Nifty After 50?

[Amy]

I would love to hear any feedback or experiences from the 50+ crowd regarding your experiences strength training and also with grip training/performance on the other side of 50. It sure ain't the same as at 45, I know that!

Thanks!

[Douglas Carney]

I was probably my fittest at 22 while on active duty. I'd do PT with my unit five days a week and hit the Nautilus room in my barracks or gym across the street a couple times a week to lift weights. Partly it was from boredom of not having a car and partly some friendly competition with a buddy that always maxed out his PT scores.

Left the military at 28 and frankly didn't do much.

When I was 35 I had a fitness resurgence and would hit the gym for a couple hours daily. At my peak I'd do a full body machine circuit of 3 sets of 10 on a dozen machines and then run three miles. Lost 50lbs and ran my first half marathon.

Dialed down the intensity after meeting my wife and dropped to nearly zero after becoming a dad.

Found a trainer with a PT/Sports Medicine background after hurting my back and did my first deadlift at 48. Was really different though because that one hour a week would wipe me out for a day or two. So I'd only get in a workout or two at home in between training sessions at the gym.

Now I'm 53 and I only do a moderate push day and pull day with the occasional leg day. I'm such a beginner that I'm still making grip gains, but my recovery time is 3 - 4 days between Blob or Baby Inch sessions. So it's frustrating at times to wait a week before trying a feat again. But the reality is I simply can't go all out/max effort that frequently. Those days are twenty years gone.

[Rob McMurren]

51 years old here.  Having possibly the best training cycles of my life the last 18 months.  have gotten leaner, fixed some imbalances and gotten stronger.

Currently I pull axle (2.5") daily   220 for 5-25 reps per day depending on how the body feels .  Ive pulled over 8000 reps in the last 2 years

I do at least 25 pushups a day.  

I like to mix in some strongman training a couple times a week.  I dont have specific strongman goals, just enjoy the training from a conditioning standpoint.  THere are soem stones i would like to lift eventually.  

3-4 times a week i do a lot of high rep pressdowns and face pulls  4-5 sets of 15-20 reps.  These seem to keep my elbows an shoulders happy.  

I train specific grip 2-3 times per week depending on the hands.  Its more structured to events  if there's a comp coming up.  If there's no comp I usually just test lifts and work on feats. 

I mainly stick to the flask, napalm nightmare and saxon for pinch and napalm or axle for rolling handles.  Really enjoy blob lifting and the inch db. 

When i stay smart and shut lifts down early, I stay relatively healthy.  Low back is the best its been in years with the daily dl.  My elbows are good and i can still overhead press and squat deep.  I do not barbell squat anymore, just goblets.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Kluv#0]

Amy, it would be great to read about your own grip training and contest experience since turning 50. 

[kurtwpg]

On 7/9/2024 at 5:39 AM, Douglas Carney said:

I was probably my fittest at 22 while on active duty. I'd do PT with my unit five days a week and hit the Nautilus room in my barracks or gym across the street a couple times a week to lift weights. Partly it was from boredom of not having a car and partly some friendly competition with a buddy that always maxed out his PT scores.

Left the military at 28 and frankly didn't do much.

When I was 35 I had a fitness resurgence and would hit the gym for a couple hours daily. At my peak I'd do a full body machine circuit of 3 sets of 10 on a dozen machines and then run three miles. Lost 50lbs and ran my first half marathon.

Dialed down the intensity after meeting my wife and dropped to nearly zero after becoming a dad.

Found a trainer with a PT/Sports Medicine background after hurting my back and did my first deadlift at 48. Was really different though because that one hour a week would wipe me out for a day or two. So I'd only get in a workout or two at home in between training sessions at the gym.

Now I'm 53 and I only do a moderate push day and pull day with the occasional leg day. I'm such a beginner that I'm still making grip gains, but my recovery time is 3 - 4 days between Blob or Baby Inch sessions. So it's frustrating at times to wait a week before trying a feat again. But the reality is I simply can't go all out/max effort that frequently. Those days are twenty years gone.

