Ironwill2008 V2.0

[Spartanbaziotis]

Thanks for the comments; they're appreciated.

I sure don't claim to know everything, but with what I was taught as a noob and what I've learned on my own in 20 years' consistent training ( actually, it won't be 20 until this coming May), it's relativey easy to see what someone is doing that's right or wrong. I always attempt to help those who seem to be sincerely looking for a way past some problem. I've made just about every mistake in the book on my way up, and my experiences can help shorten someone else's learning curve.

Conversely, I don't suffer fools gladly, especially if they're misleading noobs in a way that will limit their progress or possibly injure them.


As far as still training at my .....uh........"level of chronological challenge,"............bodybuilding has long since simply become a way of life for me. The Good Lord gave me at least enough smarts to realize that this way of living is far, far better than my previous ways.






Just stick with it. Progress, as well as the desire to achieve it, comes in peaks and valleys. There will be days when you won't want to train, or eat as you know you should. On such days, simply do the best you can at that time, and if you happen to fall a little short, be determined to do better tomorrow.

On days where everything clicks, remember them and what served to bring those circumstances about so that you can learn to duplicate them at will.

And above all, realize that the big secret to having any amount of success in this sport is that there are no secrets. The same stuff that you've always heard to work is what works-- training on mostly compound lifts (with some selected isolations added in), eating to your required macros every day without fail, and resting when you should be resting. Mother Nature and the calendar will take care of everything else.



Thanks for visiting my journal.

Well I am glad to know I am on the right path haha. Working with Rippetoe's for the time being and Tracking every calorie and macro every day. Had someone argue with me about the importance of keeping track actually, but i'll stick with the advice of people who have been training most of my life lol.

[brucedelaney]

Great numbers as always bill, Love checking out the pics of your workouts... and the after workout meals always look so good...

[ironwill2008]

Wednesday's training, bumped from the previous page:

Had a solid session today. made some progress, and otherwise held my ground. Today's training was:

barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
bar x5 W/U
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
295x2

295x2 Barbell Lunge


Got it back to the liftoffs without getting crushed into the floor.

225x2 backoff set


Barbell Row
bar x10 W/U
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5 tough
250x4 tougher

Smith Machine Low Incline Press
95x10 W/U
135x5
155x5
175x5
205x5
230x5

185x7 backoff set



Was able to complete this session in 65 minutes. I felt like it was time to try to stretch the top set of Lunges to a double today, and managed a sloppy 2nd rep. It didn't pin me to the floor however, so I'm calling it good enough to count. I'm interested to see if I can better it the week following deload next week. I managed a double on the backoff set, and by then, my legs were toast.

Rows were a real challenge today. The 225 set was a job, and I gave up a rep on the top set. I'll continue to work on these.

Hit reps-across on Inclines again, but like last week, still don't feel like I should bump up just yet. One more go-around at reps-across, and I'll bump the weight a bit.

That's it for today. I'm pleased with the iverall session, especially Lunges. I'm still a long way from a triple on the top set, but I feel like it's in me somewhere. I'll rest tomorrow, then hit Romanians, Curls, and Flat Presses on Friday.

Post meal was a bowl of firey chili (jalapenos FTW), a small chicken salad, and a glass of milk.

[FlaIronMind]

Great lookin' set yesterday brother, with tremendous effort (as always).

Good PWO meal as well, though a correction is in order....habaneros FTW!

[ironwill2008]

Thanks again Bill. :-)

YW

Great looking session there. Thats a lot of volume and poundage moved for 65 minutes. Everytime I see you lungeing outside the rack, I wince a little, but I figure you know what you're doing. Good job on the second rep, I guess its do or die, so you did.

Thanks. While I stopped looking at the clock during workouts a long time ago, apparently I have one in my head. These similar sessions rarely vary more than 5 minutes from one week to the next. I just take as much time between sets as I 'feel' like I need in order to do my best on the next set, and pay no mind to how long the rest time might be. When I feel ready to go, I go.

As far a doing Lunges outside the rack, I don't have an alternative. If I had a way to safety the bar, I'd probably have hit my 295x3 a while ago. But winging it like I have to, I have to be really conservative about when to push for the next rep.

