Ironwill2008 V2.0

[ironwill2008]

Can't ask for much more than that!

Indeed, Steve. That's another one of the benefits of a planned-out approach--you always know what's expected of you, and there's no room left for any doubt about whether or not you're doing what you should be doing to move forward.

Just curious... along with your post training meal, what are those two little supps sitting there?

The yellow tab is a multi-vitamin heavy on A, C, E, and zinc. I take 2 of those a day. The white tab is a generic Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate that I take 3 times a day. That's pretty much my supp program. I'll occasionally put a couple of scoops of ON whey protein in a bowl of oatmeal if I don't happen to be eating any eggs with it.

[tnthudson]

Nice looking program, Bill. I may have to try Ortmayer in a future cycle. BTW I did two workouts of 100's (Jim Stoppani's version) and I can say that you DO learn something about yourself, as you promised. I learned that I'm ready to begin my next cycle without doing any more 100's (chuckle). BRUTAL stuff. Thanks again for an encouraging journal, stopping by is like visiting an old friend. Hope you had a great Christmas.

[ironwill2008]

Monday's training, bumped from the previous page:

Had a good session today; things went as planned. Today's training was:

Barbell squat
bar x15 W/U
135x5
165x5
185x5
225x5
255x5

Chinup
bw x5 W/U
bw +50x5
bw +50x5
bw +50x5

Smith Machine Seated Press
95x8 W/U
142.5x5
142.5x5
142.5x5

Worked my way through this session in 65 minutes. Squats felt really good today; every rep was good. Got my 5x5 so I'll bump weight again next week.

Got my reps on Chins, although the last one just made it over the bar. I still feel like I can add a nickel next time and be able to hit all the reps. I got a massive lat pump on the first work set, a prime indicator that I'm hitting the target.

Got all my reps on Smith Seated Presses as well, and will add a touch of iron next week.

That's it for today; everything's moving up, and I expect that trend to continue all week.

I'll rest tomorrow, and then work Lunges, Rows, and Inclines on Wednesday.

Post-Workout meal was a half-dozen scrambled eggs with hot sauce, some fried potatoes, a biscuit, a bowl of grits with butter (got a 2nd bowl as a refill), and a glass of milk.

[ironwill2008]

Nice looking program, Bill. I may have to try Ortmayer in a future cycle.

Thanks, Todd. Things are starting to shape up; I can already tell what's going to need work, and what's going to move up relatively easy.

I looked at several Deadlift programs, as well as writing up my own, and Ortmayer seemed to be the best fit for me. I'll admit though that before I actually jumped in and got my feet wet, I thought I might be biting off a tad more than I could chew. I realized though that I don't always have to bump by the recommended 10 pounds, or even that I have to bump at all. And if I feel like I'm on the edge, I won't hesitate to either redo a week or just bump by a nickel rather than stall out and not make my numbers.

I know one thing for sure, the challenge has lit a fire under my butt.

BTW I did two workouts of 100's (Jim Stoppani's version) and I can say that you DO learn something about yourself, as you promised. I learned that I'm ready to begin my next cycle without doing any more 100's (chuckle). BRUTAL stuff.

LOL. If you'd have had any other opinion of 100-rep work, I'd have told you you were doing it wrong!

In all seriousness though, all of this is far more mental than physical, and the more we learn about ourselves and how we deal with challenges, the better we'll come out the other end of a day's training.

Thanks again for an encouraging journal, stopping by is like visiting an old friend. Hope you had a great Christmas.

You're welcome; if I've helped you to move forward in some way, I'm pleased.

Christmas was good here, and I hope yours was as well.

[Brackneyc]

Solid work as always IW. Looking forward to a great year of lurking in here.

[ironwill2008]

Solid work as always IW. Looking forward to a great year of lurking in here.

Thanks, Craig.

And no reason at all to just lurk.

[pharmamarketer]

Nice Bill, as always. I recently added weighted pull ups on a consistent basis the last two months and have noticed a big difference in how it has helped my deads. Could be a coincidence but I went up about 25 lbs on my DL max while doing the weighted pul ups.

[ironwill2008]

Nice Bill, as always.

Thanks, Rob; things are moving along.

I recently added weighted pull ups on a consistent basis the last two months and have noticed a big difference in how it has helped my deads. Could be a coincidence but I went up about 25 lbs on my DL max while doing the weighted pul ups.

I think any and all of the basic lifts help any and all of the others in some way. Even just standing up to the mental challenge of a difficult lift like Weighted Pullups will benefit you on every other exercise.

[generetired]

I think any and all of the basic lifts help any and all of the others in some way. Even just standing up to the mental challenge of a difficult lift like Weighted Pullups will benefit you on every other exercise.

