Ironwill2008 V3.0

[Payton1221]

Just remember that during a cut, as with most all other bodybuilding situations, slow and steady wins the race.

I was killing some time today rereading some old AARR (mid 2013) and there was a great article from Menno about that very thing, and the month before that was an awesome roundtable conversation about cardio and weightlifting with Bret Contreras, Eric Helms, Tom Venuto, etc. That publication is pure gold.

Happy new year Bill. My wife works a 12 tomorrow, so we'll probably have our celebratory whey shake at midnight by ourselves . . . just kidding, we'll be asleep by 11:30

[ironwill2008]

What I admire the most about your extremely heavy lunges is that you do it without support of any kind.

Thanks, -L. I'd try for extra reps if I had a way to spot the lift, like we did back in the day.

But it was that way of training (going all-out on every set because we had spotters, so no worries about getting pinned to the floor) that gives me the confidence to do Lunges with no safety net today. I just know from past practice when there's not another rep left in the tank.

Makes progress much slower, but who's in a hurry?

I was killing some time today rereading some old AARR (mid 2013) and there was a great article from Menno about that very thing, and the month before that was an awesome roundtable conversation about cardio and weightlifting with Bret Contreras, Eric Helms, Tom Venuto, etc. That publication is pure gold.

Without a doubt, it's (a subscription to AARR) the best $10 a month anyone into bodybuilding nutrition could spend.

To those unaware:
http://alanaragon.com/researchreview

Happy new year Bill. My wife works a 12 tomorrow, so we'll probably have our celebratory whey shake at midnight by ourselves . . . just kidding, we'll be asleep by 11:30

Happy New Year to you too, Mark.

Things will wind down early here as well.

[mirroroferised]

Hope it's a good New Years Bill. Thanks for all the help again this past year

[ironwill2008]

Hope it's a good New Years Bill. Thanks for all the help again this past year

Happy New Year, Dave.



And for whatever help I've been able to offer, you're certainly welcome.

[BergMuscle]

Good last WO for the year. Agree w/ -Lucifer about your BB lunges.

Happy New Year.

[RT1957]

Another year has passed us by and I always enjoy coming to your journal Bill. Wishing you and your family the best 2016....Happy New Years

I sure you will be standing at the wall tonight as the crazies will be out in abundance.....

[OT2000]

Happy New Years Bill

[-Lucifer]

But it was that way of training (going all-out on every set because we had spotters, so no worries about getting pinned to the floor) that gives me the confidence to do Lunges with no safety net today. I just know from past practice when there's not another rep left in the tank.

Ah. You are the hardk0arz? I usually leave 2-3 reps in the tank if I decide to do heavy lunges. The stepping variety is a pain because you can't do it in the power rack. The Reverse Lunge can be done in a rack, though.

P.S. Happy New Year.

[shaneinga]

Happy New Years Bill!

[ironwill2008]

Good last WO for the year. Agree w/ -Lucifer about your BB lunges.

Happy New Year.

Thanks, Dan. Happy New Year to you too.

Another year has passed us by and I always enjoy coming to your journal Bill. Wishing you and your family the best 2016....Happy New Years

I sure you will be standing at the wall tonight as the crazies will be out in abundance.....

Happy New Year to you and yours too, Ron. The new year will surely bring challenges, but we'll meet them head-on.

Happy New Years Bill

Thanks, OT; Happy New Years to you too.

Ah. You are the hardk0arz? I usually leave 2-3 reps in the tank if I decide to do heavy lunges. The stepping variety is a pain because you can't do it in the power rack. The Reverse Lunge can be done in a rack, though.

P.S. Happy New Year.

Thanks, -L. Happy New Year to you too!

The most awkward Lunge variant I ever tried was Side Barbell Lunges; I tried them one time during a deload week. Even with very light weight, I felt fortunate not to have killed myself. That's one that will never resurface in here.

Happy New Years Bill!

Thanks, Shane; Happy New Year to you too.

