Ironwill2008 V2.0

[storm1507]

Good to catch up w/ you Bill. Food pics in here look great on this page....white beans and corn on the cob really get my attention.

[ironwill2008]

Nice job on those front squats. One of my favorite exercises. I love the way they work the quads differently than back squats.

Thanks, Phil. Indeed, Fronts are completely different in their emphasis than Backs. They're the logical choice if you want to actually work quads more than glutes/hams.

I think the only reasons they're so unpopular is because you can't use as much weight with Fronts (and thus, the stigma of having to use "less" weight), and they're very 'uncomfortable' until you get conditioned to them.

I'm a bit curious, where does one purchase a leg press and how big was the box it came in? haha

Back when I bought all my stuff, there was actually a Parabody dealer just a few minutes away from here. He and an assistant delivered the Press already partially assembled, and then put it together in the gym.


Depending on where you live, you could do the same--buy one locally and have it delivered. Or, like most people do these days, buy it off the interwebz, and UPS or FedEx will deliver it in 2-3 boxes, and you'd assemble it. With this Parabody machine, the largest single part is the carriage, which weighs about 65 pounds.

Nice work, progressing the overhead press while maintaining a good form can be very challenging!

Thanks. That's a tough lift to move forward, for sure. I'm still surprised that my hands and wrists haven't given me too much trouble so far, especially considering the fact that I'm doing Dips too. At some point though, it's going to become an issue, and I'll deal with it at that time.

PWO looks delicious as usual, I love corn!

Thanks, DJ. We're (my wife and I) fortunate that we enjoy the most basic of foods. Nothing really fancy in any of the meals we eat.

Solid work there Bill.
Picking up a rep on them fronts as well as an extra small motorbike in weight on the legs. All after chasing small children around the den at the weekend is a great achievement IMO.

Thanks, Leigh. I'm working hard to inch my way forward.

It's always so oddly quiet here on Mondays after the grandkids go home. I like the peace and quiet too, but still, the sound of kids in the house is hard to beat.

I see no beets on that plate either Bill.

Lulz. They seem to be the "veg of the week" in the O35 right now!

Good job with the press, Bill. How hard was the last rep?

Thanks, -L. I knew that if I went for one more, I'd get pinned.

I'm guessing you have to assemble the parts. So, the box won't be that big.

^^^^ This. As above, mine was delivered partially assembled, but off the webz, it would come in a couple of good-sized boxes with all the required hardware and an assembly manual to put it together and adjust the rollers.

Good to catch up w/ you Bill. Food pics in here look great on this page....white beans and corn on the cob really get my attention.

Hey, Will!

Every time I cook up a pot of beans, I'll tweak the recipe a little bit. I can remember a time when the only thing I'd add was some salt and pepper. IMO, the real key to a great pot of beans is the smoked ham hock.

And it used to be that Fall signaled an end to fresh corn on the cob, but these days, it seems like pretty good corn can be had almost all year around. It's not cheap in the Winter time, but some stuff, you just can't put a price on.

[HoosierHardGain]

Darn it! Your food pics always make me hungry!

[ironwill2008]

Darn it! Your food pics always make me hungry!

Good deal! And that's the point--to try to make people aware that real food is where the gains are at.


Not to mention how tasty and enjoyable your meals can be.

[DivaJana]

Good deal! And that's the point--to try to make people aware that real food is where the gains are at.


Not to mention how tasty and enjoyable your meals can be.

I have never had a protein shake or any supplements beside fish oils and multivitamins. Real food has been my best friend throughout the years.

Although what I hear about Craze and some pre-workout supplements got me wondering if I should give it a shot. Which supplements have you tried and which ones did you find beneficial?

[ironwill2008]

I have never had a protein shake or any supplements beside fish oils and multivitamins. Real food has been my best friend throughout the years.

That's the best, most logical approach to bodybuilding nutrition.

And it's also why they're called "supplements," rather than "necessities."

