A grouchy old Jarhead tosses some iron around

[grouchyjarhead]

Used to lift seriously for years, stopped for about 5 years just due to life. Back at it since Oct 2014. Goals are just to get as big and as strong as I can for right now, I also enjoy rucking too so I might try one of them there GORUCKs here sometime in the future. I'm 5'8" and pushing around 200# most days, BF% is a guess, mid-30s.

I keep it simple: press and deadlift/power clean one day, bench and squat the other, try to do that 3-4x a week with some HIIT and bodyweight thrown in. Nothin' fancy.

Just to catch up past two workouts...

20141120:

HIIT in the morning on the treadmill, 12 minutes total.

Lifted in the evening. Standing press (worked up to 105 for 3x6, then 105x7), conventional deadlifts (255x6, worked up to an easy single with 295).

20141121:

Lifted in the evening. Bench (145 for 4x6), squat (215x7, worked up to easy single with 255), and finished off with some calisthenics. Pull-ups (7), push-ups (30), lunges (30 per), eight count bodybuilders (15), and a half dozen different ab exercises (175).

[discdoggie]

You don't come off as grouchy to me!

You seem awesome. Welcome.

[grouchyjarhead]

Well, I sure know how to start off with a bang. Wrong forum. Would a moderator be so kind as to unscrew me?

And thanks! I'm mostly grouchy because my body hurts all the time thanks to being in the military for over a decade.

[Trinity1216]

Do you want me to move this to the Journal Section of the OV35?

[grouchyjarhead]

Do you want me to move this to the Journal Section of the OV35?

Yes, please.

[discdoggie]

Subbed!

[Trinity1216]

Yes, please.

Done and welcome to the forums

You are in the perfect section there are a lot of extremely knowledgable people in this section.

[mikemodjeski7]

Welcome from a fellow newbie and jarhead.

[grouchyjarhead]

Thanks all and Semper Fi mike.

[mirroroferised]

Welcome to the journals jarhead.

[paolo59]

Welcome to the journals! Saw the "Grouchy Old..." and just felt comfortable. LOL Here's to gains in the gym!

[grouchyjarhead]

Thanks gents.

20141122:

Normally go for an easy run or ruck on these days, but working 12 hour shifts this week so I just spent the time I had with the family today.

[paolo59]

Thanks gents.

20141122:

Normally go for an easy run or ruck on these days, but working 12 hour shifts this week so I just spent the time I had with the family today.

And that brother, is good enough! Life is more than a weight! Iron doesn't get jealous or throw a fit, it just waits 'til you show back up again. That's what I like about it! It understands me. Ha!

[grouchyjarhead]

And that brother, is good enough! Life is more than a weight! Iron doesn't get jealous or throw a fit, it just waits 'til you show back up again. That's what I like about it! It understands me. Ha!

Me too paolo59. Me too.

[InternetTuffGuy]

Thanks gents.

20141122:

Normally go for an easy run or ruck on these days, but working 12 hour shifts this week so I just spent the time I had with the family today.

12 hour shifts can make it tough. I work them as well and nights is usually when my routine suffers. Balance can be a tricky thing. Good luck with it.

[grouchyjarhead]

20141123:

No HIIT earlier, just no time for it.

Hit the gym later on. Standing presses (105 for 4x6) and power cleans (135x6, then worked up to a heavy single with 175).

Finished with a front plank and side planks.

[Marius_Ursus]

Always good to see another vet.

Doesn't look like you were away from the iron too long. Your lifts are pretty strong for that much time off.

[Cooper72]

So 'bodybuilders' is a Marine term? We had to do one or two at the BP academy. Wasn't sure where the name came from though. Always knew them as Burpees.

Looking forward to following your progress.

[grouchyjarhead]

Always good to see another vet.

Doesn't look like you were away from the iron too long. Your lifts are pretty strong for that much time off.

Likewise. And thank you, I kept busy with some kettlebell stuff during that time, including a sport competition, but it was slow goings the first month. I had a good base of strength when I stopped too, so I may have done enough just to keep some of it around. Only a month back so we'll keep hitting it and see where it goes.

So 'bodybuilders' is a Marine term? We had to do one or two at the BP academy. Wasn't sure where the name came from though. Always knew them as Burpees.

Looking forward to following your progress.

It might be used in the other services as the same name, but yeah we used to do loads of eight count bodybuilders. One of my old platoon sergeants loved them - we used to crank out a bunch before every PT session and sometimes he'd be especially mean spirited and we'd finish with a bunch of those too.

