Ironwill2008 V3.0

[ironwill2008]

Got the training week off to a good start. Made a change as well as some progress. Today's training was:

Barbell Squat
bar x10 W/U
135x8
185x8
225x8
235x8

Leg Press PWO
400x12 W/U
580x12
670x12
760x12
850x8

Neutral-Grip Pulldown PWO
90x10 W/U
170x10
170x10
170x8

Overhead Press
95x5 W/U
115x5
125x5
142.5x3
95x10 backoff set

Completed the session in an hour and ten minutes. I decided on the way down the stairs to the gym to bring Squats in today rather than wait 'til after deload week. Fronts had stalled for me, both physically and mentally, and it was time for a change.

I just added some arbitrary weight for a few sets just to get in some reps today and see if my form was okay. I'll probably put in a 5x5 ramped scheme; I like it, and it suits my training style and my recovery ability. The last time I had Squats in my routine (a year ago), I stalled out at 325x4. I'd be happy to get a good, solid set of 5 @315 this time around. The poundage is going to go up fairly quickly, at least for a while; I'm recovering familiar ground here.

Added a tough rep on LPs today, on my way to getting to my goal of 850x12. Gotta keep chugging away at 'em.

Picked up a rep on Pulldowns as well. I'm closing in on 10-across and a chance at 2 plates.

Overheads didn't move up today, but I was happy just to meet last week's numbers. More work to be done here.

Tht's it for this Monday. I'll rest tomorrow, then get back in on Wednesday for Lunges, Rows, and Incline Flyes.

Post-meal was eggs, bacon, hash brown spuds, some toast, and a glass of milk.

[DivaJana]

Ah, high bar free weight squats!! I was just thinking few days ago if I should switch my low bar squats to those.. since they are known to be more bodybuilding friendly, and probably easier on my wrists. Only thing I'm afraid of is that I have been doing low squats since I started working out very long time ago, it's the only exercise I have never dropped out of my routine, which makes me very used to it and only worry about progress.

Great session there. Congrats on the progress.

[HoosierHardGain]

IW, I wonder if you'd be better served on the OHP to back off the last set 5 lbs or so then work your way back up.

[drudixon]

850 x 8? That's a lot of weight to not just lift, but to own. Wow, lol. Now, just think. You're almost halfway to powernpain elite leg pressing status.


Sorry I haven't visited in a bit. Been hanging around a golf forum too much lately... If only that time spent translated into not sucking at golf...


Glad to see all's well in the journal.

[ironwill2008]

Ah, high bar free weight squats!! I was just thinking few days ago if I should switch my low bar squats to those.. since they are known to be more bodybuilding friendly, and probably easier on my wrists. Only thing I'm afraid of is that I have been doing low squats since I started working out very long time ago, it's the only exercise I have never dropped out of my routine, which makes me very used to it and only worry about progress.

Great session there. Congrats on the progress.

Hey, thanks, DJ; I had a good day.

I was due for a change, if for no other reason than I just wanted to get back to doing some Squats. And yes, I get that bar just as high as I can get it to help me stay a bit more upright and shift a bit more of the load off my backside and onto my quads.
Obviously, how much of a shift is possible is going to vary among individuals.



By all means, do some experimenting. There's not going to be so much of a change in emphasis that you're likely to lose anything you've already gained.

IW, I wonder if you'd be better served on the OHP to back off the last set 5 lbs or so then work your way back up.

If I am unable to advance them after one more try, that's exactly what I'll do, Hoos. That's my usual M.O--three attempts to bust a stall and then a reset. Usually, after that, I'll go one or two more resets, and if I still can't advance, then it's time to drop the stalled exercise and switch to a different but similar one.

850 x 8? That's a lot of weight to not just lift, but to own. Wow, lol. Now, just think. You're almost halfway to powernpain elite leg pressing status.

LOL. Trolls gonna troll. That guy is probably one of the two or three other trolls who keep circulating in and out of the O35 under different usernames as they get banned.


Sometimes, it's fun to troll the trolls.

Sorry I haven't visited in a bit. Been hanging around a golf forum too much lately... If only that time spent translated into not sucking at golf...


Glad to see all's well in the journal.

Thanks, Dru. No probs on not journaling too much; RL has to take precedence. And you'd better get in as much golf as you can now; who knows what weather is in store this Winter, even in Georgia.

[doughnutgut]

Nice to see the squats in here Bill.

Interested to see the progression on them. You keeping the fronts with the smithy in also? Or is this what has replaced them...

Ever dumped the bar BTW? Always interested in this.. I asked Flex a few months back... Surprise surprise, he has NEVER dumped it.