Although what I hear about Craze and some pre-workout supplements got me wondering if I should give it a shot.

I just did a bbdotcom store 'search;' "This Product Is Currently Unavailable."

Did a little bit of digging, found this:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...craze/2618967/

INVESTIGATION: Sports supplement designer has history of risky products

The actions by Bodybuilding.com are the latest in the wake of a USA TODAY investigation of the product's maker, Matt Cahill, which revealed he has a history of putting risky products on the market. Cahill and his attorney, Aaron Goldsmith, did not immediately respond to an e-mail Monday. Cahill has repeatedly declined interview requests. His company, Driven Sports, has posted a statement on its website saying it is "disappointed" in USA TODAY's reporting and that Craze is a safe and legal supplement.

It's like I've been posting for months now in the open forums; the supp industry continues to shoot itself in the foot by putting out products that have no proof of efficacy, contain little/none of the ingredients listed on the label, contain harmful and/or illegal unlisted ingredients, or are contaminated with harmful substances due to piss-poor manufacturing practices.

And unfortunately, I can't see any of it ever getting any better; there's just too much $$$ to be made, and even more if corners are cut.

Caveat Emptor

Which supplements have you tried and which ones did you find beneficial?

Much easier to list what I've found to actually do something:

*High Quality protein powder (if you somehow can't obtain your daily requirement from your regular meals. Otherwise, there's absolutely no advantage (other than "convenience") to supp protein powders over regular protein sources.

*HIGH Quality plain creatine monohydrate. If you're among the 75% of the population who are responders, this is probably the one supp that actually delivers as promised.

*High Quality multi-vitamin. Taken as-directed (there's a possibility of overdosing if used indiscriminately), they're cheap "insurance" of getting 'adequate' micronutrients (realize that no pill will ever be able to provide every vitamin/mineral/phytonutrient that we require; they're simply a logical adjunct to an already-balanced nutrition plan consisting of plenty of fruit/veg).

*Fish oil caps. Again, these are only necessary if someone doesn't eat fatty fish 2-3 times per week.




It should be interesting to note, and also obvious, that all of ^^^^ these supplements that actually have a track record for having some value are merely analogs of regular foods. They're simply in more concentrated amounts and marketed in a more convenient form.






I also take a chondroitin/glucosamine sulfate supp every day. Even though there's no solid clinical evidence that this stuff actually works, I feel a difference in my hand flexibility if I discontinue it for a few days.




And the "High Quality" part of it still leaves us pretty much in the dark. We're left to our own devices as to how to verify the quality of supp products. One thing we can do is inquire about the country of origin of the company's raw materials. If they come from offshore, such as some rathole junkyard factory in China, or--- what I've found to be increasingly the case---- the company won't disclose that information, keep your money, and walk away.



















Some of the stuff I've tried over the years, when I was still a nutrition bro:

*Beef protein powder. This stuff was touted in Weider's ads to have the same nutritional content as a plate piled high with steaks. What I found was that it wouldn't dissolve in anything, even in a blender. It tasted exactly like burning plastic smells.

*Weider Mass Gainer 2000. Drank enough of this stuff, blended up in shakes, to float a battleship around. I was unaware that it contained only cheap milk protein and sugar.

*Test Boosters. Don't remember any of the names specifically, but it was probably every one of them on the market at one time or another. Keep in mind that this was back before there was internet access, and no way to research any of the ingredients. It was all trusting the info in the supp ads in the mags. Rich Gaspari, Paul Dillette, and Shawn Ray wouldn't lie to me, would they?

*Chromium Picolinate. Touted to be the next big thing in fat "burners."

*Hot Stuff. Advertised as 'everything for everybody.' I actually got a buzz from the original product, probably from ephedrine or caffeine in it. It went off the market, came back later, minus the buzz.

*Boron. Can't even remember what this stuff was touted as doing, but whatever it was, it didn't do it for me.

