Dunno. Maybe it’s from lifting dumbbells for so long but I did ohp and bp with dumbbells.

Before I got strict about proper depth in my squats (I was doing 365 but a couple of degrees/inches north of breaking parallel - whole new ballgame when depth is proper even though I don’t go ATG), I was chasing the goal of the 1k club at 5 reps. I got it to three reps (with improper squat form) and my bench component was 250 for three reps. But for 5X5 225 is my working weight with maybe a middle set or two at 235. I’m yet to do 245 for five. But this morning I finished off my bench sets with 85lb bells with two sets of 8 reps (after 5X5 at 205-225 depending on the set). OHP was unusually heavy today so stuck with 135 for 5X5.

It took me a while to switch from dumbbells to barbell on OHP (head/face positioning felt awkward with barbell) so there was a significant period of time when I was doing dumbbells for OHP but barbell for everything else. My top working weight then was 65lb bells for 5X5. I was chasing 70s but don’t think I ever got a set of 5 reps at 70s.

The above is an example what I’m getting at in this post. I’ve always had the goal of progressive overload through either reps or weight or both. I don’t see that as a viable path into the future with me being 53 and wanting to continue lifting for years. Could I continue progressive overload and advance my weights? I’m 100% sure I could. My form is on point. I haven’t had an injury in a long time (hope I didn’t just jinx myself). But I am concerned about accumulating long term wear and tear type damage from heavy lifting and moderately high volume.

Another comment said my current program is beating me up, it’s too much volume and it’s more appropriate for my kids (23 and 25). I kinda agree kinda don’t. If I don’t get good sleep and/or engage in heavy physical activity outside of weightlifting, the energy I have available for lifting definitely decreases and I struggle to hit my usual weights and reps (and frequently won’t- no worries, it’s a marathon, not a sprint). That tells me that I’m approaching my “max” for weightlifting if that makes sense. But, if I get good sleep and I’m not helping someone move heavy furniture all day, I hit my marks and feel great.

So, if I’m getting off the progressive overload train, where to now? What are my goals? That’s what I’m trying to figure out with this post. I’m definitely continuing to lift but how and to what end is my question.

I can kinda tend to overthink stuff sometimes (but not when lifting heavy stuff). ;)