Ironwill2008 V2.0

[tnthudson]

That mountain is a tough one. I'd hate to be driving one of those big rigs and have a brake failure.

I know what you mean! I got to teach my wife and son what those emergency ramps are for. It didn't have the desired effect, though, my wife now wants to try one out to see how 'fun' it is. If she does, she's paying for the tow! haha

[ironwill2008]

Closed out the week and this 3-week segment of training with a good effort. Today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x2

Barbell Curl
bar x10 W/U
65x5 W/U
85x5 W/U
115x4
115x3
115x3

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

235x4 Flat Press

185x8 backoff set


Worked my way through here in about an hour and ten minutes. I managed to squeeze out a double on Romanians, but just barely. I've got a ways to go before I'll get my triple.

Curls stayed the same on the work sets, with a 1-rep increase on the backoff set.

I gave up a work-set rep on Flats and gained one on the backoff set. These are going to see-saw up and down since I'm right on my limit. More work needs done here, and I may yet reduce the weight/increase the rep count on either Flat or Inclines. I haven't made up my mind just yet on how to proceed.

That's all I've got for this week. I'll rest over the weekend and then start my deload week on Monday. As I did last deload, I'm going to use some different exercises from what's in my regular routine just to help keep things interesting.

Post-WorkOut meal was a veg and cheese omelette, some bacon, toast, fried potatoes, and a glass of milk.

[ironwill2008]

I know what you mean! I got to teach my wife and son what those emergency ramps are for. It didn't have the desired effect, though, my wife now wants to try one out to see how 'fun' it is. If she does, she's paying for the tow! haha

Those runaway ramps are filled with either sand or pea gravel, I believe, and would stop you dead!

[brucedelaney]

Closed out the week and this 3-week segment of training with a good effort. Today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x2

Barbell Curl
bar x10 W/U
65x5 W/U
85x5 W/U
115x4
115x3
115x3

Smith Machine Flat Press
95x10 W/U
135x5
165x5
185x5
205x5
235x4
[center]235x4 Flat Press

185x8 backoff set


Worked my way through here in about an hour and ten minutes. I managed to squeeze out a double on Romanians, but just barely. I've got a ways to go before I'll get my triple.

Curls stayed the same on the work sets, with a 1-rep increase on the backoff set.

I gave up a work-set rep on Flats and gained one on the backoff set. These are going to see-saw up and down since I'm right on my limit. More work needs done here, and I may yet reduce the weight/increase the rep count on either Flat or Inclines. I haven't made up my mind just yet on how to proceed.

That's all I've got for this week. I'll rest over the weekend and then start my deload week on Monday. As I did last deload, I'm going to use some different exercises from what's in my regular routine just to help keep things interesting.

Post-WorkOut meal was a veg and cheese omelette, some bacon, toast, fried potatoes, and a glass of milk.

Great workout... Using a mixed grip on those RDLs? (just curious)

Loving the post workout meal... breakfast for dinner is a favorite in my household as well.... and egg sandwiches are eaten several days a week by me.

I would rep you again but apparently I don't spread enough rep around.... I'm on cool down.

[-Lucifer]

brucedelaney
I can see that Bill has his straps on, so he's definitely using the DOH grip.

Bill
Solid session. Don't those low-rep Rdl's kill your CNS?

[mharrislove]

Tough reps on the RDLs; I came back to that lift this week after having it out of the rotation for a while.

[FlaIronMind]

Those runaway ramps are filled with either sand or pea gravel, I believe, and would stop you dead!

Back home in California, up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, I remember them being gravel. And they do stop dead.

Great work Bill. Still not enough bacon, but you're killing it in the gym. Good job my friend.

Have a great weekend.

[cmoore]

I still love this thread... (Carry on with the awesome)

[storm1507]

I've been absent for awhile and the first thing I see upon my return is RDL's 405# x 2. Your consitant hard work is amazing.

[hazto]

Looking strong as always, have a great weekend.

[cmg1976]

Closed out the week and this 3-week segment of training with a good effort. Today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x2

Barbell Curl
bar x10 W/U
65x5 W/U
85x5 W/U
115x4
115x3
115x3

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

235x4 Flat Press

185x8 backoff set


Worked my way through here in about an hour and ten minutes. I managed to squeeze out a double on Romanians, but just barely. I've got a ways to go before I'll get my triple.

