I am training to be a kick-ass 90 year old man. I started about 7 years ago when I saw the frailty of my parents who were 80 and 85 at the time. They are still here and still inspiring me to develop more strength, flexibility, and endurance.

This week a neighbor walked by when I was grunting out a few double clean and presses in my driveway and said, “You are strong.” I think of myself as fit, but not strong, so I said, “Not really.” She said, “No. You are strong.” I replied, “A little.”

Actually, upon reflection, I am strong. I want to be stronger and wish I was progressing faster, but it is kind of amazing that I am the strongest I have ever been in my life at age 57. I am getting stronger every week and have a pretty good chance of continuing to get stronger every week for at least another 5 years.

Yeah. I am strong. Thanks for noticing!

I went to CrossFit North Fulton to figure out what kind of weight I might be able to dead-lift at the Tactical Strength Challenge coming up on 4 October. The last time I practiced the dead-lift was January 2013. I remember the date because I developed a hernia that required surgery and never got back to dead-lifting afterwards. My goal this time was to avoid hurting myself because that is what I have frequently done when returning to the gym after a long absence.

I warmed up with some goblet squats and halos like I always do. Then I started dead-lifting. One set of 5 reps with 135 pounds. One set of 5 reps with 185 pounds. One set of 5 reps with 225 pounds. Three sets of 3 with 225 pounds. I considered pulling 245 or even 275, but thought maybe I should not go too hard my first day back in the gym. As I recall, my max effort several years ago when I trained the dead-lift regularly was only 260 or 280. I am stronger now than I was 3 years ago, but I am not planning to risk a failed attempt until I have been training regularly for a few months.

I moved directly from deadlifts to pull-ups and achieved two on my first try. I failed with every attempt of a second pull-up several weeks ago. The success probably reflects that I normally train pulls-ups after get-ups, snatches, and between sets of swings. Amazingly, not being tired makes a difference! I did a second set of two after my first and came close to failure on the second pull-up. I finished off with a few more singles.

To round out the visit to the gym, I completed my normal get-up routine of 5 x 1 L/R with the 16 kg bell. Then I went out for a one mile run up and down the hilly sidewalks of the neighborhood. The hardest part of the day was the run! My calves did not like the effort.

Based upon how I am feeling today, I am thinking my performance as a Novice at the TSC event will include 275 in the dead-lift, 2 pull-ups, and 60 snatches with the 20-kg bell.

Listing out how I expect to perform in 2014 has me thinking about what I might achieve in 2015. Considering that I want to achieve certification as a StrongFirst Girya by age 60 ( next 3 years), here are my goals: 380 in the dead-lift (double my body weight); 5 dead hang pull-ups, 60 snatches in 5 minutes with the 24-kg bell. I have not yet snatched the 24-kg bell. I only started snatching the 20-kg bell a few weeks ago, so I am not “planning” to progress from 0 to 100 snatches in 5 minutes with the 24-kg bell in one year.