and maybe look a bit bigger? My delts are now fairly prominent even when I drop bodyweight, but we all know the mirror lies.

Bodyweight was 214-216 lbs. this week. Not too bad for the holiday season, when it's usually closer to 220-225.

Healing Up

Right shoulder is healing up slowly, but steadily. I'm pretty sure it's a rotator cuff problem. The only question is how bad it is, and what can be done about it. Scheduled an assessment and PT visit in December, but in the meantime I'll keep working on it.

Strength is holding steady. Very happy with the numbers as they are now. I might have a little room to progress my squats and deadlifts (would like to get the latter back to 600 lbs.), but that's not a priority right now.

Pressing has sort of stalled, maybe because of the shoulder pain, maybe not. Still avoiding incline presses, as I believe those put my shoulder over the edge of agony. I'd like to move my flat bench press back to the 440 lb. range, but that's just not possible right now. 405 lbs. feels quick and explosive, but 425 lbs. was a grind. Thinking of going back to progressive distance training (partials) for the next bench and shoulder press cycle.

Not sure where I go from here. I've hit all the lifting goals I've ever set for myself, and then some. I'm half-heartedly aiming for a 250 lb. standing overhead press, but feel like seated gives me much better shoulder development. From now on, it'll be mostly maintenance until I start to deteriorate.

Kind of looking forward to seeing how long I can keep lifting heavy. It'd be cool to squat and deadlift over 500 lbs. in my fifties.

Bodyweight has crept up a little, 212-214 lbs. this week. Might get back up to 220 lbs. over the winter. No special diet or program here - just keep doing what I'm doing, eat and exercise as normal, etc. Let the body get to where it needs to be without trying to impose control.

Squat 505-550-605 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Front squat 425 lbs. x 1

Overhead press 235 lbs. x 1 standing, 305 lbs. x 1 seated (tied PR)

Deadlift 505-550-585 lbs. x 1

Bench press 405-425 lbs. x 1

Anticipating Fall

Last week of pool time. This summer I swam every day, in addition to the usual lifting and walking. Really glad I got to do it as much as I did this year.

Squats and front squats felt strong. New small PR on squats, which was the only PR increase this cycle. Deadlifts went up fairly easily too. No more hip pain, but I'm still playing it safe.

Managed to get my standing press to two plates again, which is some 15 lbs. over bodyweight.

Bench presses went well in training, so I expected a slight increase in my top single. It didn't happen. 405 lbs. went up easily, but 430 lbs. pinned me twice. The second attempt was sheer stupidity. I reduced the weight to 420 lbs. and wasn't able to lift that either.

In frustration, I reduced the weight to three plates and repped that 13 times. Which was pointless, but it made me feel better.

No incline bench presses this time. I cut them out of the training cycle to spare my painful right shoulder. It's getting better, but slowly. Right triceps has almost fully healed, which feels great.

Squat 505-550-605 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front Squat 405-430 lbs. x 1

Standing overhead press 225 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 300 lbs. x 1

Deadlift 505-550-575 lbs. x 1

Bench press 385-405 lbs. x 1, then 315 lbs. x 13

Bodyweight was at 210 lbs. or under this week. I don't know if it's all the swimming I've been doing, but I wasn't even trying to drop any pounds lately, and have been eating as normal. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

Same Old

Not a whole lot to report from this cycle, other than I hit 600 lbs. in the squat. It was a solid cycle overall - slight drop in bodyweight, one PR, other lifts were at or around maximum weights (except the deadlift).

Right front delt and right elbow are still sore. My hip injury feels much better, but still tingles when I get into heavy weights. So I didn't push too hard on incline presses or front squats.

Still can't get the hang of overhead pressing while standing up. Granted, the little nagging injuries are adding up. But this time I couldn't even move 225 lbs., which I usually hit easily.

Also failed front squats with 430 lbs., bench press with 440 lbs., and incline press with 385 lbs. Fronts were a surprise, because they had felt nice and smooth all cycle. Bench press is still not where it was, but it's getting better. I only went to 405 lbs. for reps once in training. I might avoid incline presses for a while, as they seem to really aggravate my front shoulder.

Less failed lifts going forward. It will mean smarter rep programming, and knowing when to call it a day. Failing lifts in a power rack is fairly safe, but it still increases the risk of injury.

