Ironwill2008 V3.0

[baker]

Damn Bill those RDLs are awesome.

[ironwill2008]

Egg casserole is making my mouth water ^^

Insane RDL volume and weight too. Good job!

Hey, thanks! I had a productive day, and the meal capped it off.

As somebody brand new to weighted dips that 55lbs is impressive and the rdl weight

You have great taste in hot sauce btw. My bottle is kept on the counter beside the stove and used almost daily with eggs.

Thanks, Dave. I'm working hard to keep moving forward, even if it's just a millimeter at a time.

I'd never heard of Sriricha until I saw it mentioned in the 'nutrition' forum. I couldn't seem to find it locally until a friend and former training partner dropped off a bottle.

Pretty dang impressive RDL's there, Sir! Do you take them off the rack, or deadlift it up first?

Hey, Chuck, thanks. For RDLs, I take the bar off the liftoffs on the front of the rack. A rep starts and ends with the bar at dead-hang.

I plan to go back to conventional Deadlifts when I decide that RDLs have stalled. I'm still working to get to 405x3 on RDLs.

Isn't that a quiche Bill?

A quiche is similar except that it is baked in a kind of pie crust. It all winds up tasting about the same though, IMO.

Tip. My good lady always grabs a pair and an apple and foils them then chucks them in the oven if I am cooking.

After about half hour or so she unwraps them and they have turned into something out of this world.

That sounds like it's worth a try, Leigh.

Good stuff this week mate. Less expected extra reps are taken at every chance possible.

QFT. Any time an extra rep can be realized with good form, that's the time to grab it.

Damn Bill those RDLs are awesome.

Thanks, Bake. That's another one that I've been working on for a long time. My hamstrings didn't really show much development until I switched over from SLDLs to Romanians, and then started to really work hard to bump up the load.

[BergMuscle]

Dropping back by and seeing great work is still happening here. I love EZ-bar curls; hit my biceps so well. Always impressed with the weight you strap on for your dips. And love to "food porn".

[pharmamarketer]

Excellent work on those dips Bill. And that egg casserole looks awesome

[ironwill2008]

Dropping back by and seeing great work is still happening here. I love EZ-bar curls; hit my biceps so well. Always impressed with the weight you strap on for your dips. And love to "food porn".

Hey Dan, thanks. I like the EZ bar too; it just naturally 'fits' the hands/wrists. I'll also use it for French Presses, IMO one of the best triceps builders on the planet.

I'll continue to try to show that regular, very tasty, 'normal' food choices are the most logical and easiest to stick with over the long haul. There is no requirement or need for special meals or menu considerations until it's time to prep for stepping on stage.

Excellent work on those dips Bill. And that egg casserole looks awesome

Thanks, Rob. Dip progress has slowed, but they're still effective insofar as working tris and chest, so I'm going to keep them on board for a while longer.

The egg casserole was just as good nuked/reheated as a leftover as it was right out of the oven.

[InItForFitness]

x1000 on the insane RDL.

Those + Casserole & Bacon on the same day...in B4 the gains.


Hope you're having a good weekend

[ArchAngel'73]

Memorial day for you brother.
Thank-you for your service and sacrifices.
Glad you're still around!

[ironwill2008]

x1000 on the insane RDL.

Those + Casserole & Bacon on the same day...in B4 the gains.


Hope you're having a good weekend

Thanks, Casey. So far it's been nice and quiet around here, just the way I like it.

Have a great weekend yourself, bud.

Memorial day for you brother.
Thank-you for your service and sacrifices.
Glad you're still around!

Thanks, Brian.

Let's all remember the 58,000 who didn't make it back, along with all the other casualties in all the wars fought for the cause of freedom.

[kendo]

Post-meal, courtesy of my wife, was a chunk of very tasty egg casserole, bacon, fried apples (these are too good to describe in words), toast, and a glass of milk.

Good porn indeed! Man that looks good!

You have a good woman there!

[ironwill2008]

Celebrated Memorial Day by getting the training week off the ground with a good session. Weightz were lifted, and progress was realized. today's training was:

Front Squat
bar x10 W/U
95x8
135x8
185x8
205x5

Smith Machine Split Squat
95x8 W/U
135x8
185x8
225x6

Chinup
bw x12
bw x12
bw x12

Overhead Press
95x5 W/U
115x5
125x5
142.5x4
105x9 backoff set

142.5x4

Worked through the session in an hour and ten minutes. Even though I didn't quite meet reps-across on Fronts last week (I missed it by one rep), I bumped the weight up a dime today anyway. Even after just four weeks, this exercise is becoming much more 'natural'-feeling with each rep performed, so I see no reason not to get into an area where there's some real work to be done. I really want to get two plates on that bar, but will at least take a few more weeks before I attempt it. I got five good reps at today's load, and should be able to add to that total next week. Onward and upward.

Added a rep on Splits, and looked good doing it. These also are slated for 8-reps-across before adding more weight.

I cautiously added a rep to each of the three sets of chins. I'm getting close to my limit on these; they were a bit difficult today. But still no shoulder problems, so I'm good to go, at least for a while.

