Oldtimer1

[oldtimer1]

Did my usual routine.  Going to go to volume soon. Famous last words.  Back and chest day. No warm ups sets listed.

Pulldowns with a M.A.G. bar 2 x 10 (Didn't list weight cause one machine 200lbs feels light and another 100lbs feels heavy)
Seated pulley lat rows with a V handle 2 x 12 170lbs (All the way out to stretch and return)
Dumbbell rows with knee on a bench 2 x10 80lbs (dead hang the weight before pulling it all the way up)
Reverse grip pulldowns with a straight bar 2 x 10 (these are slightly irritating my bad shoulder)

Dumbbell flat bench 2 x 8 80lbs ( all the way down. No half reps. If I did the typical half reps millennials use today I would use the 100lbs or more. I have to use a lighter weight to protect my bad shoulder and make it harder by slowing the rep)
Decline dumbbell bench 2 x 8 (Had trouble here cause on my last rep to failure with the flat bench took everything I had)
Weighted dips 2 x 10
Push ups 2 x max (regular and perfect push up handles. I feel the push up handles give me a better stretch but less resistance because some of the weight is shifted to the feet. Not enough to be of consequence. )

Deadlifts 2 x 4 315lbs (I've been running more than normal. Really took it out of my deadlift. Normally I always complete these and feel I could have used more weight. Not today.)
Weighted traditional back extensions 2 x 15 with a 25lbs plate behind my head

Weighted crunches 1 x 60
Pulley crunches 1 x 55


Whenever considering range of motion try to do the longest. Physics 101 is that the amount of work is weight times distance. Sure you could grab the big dumbbells for your presses if you don't go deep but isn't the goal to make your body stronger through adaption from a stress?  So much of bodybuilding is just delusional ego stroking. Taking drugs thinking that body is real when you know deep inside you look like shit without the assist. Putting the weight of a car on a leg press to barely bend your knees so you can say you use 900lbs. I've seen old ladies that can barely walk do shallow leg presses with a million plates. When you do pull ups don't stop when your chin clears the bar. Stop when you can't go any higher and your elbows are down at your sides then go to a dead hang. Sure it could limit you to 8 reps but is the 30 reps of kipping, sticking your chin up and ignoring the negative making it a harder or easier exercise?  When in doubt do the exercise the hardest way and not the easy way to stroke your  ego.

[IroNat]

You're strong dude, especially for an old fart.

[oldtimer1]

You're strong dude, especially for an old fart.

Odor isn't everything. Seriously not strong but I egotistically defy anyone to say I don't work out hard. If anything I take pride in my workout ethic. Ironat you should take the trip east on 195 and south on the Parkway to work out with me. We can take the work out to the edge of death. 

[IroNat]

Odor isn't everything. Seriously not strong but I egotistically defy anyone to say I don't work out hard. If anything I take pride in my workout ethic. Ironat you should take the trip east on 195 and south on the Parkway to work out with me. We can take the work out to the edge of death. 

If my foot ever gets better I may take you up on it.

[oldtimer1]

https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-1-mile-fitness-test-for-lifters-only

[oldtimer1]

Leg day:  It's a bitch.  Close to failure on the first set and to failure on the second.

1. Leg Press 2 x 12 (I've notice the different designs of leg presses. I guess I said this on prior posts. Some are hip dominate and some are thigh. My leg press is thigh. I fully bend my legs like I'm going an ass to grass squat.)
2. Squat machine 2 x 10 (This is a better exercise than I realized. Always thought I had to barbell squat. Nope this machine is incredible. I go down till my legs are fully bent with a somewhat narrow stance)
3. Dumbbell squat 1 x 10 (legs were completely shot at this point.)
4. leg extension 2 x 20
5. seated leg curl 2 x 15

1. One Dumbbell side bend 1 x 15
2. Hanging leg raise 2 x 22
3. Hip ups lying on the floor 1 x 27

1. Standing calf raise 2 x 15
2. Seated calf raise 2 x 15
3. Tibalis work 1 x 20

1. Neck work four sides


Observations:  I've got away from from machine squats. Now that I'm back I don't know how I got away from the movement. When I got to leg extension I was weak showing how much they took out of my legs.