Having just started weighted pull-ups a few weeks ago - I heartily agree! For me, the psychological benefits have been as big as the physical ones.

[Brackneyc]

Thanks, Craig.

And no reason at all to just lurk.

I plan to add stuff for sure when I can. Sometimes I run out of ways to express the tremendous effort and work you put in.

[Tifflex]

Great looking squats! I drooled at the bowl of grits as I eat them occasionally.

I hope you had a great Christmas.

[2nd_chance]

Looks like the back squats are progressing along nicely Bill. And the chins... well, they've always stood out in your log.

Can you believe that the final regular season game is Sunday?! Where'd the season go? I like the Bengals to beat the Ravens and the Steelers to squeak one out against the Browns to give the the North title. But, I don't see the Patriots losing to the Bills so it looks like they'll have the #1 seed.

Still taking the Steelers v. the Saints in the Super Bowl.

[Meatpants]

Looking good, Bill. Not that I would expect anything less.

[ironwill2008]

Having just started weighted pull-ups a few weeks ago - I heartily agree! For me, the psychological benefits have been as big as the physical ones.

Some things never change; and the list of the best exercises is one of them. Chins/Pullups are definitely on that list.

I plan to add stuff for sure when I can. Sometimes I run out of ways to express the tremendous effort and work you put in.

Thanks; I appreciate the comment.

Everyone who maintains a journal here is a dedicated and hard worker, and everyone's input in mine is valued


.

Great looking squats! I drooled at the bowl of grits as I eat them occasionally.

I hope you had a great Christmas.

Thanks, Tiff. I'm right in the groove with Squats, and expect the load to climb steadily. And while I'm anxious to get back to 3 plates, I'm going to take my time and do it in systematic fashion.

I really love grits; I could eat them at every meal, and am not sure why I don't!

We had a nice Christmas here, and hope yours was good as well.

Looks like the back squats are progressing along nicely Bill. And the chins... well, they've always stood out in your log.

Thanks, David; things are moving along on schedule. I expect squats to move up steadily, while Chins will probably slow a little bit in a couple of weeks. Time will tell.

Can you believe that the final regular season game is Sunday?! Where'd the season go? I like the Bengals to beat the Ravens and the Steelers to squeak one out against the Browns to give the the North title. But, I don't see the Patriots losing to the Bills so it looks like they'll have the #1 seed.

Still taking the Steelers v. the Saints in the Super Bowl.

Yep, the end of the season always kind of "sneaks up."

Looks like the Steelers are getting healthy at the right time. And after watching the Saints and Drew Brees absolutely dismantle a good Falcons team the other night, they (Saints) are going to be very hard to beat. Brees put on an awesome display of guts and accuracy; I'll bet I said out loud at least a dozen times during that game, "How did he get that ball in there???"

Looking good, Bill. Not that I would expect anything less.

Hey, Tony, thanks! I'm making steady progress, and expect to do so for at least the next couple of weeks. By then, things will be getting harder to move forward, and I'll probably start juggling the loads a little in an effort to avoid stalls.

I always liked working a stripped-down routine like I'm currently using; no need to be concerned with anything but moving forward with just a few lifts.

[The Shoeless Wonder]

solid session young man. i see you dont like ketchup on your eggs lol

[ironwill2008]

Another good session today. Moved all the lifts along. This one didn't even seem like work; it just flowed from one set to the next. Today's training was:


Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
95x3
145x3
175x3
195x3
220x3

220x3 Lunge-1

Barbell Row
bar x10 W/U
95x5
135x5
165x5
185x5
210x5

210x5 Row-1

Smith Machine Incline Press
95x8 W/U
135x5
145x5
165x5
175x5
195x5

195x5 Incline-1

Completed this session in about 55 minutes. Felt a slight ham pull on the last set of Lunges, but I don't think it's anything serious. Got reps-across so I'll bump next week.

Hit my reps on Rows with good form, but I'll need to be vigilant as I add weight on these. It's easy to turn them into a really poor biceps exercise if form isn't attended to.

Inclines went right up so they'll get a bump as well.

I'm moving right along on everything. Loads are increasing while form remains good.

I'll rest tomorrow, then work Cable Rows (no Deads this week; deload per the program), Barbell Curls, and Smith Flat Presses on Friday.

Post-Workout meal was a simple and quick 1/4 pound of ground sirloin, baked potato with butter, a mixed salad, and a glass of milk.

2 PWO

[ironwill2008]

solid session young man. i see you dont like ketchup on your eggs lol

Thanks, Shoe; I'm inching my way forward.