Solid session my friend..

[ironwill2008]

Nice to see the squats in here Bill.

Interested to see the progression on them. You keeping the fronts with the smithy in also? Or is this what has replaced them...

Fronts had pretty much stalled out, Leigh. They were becoming mentally tiresome, which is probably the main cause of the stall, so it was time for a change. I'll return to them again at some point in the future, for sure.

Ever dumped the bar BTW? Always interested in this.. I asked Flex a few months back... Surprise surprise, he has NEVER dumped it.

Solid session my friend..

Thanks; it was a good day overall.


By 'dump' the bar, I assume you mean shoving it off my back. I've never done that.

Of course, there have been many times when I missed a rep, but I always have Squatted in either a Squat or power rack, with the pins set correctly. Then, it's simply a matter of just 'sitting down' if I can't complete a rep. No loud crash, no possible damage to equipment, and no unnecessary drama.

[storm1507]

Squats....nice. I am jealous of your lack of leg DOMS.

[HoustonTXMuscle]

GJ on the squats, Bill, and thanks for the following reminder.

...I was due for a change, if for no other reason than I just wanted to get back to doing some Squats. And yes, I get that bar just as high as I can get it to help me stay a bit more upright and shift a bit more of the load off my backside and onto my quads.
Obviously, how much of a shift is possible is going to vary among individuals. ....

Had purposely waited until after my leg workout today to respond. Guess I'd gotten into the habit of routinely placing the bar as low as comfortably possible and not putting much thought into what I was doing. Moving the bar up today, it felt as if there was less stress on my hamstrings.

[ironwill2008]

Squats....nice. I am jealous of your lack of leg DOMS.

Thanks, Will; I was due for a change-up. I had some very slight hamstring DOMS this morning, no doubt due to the Squats, and the change in pattern of motion. Quad DOMS--zero. If I didn't get any today, I won't be seeing any at all.

GJ on the squats, Bill, and thanks for the following reminder.

Thanks, Bob; it felt like Old Home Week, getting back under the bar. There's just something very satisfying, on a very basic level, about squatting down with a bar across your back, and then powering back up with it. I've never been a heavy- weight Squatter, preferring to focus the work on my legs as much as possible rather than the poundage, but I don't think there's anything much more enjoyable in the gym than completing a good set.

Had purposely waited until after my leg workout today to respond. Guess I'd gotten into the habit of routinely placing the bar as low as comfortably possible and not putting much thought into what I was doing. Moving the bar up today, it felt as if there was less stress on my hamstrings.

Such changes can make a difference in the effect of an exercise, and in some cases, a profound change.

[Korr]

The return of the squat.

[ironwill2008]

Kept the ball rolling with a productive session. Today's training was:

Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
135x5 W/U
245x6
245x6
245x5

Dumbbell Row
60x10 W/U
115x4
115x3
115x3

Incline Flye
40x10 W/U
55x8
65x8
65x8

Finished up here in about 50 minutes. Added a rep on Lunges, bringing me closer to 6-across. When I get there, I'll probably switch over to triples in an effort to bust a previous plateau from last year.

Dumbbell Rows didn't advance today, but reps were okay. I'm working to get these to 3x6 and then move to the end of the rack.

Picked up a rep on Flyes, putting me at reps-across. I'll stick with this setup on these for now; 70s were too heavy a couple of weeks ago, and they'll still be too heavy next week (actually, the week after deload).

That's all I have for this session. I'll rest tomorrow, then get in on Friday for a swan song consisting of heavy Romanian Deadlifts, along with Curls and Dips to send me off to Deload City the following week.

Post-WorkOut meal was 1/3 pound of grilled ground sirloin, a baked potato with butter, a tasty salad, and a glass of milk.

[ironwill2008]

The return of the squat.

Yessir, it is! I was due to get them back in here sooner or later, and decided 'sooner' was the better choice. I'd like to get to 315x5, but I'll just have to see how it goes.

[doughnutgut]

On them lunges Bill.
After the fifth, how exactly do you know that the sixth is not in the tank? Just getting YOUR insight to your feels on this.

You must look at the dumbbell row pic and tell me you do not see a crazy looking hand on the bench.. Had to pretty much zoom in to see that was real. Solid non the less.

Pretty much all I have you monster.

See you before the Sherman time no doubt.

[storm1507]

Solid work, especially lunges. I don't recall anyone doing them at the Rec Cnt that heavy.

[BergMuscle]

Your lunges are always scary-heavy.

[ironwill2008]

On them lunges Bill.
After the fifth, how exactly do you know that the sixth is not in the tank? Just getting YOUR insight to your feels on this.

