Rick Huse "Growing old is not for sissies" Workout

[Rick Huse]

I have spent the last 10 years living on the Egyptian River, "De Nile", regarding the effects of age & training. I've whipped the body as if I were still in my twenties and for the most part it responded well. Up to certain limits, then all hell would break lose. Can you say, "Hi, Doc. It hurts when I do this, and this, and this..."!

At 56, I am slowly warming up to the idea that pushing strength limits and body beautiful need to drop a little lower on the training goals list. Most of my clients that I train who are in their 50's and 60's state that they just want to "feel better". I would expand that to "feel better inside their bodies". They (and I) are dealing with aches & pains, fatigue, chronic/genetic illness and noticing the outward/inward signs of an aging body. Fitness training can have a tremendous positive effect on the quality of someone's life. If done incorrectly, it becomes just another stressor that can further weaken the body & spirit. Thus the personal journey of seeking the Fitness Holy Grail of vitality and health.

I started working with Clubbells about 2 weeks ago. Because of a fissure that is slowly healing, I've had to stop all movements that would strain the anal/glute area which really doesn't leave much. Today was my first strength workout in about 6 weeks. I was gently exploring what I could do with my rehabing shoulders and the fissure. The result was the following circuit:

KB See/Saw Press (2) 24Kg x 6r/6l - 3 sets
Pullup Ladder BW x 1,2,3,4 - 3 sets
KB Tactical Lunge BW+12Kg x 15l/15r - 3 sets
CB Mills 15# x 15r/15l - sets
Abmat Crunch 10# Med-Ball x 12 - 3 sets

1:00 rest between sets
RPE - 7 to 8

Shoulders were O.K. with the KB Presses
KB Tactical Lunge resulted in some fissure tightness. (Maybe too soon).
CB Mills were about a 5 RPE but I didn't want to push too soon on a skill that is not yet grooved and the forearms were tight from yesterday's CB workout.
The Abmat Crunches were also felt in the fissure even though I didn't flex the glutes during the movement.

Over the course of the last two weeks of CB break-in, I was surprised by the delayed deep muscle fatigue that would set in 3 to 4 hours after my CB workouts. I never felt anything like it in all my years of training.

Thanks for reading.

[Rick Huse]

A two day business trip allowed for a much needed time away from training. For the last two weeks I have been doing Level 1 of Warrior Wellness every morning right after getting out of bed. The cracking & popping in the shoulders have greatly reduced, the hips are more flexible and my balance is improving in the one legged stances. Overall it is a nice way to warmup and prepare for training.

Today was a light easy day focusing on technique (slow reps) as per Scott's recommedations.

CB Inward Pendulum 10# x 10R/10L - 3 sets
CB Shield Cast 10# x 10R/10L - 3 sets
CB Armpit Cast (2) 10# x 10 - 3 sets
CB Shoulder Cast (2) 10# x 10 - 3 sets

The routine was a circuit with :30 to 1:00 rest between exercises. (Just enough time to record reps and take a couple of breaths). RPE was 4 and the CB Shoulder Cast was 7. I was pressured for time this morning because I was runing late for work and this was all I had time to do.

Thanks for reading!

[Rick Huse]

After 9/11 I came across a KB/BW routine from Pavel in an issue of Muscle Media regarding the Russian Military field training. It included an upper body push, an upper body pull, leg/hip/low back exercise, a ballistic movement and something for the abs. I felt that the fissure healing had progressed enough to return to that structure, at least to try. The following was done in a circuit format with a 1:00 +/- rest between exercises.

Warrior Wellness (Level 1)

KB See/Saw Press (2)24Kg x 7R/7L - 3 sets RPE 8-9
Pullup Ladder BW x 1,2,3,4 - 3 sets RPE 9
Pistols BW x 4R/4L - 3 sets RPE 7-9
KB Snatch 16Kg x 10R/10L - 3 sets RPE 6-7
Abmat/KB Push Crunch 8Kg x 7 - 3 sets RPE 8

5:00 Rest

CB Swipe (2)15# x 15
CB Mill 15# x 20R/20L
CB Clean (2)15# x 10
CB Inward Pendulum/Shield Cast (Strict Combo) 10# x 15R/15L

The effort felt good. I have been holding back for two months waiting for the fissure to heal. I had not done any leg work or KB exercises with any serious intent for at least eight weeks. Now, I feel that I can carefully start returning to total body strength work. I stress the word carefully, I cannot afford another setback. I am, however, grateful for the current condition and recent injuries, they opened the door to Clubbell and Circular Strength Training...Lemons into Lemonade.

The next strength workout will be either Saturday or Sunday depending upon recovery. I will continue to do Warrior Wellness (Level 1) every morning and do light aerobic as engery and time permit.

Thanks for reading and for any comments or suggestions.!

[Scott Sonnon]

Rick, congratulations for climbing the next ridge. Please keep us advised of your progress.