*The usual protein powders. When Designer Protein (the first major whey protein brand on the market, and the one that made the protein market what it is today--a honey hole) first came on the market, I bought that stuff by the boatload. Along with all the regular food I was stuffing down my pie hole, a couple of shakes of this stuff per day was probably providing me with 350 grams of protein per day.

Hey, if some is good, too much is still not enough, right?

[brucedelaney]

Just checking in with you Bill, It's been a long while and I've been out with some personal Issues... The Profile pic looks pretty awesome...

Glad to see all is well with you.. I'm planning to be back on here more often and I'll be posting in my journal again!

[DivaJana]

...

Thank you soooo much for the valuable information. That was extremely helpful, I sincerely appreciate it.

Rich Gaspari, Paul Dillette, and Shawn Ray wouldn't lie to me, would they?

Couldn't stop laughing

[ironwill2008]

Just checking in with you Bill, It's been a long while and I've been out with some personal Issues... The Profile pic looks pretty awesome...

Glad to see all is well with you.. I'm planning to be back on here more often and I'll be posting in my journal again!

Hey, Bruce, hello! Good to see you back in here, bud!

Couldn't stop laughing

Lulz.

And those guys, and a bunch others, laughed all the way to the bank with their supp endorsement deals.

[doughnutgut]

On the nose and straight to the point Bill.

These days it seems you can sell sand to an Arab in the supplement market. My tubs of protein are fantastic.



For storing real foods and grains.

[ironwill2008]

Excellent session today. Sometimes, things just go your way. Today's training was:

Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x8
225x8
225x8 wheezin'

cleared for takeoff


BB Lunge 225x8

Dumbbell Row
60x10 W/U
105x6
105x6
105x6

Incline Flye
40x10 W/U
55x8
65x8
70x3 heh-vee

Completed this session in about 55 minutes. I finally reached 8-across on Lunges, so I'm going to bump them up next go-around. Still eyeballing 295x3 on these somewhere down the road.

Bumped DB Rows up a nickel, hit reps-across, so I'll bump again after next week's deload.

65s went up pretty good on Flyes today, so I decided to give the 70s a shot. Managed 3 half-decent reps, but am encouraged enough to go ahead and leave them as my last set and then see where I can take them.

That's it for this one; a productive session. I'll rest tomorrow, then hit it on Friday with RDLs, Curls, and Dips as my swan song going into deload next Monday.

Quick but tasty Post-Workout meal of eggs w/sriracha, bacon, toast, some tasty fried apples, and a glass of milk.

[ironwill2008]

On the nose and straight to the point Bill.

These days it seems you can sell sand to an Arab in the supplement market. My tubs of protein are fantastic.

QFT. You'd think buyers would be more discriminating, but they seem to demand that scammers take their money.

[medjen]

In before the deload!

Nice lunging, Bill.

fried apples

Yum! Recipe? (unless it's just cinnamon/sugar/etc sprinkled on the apple bits while they're stirred around in the pan until soft)

[DivaJana]

70lbs Incline DB Flys are extremely heavy! Most people find 70lbs are heavy for Incline Bench Press lol.

Awesome lunges as well, was wondering how deep are they?

[IronAvalanche]

Awesome Weight moved today Bill! Must be from that hot sauce by the glass of milk. That's gotta be your secret weapon!

[EjnarKolinkar]

Excellent session today. Sometimes, things just go your way.

Looks like you could do no wrong this day. Made across it on the lunges

[postman123]

Hey Bill every time I poke my nose in here I learn something. I appreciate your no nonsense approach and your willingness to share your knowledge in a non condescending manner. Kudos.

[doughnutgut]

Excellent session today. Sometimes, things just go your way. Today's training was:

Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x8
225x8
225x8 wheezin'

Strange how one day you can be surprised with the results and another day you can not get a thing right but nothing different has happened prior to training..