[Primemuscle]

I often warm up with leg extensions prior to doing squats or leg presses.

[oldtimer1]

I often warm up with leg extensions prior to doing squats or leg presses.

So many guys do.  I'm use to do it back in the late 70's and early 80's doing the pre exhaust superset.

[oldtimer1]

11-16-2020: Alarm went off today for an  early morning run before work. I rolled over and turned it off. That extra sleep felt great. My thighs are so sore and it has to be the squat machine from yesterday. Looking forward to see what  difference in my training routine this machine will make. I owned this machine for over ten years but I drifted away from using it. Now I'm back.

Certain machines seem amazing in my opinion.  The Nautilus pull over machine is one. I wish I had one but it's too expensive and big for a residential house. The Nautilus pullover hits the lats perfectly. The two Nautilus neck machines were fantastic.  The hammer squat machine is a really good one but a big negative is that it limits the range of motion. A recent big favorite of mine is a kick back machine that no one uses in the commercial gym I was going to before covid. Hits the butt and thighs amazingly well. It's brutally hard too. It was like a one leg squat with a perfect backward groove. This really increased my sprinting speed but it also got me in trouble when I was doing 40 yard sprints about a eight plus months ago and I partially torn my Achilles. I can say with almost certainty that for a short sprint I was almost as fast in my 60's as I was when I was a high school and college sprinter. Now the Achilles can't support sprinting but I had a decent run.  A good reminder that when you are over 60 you are one rep or one athletic activity from ruining your body. Everyone gets old and it spares no one. Not to say injuries only effect old people.

Tomorrow is delt and arms before work. I will get up this time. Nice to get the workout over for the day early morning before work. Hard to roll out of bed and start lifting. At least it's hard for me. If you roll out of bed and can start lifting hard God bless you. I have to warm up before hitting that set to failure in the dark before work. 

[IroNat]

11-16-2020: Alarm went off today for an  early morning run before work. I rolled over and turned it off. That extra sleep felt great. My thighs are so sore and it has to be the squat machine from yesterday. Looking forward to see what  difference in my training routine this machine will make. I owned this machine for over ten years but I drifted away from using it. Now I'm back.

Certain machines seem amazing in my opinion.  The Nautilus pull over machine is one. I wish I had one but it's too expensive and big for a residential house. The Nautilus pullover hits the lats perfectly. The two Nautilus neck machines were fantastic.  The hammer squat machine is a really good one but a big negative is that it limits the range of motion. A recent big favorite of mine is a kick back machine that no one uses in the commercial gym I was going to before covid. Hits the butt and thighs amazingly well. It's brutally hard too. It was like a one leg squat with a perfect backward groove. This really increased my sprinting speed but it also got me in trouble when I was doing 40 yard sprints about a eight plus months ago and I partially torn my Achilles. I can say with almost certainty that for a short sprint I was almost as fast in my 60's as I was when I was a high school and college sprinter. Now the Achilles can't support sprinting but I had a decent run.  A good reminder that when you are over 60 you are one rep or one athletic activity from ruining your body. Everyone gets old and it spares no one. Not to say injuries only effect old people.

Tomorrow is delt and arms before work. I will get up this time. Nice to get the workout over for the day early morning before work. Hard to roll out of bed and start lifting. At least it's hard for me. If you roll out of bed and can start lifting hard God bless you. I have to warm up before hitting that set to failure in the dark before work. 

Truth.

[oldtimer1]

11-17-2020 Tuesday: Just finished delts and arms before work.  I like blasting music when I work out but with the wife sleeping I had to use ear buds. When I'm in the gym I always heard guys with ear buds singing some unintelligible lyrics sounding like a coyote caught in a trap. It always sounds like Oooooh baby diga, bitga, whoo whoo.  I wonder if I sing out loud with ear buds sometimes. Shoot me now if I do.

Work out went well. I like training before work on work days. I like getting it out of the way. Such a relief when I get off of work in the dark that I don't have to lift. Just eat dinner then Netflix and chill. Does that slang have any hidden meaning?  I work in an office of knock out young girls and last time I said, " I'm going home to Netflix and chill," they burst out laughing.