It's just a matter of experience with the lift. Back in the day, when I was still training in a commercial gym, and with a regular training partner there, we'd call over a 3rd experienced guy so we could Lunge with spotters (one at each end of the bar, the only way you can spot the lift). So with that safety net in place, we'd use very heavy weight, and end every set with a knee on the floor. Training like that for several months, you get a feel for when the next rep isn't going to happen.

There's a certain amount of risk doing Lunges without spotters; if I were to get 'stuck,' I'd be in a jam, and would have to push the bar off of me while getting my trailing leg out of the way. As a result, I never try to push a set one inch further than I feel capable of on that day. Sure, it probably costs me some progress, but there's nothing I can do about that except work within my capability.

You must look at the dumbbell row pic and tell me you do not see a crazy looking hand on the bench.. Had to pretty much zoom in to see that was real. Solid non the less.

Lulz. I saw that myself, and thought, WTH? It's just a combination of the camera angle, the poor lighting, and my hand position. Also, there's a lot of weight being supported by that hand, as evidenced by how far down into the very firm padding on that bench it has been pushed, which forces it (the hand) into an odd contortion.


I was curious to see if anyone else would notice it!

Solid work, especially lunges. I don't recall anyone doing them at the Rec Cnt that heavy.

Thanks, Will.

It's not a popular lift, probably due to the difficulty in spotting it. And there are 'safer' variants, such as using dumbbells, or even just doing Split Squats in a power rack.

None are as fun as the real thing though.

Your lunges are always scary-heavy.

Thanks, Dan. They're kinda scary to me too at times, but the challenge of a good set is hard to pass up.

[HoosierHardGain]

Nice work on the progress again, IW. And once gain your post workout meal is making me hungry!

[ironwill2008]

Nice work on the progress again, IW. And once gain your post workout meal is making me hungry!

Hey, Hoos, thanks. With the PWO meal pics, I'm trying to demonstrate that there's nothing more anabolic than regular food. And that there's no benefit to eating fish heads and brown rice over regular, tasty choices.


I've got one more workout this week to use to build a little bit of momentum to carry with me into deload week starting next Monday.

[MikeWines]

It's just a matter of experience with the lift. Back in the day, when I was still training in a commercial gym, and with a regular training partner there, we'd call over a 3rd experienced guy so we could Lunge with spotters (one at each end of the bar, the only way you can spot the lift). So with that safety net in place, we'd use very heavy weight, and end every set with a knee on the floor. Training like that for several months, you get a feel for when the next rep isn't going to happen.

There's a certain amount of risk doing Lunges without spotters; if I were to get 'stuck,' I'd be in a jam, and would have to push the bar off of me while getting my trailing leg out of the way. As a result, I never try to push a set one inch further than I feel capable of on that day. Sure, it probably costs me some progress, but there's nothing I can do about that except work within my capability.

Could always call on your wife to spot you. I'm sure that's in the marriage contract somewhere

[ironwill2008]

Closed out both this training week along with this current 3-week segment of training with a productive session, giving me some momentum to carry with me into deload week starting next Monday. Today's training was:

Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
345x3
390x3 heh-vee

Alternate Dumbbell Curl
30x10 W/U
45x8
45x8
50x4

Dips
bw +45x8
bw +45x7
bw +45x7just got it

Completed this session in about 55 minutes. Bumped Romanians up a nickel and just managed to get my reps-across, so I'll go up again after deload week.These rascals are getting heavy.

Dumbbell Curls didn't advance, but form was okay, so I'm going to work on the 50s for a bit longer to see if I can get them up to 6 decent reps.

Added a tough rep on the last set of Dips, but just barely. Hands and wrists are still holding up okay, which is quite surprising to me. I'm still looking at getting these up to 70 for a few good reps somewhere down the road.

That's it for this one. I'll rest over the weekend and then go into deload next week with the intention of focusing all my efforts for the following week; things aren't going to get easier in here.




Sherman sez he'll see everyone Monday.

Post-WorkOut meal was Pepper Steak and a glass of milk. Not a favorite of my wife; I don't have this meal often.

[ironwill2008]

Could always call on your wife to spot you. I'm sure that's in the marriage contract somewhere

LOL. Probably the best thing for her to do in such a situation is to get out of the way and get ready to call 911.

[doughnutgut]

Completed this session in about 55 minutes. Bumped Romanians up a nickel and just managed to get my reps-across, so I'll go up again after deload week.These rascals are getting heavy.

You don't say!!!
The dry humour Bill.

Sherman sez he'll see everyone Monday.