Curls stayed the same on the work sets, with a 1-rep increase on the backoff set.

I gave up a work-set rep on Flats and gained one on the backoff set. These are going to see-saw up and down since I'm right on my limit. More work needs done here, and I may yet reduce the weight/increase the rep count on either Flat or Inclines. I haven't made up my mind just yet on how to proceed.

That's all I've got for this week. I'll rest over the weekend and then start my deload week on Monday. As I did last deload, I'm going to use some different exercises from what's in my regular routine just to help keep things interesting.

Post-WorkOut meal was a veg and cheese omelette, some bacon, toast, fried potatoes, and a glass of milk.

My boyfriend was reading over my shoulder and he's like "whoa, that dude's strong!"

RDL's are awesome and I love your workout space. Potatoes, bacon, and eggs is my favorite breakfast too!

[ironwill2008]

Great workout... Using a mixed grip on those RDLs? (just curious)

Loving the post workout meal... breakfast for dinner is a favorite in my household as well.... and egg sandwiches are eaten several days a week by me.

I would rep you again but apparently I don't spread enough rep around.... I'm on cool down.

As -L, below, noted, I always use a Double-Overhand grip, and straps on anything I consider to be 'heavy' (for me).


Whole eggs are a perfect source of both protein and fat, along with a bunch of other good stuff. We eat eggs here at least once every day. That was a huge, 8-egg omelette, cut into two portions.

Bill
Solid session. Don't those low-rep Rdl's kill your CNS?

Thanks, -L; it was a good way to end the week and go into deload next week.

Yes, RDLs are very taxing; on my way down on that 2nd rep, I was wondering if the bar would just keep going right down to the floor. It always takes me a couple of minutes to recover before I move on to the next exercise.

It always surprises me that even though I use less weight on RDLs that what I'm able to pull on conventional Deads that the Romanians feel much heavier. I assume it's because legs (quads, actually) can't do any of the work on RDLs as they can on regular Deadlifts.

Tough reps on the RDLs; I came back to that lift this week after having it out of the rotation for a while.

They are tough, Mike. But aside from presenting a good challenge, I can't think of a more effective ham exercise. I feel every ounce of them from my waist all the way down to my heels.

Good on ya for moving them back into your routine.

Back home in California, up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, I remember them being gravel. And they do stop dead.

Yep. Trying to walk across one will have your feet sink right in. I've never seen a truck go into one of them, but have come past one that was already in there, and hadn't been winched out yet. It was buried in almost down to the hubs.

Great work Bill. Still not enough bacon, but you're killing it in the gym. Good job my friend.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks, FIM. I've got a clear head and a good attitude to take into deload week with me.


Have a great weekend yourself.

I still love this thread... (Carry on with the awesome)

Hey, C, thanks! I'm still working to move myself forward one millimeter at a time!

I've been absent for awhile and the first thing I see upon my return is RDL's 405# x 2. Your consitant hard work is amazing.

Hello, Will! I've still got my shoulder to the wheel in here.

Good to see you ITT, bud.

Looking strong as always, have a great weekend.

Thanks, David. I've worked my way into another deload week.

Enjoy your weekend too.

My boyfriend was reading over my shoulder and he's like "whoa, that dude's strong!"

RDL's are awesome and I love your workout space. Potatoes, bacon, and eggs is my favorite breakfast too!

Thanks for the comments; they're appreciated. The gym is more of a necessity in this area than a luxury!

I agree about RDLs; IMO, they're the premier hamstring exercise. I've done Good Mornings in the past to work hams, but eventually came to realize that for me, at least, they work my lower back more than my hams.

Eggs/potatoes/bacon/milk/toast is a well-balanced meal that will build a lot of muscle.



Thanks for visiting my journal.

[Korr]

Your RDLs are impressive as always, and 405 x 2 is damn hard to do.

[-Lucifer]

Yep, your powerful quads are taken out of the equation, plus, you have to perform the eccentric portion prior to the concentric.

[ironwill2008]

Your RDLs are impressive as always, and 405 x 2 is damn hard to do.