I've posted in here before that I've been doing Barbell Lunges for about 19 years (since my 2nd year of training, and when I was training in a commercial gym with a regular training partner (a guy much younger than I and stronger a well), we'd call over a 3rd guy to serve as a spotter so we'd have a man at each end of the bar (the only way to spot this lift). With no fear of being pinned to the floor, we'd then be able to take sets right to failure. Being able to train like that, both poundage lifted as well as confidence increase fairly rapidly.

I'm treating myself to a steak and cheese subway footlong tomorrow and thats gonna be loaded with 'em.

FTW!

Well I am glad to know I am on the right path haha. Working with Rippetoe's for the time being and Tracking every calorie and macro every day. Had someone argue with me about the importance of keeping track actually, but i'll stick with the advice of people who have been training most of my life lol.

I post frequently in the 'nutrition' forum, and that question (weigh/measure/track vs. not doing so) comes up a dozen times a day in there (as well as in several other forums on this site). My reply is always that if you're going to put in the work in the gym, it doesn't make sense to leave the most important piece of the muscle-building process.....nutrition....to guesswork.


Sure, weighing portions and adding up calories/macros every day is a PITA, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes, and you eventually get to a point where you can eyeball frequently-eaten food items and portions, and know what's there without having to weigh every gram.



Every single, "I can't gain weight!" thread and every single "I can't lose fat!" thread posted on this site has one thing in common; when quizzed, the OPs all admit they don't weigh their portions. Most of them have just been either guessing, or using "serving-size" info off of container labels. That just won't get it; when the few of these people who actually take the advice and start detailing what they eat, invariably, the "bulkers" find out they haven't been eating anywhere near as much as they thought they were, and the "cutters" come to find out that they'd been eat way more than they had been guessing.

Fail to plan-----plan to fail.

Great numbers as always bill, Love checking out the pics of your workouts... and the after workout meals always look so good...

Hey Bruce, thanks. I had a good day, and a good PWO meal. My wife doesn't eat meat, so when I cook a pot of chili (or whatever), it's on me to finish it off. It's usualy not a problem!

[1fatoldman]

Hi IRONWILL
I’ve been following for several months and I just wanted to pop in to say Hi and “thanks” for all of the info that you continually post.
Your no BS posts help guys like me find a safe and reasonable way to continue going forward.

I’ll be in the background. LOT’S for me to READ & LEARN!

[OutOfStep]

Wednesday's training, bumped from the previous page:

Had a solid session today. made some progress, and otherwise held my ground. Today's training was:

barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
bar x5 W/U
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
295x2

295x2 Barbell Lunge


Got it back to the liftoffs without getting crushed into the floor.

225x2 backoff set


Barbell Row
bar x10 W/U
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5 tough
250x4 tougher

Smith Machine Low Incline Press
95x10 W/U
135x5
155x5
175x5
205x5
230x5

185x7 backoff set



Was able to complete this session in 65 minutes. I felt like it was time to try to stretch the top set of Lunges to a double today, and managed a sloppy 2nd rep. It didn't pin me to the floor however, so I'm calling it good enough to count. I'm interested to see if I can better it the week following deload next week. I managed a double on the backoff set, and by then, my legs were toast.

Rows were a real challenge today. The 225 set was a job, and I gave up a rep on the top set. I'll continue to work on these.

Hit reps-across on Inclines again, but like last week, still don't feel like I should bump up just yet. One more go-around at reps-across, and I'll bump the weight a bit.

That's it for today. I'm pleased with the iverall session, especially Lunges. I'm still a long way from a triple on the top set, but I feel like it's in me somewhere. I'll rest tomorrow, then hit Romanians, Curls, and Flat Presses on Friday.

Post meal was a bowl of firey chili (jalapenos FTW), a small chicken salad, and a glass of milk.

295# lunges wtf? My groin hurts just thinking about that. Straight killing it Bill! Interesting stance on the the barbell rows. Do you keep your knees locked? Barbell row is hands down my favorite back exercise. Tried to rep you but I'm always on spread because it's always the same 6 or so guys I try to rep.

[ironwill2008]

Hi IRONWILL
I’ve been following for several months and I just wanted to pop in to say Hi and “thanks” for all of the info that you continually post.
Your no BS posts help guys like me find a safe and reasonable way to continue going forward.

I’ll be in the background. LOT’S for me to READ & LEARN!

Hello! Thanks for the comments; they're appreciated.

As I've admitted many times, I sure don't know everything, but what I have learned, I try to share with others who are starting out on the path I've already walked. If I can help shorten someone else's learning curve, or help them avoid getting injured, I'll feel like I'm doing some good here.



