Pressing with Old Shoulders

On "Push Day", challenges arise, due to the cumulative abuse that these old shoulders have endured over the years. Truth be told, most of the underlying damage was probably done decades ago when in my youth, I did more pushing than I should have and not enough pulling, creating imbalances. Combine this with trying to go way too heavy on the bench press with way too wide of a grip and well, time catches up with a body.

I don't do any type of pressing with a barbell anymore. All weights that are pressed are now dumbbells only. I've also been experimenting with suspension training and it's a great tool to use for pressing movements while saving the shoulders. Two exercises that I really like are suspended flies and suspended triceps extensions. Here are a couple of videos that I snatched off of YouTube to show each.

Chest Flies (and Chest Press);

Triceps Extensions;

Pullups!

Today was Pull (Back) day. After about a month and a half, I'm finally up to incorporating pullups into my routine.

After warmup, I began my workout with bodyweight pullups. These are "dead-hang" pullups, not that flopping around "kipping" crap that you see all the Crossfitters doing. The numbers are pretty dismal though. I'm still at 218 pounds and the reps for 5 sets were as follows;

3 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3

Not too impressive, but ya gotta start somewhere.

Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar + Lyrics

This helped get me through my workout yesterday morning on three hours sleep. Can't get it out of my head ever since'''

Musha rain dum a doo, dum a da
Whack for my daddy, oh
Whack for my daddy, oh
There's whiskey in the jar, oh...

Today's Quote

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Robert Heinlein

Today's Quotes; "Truth"

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
― Henry David Thoreau

 “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
― Flannery O'Connor

“Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you.”
― Stephanie Klein

The Before Pic

Here's a pic of me taken in July of 2013. Too fat and 225 pounds. Future pics to follow after progress is made.