 

Wait, you're 53? I thought you were 54 when I joined months ago. So I'm older than you, dammit.

I find my gains aren't extraordinary, grip has moved slowly and stuff like bench press I'm basically stuck at maintenance. (Still getting a bit of gains in my legs, thanks to decades of neglect)

You can probably chalk a lot of that up to diet, sleep, unscientific training, and whatever. I don't have a defined goal, it would something along the lines of being stronger than the average 30 year old that has a gym membership, and I feel like I am accomplishing that.

[Amy]

Thank you all for sharing your input. It's interesting to read where everyone is on their journey and how they're handing it.  There hasn't been much convo that I've seen (other than Hubgeezer throughout the years) talking about impacts and changes after 50. It is a thing and I am still trying to figure it out! 😆

The biggest impact that frustrates me to no end is having big lifts consistently in training and on comp day, it just isn't there then the grip gives out. 

 

[Amy]

3 hours ago, Kluv#0 said:

Amy, it would be great to read about your own grip training and contest experience since turning 50. 

This has been super interesting because I won my strongman pro card at 45 (strongest and at my best in strongman IMO). Then I dipped out of training and lived life so I didn't have the opportunity to learn and observe as things would change. I started back last summer with a significant back injury trying to rehab and qualified for Strongman Games. So that was the goal and focus. DL was terrible, things were not predictable at all and I pulled the plug and focused on grip. Back got healthy but the inconsistency was awful prepping for The Arnold. Jedd did my programming and we had to back off. Fellow strongwoman friend over 50+ also reports significant variability and unpredictability in her DL. 

Since The Arnold I've been taking training and it comes and feels. I have a OHP, Squat and DL day and throw grip in after or on another day (minimum 3 days per week). It's def by feel and I am still making gains. My current theory is its grip work capacity which seems to be improving. Arms are healthy and I know when to go in for soft tissue work before things spiral so that's positive.

The frustration and area to improve is the grip just not there on comp day. For the Arnold my GFC in training was 220 range (18-20+ reps) and on comp day, I think I maybe got 10. At Super Series 1 at the start of my training my hub was 65. Comp day I think I pulled 55 so not only were there no gains over several months, I back slid. Likely I took too high of a jump to 62 but also a 3rd event that wiped my grip.

So many implements are new to me still so most of them are PRs by default in a comp but that's lame. I don't want to be good in the 50+ class. I want to stay relevant in the open. My good training numbers are very competitive, it's translation on comp day. Having only 3 events in each competition also makes it hard to make a judgment or analysis of performance.

I am totally open to any thoughts and feedback.  

Edited July 10 by Amy

[WorksinaPinch]

I've had several performance day flops like you are describing. Barely pulling off my opener on comp day after consistently repping or long holding the same weight in training. My current solution is to not try to peak like I would for a powerlift. I train grip every other day and I repeat the same grip lifts every fourth day. With a comp a week away, I will train just like the comp was a month away except I will cut from 6 or 8 sets to 4 or 5 and take one or two extra rest days. Then when I roll into the comp it's just another training day and I expect to at least meet my training weights.

There is a good number of men who have excelled in their 50's in grip. In this thread Rob McMurren has maybe the strongest 3" Saxon in Canada. Michael Thomas does wrist strength feats that would snap the wrists on most gym trained men.

Other 50+ grip guys excelling in the sport include Jason Dingey (he might be closer to 37 though), Odd, Arto, Horne and several others. Chris Rice was great in his 50's and 60's.

I don't know for certain, but my observation has been that those guys train with high frequency and high intensity/moderate volume. I could be way off...

[Kluv#0]

1 hour ago, WorksinaPinch said:

I've had several performance day flops like you are describing. Barely pulling off my opener on comp day after consistently repping or long holding the same weight in training. My current solution is to not try to peak like I would for a powerlift. I train grip every other day and I repeat the same grip lifts every fourth day. With a comp a week away, I will train just like the comp was a month away except I will cut from 6 or 8 sets to 4 or 5 and take one or two extra rest days. Then when I roll into the comp it's just another training day and I expect to at least meet my training weights.