Thanks; it sure was yesterday!

Yep, your powerful quads are taken out of the equation, plus, you have to perform the eccentric portion prior to the concentric.

Yep. Looking at the lift, you'd think it wouldn't be as hard as pulling the bar off the floor.

[ironwill2008]

Day One of three days of light deload training. I cut all loads lifted by roughly half of what I'd normally use and keep all rep counts on the conservative side. The idea is to get some active rest, allowing the slower-recovering joints and attachments a chance to catch up with the faster-recovering muscle tissue. Today's training was:

Barbell Squat
bar x10 W/U
95x10 W/U
135x5
185x5
225x5

Chinup
bw x8
bw x8
bw x8

Overhead Press
95x5 W/U
115x5
115x5
115x5

Completed this session in about 25 minutes. As I did for the previous deload week, I'm going to make free substitutions in exercises just to keep things interesting for me. That started today with Barbell Squats. While I obviously used more than half my regular Squat weight here, I wanted to get in some good stretching, something that's hard to do for me without a little bit of weight on the bar. The 225x5 wasn't anywhere near taxing though, so it still qualifies as a "legal" deload.

Chins were limited to body weight for three sets. Decent lat pump from these.

Did some Overhead Presses to sub for Seated Machine work. My limited grip won't allow me to use taxing weight on these, so deload is the perfect time to get these in here for a few sets. My form on them is rusty as an old tin can though; while it was decent, it probably wouldn't pass Rip's muster without some work!

That's it; like any good deload session, it was short and right to the point.

Rest day tomorrow, then back in on Wednesday for another light session, exercise selection to be determined at a later date.

PWO meal was a plateful of sausage and peppers over pasta, a good salad, and a glass of milk.

[ProtienandIron]

A good deload Bill. I can always tell you're itching to get back to the proper weights but you are disciplined enough to cut them in half and drop the reps with it, thats a skill in itself. Nice to see the standing presses in the session too.

[-=FLEX=-]

I like how you mixed things up this deload.


Disappointed no side-bends though.

[ironwill2008]

A good deload Bill. I can always tell you're itching to get back to the proper weights but you are disciplined enough to cut them in half and drop the reps with it, thats a skill in itself. Nice to see the standing presses in the session too.

Thanks, Andy. When I first began doing scheduled deloads (about 18 years ago, or so), it was a constant battle with myself to quit "wasting my time lifting such light weight." I gradually came to realize that one of the main reasons why so many guys around me (those even much younger than I) were constantly getting hurt while I wasn't, was because of the deloads. I just do 'em, and never question them any more.

I really like Standing Presses, and had them regularly in my routine until a few years ago, up to the point where my hand/wrist issues didn't provide a reliable enough grip to continue to use them. I may yet get them back into rotation in some limited capacity though.

I like how you mixed things up this deload.

Thanks, Jim. I was actually looking forward to doing a couple sets of Squats.

A year or so ago, Vox suggested I do that (make liberal substitutions during deloads) just to keep boredom at bay. I did that off and on for a bit and then fell back to my old, regimented ways. I remembered his suggestion a few weeks ago, and decided to go back to it. I'm beginning to realize it's a better way to get through deloads.

Disappointed no side-bends though.

Lulz. Believe it or not, they come up in the 'exercises' forum about once a week.

Some things just defy logic, I guess.

[Mdenatale]

PWO meal was a plateful of sausage and peppers over pasta, a good salad, and a glass of milk.

I love how you always finish off your daily training report with a meal. It always looks good and emphasizes the importance of nutrition in a training program. Thanks for sharing all this!

[ironwill2008]

I love how you always finish off your daily training report with a meal. It always looks good and emphasizes the importance of nutrition in a training program. Thanks for sharing all this!

Thanks! I started posting the 'Post-workout' meal pics as a way to reinforce what I always post in the open forums--that there is much more to proper bodybuilding nutrition than just what comes out of a jug of protein powder. At the same time, I try to make it understood that once past the basics of getting enough protein, carbs, fat, and micros, nutrition need only be as complicated as one cares to make it.

