Birthday Test

This week is my birthday, so I decided to test. Tested absolute strength, relative strength, and strength/power endurance. For absolute strength, I used the deadlift. At this point I only have a 300 pound barbell set. 300 went up slow and steady on the first and only try. Could have done more, but can’t say how much. Could certainly have pulled 315, maybe more. Since I never deadlift anymore, I’m pleased with this result. It’s not powerlifter strong, but stronger than a lot of guys my age.

I got 12 pullups. The last few reps were ugly, and involved some lower body gymnastics. My all-time best is 13, when I was younger, lighter, and focused on pullups. I have kept a lot of my pullup strength without doing a lot of pullups. I’ve done sets of 5 lately, with a set of 10 thrown in here and there. Like with the deadlift, it could be better, but I’ll take it. I think that bent presses have contributed to my lat strength, as well as the overall posterior chain strengthening of kettlebell long cycle and half snatch.

Tested strength/power endurance with the long cycle clean and jerk. I used a 32k kettlebell. I did 154 reps in 30 minutes, without putting down the weight. My previous best, a month ago, was 150 reps. This is only the second time I’ve gone 30 minutes with the red bell. I started at 6 rpm, but realized 4 minutes in that I could not sustain this pace, so dropped to 5 rpm. This performance would not earn a rank or turn many heads at an IKMF event, but I’m pleased with it. This was the hardest set I’ve ever done, mentally and physically. 70 pounds gets very heavy, and I wanted to stop several times. I’m pleased that I got my 30 minutes, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

In summary, I’m 41, weigh 179 pounds. I can pick up over 300 pounds, do 12 pullups, and pick a 70 pound weight up and overhead 154 times in 30 minutes without stopping. I’ve done close to 300 half-snatches with a 53 lb. kettlebell in 30 minutes. In the world of professional strength athletes and tactical operators, I doubt I’m even entry-level strong yet. But for a preacher with two kids and a desk job, I think I’m ahead of the curve. I’m grateful for strength, and for the chance to use it to the benefit of those I love.

https://youtu.be/yhnuuZ-A2co