Didn't advance Overheads on the top set today, but I did pick up a rep on the backoff set----always a sign of more progress to come.

That's all I've got for this one. I'll rest tomorrow, then hit Lunges, DB Rows, and Incline Presses with a vengeance on Wednesday.

I grilled up some chicken breasts for PWO eats today, and accompanied them with some fresh green beans cooked with red skin spuds, onion, garlic, and a bay leaf. As always, a glass of milk was included with the meal.

[ironwill2008]

Good porn indeed! Man that looks good!

You have a good woman there!

Thanks; I'll pass the compliment on to her. And I whole-heartedly agree; she's by far my better half.



Thanks for visiting my journal.

[kendo]

Thanks; I'll pass the compliment on to her. And I whole-heartedly agree; she's by far my better half.



Thanks for visiting my journal.

No probs mate I've subscribed to this thread and think I'll stick around for the great food porn

[InItForFitness]

I tend to steer clear of the word 'happy when it comes to the topic of Memorial Day, but hope yours was well!

Great training session.
Still haven't gotten myself on those front squats, but have been a bit bored with my leg routine lately, so I see them in my future.

[jonnyboy44]

nice start to the week with that lunch, Lifts pretty good too.

[ironwill2008]

No probs mate I've subscribed to this thread and think I'll stick around for the great food porn

Good deal; welcome aboard.

I tend to steer clear of the word 'happy when it comes to the topic of Memorial Day, but hope yours was well!

Thanks, Casey; same back to you.

After I got back home, I immediately immersed myself back into my previous life as much as possible, and never really took any time to think about any of what I'd experienced. But it's funny in a way that these days, a million years later, I seem to think more about that time. And sometimes, I get even more confused now about how I feel about all of that than I was back then.

Great training session.
Still haven't gotten myself on those front squats, but have been a bit bored with my leg routine lately, so I see them in my future.

Thanks, bud; I had a pretty good day.

And the cure for training staleness is to find another fresh challenge!

nice start to the week with that lunch, Lifts pretty good too.

Hey, Jonny, thanks. It always feels good to cap a good session with a good meal.

[doughnutgut]

Plodding along with the FS Bill and making good progress.

2pps eh. Strange how your training progress seems to advance at such speed. Seems like only a week ago you added them into your routine. Obviously not. But it flies around these parts as of late.

Good solid work. OHP backoff set extra. Take that all day.

[mirroroferised]

Great work on those front squats Bill.

[Gxp23]

Man, those front squats would kill me, just cant get the form right with them....one day though..

[ironwill2008]

Plodding along with the FS Bill and making good progress.

2pps eh. Strange how your training progress seems to advance at such speed. Seems like only a week ago you added them into your routine. Obviously not. But it flies around these parts as of late.

Thanks, Leigh. I think my usual, fairly quick initial progress on a 'new' exercise is simply due to my high mileage; there's not much that I haven't already done at some point in the past, so those early gains in progression come pretty much on schedule---for a while. I also have a pretty good sense of what my limit is going to be, again, based on past practice. The problem is that when progress flattens-out, it really flattens out. Then, it's on to small plates and taking a month to add one rep!

Great work on those front squats Bill.

Hey, thanks! I feel like I've found the groove, so the limiting factor now is going to be the muscles rather than struggling trying to maintain decent form.

Man, those front squats would kill me, just cant get the form right with them....one day though..

I think it's just a matter of finding the right grip that suits you, and then concentrating on staying as upright as possible, and forcing the elbows to stay up. The old, "sit back in a chair" cue that's so appropriate for Back Squats is also a good one to remember for Fronts as well.

I actually greatly favor doing Front Squats on the Smith rather than with a free bar. Using the machine takes all the grip and bar-balance issues out of the exercise, allows total freedom of foot placement, and thus puts the vast majority of the work on the quads, rather than on the glutes and hams. All that allows me to use much more weight on Smith Fronts that I'd ever be able to control with the free-bar version, and place the work exactly where I want it to go. And as we all know, more weight/reps properly brought to bear on a muscle equals more mass.


But for this go-around, I wanted to try something that I hadn't done in probably 15 years; the challenge is fresh, and that's what I look for these days.

[Jasonk282]

Solid session. Progress is being made that's for sure and that's all that really matters.

[ironwill2008]

Solid session. Progress is being made that's for sure and that's all that really matters.

Hey, Jason, thanks. And indeed, any forward movement, no matter the increment, is a good thing.

[Jasonk282]

Hey, Jason, thanks. And indeed, any forward movement, no matter the increment, is a good thing.

Yup, whether it be on your top set of back off set.

[brucedelaney]

Ducking in to say hello. It's been a while Bill. Glad to see you're still a shining example of what a workout journal should consist of. Food is looking great as always. Just curious though. How many meals do you eat like that daily? Are you a multiple small meal kind of guy or what? I'm more of a 2 or 3 bigger meals kind of guy myself.

[cmoore]

any forward movement, no matter the increment, is a good thing.

You are a relentless maniac. God bless you man.

[ironwill2008]

Yup, whether it be on your top set of back off set.