[baker]

Subbed to this one. This is the best section (by far) on the whole interwebz!

[raynerd]

Subbing in! Looks like you have a good solid program to follow and already some good strength! Looking forward to watching your progress! Welcome

[grouchyjarhead]

Subbed to this one. This is the best section (by far) on the whole interwebz!

Thanks, and agreed!

Subbing in! Looks like you have a good solid program to follow and already some good strength! Looking forward to watching your progress! Welcome

Thanks raynerd.

[GnomusMaximus]

In!

[grouchyjarhead]

20141124:

Warmed up as usual, then hit bench (145 for 4x6, 6 sets total) then killed squats (235x5, worked up to 275 for a single, 7 sets total). Big break in between, normally I only wait 5 minutes but this time it was almost half an hour (thanks, aging bowels). Can't risk holding that before squatting though.

Finished off with some calisthenics. Chin-ups (7), wide-hand push-ups (35), burpees (20), side mountain climbers (61), and various ab exercises (175 reps total).

Put a pic up on that Bodyspace dooflatchey of the 275#.

[Marius_Ursus]

Ugh...I know that bowel feeling, especially rotten when you're really hitting a good rhythm.

[raynerd]

Nice benching and some big squat volume! Lol at Austin Powers. Dangerous living at it's finest. Been there

[Plateauplower]

Nice bench/Squat session- know that feeling. Its just a bit too beast mode to lay down a duece while squating

[mirroroferised]

Nice work on those squats.

[NorwichGrad]

Your program sounds very old school.

I love old school training protocols. They're timeless, simple, yet highly effective; and they're perfect for cranky geriatrics.

[grouchyjarhead]

Ugh...I know that bowel feeling, especially rotten when you're really hitting a good rhythm.

That's usually when a bad one hits me too.

Nice benching and some big squat volume! Lol at Austin Powers. Dangerous living at it's finest. Been there

Haha yes sir, happened to me once during a strongman meet in the worst way. I had had spicy food the night before, so my backside was on fire during the entire deadlift event.

Nice bench/Squat session- know that feeling. Its just a bit too beast mode to lay down a duece while squating

Agreed. I'm on good terms with the gym owner, but I doubt they like me so much that they'll let me use their floor as an emergency port-a-john.

Nice work on those squats.

Your program sounds very old school.

I love old school training protocols. They're timeless, simple, yet highly effective; and they're perfect for cranky geriatrics.

Thanks gents!

You are correct, NorwichGrad. This is actually one of the training routines used by the powerlifter Doug Young, a disgustingly strong lifter from the 1970s. I imagine he got the idea from someone before him, as there's never really anything new in strength training. It's three 4 week cycles of the big four, each done roughly twice a week.

Bench and press are 4x6 for the first cycle, with the last set pushing for max reps. Every rep over 6 adds 5# to your working weight next time, every set under 6 removes 5#. You go workout to workout, so it ends up changing up the load for you on a regular basis so a tough workout will be followed by a slightly easier one if need be. Next cycle is the 4x6 one day and 5x3 the second day, then third cycle is 5x3 for both days, again with each last set pushing for max reps with good form. I go until my form gets a bit shaky then stop there, might be being a little conservative but I figure it's better that way for me.

Squat and deadlift are 5-4-3-2-1, but for the set of 5 you push for as many reps as you can. Every rep over 5 is +10#, every rep under is -10#. Then you add 10# each set and drop a rep, working up to a single. Deadlifting twice a week was too rough for me, so I went with power cleans on the second day. 5-4-3-2-1 for the first cycle, then 5x3 for the second, then 5x2 for the third. After the 12 weeks, you then take about 75%-80% and start again (whatever you think you can get for a rep or two over). I just finished Week 2 so we'll see how this works out. It worked well for Young, he admittedly was on gear but he benched 612 at a BW of maybe 260 in 1978 wearing nothing but a T-shirt and was squatting and deadlifting over 700. I bet some of those poundages were due to his awesome beard.



For accessory work, Young did a lot of bodybuilding-style movements. I tried some of that, but it was just too much for me right now on both days. I also need a lot of time with calisthenics as these GORUCK events have a lot of them in it, so I'm only doing them at the end of the bench/squat routine to give myself more rest. Everything's coming up nicely so far, so no complaints on my end. I just figured it looked fun and fit my goals so decided to give it a test run.