[2nd_chance]

Happy New Year Bill! You're an inspiration brother.

[ironwill2008]

Happy New Year Bill! You're an inspiration brother.

Hello, David! Happy New Year to you and your family too.


Thanks for the kind words; they're appreciated.

[-Lucifer]

The most awkward Lunge variant I ever tried was Side Barbell Lunges; I tried them one time during a deload week. Even with very light weight, I felt fortunate not to have killed myself. That's one that will never resurface in here.

I used to do that one as a warm-up. I think it could be a very useful movement as a squat auxiliary since it hits the thighs differently. Thanks for that. I'll see if I want to add to my routine.

@David
How have you been? Do you have a journal? I used to enjoy reading your workouts so much.

Sorry for hijack, Bill. Pls no ban.

[ironwill2008]

I used to do that one as a warm-up. I think it could be a very useful movement as a squat auxiliary since it hits the thighs differently. Thanks for that. I'll see if I want to add to my routine.

Good luck!

Sorry for hijack, Bill. Pls no ban.

No problemo, broheim.

[ironwill2008]

Started off the New year and also ended the current week's training with a good session. Met most of the day's goals while looking good doing it. Today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x10 W/U
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
350x5

Cable Curl PWO
20x10 W/U
57.5x10
57.5x10
57.5x9

Dip
bw +50x8
bw +50x8
bw +50x7

Session consumed a little less than an hour today. I matched my previous reps-across on Romanians, so I'll bump them by a nickel next week. Still eyeing 365x5 on these.

Met previous numbers on Cables, one rep shy of 3x10. It's there; I just need to keep after it. Good biceps pump from the constant tension that a cable stack affords.

Was able to regain most of my previously-lost reps on Dips; hands and wrists were marginally "better" today. And while this lift has pretty much plateaued, I still like it enough to keep in in here for a while longer.

That's all I can think to add. The next two rest days will be filled with football on TV and some good eats. On Monday, I'll hit the gym again for Squats, Split Squats, Chins, and Seated Presses.

Post-WorkOut meal was oven-baked tilapia with a boatload of fresh veggies, garlic toast, and a glass of milk.

[BergMuscle]

Love the look of that 50# plate hanging with you on the dips -

and the plate with the tilapia, too.

[ironwill2008]

Love the look of that 50# plate hanging with you on the dips -

and the plate with the tilapia, too.

Hey, Dan, Thanks. I had hoped to get Dips up to 70 pounds or so for a few reps, but my hands and wrists have decided that's probably not going to happen!

Baking a piece of fish in a foil pouch with some veggies is one of the easiest and most-sure-fire ways to cook fish I've found. It always comes out perfectly cooked and very tasty. 400 degrees for about 45 minutes works every time.

[-Lucifer]

Bill, do you know the maximum weight capacity of your dip bars?

[Sparta11]

Strong RDLs Bill. Hell strong everything for that matter. 350 is some impressive weight.

I'm gonna take it easy with the deads for awhile. I hurt my lower back left side the other day. Feels much better now but still sore at times.

Looking good man, food looks awesome too!

[ironwill2008]

Bill, do you know the maximum weight capacity of your dip bars?

No, I don't, -L. Parabody is long-since out of business (other than the parent company of HammerStrength still owning the rights to the name), so there's no way to find out.

I can say, however, that they're built very heavy, of heavy-gauge steel, with full-perimeter welds, and--- just a guess---would probably easily support 500 pounds if not more. When I put my measly 250 pounds (me plus 50 pounds of plate weight) on them, they don't even budge.

Strong RDLs Bill. Hell strong everything for that matter. 350 is some impressive weight.

Thanks, Steve. Dem sunz-a-gunz wuz hee-vee.

I'm gonna take it easy with the deads for awhile. I hurt my lower back left side the other day. Feels much better now but still sore at times.

Lower back issues can be a real hassle; that's the slowest-recovering of all body parts/muscle groups. Give yourself a couple of weeks before even testing it again with light weight.