There is a good number of men who have excelled in their 50's in grip. In this thread Rob McMurren has maybe the strongest 3" Saxon in Canada. Michael Thomas does wrist strength feats that would snap the wrists on most gym trained men.

Other 50+ grip guys excelling in the sport include Jason Dingey (he might be closer to 37 though), Odd, Arto, Horne and several others. Chris Rice was great in his 50's and 60's.

I don't know for certain, but my observation has been that those guys train with high frequency and high intensity/moderate volume. I could be way off...

Steve, you are an All-Time great gripster regardless of age but Masters top dog in the United States. King Kong - you competed 7 times and average worldwide finish overall is 16th place and only 1x outside of top 20 (23rd in '18). Your King Kong average American finish is 6th! Insane adjustable thickbar WR's. Various implements timed holds are siick. Saxon Bar killer, #4 SB in contest at the big show, numerous overall World of Grip World Records, numerous World of Grip Masters WR's, too many to count GSI WR's and Masters. Double Inch Replica Dumbbell lift, 25kg/20kg Plate pinch. Combine all of that and you arrive at a BMF! All accomplished in your 50's. Congrats

Edited July 10 by Kluv#0

[WorksinaPinch]

2 hours ago, Kluv#0 said:

Steve, you are an All-Time great gripster regardless of age but Masters top dog in the United States. King Kong - you competed 7 times and average worldwide finish overall is 16th place and only 1x outside of top 20 (23rd in '18). Your King Kong average American finish is 6th! Insane adjustable thickbar WR's. Various implements timed holds are siick. Saxon Bar killer, #4 SB in contest at the big show, numerous overall World of Grip World Records, numerous World of Grip Masters WR's, too many to count GSI WR's and Masters. Double Inch Replica Dumbbell lift, 25kg/20kg Plate pinch. Combine all of that and you arrive at a BMF! All accomplished in your 50's. Congrats

You are always too kind to me, Michael  - thank you! I didn't know those King Kong stats for me. Thanks for taking the time to work that out.

The near future of the NA men's masters class very likely belongs to Dingey and McMurren. I definitely had my fun with it prior to getting steamrolled by Jason.

Edited July 10 by WorksinaPinch

[Douglas Carney]

19 hours ago, kurtwpg said:

 

Wait, you're 53? I thought you were 54 when I joined months ago. So I'm older than you, dammit.

...

Yeah...I'll turn 54 this year.  Currently I'm 53 (and a half).  😇

[climber511]

I love reading these stories from all you "youngsters" LOL.  76 next month.  Started on the lifting journey in 1959.  

[Blacksmith513]

30 minutes ago, climber511 said:

I love reading these stories from all you "youngsters" LOL.  76 next month.  Started on the lifting journey in 1959.  

That’s longevity. My parents where still a couple of X chromosomes in 59🤣

[climber511]

2 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

That’s longevity. My parents where still a couple of X chromosomes in 59🤣

Maybe a Y chromosome in there somewhere? 

[Blacksmith513]

43 minutes ago, climber511 said:

Maybe a Y chromosome in there somewhere? 

Y didn't come into the mix until 63. 

This is a great thread.. There's so many grip athletes performing very well in their 50s and up. very inspirational.

I know so many people my age who couldn't do with with a tooth pick

 

[climber511]

23 hours ago, Amy said:

This has been super interesting because I won my strongman pro card at 45 (strongest and at my best in strongman IMO). Then I dipped out of training and lived life so I didn't have the opportunity to learn and observe as things would change. I started back last summer with a significant back injury trying to rehab and qualified for Strongman Games. So that was the goal and focus. DL was terrible, things were not predictable at all and I pulled the plug and focused on grip. Back got healthy but the inconsistency was awful prepping for The Arnold. Jedd did my programming and we had to back off. Fellow strongwoman friend over 50+ also reports significant variability and unpredictability in her DL. 