Great to see that 225x8 in the bag Bill. Interested to see where these 70s arm snappers lead to as that is a BIG bag of spuds for flyes.

Great work again. Have a good rest.

[ProtienandIron]

Nice session Bill. Congrats on the lunges, and I'm liking those strong rows.

[ironwill2008]

In before the deload!

Nice lunging, Bill.

Hey, thanks, Jen! I think I've found my limit on Lunge reps--8. I was wheezing like a steam engine on the last set. I think I'll add some weight next time rather than tempt fate by trying to run the reps higher.

Yum! Recipe? (unless it's just cinnamon/sugar/etc sprinkled on the apple bits while they're stirred around in the pan until soft)

They're (fried apples) nothing special, just the usual, brown sugar/cinnamon. IMO, the 'trick' is to use whatever apples you enjoy already, rather than some variety somebody else recommends. I really like Fujis, so that's what I use. Jonagolds are good too, when they're available.




Speaking of apples, several years ago, there was a variety sold at the local mega-market called "Ginger Gold," supposedly a variant of Golden Delicious. They had a completely unique taste, slightly of ginger. I ate those things by the boatload for as long as I could get them (only a couple of weeks), then they disappeared. I've never seen them here since.

70lbs Incline DB Flys are extremely heavy! Most people find 70lbs are heavy for Incline Bench Press lol.

I've been that heavy several times in the past, but it's been a couple years since I last used that load. I'm curious to see if I can advance them.

Awesome lunges as well, was wondering how deep are they?

Thanks. I think the pic pretty much caught my max ROM. I try to get the trailing leg about parallel to the floor, and not much lower. I don't want to take any chance of hitting that knee on the floor, which might not only hurt the knee, but also cause me to lose concentration/balance. That's not such a big deal at 225, but it sure is at 295, at least for me!

Awesome Weight moved today Bill! Must be from that hot sauce by the glass of milk. That's gotta be your secret weapon!

Lulz. No doubt, Phil. Sriracha is definitely the shiz ever since it was recommended to me by many posters both in here and in the 'nutrition' forum!

Looks like you could do no wrong this day. Made across it on the lunges

Thanks; I had a good day. It seems like any more, I'm always teetering back and forth between a few pounds difference in whatever load I'm using for whatever exercise, but that's pretty much the name of the game after so many years. Just one extra rep after several weeks worth of trying is a big victory.

Hey Bill every time I poke my nose in here I learn something. I appreciate your no nonsense approach and your willingness to share your knowledge in a non condescending manner. Kudos.

Thanks; I appreciate the comments.

I'm always willing to help someone when they ask and I'm able, but over so many years and so many posts here, my posting style has become much more direct that it was when I first joined this site. I frequently get criticism for it, but other than dealing with trolls or obvious knuckleheads, I have no other motive than to help clear away some of the fog that noobs have to deal with in order to move forward. I hate mediocrity, and I despise those who would try to scam beginners out of their hard-earned money, and/or mislead them to a point where they will sacrifice some progress and/or become injured.



Thanks again for the validation that maybe I'm doing some good on this site.

Strange how one day you can be surprised with the results and another day you can not get a thing right but nothing different has happened prior to training..

Indeed, Leigh. I'm convinced that after a number of years' consistent training it's completely mental. Muscle doesn't change in a day, but thought processes certainly can and will.

Great to see that 225x8 in the bag Bill. Interested to see where these 70s arm snappers lead to as that is a BIG bag of spuds for flyes.

Great work again. Have a good rest.

Thanks, bud. Gotta keep working to move forward.

Nice session Bill. Congrats on the lunges, and I'm liking those strong rows.

Hey, thanks, Andy. I'm going to add some weight to Lunges next time; 3x8 is about the limit of my repping ability on them. Back in the day, we'd usually do 4-6-rep sets, as heavy as possible, and that's actually what I like to do. Just can't do that all the time though.