[admin]

Rich,

Hey, a big 'Howdy' to another post-50 CBer!

I just wanted to say that I, too, have experienced the slow creeping onslought of aches and pains with the passing of the years. But I have also discovered that growing old does not have to hurt! CST is a God-send to people interested in a fit, healthy and strong old age.

In TCM there is an expression "health beyond danger". Good diet and following the splendid examples on this forum will take anyone a long way towards a fit longevity. The happy confluence of having to go slower just because age demands it and having disciplines like Body-Flow and CST that also demand a slow and thoughtful approach is a blessing in disquise.

As you know, its not so easy to put on lean muscle mass riding the downward slope of testosterone production. Thanks for sharing your progress!

[Rick Huse]

Friday, 24 Oct 03 - Warrior Wellness & Rest

Saturday, 25 Oct 03 - Warrior Wellness & More Rest

Sunday, 26 Oct 03 - Warrior Wellness & Time To Hit It Again
PART 1 - Straight Sets
KB Windmills 16Kg x 5R/5L - 3 sets - RPE 3
CB Inward Pendulum 15# x 10R/10L - 3 Sets - RPE 7
CB Shield Cast 15# x 10R/10L - 3 Sets - RPE 7-9
CB Armpit Cast (2)15# x 10 - 3 Sets - RPE 8
CB Forward Pendulum (to Order) (2)15# x 15 - RPE 9-10
Grip was shot after Forward Pendulum
10:00 Rest
PART 2 - Circuit - 3 Sets
Pistol BW x 4R/4L RPE 9
KB See/Saw Press (2)24Kg x 6R/6L RPE 9
Abmat/KB Push Crunch 8Kg x 8 RPE 9
PART 3 (Just for grins)
CB Shoulder Cast (2)10#x10
Added the Shoulder Cast at the end just to see if I could do it after all the CB work had already fatigued my grip.

This was a continuation of my CB acclimation with a small amount of KB & BW strength work added. Healing is still going on, so leg work is being brought along slowly. The thought of PART 2 was to have familiar KB upper body, leg & core strength exercises to work with and I also have a new KB client starting next Sunday and I need to get my hands on KBs again.

REFLECTION: When I trained a three-day-a-week Nautilus routine back in the early 70's, after two days of rest I always felt stronger and could see changes in the mirror. The extra day of rest had a noticeable affect but it was easily overlooked by the ego who wanted to race back to the gym. Now at 56, it is time to revisit and test various rest intervals. Any input on this point would be welcome.

Thanks for reading and for your thoughts!

[Scott Sonnon]

Rick,
I'd err on the side of taking too much of a rest rather than too little at this point in your return to strength. Then, ween yourself down until you find yourself starting to become slightly unmotivated to train or become slightly fatigued. Jump up a few increments in time off and balance from there.
Keep us updated on your progress.

[Rick Huse]

Thanks, Scott.

Your thoughts confirm my idea of two days off with Warrior Wellness every morning and possibly very light aerobic work if energy and the healing fissure allow on one of the days off. I tend to train "on the nerve" too much and allow fatigue to accumulate, to the point of losing motivation.

"A true professional knows what to do and when to stop doing it".

Thanks!

[Rick Huse]

The clock was ticking loudly and the deadline for leaving for work was closing in quickly. So I decided to do a fast strength circuit utilizing an upper body push, upper pull, legs & abs with little or no rest between exercises.

Warrior Wellness - Level 1

KB See/Saw Press (2)24Kg x 6R/6L RPE-8
Pullup Ladders BW x 1, 2, 3, 4 RPE-9
Pistols BW x 5R/5L RPE-9
Abmat/KB Push Crunch 8Kg 7 - 9 RPE-9

Three sets / quick pace / done and out the door.

Checkout Abmats at www.Abmat.com and see what you think. I do the Abmat/KB Push Crunch by holding a 8Kg KB at arm's length above my chest, while crunching the arms stay perpendicular to the floor ending up directly above the head. During the return to the floor, the arms stay perpendicular to the spine resulting in a more difficult negative.

The plan is to do basic CB movements this evening: Inward Pendulum, Armpit Cast, Shield Cast & Swings (or Hydras), 5sets x5reps or 3sets x10reps. If the CB Olympic Manual shows up today, all bets are off.

Thanks for reading and for any comments and suggestions.

[Rick Huse]

CB Olympic Manual did not show up today so...

CB Inward Pendulum 15#x 5 - 5 sets RPE 5
CB Shield Cast 15# x 5 - 5 sets RPE 6
CB Armpit Cast 15# x 5 - 5 sets RPE 5
CB Swings 15# 15 - 5 sets RPE 3

Very little rest between sets. Swings were easy but the forearms were cramping after each set. First time to double up AM/PM. KB/BW exercises in the AM. CB in the PM. The intent was a light workout focusing on form.
Left side still trying to catch up with the right in fine motor control in the Inward Pendulum & Shield Cast but it has been only 3 weeks.