The concept of doing an additional set at reduced intensity after the heaviest set was one I had some difficulty in understanding back in the day. This was especially true because at the time, besides following Bill Starr's writing and work, I was also reading Mike Mentzer's "Heavy Duty," his opus on high-intensity, infrequent training. The two philosophies crashed headlong into each other. But practical application of each for a time made me realize what I now know to be proven by actual science--that one-set-to failure, and even failure itself, is not only unnecessary for gains, but generally not desirable at all. And Mentzer's idea of training less and less frequently---I'm not sure why I ever bought into that, even for just a short time. Fortunately, common sense prevailed, at least on my part.

And like I always say, learning what doesn't work is equally as valuable knowledge as knowing what does,



ETA:
As an aside, the above comments are in no way an attempt to denigrate Mike Mentzer's bodybuilding accomplishments, but merely demonstrate a difference in training philosophies. Early on, he was one of my main influences, and IMO he was a great bodybuilder. I always thought his physique looked like he was carved out of stone. For years, I had a pic of him taped to my refrigerator.

And Mentzer and I both know who really won the 1980 Mr. Olympia.

Ducking in to say hello. It's been a while Bill. Glad to see you're still a shining example of what a workout journal should consist of. Food is looking great as always. Just curious though. How many meals do you eat like that daily? Are you a multiple small meal kind of guy or what? I'm more of a 2 or 3 bigger meals kind of guy myself.

Hello, Bruce; I'm still working to inch my way forward.

Since I retired, and my calorie requirements were cut almost in half, I eat 4 or five meals a day. That number is dependent on when I'm hungry, and how many calories/macros are in each. Sometimes I'll reach my requirements in just 4 meals. That amounts to 2800 calories a day, broken down into 200 grams of protein, 90-100 grams of fat, and the rest usually carbs, although sometimes I'll eat more fat (depending on my menu choice(s) ).



That's in stark contrast to my former work-life nutrition. I worked a physical outdoor utility company construction-type job, and burned calories by the boatload. Back then, if I didn't eat at least 4600 calories a day, I'd lose weight. To stuff that much food down my pie hole was a full-time job, and I had to parcel it out into 8 portions a day in order to accomplish it. I carried a Coleman cooler around in the truck with me as my "lunch box," stuffed with chicken/steak sammiches, raw veggies, fruit, and protein bars. As soon as I felt like I could eat something, I'd slam another meal. And I did that day-in, day-out for years; I look back at that now, and I don't know I managed to do it.

You are a relentless maniac. God bless you man.

Thanks, C. I think I'm just too hard-headed to quit!

[MichielN]

and I had to parcel it out into 8 portions a day in order to accomplish it.

At least you kept your metabolism running.




jk

Lower back must have been killing you after those RDLs, heavy stuff. mirin weights too

[ironwill2008]

At least you kept your metabolism running.

LOL. What's really funny (funny 'odd,' rather than funny 'ha-ha!') is that same old, tired myth is still with us today even with the advent of the interwebz and the super-easy access to unbiased sites such as Alan's http://alanaragon.com/ and Lyle McDonald's http://bodyrecomposition.com.

Lower back must have been killing you after those RDLs, heavy stuff. mirin weights too

Thanks. I don't see much DOMS these days; too much mileage, I guess. Sometimes, the morning after a particularly heavy session, I'll feel some 'fatigue' in a body part, but that's about it. Not sure if I miss the soreness or not!

[MichielN]

I can't imagine one missing lower back soreness, lol.

[ironwill2008]

Good session today. Added a touch of iron to the bar, picked up a tough rep, had fun doing it. Today's training was:

Barbell Lunge
bar x5 W/U
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
280x2

280x2 BB Lungez

225x2 backoff set

225x2 backoff set

Dumbbell Row
60x8 W/U
115x6
115x6
115x5 finally added a rep

Smith Machine Incline Press
95x10 W/U
135x8
165x8
210x4

Completed the work in about 55 minutes. I bumped Lunges up by a nickel and managed 2 decent reps. Not shaky, but I knew a 3rd wasn't there today. Followed that set with a double @225 as a backoff.

I somehow managed to add the 5th rep on the 3rd set of DB Rows that has eluded me for the last 100 years. Now all I need is one more, and I can graduate to the last pair of 'bells in the rack. They haven't seen the light of day in about two years; I'll probably need to clear away the cobwebs to get to them whenever I reach reps-across with the 115s. Of couse, considering how long it took to get that 5th, I might not live long enough to get the 6th!

Wasn't able to advance Inclines, and feel like if I can't do so next week, I'll need to reset the weight and work back up. I really want to see 225 on these, but progress has slowed. I'll also consider adding a backoff set to these to get them moving forward.

All I have for today. Yard work is penciled into my schedule for tomorrow pending the Accu-Guess weather forecast. Then it's back in the gym on Friday for RDLs, Curls, and Dips.

Post-Workout meal was a tasty egg/bacon/jalapeno cheese/tomato sammich on toast with a cup of apple sauce and a glass of milk.

[ironwill2008]

I can't imagine one missing lower back soreness, lol.

But you know what the bros say; "If you aren't sore, your workout was crap!!!"