Looking good man, food looks awesome too!

Thnx again. We ate well over the holidays; lots of protein, fat, carbs, and micros in every meal.


I guess I'm fortunate in that I like mostly basic, simple foods, stuff that most would consider to be "healthy," even though that word is pretty vague---and often misused/abused--- when used to describe food items.

[ironwill2008]

Back at it today with a good session, albeit the gym was colder than a brass monkey in, well, January. Made a change in the lineup, and did pretty well with the other stuff. Today's training was:

Barbell Squat
bar x10 W/U
135x8 W/U
185x8 W/U
235x8
235x8
235x8

Smith Machine Split Squat
95x8 W/U
135x8
185x8
250x6

Chinup
bw +50x6
bw +50x6
bw +50x6

Smith Machine Seated Press
95x10 W/U
155x5
155x4
155x3

Completed the work in an hour and a quarter. I had initially planned to stick with Front Squats one more time to see if I could bust myself out of 5-rep jail, but changed my mind on the spur of the moment and decided to make the change to Back Squats as I was setting up the power rack. I didn't give a lot of thought as to set/reps today; I'll just go with straight sets for now. When the load gets heavier, I'll probably switch to ramped sets. I reached 3x8 with today's load, so I'll bump up a dime next week.

Met previous numbers on Splits. These will go to 8-across before adding more weight.

Picked up my previously-lost see-saw rep on Chinups. If I can manage to repeat the 3x6 for a couple of weeks in a row, I'll either add a bit of weight or drop the Chins in favor of a substitute.

I was very pleased to have been able to repeat my 5-repper on the first set of Seated Press; it gives me reason to think I can eventually progress this load to 3x6.

Done for this one. A rest day tomorrow will be followed by Lunges, DB Rows, and Flat Presses on Wednesday.





[center]Post-WorkOut feast was a roast chicken breast, sauteed veggies, a baked spud with butter, and a glass of milk.

[BergMuscle]

Sometimes those spur-of-the-moment training decisions are actually based on you're brains response to what you muscles have been feeling. In any case, it looks like another good, although cold, session. My basement is none to warm either - though it's much better than 2 years ago at this time when Chicago was starting that wicked run of double-digit-below-zero-high days.

[irongrandpa]

Hey Bill, you look really solid in the pics. Good to see the BB squats back in the rotation. I got a set of the monohooks Mech6 builds and they're great for squats. Have a good week and tell the Mrs & Sherman hello.

[brucedelaney]

That's some great work you're putting in there... great volume on those squats & killer on the weighted chin ups...

[mirroroferised]

Nice to see back squats in here. 3 sets of 8 with 235 is a great start. Looking forward to seeing where you take them. I could very well be wrong but I seem to only remember them around on deloads for quite some time.

[RT1957]

A new year and a new time to get to back squats....you did great with the fronts so I guess maybe a change was in the air....solid work Bill...

[ironwill2008]

Sometimes those spur-of-the-moment training decisions are actually based on you're brains response to what you muscles have been feeling.

I enjoyed the run of Front Squats, actually the first time I really worked them for any length of time in all the years I've been training, but I took them as far as I'm able. It was time for a change of some sort, and I wanted to stay with free weights. I had thought about doing Leg Presses, another one I haven't done in a couple of years, but will put that off for a while.

In any case, it looks like another good, although cold, session. My basement is none to warm either - though it's much better than 2 years ago at this time when Chicago was starting that wicked run of double-digit-below-zero-high days.

That was a cold Winter here too, Dan. With this changing weather we have now though, who knows what it's going to do over the next couple of months. Last week, it was in the 70s for days; two weeks before Christmas, I had to mow the lawn.

Hey Bill, you look really solid in the pics. Good to see the BB squats back in the rotation. I got a set of the monohooks Mech6 builds and they're great for squats. Have a good week and tell the Mrs & Sherman hello.