Thanks for visiting my journal.

295# lunges wtf? My groin hurts just thinking about that. Straight killing it Bill! Interesting stance on the the barbell rows. Do you keep your knees locked? Barbell row is hands down my favorite back exercise. Tried to rep you but I'm always on spread because it's always the same 6 or so guys I try to rep.

Hey, Rob! I've noticed you've started posting again; your expertise is really needed in the O35.


BB Lunges might be my favorite lift; I'll try to replace them in the routine with something else, but within a month or so, I find myself back at 'em. These days I think it's more the challenge they offer me than anythng else that keeps pulling me back to them.


I know my stance on Rows is a bit unconventional, but I feel most stable with my feet splayed out. I keep my knees just a hair away from locked to keep from hypering them. I sometimes alternate between BB and jack-legging a T-bar setup by chaining a Pulldown handle to a barbell with a bunch of 25-pound plates loaded on the working end of the bar, and the 'dead' end stuck under the handle of a 120 pound dumbbell to keep it from coming up and giving me a "surprise." I'm close to stalling out on Barbell Rows right now, and will probably make the switch back to t-bar before too long.



Again, it's good to see you posting.

[ArchAngel'73]

Awesome work!
I really liked that thumbs up pic, made me smile irl.

and just what does one do if they fail at lunges? How do you dump the bar or re-rack it?
Also liked your pic of Sherman but was lurking, 10,000 posts coming fast I see.

[ironwill2008]

Awesome work!
I really liked that thumbs up pic, made me smile irl.

Thanks, Brian. I had a good day, and was pleased that i made it back to the liftoffs!

and just what does one do if they fail at lunges? How do you dump the bar or re-rack it?

There's no elegant way to do it; I'd have to forcefully push the bar off my back as I moved forward away from it. And this is the reason why I seem to be stuck at the same load(s) on these for so long; I have to already know I can do it before I try it.

So far, so good.

Also liked your pic of Sherman but was lurking,

Thanks. We pet lovers know the real value of our furry friends.

10,000 posts coming fast I see.

Geez; time flies. Before too long it'll be V3.0.

[DerekEt]

295 lb lunges?!?!?!

[ironwill2008]

Great lookin' set yesterday brother, with tremendous effort (as always).

Good PWO meal as well, though a correction is in order....habaneros FTW!

I missed this post earlier, FIM; thanks! Sitting here today and looking back, I'm really pleased with yesterday's work. The problem though, as I'm sure you're well-aware, is that now I've gotta figure out a way to top it.



Habaneros!

I like spicy foods; I go through a big bottle of Frank's in just a month or so, but those little varmints are more than I can deal with!

295 lb lunges?!?!?!

LOL. That probably seems a little extreme, but I've been doing them for a long time, and training loads just naturally increase over the years if they're worked consistently, and if I'm anything, it's consistent. But I'm right at my limit on them; I've been working on getting that weight up to three reps for months now.

I'm just too hard-headed to give up!

[-Lucifer]

Found some of Bill's wisdom in my old journal. Just thought it deserves to be seen again.

The late, great Enzo Ferrari, when asked why he refused to outfit his race cars with rear-view mirrors, curtly replied, "What's behind me is of no concern."

[The Shoeless Wonder]

3 plate lunges or negs

[DerekEt]

^ I already negged him for not providing 4 plate lunges.now his rep power is down by almost 1, he's mad.

[ironwill2008]

Found some of Bill's wisdom in my old journal. Just thought it deserves to be seen again.

LOL. There's a lot of truth in that quote.

3 plate lunges or negs

^ I already negged him for not providing 4 plate lunges.now his rep power is down by almost 1, he's mad.

LOL. That 2nd rep @295 made me look as shaky as a newborn colt.

[ironwill2008]

Closed out the week, and this 3-week block of training, with a solid session. Made a skosh of progress, and otherwise held ground previously taken. today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1

Barbell Curl
bar x5 W/U
65x5 W/U
85x3 W/U
115x3
115x3
115x3

95x7 backoff set



Smith Machine Flat Press
95x10 W/U
135x5
165x5
185x5
205x5
235x4 heh vee

Completed this session in just a bit over one hour. Got a solid single on Romanians but still didn't have the jam to stretch it to a double. I'll keep working at these.