[DivaJana]

Thanks. I think the pic pretty much caught my max ROM. I try to get the trailing leg about parallel to the floor, and not much lower. I don't want to take any chance of hitting that knee on the floor, which might not only hurt the knee, but also cause me to lose concentration/balance. That's not such a big deal at 225, but it sure is at 295, at least for me!

Yeah, it would be horrible if the control was lost and the knee hit the floor hard. I can imagine how hard over 2 plates lunges could be!

I go down slowly until my knee touchs the floor every rep, but I'm going relatively light. So I imagine I'll have to cut down the ROM once the weight moves up.

[brucedelaney]

As always your workouts and meals are inspiring... Makes me want to push harder on what I do

[Korr]

Lulz. No doubt, Phil. Sriracha is definitely the shiz ever since it was recommended to me by many posters both in here and in the 'nutrition' forum!

Sriracha is indeed the shiz. It makes a great marinade too. Mixed it with a steak and chop on my last batch of Sirlion for a very tasty bite with a bit of a kick.

Anyway, good to see the progress keeps coming along, one rep at a time.

[FlaIronMind]

Good work and good food continues brother...even despite the lack of enough bacon.

Hope all has been well my friend.

[ironwill2008]

Yeah, it would be horrible if the control was lost and the knee hit the floor hard. I can imagine how hard over 2 plates lunges could be!

I go down slowly until my knee touchs the floor every rep, but I'm going relatively light. So I imagine I'll have to cut down the ROM once the weight moves up.

As long as your knee goes to at least 90 degrees, that should be plenty of ROM.

Something else to consider is the length of the stride forward; it should be far enough out so that the knee doesn't travel too far past the toes. Some overlap, as with Squats, is okay of course, but we don't want it to be excessive.

When I first started doing Lunges, my mentor put a couple of pieces of masking tape on the floor, one as the 'start' point, and the other as the target that would provide the ideal ROM for the stride forward. I practiced hitting it until I could do it every time without looking.


I've also found that I do better with a mirror to help guide me. Maybe it's just because I've got in the habit of using one, but without it, I feel less in control, especially with heavy weight. That may be your situation too, or it might not.

As always your workouts and meals are inspiring... Makes me want to push harder on what I do

Thanks, Bruce; I appreciate the comments. And motivation runs both ways here.

Sriracha is indeed the shiz. It makes a great marinade too. Mixed it with a steak and chop on my last batch of Sirlion for a very tasty bite with a bit of a kick.

Anyway, good to see the progress keeps coming along, one rep at a time.

Thanks, K. I really enjoy the challenge of trying to inch my way forward. Sometimes I can, sometimes, I can't, but it's always fun to keep trying.



I'm developing a real taste for sriracha. My only limitation with it is that I have to just use it at the table; my wife does not enjoy hot condiments, so other than just adding a touch of it to recipes, I have to limit it to my own plate.

When I was in Viet Nam, I vaguely remember eating something similar on the few occasions where we ate civilian foods there. As I recall, it was a bit sweeter, but still had the garlic kick and plenty of heat.

[FlaIronMind]

...a bit sweeter, but still had the garlic kick and plenty of heat.

Sambal (esp. Sambal Ulek) generally fits this description. There are tons of variants, but if I could swim in it, I would.

Huy Fong, who make Sririacha, makes some really good Sambal Ulek.

[doughnutgut]

As long as your knee goes to at least 90 degrees, that should be plenty of ROM.

Something else to consider is the length of the stride forward; it should be far enough out so that the knee doesn't travel too far past the toes. Some overlap, as with Squats, is okay of course, but we don't want it to be excessive.

When I first started doing Lunges, my mentor put a couple of pieces of masking tape on the floor, one as the 'start' point, and the other as the target that would provide the ideal ROM for the stride forward. I practiced hitting it until I could do it every time without looking.

Thousands of journals. Thousands of logged stats. But the main reason this journal is a world beater is due to them details like this Bill.