Indeed he will. Already the 4 weekly deload. I say it again. How time just seems to fly.

As we say here in Newcastle mate. Your looking muckle in the Dumbbell curl pic.

How the good lady is not a fan of that meal is beyond me.

Solid session as usual buddy. Rest up and enjoy chasing them little uns around this weekend.

[DivaJana]

Good work, specially on the deadlifts. Enjoy your weekend and deload week.

[EjnarKolinkar]

Awesome week. I admire those dips, tough and still gaining on the goal. Lunges march on

Mouth was watering on that pepper steak. My mother in law makes it similar to that, and lays it on thick on some fresh rolls. Needless to say, she and I have always got on very well. I know what side my bread is buttered on.

[ironwill2008]

Indeed he will. Already the 4 weekly deload. I say it again. How time just seems to fly.

Indeed it does; another month gone by.

As we say here in Newcastle mate. Your looking muckle in the Dumbbell curl pic.

How the good lady is not a fan of that meal is beyond me.

Solid session as usual buddy. Rest up and enjoy chasing them little uns around this weekend.

Thanks, Leigh.

My wife doesn't eat red meat at all. She'll eat chicken, turkey and fish though.

No grandkids with us this weekend; they all have plans elsewhere.

Good work, specially on the deadlifts. Enjoy your weekend and deload week.

Thanks, DJ. I'd really like to just keep rolling with the changes I've made recently, but I learned a long time ago that it's better for me to stick with my schedule and just do the deload.

Awesome week. I admire those dips, tough and still gaining on the goal. Lunges march on

Hey EK, thanks. Everything's getting tougher to advance, but then if it weren't that way, it would be far less fun!

Mouth was watering on that pepper steak. My mother in law makes it similar to that, and lays it on thick on some fresh rolls. Needless to say, she and I have always got on very well. I know what side my bread is buttered on.

I really love that dish, but rarely make it because my wife won't eat it, and it's a lot of work for just myself. She will eat any other Chinese dish that doesn't include red meat; Sweet and Sour Chicken is a favorite of both of us.

Good deal on having a MIL who's a good cook; that's a true blessing.

I have one as well, or at least when she was able to cook a lot. She's getting up there in age now, and can't really handle cooking big meals any more.

[Bo_Flecks]

Added a tough rep on the last set of Dips, but just barely. Hands and wrists are still holding up okay, which is quite surprising to me.

Whenever the weight starts getting heavier for me on dips, I'll often add some padding to my dip bar to alleviate some pressure on my hands. I hate for my pansy hands to keep my triceps from getting the work I want to put on them.

[ironwill2008]

Whenever the weight starts getting heavier for me on dips, I'll often add some padding to my dip bar to alleviate some pressure on my hands. I hate for my pansy hands to keep my triceps from getting the work I want to put on them.

Good deal in finding a solution to a problem, Steve.

It's usually easier to just blow off the offending exercise and find something less-demanding to use, but that might unnecessarily cut us off from some additional gains we might realize if instead we're willing to do some experimenting in pursuit of a better solution.

[ironwill2008]

Hi. It's that time again, when I'm out here enjoying the sunshile, and Bill's in the gym, doing whatever in the heck it is that he's doing this week. Whatever that might be, it won't be including any heavy weight or any sets near failure.

http://columbuscockerrescue.com Help if you're able.

As my fuzzy buddy has already stated, this is deload week, where I use my abbreviated gym time to get some active rest and recovery from the previous 3 weeks of heavy (for me) work. Today's training was:

Barbell Squat
bar x10 W/U
135x8
185x8
225x8

Close-Grip Pulldown PWO
90x10
90x10
90x10

Smith Machine Seated Press
95x10
95x10
95x10

About a 25-minute effort to roll through here. Took more time to set up the equipment/load bars, etc., than it did to work the sets.

There was mention of Smith OHPs in the O35 this morning, so I used that as a cue to add them in today. I've done these many times in the past, and always appreciate how well they work the upper body. These will be returning to regular rotation at some point in the near future.

Don't really have any other commentary to add; these light sessions are what they are.

I'll rest up from this mighty workload tomorrow, then do a light session on Wednesday comprised of exercises yet to be determined. Sherman sez he'll see you all again then.

PWO eats were scrambled eggs, bacon, grits with butter, toast, and a glass of milk.

[acrawlingchaos]

C
Romanian Deadlift
bar x15 W/U
135x5 W/U
225x3
275x3
315x3
345x3
390x3 heh-vee

Great effort and moving along smoothly.


I'm lucky with the lunges in that I can lunge into my squat rack and have bailed in it with a heavy lunge.