Hey, Bob, thanks. It was time to get back to Squats again after about two years.

Good deal on the monohooks, and I'll pass along the message.

That's some great work you're putting in there... great volume on those squats & killer on the weighted chin ups...

Thanks, Bruce. Once I got warmed up a bit, I was ready to roll. Still haven't decided where to go/what to do with Chins; I'm not sure adding more weight will do me any good, so I'm leaning towards dropping them and bringing in a substitute.

Nice to see back squats in here. 3 sets of 8 with 235 is a great start. Looking forward to seeing where you take them. I could very well be wrong but I seem to only remember them around on deloads for quite some time.

Thanks, Dave. It was time for a change, and I haven't Squatted regularly for almost two years, so the time was right to get them back in here.

I've never been a big-weight Squatter, always having done high-bar with as good a form as I could muster in order to put the most work on my Quads rather than my glutes. I probably should have been Front Squatting regularly back then, but like most guys, didn't want to have to use "less weight" than I could Back Squat.

If I can eventually get reps at around 300, I'll be happy.

A new year and a new time to get to back squats....you did great with the fronts so I guess maybe a change was in the air....solid work Bill...

Thanks, Ron. Indeed, a change was required; Fronts went about as far as I was able to move them. Probably should have been doing them 20 years ago.

[Plateauplower]

Back at it today with a good session, albeit the gym was colder than a brass monkey in, well, January. Made a change in the lineup, and did pretty well with the other stuff. Today's training was:

Barbell Squat
bar x10 W/U
135x8 W/U
185x8 W/U
235x8
235x8
235x8

Smith Machine Split Squat
95x8 W/U
135x8
185x8
250x6

Chinup
bw +50x6
bw +50x6
bw +50x6

Smith Machine Seated Press
95x10 W/U
155x5
155x4
155x3

Completed the work in an hour and a quarter. I had initially planned to stick with Front Squats one more time to see if I could bust myself out of 5-rep jail, but changed my mind on the spur of the moment and decided to make the change to Back Squats as I was setting up the power rack. I didn't give a lot of thought as to set/reps today; I'll just go with straight sets for now. When the load gets heavier, I'll probably switch to ramped sets. I reached 3x8 with today's load, so I'll bump up a dime next week.

Met previous numbers on Splits. These will go to 8-across before adding more weight.

Picked up my previously-lost see-saw rep on Chinups. If I can manage to repeat the 3x6 for a couple of weeks in a row, I'll either add a bit of weight or drop the Chins in favor of a substitute.

I was very pleased to have been able to repeat my 5-repper on the first set of Seated Press; it gives me reason to think I can eventually progress this load to 3x6.

Done for this one. A rest day tomorrow will be followed by Lunges, DB Rows, and Flat Presses on Wednesday.





[center]Post-WorkOut feast was a roast chicken breast, sauteed veggies, a baked spud with butter, and a glass of milk.

Nice work, not waisting anytime moving into some heavier loads on back squats. I bet those split squats were a little tougher too getting a little more hamstring engaugement with the back squats as opposed to the fronts you were doing previously. Looks like a winner.

If you switch your weighted chins out will you replace with another verticle pull or just another back exercise in general?

[ironwill2008]

Nice work, not waisting anytime moving into some heavier loads on back squats. I bet those split squats were a little tougher too getting a little more hamstring engaugement with the back squats as opposed to the fronts you were doing previously. Looks like a winner.

Thanks, Tim. I'm feeling it in my hamstrings this morning.

If you switch your weighted chins out will you replace with another verticle pull or just another back exercise in general?

It'll be another vertical pull; at least one is a necessity in a routine. That pretty much means a Pulldown of some sort on the lat machine.

[brucedelaney]

Thanks, Bruce. Once I got warmed up a bit, I was ready to roll. Still haven't decided where to go/what to do with Chins; I'm not sure adding more weight will do me any good, so I'm leaning towards dropping them and bringing in a substitute.

Have you considered just upping the reps per set?