[oldtimer1]

Thinking about buying a neck machine for my basement gym.  I have to stop this insanity. Every time I reach for the credit card I stop myself asking do I really need it? . I could get by with the weighted helmet that I use but the neck machine at the commercial gym that is a Nautilus brand I think spoiled me.

I envy bodyweight trainers. They run distance and sprint. They might have dipping bars, pull up bar and maybe some gadget like TRX.  I'm no better off than them for having all the bodybuilding body part equipment I have.

[AbrahamG]

11-17-2020 Tuesday: Just finished delts and arms before work.  I like blasting music when I work out but with the wife sleeping I had to use ear buds. When I'm in the gym I always heard guys with ear buds singing some unintelligible lyrics sounding like a coyote caught in a trap. It always sounds like Oooooh baby diga, bitga, whoo whoo.  I wonder if I sing out loud with ear buds sometimes. Shoot me now if I do.

Work out went well. I like training before work on work days. I like getting it out of the way. Such a relief when I get off of work in the dark that I don't have to lift. Just eat dinner then Netflix and chill. Does that slang have any hidden meaning?  I work in an office of knock out young girls and last time I said, " I'm going home to Netflix and chill," they burst out laughing.

When you are on the brink of retirement you ought to say it again.  If they laugh again, brandish your cock for them and let's see who laughs last.

[Primemuscle]

Thinking about buying a neck machine for my basement gym.  I have to stop this insanity. Every time I reach for the credit card I stop myself asking do I really need it? . I could get by with the weighted helmet that I use but the neck machine at the commercial gym that is a Nautilus brand I think spoiled me.

I envy bodyweight trainers. They run distance and sprint. They might have dipping bars, pull up bar and maybe some gadget like TRX.  I'm no better off than them for having all the bodybuilding body part equipment I have.

Go for it! Spend some money on a neck machine if that's what you like to use. You've earned it. It is not insanity to spend money on something you love doing. Some folks blow a fortune on overpriced sports cars, some take trips, some blow a lot of buck gambling. Money is meant to be spent. And it helps the economy which is tanking right now because of the pandemic.

[oldtimer1]

Go for it! Spend some money on a neck machine if that's what you like to use. You've earned it. It is not insanity to spend money on something you love doing. Some folks blow a fortune on overpriced sports cars, some take trips, some blow a lot of buck gambling. Money is meant to be spent. And it helps the economy which is tanking right now because of the pandemic.

You might have given me the kick I need.  I sold some junk on craig's and I have the cash to buy the neck machine I was looking at.  I dread the day I down size to a small retirement house. I just have way too much crap in this house. I'm sure i I will have to give away for free much of the equipment I accumulated. Told the wife I will have something like power blocks with a bench with a chin/dip attachment that I can shove in a closet. 

[Primemuscle]

You might have given me the kick I need.  I sold some junk on craig's and I have the cash to buy the neck machine I was looking at.  I dread the day I down size to a small retirement house. I just have way too much crap in this house. I'm sure i I will have to give away for free much of the equipment I accumulated. Told the wife I will have something like power blocks with a bench with a chin/dip attachment that I can shove in a closet.

There's no rule that says you have to downsize at some point. If you get to the point that you can't climb stairs (which you won't) have a lift put in or add a bedroom suite on the main floor. Believe you will lift until the day you die and you will. The power of believing is amazing.

[oldtimer1]

There's no rule that says you have to downsize at some point. If you get to the point that you can't climb stairs (which you won't) have a lift put in or add a bedroom suite on the main floor. Believe you will lift until the day you die and you will. The power of believing is amazing.

It's financial. I have a big house with high house taxes.  I work part time in retirement.  My house is nearly paid off. I could sell this house and move to a small retirement ranch quitting my retirement job. That would free up so much monthly money and put a nice amount in the bank. I would join a commercial gym again but keep a little home gym too severely down sizing from the gym I have now.

[IroNat]

It's financial. I have a big house with high house taxes.  I work part time in retirement.  My house is nearly paid off. I could sell this house and move to a small retirement ranch quitting my retirement job. That would free up so much monthly money and put a nice amount in the bank. I would join a commercial gym again but keep a little home gym too severely down sizing from the gym I have now.