Tomorrow is a rest day with possible light recovery aerobics.

Thanks for reading.

[Scott Sonnon]

Rick,

One of the most effective and expedient means of releasing that forearm pump between sets involves the "Jar Twist" Vibration Drill.

Let your arms hang at your side. Flex the hand of the arm to be vibrated so that the hand rests perpendicular to the forearm. Let your fingers naturally bend towards the ground loosely. It will give the appearance that you hold an invisible jar in your hand at your side. Now, spin your hand back and forth as furiously as possible as if trying to twist on and twist off the lid of a jar.

Alternate with shaking out your hand.

This will abate the arm-pump until you meet the threshold of your local muscular endurance.

Now, you may want to revisit the effectiveness of your tight-loose-tight grip protocol, because when arm-pump happens so early and frequently, it's *typically* from over-gripping.

[Rick Huse]

Thanks for the tips, Scott. The "Jar Twist & Shake" really helped.

O.K., I know that I said today was going to be a rest day but I hadn't done anything aerobic (interval or othersize) for six weeks because of the fissure. It was warm, sunny and I thought that sledgehammer tire-bashing might get the heart rate up. So before mowing the grass, I grabbed a tire and sledgehammer out of the barn and bashed away.

AM - Warrior Wellness Level 1

PM - CB Shield Cast/Inward Pendulum Combo (Strict) 10# x 10R/10L
KB Jerks (2) 12Kg x 30 (3 Minutes)
Sledgehammer/Tire 15# x 15R/15L - 10 sets (300 reps) :30 rest

Comments: The CB Combo was intended to prepare for future Mills and the light KB Jerks was used as a warmup for Sledgehammering. I usually combine the sledgehammer with other BW exercises (pullups, pushups & plyo box stepups) in a 10 rep - 10 set circuit but I was running out of daylight for grass mowing and I also wanted to try just sledghammer swinging in a limited rest format to see how my body would react. Well, it felt pretty good but the hammer got a little loose in the grip during the last two sets. No cramping,just loose on impact.

Maybe I am doing something wrong but most of the work I feel during hammering is in the back swing and setup for the down swing. I've tried to put more core energy and performance breathing in the downswing but it still doesn't seem to match the effort in the recovery and setup. Any comments?

Thanks for reading!

[Scott Sonnon]

Rick, it could simply be a matter of either fatigue due to overtraining similar grip action with your earlier Clubbell session, OR priming your muscle software with a tight-loose-tight protocol (from both Clubbells and KBs) whereas the Sledgehammer swing is definitely a protocol of tight-tighter-tightest.

If it's the former then I suspect if you excluded the Clubbell session, you would not encounter the loose grip in your Sledgehammer. Split apart the session. If it's the latter, then just remember to refocus and change your grip protocol.

[Rick Huse]

1 Nov 03 - Saturday
Several years ago I discovered the X-iser mini-stepper and met X-iser owner, Mark Smith, PhD. The X-iser is used by NFL, NBA and the US Rowing teams for aerobic conditioning and knee rehab. Being a rower, the US team's use got my attention.

Mark had partnered up with Dragan Radovic to create a "4x4" workout video involving upper body aerobic movements using light dumbbells with the X-iser for the lower body, resulting in an effective "pump & climb" routine.

Radovic, at age 52, set the world record for curling & pressing a 35# dumbbell with each hand for a total of 1,600 reps, non-stop. Last spring, at the Arnold Classic, he upped the weight to 40# dumbbells and offered a $10,000 prize to any team of 5 who could beat his individual total. No one came close.

Impressed by Radoviv's idea of bringing the upper body's engery output inline to that of the lower body, I have used the X-iser/Dumbbell routine off & on over the last 4 years with great results but it has been at least 7 months due to an ankle sprain/fracture since my last X-iser workout. Saturday morning I got out the tape, X-iser & 10# dumbbells and tried to keep up with Radovic once again. What I could handle easily months ago was surprisingly difficult today, a reminder of how fast and how much the body will decondition to a particular skill/activity. The DOMS started to set in this morning but Warrior Wellness came to the rescue.

2 Nov 03 - Sunday

Low energy day and time to go easy & focus on techinque. The following circuit went for 3 sets with :30 rest between exercises.

OLY Bar Side Press 45# x 5R/5L, 50# x 5R/5L, 51# x 5R/5L
Horizontal Pullups BW x 8, 8, 8
19" High Box Stepups BW x 10R/10L, BW+25 x 10R/10L, 10R/10L
Abmat/KB Push Crunch 8Kg x 8, 7, 7

Finished with one set of Swipes, (2)15# x 15

Just didn't feel like dealing with KBs today so I chose the OLY Bar Side Press instead. Biceps were fried from yesterday's X-iser routine so horizontal pullups were used for the "upper body" pull. The overall RPE was 6-9 & the RT at 8.

Thanks for reading, comments and suggestions!