Squat 505-550-600 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 405 lbs. x 1

Bench press 365x2-405-425 lbs. x 1

Incline bench press 335x2-365 lbs. x 1

Standing overhead press 205 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 300 lbs. x 1

Deadlift 505-550-560 lbs. x 1

Bodyweight was in the 210-212 lb. range this week.

Brokeback Deadlift, Mixed Results

Something in my left hip went RIIIP as I pulled a mere 455 lbs. a couple of Fridays ago.

I was left in crippling back/hip pain, but managed to rehab it enough to do bench presses (the day after), squats (Monday), and some very cautious pulling two weeks later. Oddly, the hip/back issue didn't bother me much while squatting, front or back. The pain is almost completely gone now, but I still have a sensation of... instability, I guess?

Maybe it's just mental. But I'm not taking any chances. My attempts at deadlift singles were very conservative and are likely to stay that way going forward. Also, I will no longer be starting every rep from a dead stop. I've never seen any benefits from it, and I feel it increases the strain on the weakest areas in the hips and low back.

In spite of the injury, squats and front squats felt strong. I broke PRs in both and am now consistently front squatting 400 lbs. for sets of 5. Overhead pressing also went well. I'm still not where I need to be in the standing press, but getting stronger.

Bench presses have felt off all cycle. I've been plagued by persistent pain in my right triceps and elbow for quite some time now. I kept my heavy triples at 4 plates, but my form has been questionable. On singles day, I missed 445 lbs. twice and 435 lbs. once. Then I lowered the weight to 425 lbs. to at least save some face, but was completely fried at this point, so I failed that one too.

Failing at the bench press seemed to help me with incline presses, where I broke my previous PR by a whopping 15 lbs. Which made this a very good cycle overall.

Goals for next cycle: fix right elbow; fix left hip; get back into groove with bench presses. Maybe I need to drop the weight and do more controlled triples with 365-385 lbs.

Squat 505-550-595 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 440 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Bench press 405 lbs. x 1

Incline bench press 365-395 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 205-230 lbs. x 1

Seated military press 250x2-280-305 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 505x2-550 lbs. x 1

Bodyweight 210-215 lbs. this week.

RIP Belt

My old off-brand lifting belt finally gave up the ghost.

It was about time. I bought it in January 2011 and paid $20 for it (plus a pair of lifting straps thrown in for free). Fourteen and a half years is excellent useful life, especially one that has seen such heavy use in the lifting trenches. Amortizing the acquisition cost over this period, it turns out that the cost per workout would have been something like 0.7 cents. That's great ROI.

Its replacement - also bought via eBay, also made in Pakistan - arrived early this week. It's Valeo, and very high quality, but a little too large for me (lifting belt sizes are wildly inaccurate). So I'll have to punch a couple of extra holes before I can use it. The old belt will still make the occasional appearance.

RIP made-in-Pakistan off-brand belt. You will be missed.

The old belt went out in grand style. I set several new PRs this training cycle, two courtesy of my micro-loading plates. Could have done a little more on the incline bench press, but there's always next time.

On the deadlift, I went for 590 lbs. and didn't get it. I might be using too much weight for the singles before my top attempt. E.g. this time I went 455x2-525-555-590, but probably should have skipped either the 525 or 555 pull. Even a measly 525 lbs. is almost 90% of my all-time best of 600 lbs. Maybe next time it should be something like 465x2-555-590. Or maybe I should just stop chasing deadlift maxes because they're pointless?

Training went well, with almost all lifts done smoothly and under control. In addition to lifting, I now swim every weekday morning and have upped my step count for the day. I got another ugly 410x3 on the bench press. I'd like to get 405x5 eventually, but that feels light years away right now.

Squat 505-555-590 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Front squat 430 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Standing overhead press 215 lbs. x 2, 225 lbs. x 1

Seated overhead press 245x2-275-302.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Deadlift 525-555-575 lbs. x 1 (last set after I failed with 590 lbs.).

Bench press 365x2-405x1-442.5 lbs. x 1 (PR)

Incline bench press 335x2-355x2-380 lbs. x 1 (tied PR)

Bodyweight was under 212 lbs. this week.