I'll bring out the ketchup if I'm out of hot sauce or picante sauce. Sometimes I'll make an egg sammich by scrambling a couple of eggs in a small round bowl in the microwave, melt a couple of slices of cheddar on them, and put the whole mess on a big wheat bagel. If I happen to have a few slices of pre-cooked bacon from an earlier meal, I'll toss them on there too. I'll usually dump ketchup on there to add some flavor.

That's a great sammich; I'll have to remember to snap a pic of the next one I make.

[-=FLEX=-]

This one didn't even seem like work; it just flowed from one set to the next.

Is such a thing even possible?



Enjoy your rest day tomorrow.

[proud_polack]

Excellent work, especially on the lunges. Do you usually focus more on hamstrings or quads with them?

[ironwill2008]

Is such a thing even possible?



Enjoy your rest day tomorrow.

LOL! Once in a while, you just kind of fall into a groove, and the "work" aspect of training seems to go away. What's left is the pure sensation of the muscles working without the feeling of 'heaviness.' I strive to get into that zone every time I train, but can only manage to pull it off occasionally.


Doing a few home repairs today as my "rest." The rain from the past couple of days has moved out, and I'll be glad to be able to get outdoors for a while.


Good to see you back in here, Jim.

Excellent work, especially on the lunges. Do you usually focus more on hamstrings or quads with them?

Thanks, PP; I had a good day.

When I first started doing Lunges (back when Moby Dick was a minnow), I was using them as a quad exercise. I found out pretty quick that they work everything thoroughly. In fact, most people that first start doing heavy Lunges state that it's their glutes and hams that get most of the initial DOMS.

For myself, I still classify them as a 'quad' move, in the same way I classify Squats as a 'quad' move, but still knowing that they (Lunges) work the entire lower body, just as Squats work everything.

People always bring up the topic of "functional" strength in the 'exercises' forum when the issue of picking one exercise over another as to which is "best" comes up. For lower body, IMO, barbell Lunges rate high on the list; they demand strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility, and they have good carryover to functioning IRL.

[proud_polack]

For myself, I still classify them as a 'quad' move, in the same way I classify Squats as a 'quad' move, but still knowing that they (Lunges) work the entire lower body, just as Squats work everything.

People always bring up the topic of "functional" strength in the 'exercises' forum when the issue of picking one exercise over another as to which is "best" comes up. For lower body, IMO, barbell Lunges rate high on the list; they demand strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility, and they have good carryover to functioning IRL.

I have to say I've always found it to be more of a "quad" move, but like you had said I also recognize that glutes and hams are activated as well.
No doubt that lunges are incredibly applicable IRL, and require A LOT of stability.

[mharrislove]

Nice work, Bill. Seems like "all systems go" concerning the training focus and recovery reserves. Good call to keep going...

[ironwill2008]

I have to say I've always found it to be more of a "quad" move, but like you had said I also recognize that glutes and hams are activated as well.
No doubt that lunges are incredibly applicable IRL, and require A LOT of stability.

At the very least, they have carryover that will help all the other lower-body lifts in one way or another.

Nice work, Bill. Seems like "all systems go" concerning the training focus and recovery reserves. Good call to keep going...

Thanks, MH. I feel totally rested, and have since after day 1 of this new routine. I try to be as logical as possible in what I do, and since I'm now doing less than half the number of weekly sets that I had been doing, it only makes sense to me that I should be able to push my deload weeks out a little further than before. This is especially relevant since the primary lift in this entire plan, Deadlifts, gets a deload every 4th week anyway.

[ArchAngel'73]

How is the hamstring doing?
and how are you liking working multiple bodyparts per session vs. the old way?

[ironwill2008]

How is the hamstring doing?
and how are you liking working multiple bodyparts per session vs. the old way?

Hey, Brian. The ham is a little stiff today, but I expect it will be fine in a day or two. I'm still at a loss to figure out the cause, but I guess stuff just happens sometimes.

I really like the change-up that getting away from a split has brought about. Now, it's not about body parts, but rather building some strength overall, and focusing on my weaknesses.



While I'm still somewhat active outside of the gym (compared to most others I know who are my age, I'm a whirlwind, but that's not saying much), it's nowhere near the level I was at when I was working full-time. I was starting to get a sense that after 5 years of retirement it was beginning to sneak up on me, and it was time to do something about it that a body part split couldn't do.

The mental shift in gears has been very good for me so far, to say the least.

[pcaracer]

Funny, I find myself working around the house and perform a task and get an "ahhh" light bulb moment where I say, ummm lunges while digging the bottom of the hole out, or stepping up on a bench with a heavy box. These are a nice lift to have in my routine.

[Brackneyc]

Hey, Brian. The ham is a little stiff today, but I expect it will be fine in a day or two. I'm still at a loss to figure out the cause, but I guess stuff just happens sometimes.