[psychodiver9]

Thanks! I started posting the 'Post-workout' meal pics as a way to reinforce what I always post in the open forums--that there is much more to proper bodybuilding nutrition than just what comes out of a jug of protein powder. At the same time, I try to make it understood that once past the basics of getting enough protein, carbs, fat, and micros, nutrition need only be as complicated as one cares to make it.

i don't know how you have so much patience in there. So much derp to sort through.

[brucedelaney]

PWO meal was a plateful of sausage and peppers over pasta, a good salad, and a glass of milk.

MMMM Pasta... Always glad to see people who aren't afraid of carbs...

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Always enjoy looking at your deloads, Bill, as they generally surpass what I see more than 1/2 the much younger guys ( in their 30s and 40s) doing in the gym.

[FastCatChamp]

Your deload was a bigger sesh than my "A" Day today.

I will just have to outeat you today

[HoosierHardGain]

Your deload was a bigger sesh than my "A" Day today.

Same here! Of course, that just helps motivate me more to get into the gym. I think that is were so many guys fail. They see more experienced lifters hoisting much heavier weights and get discouraged and give up instead of just competing against themselves to improve.

[ironwill2008]

i don't know how you have so much patience in there. So much derp to sort through.

LOL. I still have my moments, Ryan! I have no use for trolls or those who attempt to fleece noobs.

For the most part though, if I feel like someone is being sincere in trying to get things figured out, and not trolling or just being lazy, I'll at least offer up some basics. Then, depending on the reply I get (if any), I'll either leave the thread or dig deeper. If I get no reply to a direct question I ask the OP, I'm done at that point.

Something I realized a long time ago though, is that stuff that's posted has a much longer life than maybe we realize. Threads stay on the server forever (or at least until someone pulls the plug!), and lurkers/readers will stumble into them years after they've been posted. I frequently get PMs from people I've never directly interacted with on this site who relate how they came across something I posted a long time ago, and how it helped them move forward. Stuff like that is very rewarding to me, and one of the main reasons why I'm still on this site.

And I've probably learned as much from helping others as I've learned otherwise.

MMMM Pasta... Always glad to see people who aren't afraid of carbs...

Besides the fact they're the body's preferred energy source, they just taste good!

Always enjoy looking at your deloads, Bill, as they generally surpass what I see more than 1/2 the much younger guys ( in their 30s and 40s) doing in the gym.

Thanks, Bob. Loads are all relative though; some of my working weights are warmups to other guys here!

Your deload was a bigger sesh than my "A" Day today.

I will just have to outeat you today

Lulz. Do it! IIFYM you can't go wrong!

Same here! Of course, that just helps motivate me more to get into the gym. I think that is were so many guys fail. They see more experienced lifters hoisting much heavier weights and get discouraged and give up instead of just competing against themselves to improve.

I think that's a universal problem, Hoos. Just about all of us have had to deal with that at one point or another.

While having a regular training partner with whom to 'compete' can be very beneficial for both parties (with the right training partner; they're scarce as hens' teeth), ego-lifting in a gym full of otherwise strangers is a quick ticket to poor development or injury. Plus, it just makes the ego-lifter look like a douche bag.

[JustBulk]

You're truly an inspiration.

[ironwill2008]

This is the second of three light deload sessions for this week. I cut my loads back from what I'd normally use and keep rep counts conservative to give myself some active rest. Today's training was:

Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
95x5
135x5
185x5

V-Grip Seated Row PWO
90x8
140x8
140x8

Incline Dumbbell Press
50x8 W/U
70x8
70x8
70x8

And that was it; completed this session in less than 25 minutes, straight through. The Cable Rows gave me a nice lat pump due to the minimal rest time between sets.

I really like Pressing dumbbells, but as with the OHPs on Monday, my dodgy grip limits how much weight I can safely hoist over my head. Felt good to rep these out though.

Short and sweet today. I'll rest tomorrow, then work a light session on Friday with probably Romanians, and I'm not yet certain what else.

Post-WorkOut meal was a bowl of veggie soup alongside a Greek "pizza" with spinach, bell pepper, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, and olive oil. A glass of milk finished the menu.

[ProtienandIron]

Lovely looking food Bill. And I'm already sold on deloads, sometimes you just have to learn the hard way.