Picked up a tough rep on the work sets of Curls, and gave back a rep on the backoff set. Forgot to sub-in Poundstone curls again; must be something subconscious about those high reps.

Equalled last week's work on Flat Presses, and was happy to be able to; the top set was heavy today. More work needs done here.

I like to go into deload week with some momentum, and feel like I accomplished that this week. I'll rest over the weekend and then work a light Squat, Chinup, and Seated Press workout on Monday.

Post-WorkOut meal was a pair of crabmeat-stuffed shrimp, a big baked potato with sour cream, a very fresh salad, and a glass of milk. Cocktail sauce with extra horseradish FTW.

[ProtienandIron]

Another great session Bill, its always good going into a deload on a high knowing you earnt it.

[-=FLEX=-]

Nice finish to the week and the 3 week training cycle.

I think next week when you are on deload instead of posting your workouts you should recite poetry.



Have a good weekend Bill.

[ironwill2008]

Another great session Bill, its always good going into a deload on a high knowing you earnt it.

Thanks, Andy. It does help get through a week of potentially boring training to know that a bit of progress has been made, and that the additional recovery provided from that week will help to continue the trend.

Nice finish to the week and the 3 week training cycle.

Thanks, Jim. It was a good stretch; now i need to figure out how to better it.

I think next week when you are on deload instead of posting your workouts you should recite poetry.

Not sure which would provide the most lulz--my lame attempts at 'poetry,' or posting 135 pound "Squats!"

Have a good weekend Bill.

Thanks; same to all of you good folks up North.

[mharrislove]

If you have to usher in a deload week, going out with those stellar RDLs is the way to do it.

[EjnarKolinkar]

Post-WorkOut meal was an egg/veggie/cheese frittata, some apple-smoked thick-cut bacon, toast, and a glass of cold milk.

OK, in. I cant miss another frittata pic.

[brucedelaney]

Sounds like some solid progress there Bill.

[ironwill2008]

If you have to usher in a deload week, going out with those stellar RDLs is the way to do it.

Thanks, Mike. I always try to give things an extra push on the 3rd week (before deload week); it makes the week of light training a bit more palatable for me.

I feel good, with no unusual aches or pains, and that's the best way to be when moving into a 'recovery' week.

OK, in. I cant miss another frittata pic.

LOL. That's some of my wife's work; since she retired a year ago, she's wanted to get more involved with cooking the meals, something I previously did almost exclusively.


Welcome to my journal.

Sounds like some solid progress there Bill.

Thanks, Bruce. Every millimeter forward is considered a positive.

[ironwill2008]

This is the first of three light deload sessions this week. I cut all the weights to roughly half of what I'd normally use, and keep all rep counts far away from anything I'd consider to be failure. Today's training was:

Barbell squat
bar x10 W/U
135x10
135x10
135x10

Chinup
bw x8
bw x8
bw x8

Overhead Press
bar x10 W/U
95x8
95x8
95x8

Rolled straight through here in about 20 minutes. No between-set rest was needed so very little was taken. I decided to make an end-run around the usual light-training boredom, so I subbed-in a couple of different exercises. Squats felt good; after a couple of warmup reps with the bar, I knocked out three quick sets and then moved on.

Body weight Chins went well; I was tempted to see how many I could do in one set, but that would break my 'no failure' rule, so I stopped at 8, took a few seconds' rest, and then completed the sets.

Haven't done OHP in forever due to my declining ability to safely hold a bar over my head, but with the greatly reduced load, it wasn't an issue. I had to really concentrate to perform them with even just mediocre form; it's been that long since I've done even some light reps.

That's it; short and to the point--get in some active rest, work on performing reps with good form. Tomorrow will be a rest day, then on Wednesday, another light session.

Post-WorkOut meal was roast turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some cranberry sauce. A glass of milk was the accompaniment.

[BergMuscle]

Ahh... Another deload begins...

[ironwill2008]

Ahh... Another deload begins...

Lulz. Gotta do what we gotta do, Dan.

I'm going to sub-in some different stuff this week though instead of just sticking to my usualy exercise lineup. It makes the session less boring, and the time training to zip right on by.

[FastCatChamp]

Bacon?????? Post Workout??????

All gainz completely gone.

[Tifflex]

I like seeing OHPs in your training. How do you like them?

[-Lucifer]

All gainz completely gone.

Not if Bill consumed it within 45 min after his session.