Since The Arnold I've been taking training and it comes and feels. I have a OHP, Squat and DL day and throw grip in after or on another day (minimum 3 days per week). It's def by feel and I am still making gains. My current theory is its grip work capacity which seems to be improving. Arms are healthy and I know when to go in for soft tissue work before things spiral so that's positive.

The frustration and area to improve is the grip just not there on comp day. For the Arnold my GFC in training was 220 range (18-20+ reps) and on comp day, I think I maybe got 10. At Super Series 1 at the start of my training my hub was 65. Comp day I think I pulled 55 so not only were there no gains over several months, I back slid. Likely I took too high of a jump to 62 but also a 3rd event that wiped my grip.

So many implements are new to me still so most of them are PRs by default in a comp but that's lame. I don't want to be good in the 50+ class. I want to stay relevant in the open. My good training numbers are very competitive, it's translation on comp day. Having only 3 events in each competition also makes it hard to make a judgment or analysis of performance.

I am totally open to any thoughts and feedback.  

The ability to take "training lifts" and make them happen on the day of the comp is a skill that takes practice to accomplish - and experience seemed to have been the best teacher for me.  Time the last training session before the comp was the key for me.  One week out I would do a complete heavy comp day (Sat) - then a VERY light day on Tuesday - then light movement (walking) until the Comp.  At my age recovery was pretty much the whole ballgame for me.  Then a skill I had to develop was to "turn on" then turn it off and rest between lifts - that was hard.

Edited July 11 by climber511

[Rob McMurren]

12 minutes ago, climber511 said:

The ability to take "training lifts" and make them happen on the day of the comp is a skill that takes practice to accomplish - and experience seemed to have been the best teacher for me.  Time the last training session before the comp was the key for me.  One week out I would do a complete heavy comp day (Sat) - then a VERY light day on Tuesday - then light movement (walking) until the Comp.  At my age recovery was pretty much the whole ballgame for me.  Then a skill I had to develop was to "turn on" then turn it off and rest between lifts - that was hard.

This and everything else Chris has posted on this board is gold.  I've only met him in person once, but use his knowledge he shares here regularly in my training

[Vinnie]

I started in grip in my late 40s, so I do not really know where my training would have been when I was younger.  I am 55 now.  In my late 40s, I was closing a COC 2 gripper when I started, and got up to MMS closing a 3 before I was 50, and certifying (CCS) the 3 when I was 52.

I have still been improving my lifts slowly over time for the last 7 or 8 years, but I don't train a lot -- enough that I am better than when I started in my late 40s.

This year I cut 20 pounds, and should be in the 74kg weight class instead of 83kg for the first time August 3 at a comp in Maine.  In October, I won that comp, barely, and it was perhaps the pinnacle of my strength in grip -- closed a 170 gripper, pulled over 210 on 2-inch 2-hand saxon, and had more in the tank (also got 213 Euro a few months later after coaching from @climber511!).  Got 70 on the Inch Pinch also.

Having cut the weight and not training much this year, I am down to about 150 on my MMS gripper closes, but I think I am still over 200 on the two-hand pinch and my axle max has been in the 300-310 range for this whole time.  I am hoping to improve grippers again to bring my close back up to about my new body weight.  I think that may be doable, unless I am also declining with age.  I have not really felt like I am losing strength these last few years; I feel much more like the 20 pound weight loss affected my strength than my age.  My age HAS slowed me down and reduced my endurance.  That I can feel.  But my short bursts of strength seem not to be declining except with body weight and lack of training, which is to be expected at any age.

I've seen what Chris Rice can do at 76.  I know it is not as much as when he was 55, or 35, but it is not as much less as one might think.  If you stay in good shape, you can't excape age but you don't just drop out.  A guy like Chris is still stronger than most 30-year-olds, and so am I in my 50s.  Might be less than we once were, but not by multiples, just a small percentage.

I'd say keep at it, whatever it is you like, and you will still be able to do it at some decent percentage of what you did in your 40s.  It's not over!