Thanks for that reply. One day that may come to perfect use. But until then, it has been copied and pasted in a sheet and will remain there.

[ArchAngel'73]

....white beans and corn on the cob really get my attention.

They give me gas.


Gooooooooooooood morning Bill!
Did ya miss me? (-answer, with every bullet so far)


Boron, can't remember what that was supposed to do either, probably T levels.
My fav was the "secret" Russian supplement "Mumie" (Moo-Mi-Ay), some Siberian herb they touted to make you like a Soviet beast, minus the Soviet part.
What about "Ultimate Orange"? Did you try that?

Epic session, nice to see all that progress.

[ironwill2008]

Sambal (esp. Sambal Ulek) generally fits this description. There are tons of variants, but if I could swim in it, I would.

Huy Fong, who make Sririacha, makes some really good Sambal Ulek.

Hey, FIM, what's up!


After a good friend gifted me a bottle of Sriracha (when I couldn't seem to find it locally), I went to their web site and noticed all the other products he has.


He sure puts out a great Chili sauce; that stuff is teh bombz!

Thousands of journals. Thousands of logged stats. But the main reason this journal is a world beater is due to them details like this Bill.

Thanks for that reply. One day that may come to perfect use. But until then, it has been copied and pasted in a sheet and will remain there.

Thanks for the kind comments.

Something I've noticed over the years as I've kept an online journal going is the fact that it's helped me remember such stuff. Someone will mention something in here, and it will trigger a recollection of some nugget I learned back in the past either from someone else or from my own experience.



It's also a good thing for me to get them in print here before I completely forget them!

They give me gas.

I've noticed that if I haven't eaten a certain type of beans for a while, I'll get a little gassy from them too. I think that's due to a lack of a particular digestive enzyme in the intestines. From what I've read, and from my RL experience, the required enzyme(s) will be manufactured as demand dictates. IOW, eat beans more frequently, and the body "learns" how to break down the sugars found in them and digest them more efficiently.

Gooooooooooooood morning Bill!
Did ya miss me? (-answer, with every bullet so far)

Of course, Brian. You and Dan (Bergmuscle) are two originals in here; not the same journal without you. (srs)

Boron, can't remember what that was supposed to do either, probably T levels.

I racked my brain as I posted about that, but couldn't recall why it was touted. Like all the other craptastic stuff, it was the darling of the muscle mags for a couple of months, until RL results caught up with it, and then it fell off the edge of the Earth.

My fav was the "secret" Russian supplement "Mumie" (Moo-Mi-Ay), some Siberian herb they touted to make you like a Soviet beast, minus the Soviet part.

You've stumped me on that one; I don't remember it at all.

What about "Ultimate Orange"? Did you try that?

That was Dan Duchaine's original foray into legal supplements, wasn't it? IIRC, that made him enough $$$ to get Designer Protein off the ground.

No, I never tried it. What was in that stuff that provided the kick---ephedrine? I do recall it being yanked off the market for a while, and then returning a couple years later--and like the return of "Hot Stuff," minus the 'kick.'

Epic session, nice to see all that progress.

Thanks. And while some of the reps-across were the result of resets, it's still progress, and I'll take what I can get.

[ArchAngel'73]

Supp companies still put boron in stuff. I see the ads and laugh.
Same with chromium picolinate. That one comes and goes depending on the latest "study".

Yeah, Ultimate Orange was Duchaine's 1st supp, and we/the gym, rats ate it up because it worked and you could feel it. and also correct about the mian igrediant being ephedrine.
Ironically, I never tried UO as the ECA was cheaper.

I've always been a fan of re-sets even when I was not aware of the concept of de-loading. It just felt right to take 2 steps forward and then 1 step back to make sure the new and heavier weights were being lifted properly.
You've proven that one can still obtain progress in our "more mature" years but it takes more thinking and planning.

btw, thank-you.
I consider you my older and wiser lifting brother. You've taught me much about life too just by getting to know you through your posts.