I really like the change-up that getting away from a split has brought about. Now, it's not about body parts, but rather building some strength overall, and focusing on my weaknesses.



While I'm still somewhat active outside of the gym (compared to most others I know who are my age, I'm a whirlwind, but that's not saying much), it's nowhere near the level I was at when I was working full-time. I was starting to get a sense that after 5 years of retirement it was beginning to sneak up on me, and it was time to do something about it that a body part split couldn't do.

The mental shift in gears has been very good for me so far, to say the least.

I go back and forth between a split and a full body every few months. When I switch over, I often ask myself why I waited so long. This happens regardless which one I am switching to at the time. In either case, I wrestle with "not" adding extra work. With a FB, I feel like I need more accessory work. With a split, I feel like I need more of everything due to increased days between the times I hit that muscle again. I did like the PPL routine as well. So many good ones out there.

[ironwill2008]

Funny, I find myself working around the house and perform a task and get an "ahhh" light bulb moment where I say, ummm lunges while digging the bottom of the hole out, or stepping up on a bench with a heavy box. These are a nice lift to have in my routine.

I think there's functional value in every exercise, but obviously, some are better in that regards than others. Compounds would all be on that 'good' list, since they all require more than just brute strength.

And then there are other considerations as well. For myself, with Arthritis in my shoulders and it's advancement into my wrists and hands, any shoulder exercise, and any exercise where I can safely work my grip helps me immensely. Geez, Jeff, I can't imagine what kind of shape I'd be in today if I had not started bodybuilding and that's if I were actually still above ground.

I go back and forth between a split and a full body every few months. When I switch over, I often ask myself why I waited so long. This happens regardless which one I am switching to at the time. In either case, I wrestle with "not" adding extra work. With a FB, I feel like I need more accessory work. With a split, I feel like I need more of everything due to increased days between the times I hit that muscle again. I did like the PPL routine as well. So many good ones out there.

I'm with you on the "waiting so long" comment, Craig. I should have switched things up a month before I finally did it. While I've always felt that the best approach is to wring every last shred of progress possible out of any plan before moving on, there comes a time when diminishing returns has to be considered.


Muscle doesn't get bored, but the mind sure does. And as we all know, where the mind goes, the body follows. Conversely, if we're not fully invested, progress won't be optimal.


There's no teacher as good as experience, and this is very apparent when it comes to deciding on a routine. Each of us is building a catalog of what works and what doesn't, and we add to it every single day, even when we're not training. The big trick is to be able to use that knowledge without prejudice; IOW, to do what we should do, rather than what we'd like to do. My triceps respond to anything I do for them; it's always fun to get a monster triceps pump after just the first couple of reps of any triceps exercise I do. But my biceps, well, they're another matter altogether; trying to get a response from them is plain old hard work. I won't even mention calves.

I'm rambling; time to stop.

[Brackneyc]

I'm with you on the "waiting so long" comment, Craig. I should have switched things up a month before I finally did it. While I've always felt that the best approach is to wring every last shred of progress possible out of any plan before moving on, there comes a time when diminishing returns has to be considered.


Muscle doesn't get bored, but the mind sure does. And as we all know, where the mind goes, the body follows. Conversely, if we're not fully invested, progress won't be optimal.


There's no teacher as good as experience, and this is very apparent when it comes to deciding on a routine. Each of us is building a catalog of what works and what doesn't, and we add to it every single day, even when we're not training. The big trick is to be able to use that knowledge without prejudice; IOW, to do what we should do, rather than what we'd like to do. My triceps respond to anything I do for them; it's always fun to get a monster triceps pump after just the first couple of reps of any triceps exercise I do. But my biceps, well, they're another matter altogether; trying to get a response from them is plain old hard work. I won't even mention calves.

I'm rambling; time to stop.

Ramble on. The rambling is where I learn things. Like you, my biceps and calves (and other parts) seem pretty resistant. My session today illustrates how I plan to address it. I am more and more "buying into" the notion that it is not prudent to run a program until it stops working. By the time we realize it, how much time has been spent on it.

Here is to a great 2012.

[2nd_chance]

Muscle doesn't get bored, but the mind sure does. And as we all know, where the mind goes, the body follows. Conversely, if we're not fully invested, progress won't be optimal.


There's no teacher as good as experience, and this is very apparent when it comes to deciding on a routine. Each of us is building a catalog of what works and what doesn't, and we add to it every single day, even when we're not training. The big trick is to be able to use that knowledge without prejudice; IOW, to do what we should do, rather than what we'd like to do.


Great insight and advice, as always Bill.

Glad to hear that the mental shift in gears is working for you.