[Vinnie]

7 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

I started in grip in my late 40s, so I do not really know where my training would have been when I was younger.  I am 55 now.  In my late 40s, I was closing a COC 2 gripper when I started, and got up to MMS closing a 3 before I was 50, and certifying (CCS) the 3 when I was 52.

I have still been improving my lifts slowly over time for the last 7 or 8 years, but I don't train a lot -- enough that I am better than when I started in my late 40s.

This year I cut 20 pounds, and should be in the 74kg weight class instead of 83kg for the first time August 3 at a comp in Maine.  In October, I won that comp, barely, and it was perhaps the pinnacle of my strength in grip -- closed a 170 gripper, pulled over 210 on 2-inch 2-hand saxon, and had more in the tank (also got 213 Euro a few months later after coaching from @climber511!).  Got 70 on the Inch Pinch also.

Having cut the weight and not training much this year, I am down to about 150 on my MMS gripper closes, but I think I am still over 200 on the two-hand pinch and my axle max has been in the 300-310 range for this whole time.  I am hoping to improve grippers again to bring my close back up to about my new body weight.  I think that may be doable, unless I am also declining with age.  I have not really felt like I am losing strength these last few years; I feel much more like the 20 pound weight loss affected my strength than my age.  My age HAS slowed me down and reduced my endurance.  That I can feel.  But my short bursts of strength seem not to be declining except with body weight and lack of training, which is to be expected at any age.

I've seen what Chris Rice can do at 76.  I know it is not as much as when he was 55, or 35, but it is not as much less as one might think.  If you stay in good shape, you can't excape age but you don't just drop out.  A guy like Chris is still stronger than most 30-year-olds, and so am I in my 50s.  Might be less than we once were, but not by multiples, just a small percentage.

I'd say keep at it, whatever it is you like, and you will still be able to do it at some decent percentage of what you did in your 40s.  It's not over!

BY the way, to any youngsters still reading this thread:  in grip, your 40s and 50s may even be BETTER than now.  I don't think speed and endurance are big factors in most of grip, and I think your gains in experience and training can lead to your 40s and even 50s being your BEST grip years even if you are already training in your 20s and 30s.  I will never know for myself because of how late I started, but it seems like Jedd (in his 40s and training grip forever) is still getting stronger, or at the very least, not losing anything yet.  You youngsters have LOTS of time left!

[climber511]

I have learned technique tweaks over the years that allowed me to lift more without getting stronger - some events more than others of course.  The Euro has been the biggie for me - but most events can be helped by learning how to minimize weak links and taking advantage of stronger positions.  I've had good results "coaching" the Euro - as has Jedd - Aaron - and a couple others.  I can't think of anyone who ever came here for Euro work who didn't lift more when they left than when they came.  I was likely "stronger" when younger but the "event skill" just got better and better over time.

[Douglas Carney]

1 hour ago, Vinnie said:

BY the way, to any youngsters still reading this thread:  in grip, your 40s and 50s may even be BETTER than now.  I don't think speed and endurance are big factors in most of grip, and I think your gains in experience and training can lead to your 40s and even 50s being your BEST grip years even if you are already training in your 20s and 30s.  I will never know for myself because of how late I started, but it seems like Jedd (in his 40s and training grip forever) is still getting stronger, or at the very least, not losing anything yet.  You youngsters have LOTS of time left!

 

2 minutes ago, climber511 said:

I have learned technique tweaks over the years that allowed me to lift more without getting stronger - some events more than others of course.  The Euro has been the biggie for me - but most events can be helped by learning how to minimize weak links and taking advantage of stronger positions.  I've had good results "coaching" the Euro - as has Jedd - Aaron - and a couple others.  I can't think of anyone who ever came here for Euro work who didn't lift more when they left than when they came.  I was likely "stronger" when younger but the "event skill" just got better and better over time.

 

What both of you said about grip getting better reminded me of an episode of the Mind Pump Show called "Why Old Man Strength Is Real".  Part of the discussion was that applying force is a learned skill and the benefit of time can make help with efficiency and effectiveness.