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Once you hit your target


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I set a target for bench press of 325. Well my GF and both set targets. Her was bench press and squat. I hit that mark and thought I would back off. Now I want to go for 335. My GF told me I was nuts because I hit my goal and promised train down some. I am in my fifties and shes think I put my body under unnecessary extra strain. This coming from a pretty serious gym goer herself. She hit her squat 325 and bench 135 and has been building downward with purpose and slimmer look. She thinks I should do the same but got hooked on this process. She is probably right. Can be kind of addiction lol. Wondering if I am doing more harm then good. I been doing this all naturally though but eating more of course. Blood pressure is slightly higher then before but still in normal range but I do get red when squeezing out those last two reps.

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fitnessfan365

Is your GF squatting 325 below parallel? If so, that's pretty damn strong for a woman.

 

Also, I don't think there is anything wrong with continually wanting to progress. You've built up your strength to get to 325 on bench and got there over time. So your body should be able to handle an additional ten lbs. Also, tell your GF that you respect her opinion but that your goals are your own and really have nothing to do with her. That you're going to keep going after what you want for yourself. I say the same thing to my GF.

 

I was a powerlifter for years. I was always between 18-20% BF because all I cared about was being strong as an ox and I loved to eat. So I never gave a crap about general fitness or aesthetics. But then I decided it was time to get lean. So slowly bur surely I've been getting there. Now I'm down to 12-13% and want to get to 8% by September when we go to Maui. But of course she tells me that I should stop already, that I look good enough and there is no need to get any leaner, etc..But in the end, you have to do what's right for yourself. But I can also say that once I get sub 10% BF, that I will have no problem eating at maintenance from then on out. I have no desire to get below 8%. So I do think you need to ask yourself what you want your cut off to be because chasing a goal endlessly and never getting there isn't any fun either.

Edited by fitnessfan365
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Its up to you what to do next. A while back i realized that for a normal middle aged family guy - benching 315 was really kind of putting me beyond any goals I needed. I am only focusing on increasing my trap deadlifts these. I have shifted to other lifting/excerise and fitness related goals. But hey if you enjoy going heavier on your regular lifts (bench, squat, etc) and have no major health or injuries - and you enjoy it - keep on !

Edited by dichotomy
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Thanks. I think I will push on to 335. Yes she goes near atg but she has 20 years under her belt plus the muscle mass and size to support. That was a few months ago now for her and is heading back your her usual range 245 to 275.

It was the first time I got negative feedback from her on training but i got some flack from some family members too. I think heavy lifting slows down the aging process some.

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thefooloftheyear

While I am still very strong, i stopped going for max after about age 45 or so....

 

The risk of injury is just too great..I have nothing to prove to anyone, so to risk injury for the sake of a number is just pointless, IMO...

 

BP is a rotator cuff killer...Probably the worst exercise for injury to the R/C...

 

I figured that I can still tax my body to failure by hovering around 75/80%of max, keep form tight and reps up slightly,. and have kept myself intact...I had a full R/C tear in 2012....Did not get it fixed and while it took 18 months to get to this point, the joint is stable enough now where if I wanted to I could do a clean single with 405...But I wont try

 

All I can say is be careful...If you wreck your R/C its a very painful and humbling injury...

 

TFY

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Now that you have hit your goal, find another - not just a higher number on one very specific exercise. There are literally 100s of things you could focus on.

How is your all round fitness? Flexibility? Endurance?

IMHO, your Blood Pressure is a far more important number to worry about.

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I agree that you need to keep an eye on blood pressure.

 

However, I think there are other ways too your body can tell you when it's getting too much. Watch out for your CNS and any signs of overtraining. Your body will let you know.

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