Would you stay in NJ?

Even a ranch has a basement for a gym.

[oldtimer1]

Would you stay in NJ?

Even a ranch has a basement for a gym.

I would stay in the same town.  Huge retirement areas by me. The houses are small and cheap with low taxes. I can't move out of NJ with my granddaughter and kids are here. I have one in Alaska.

Trained back and chest.


I actually think I'm looking pretty good now I vainly say.  I'm happy with how I look right now and I'm never happy. Again I'm not a bodybuilder and never called myself one. I like to think of myself as an aging athlete. 

When I watch videos of guys training more times than not I say to myself why are they training with such bad form with a limited range of motion? I guess drug use fixes everything.

Pulldown 2 x10 with a MAG bar. I have a plate loading lat machine. I thought I messed up loading it and it pissed me off.
Seated lat pulley rows 2 x 12
Dumbbell rows off a bench
Pulldowns 2 x 10 with a MAG bar. I repeated the exercise this time with the correct weight.

Decline dumbbell bench 2 x 8
weighted dips 2 x 10
dumbbell flies 2 x 10
push ups 2 x max

deadlifts 2 x 4  Might get away from these for awhile. I feel slight lower back pain and I don't need another injury if this is a warning sign. I might try a single before I leave them alone for awhile. Yes, I never learn.
Weighted lower back extensions 2 x 15

Weighted crunches 1 x 60
Pulley crunches 1 x 40

[Primemuscle]

It's financial. I have a big house with high house taxes.  I work part time in retirement.  My house is nearly paid off. I could sell this house and move to a small retirement ranch quitting my retirement job. That would free up so much monthly money and put a nice amount in the bank. I would join a commercial gym again but keep a little home gym too severely down sizing from the gym I have now.

Truth be told, there is a good chance you will downsize your workouts over the next 10 years anyway, so less equipment would be needed. Like Ironat mentioned, many ranch houses in your part of the country have basements. Although if you had your ranch built or bought one you could afford to remodel, you could add a room just for your workouts. Most basements are so gloomy. In warmer winter climates, putting your car in a garage isn't as big a deal as it is where you live. Converting a garage or part of it to a workout room might be an option. With a garage you can always brighten it up by adding some windows and even glass garage doors, which look great and let in a lot of light.

Check this ranch house out. It has a three car garage. That leaves two stalls for your cars and one for your gym setup.



Doesn't this look cool? It even has a punching bag, so you can keep up on your boxing skills.



Have you thought about moving to another state where property taxes aren't so high? New Jersey is known for having very high property tax rates. How about somewhere warmer where you could enjoy having a pool that you could pretty much use year around.

Homeowners in New Jersey pay the highest property taxes of any state in the country. In fact, rates in some areas are more than double the national average. The average effective property tax rate in New Jersey is 2.44%, compared to the national average of 1.08%.

Oregon not all that warm but check out our property tax rate. Southern Oregon is warmer and because much of it is rural it is more conservative politically. Josephine county, which is were Grants Pass is located, voted Republican in the previous five Presidential elections.
In the last Presidential election, Josephine county remained very strongly Republican, 60.4% to 30.2%.

[IroNat]

He wants to stay near his kids so moving far away is out.

That is a cool garage gym.  I don't think the houses OT is talking about will have 3 car garages

My basement has windows so it's not gloomy but in any event it has a couple flourescent lights so it's well lit.

The school taxes in NJ are outrageous which is 75% of the property taxes.  I pay over $11k and my house is not anything special, a 50 year old tract home.

That 2.44% is lower than what I pay.  2.44% of what is not stated.

Where I live is a nice town so it's a shame the taxes are so high. NJ generally has good schools and a lot of money is spent.  If you have kids in school you get something out of it.  Even though all this school tax is being paid the state teachers retirement is underfunded to the max.  Someone's pockets are being lined with silk.

A friend of mine moved to NC around 20 years ago with 4 kids in school.  He said the schools there are bad and you have to send your kid to private schools.  He got another job in PA so they moved there.

I've heard public schools in Florida are bad too.

So, there's often a reason for low taxes.  Of course other states fund things differently and get revenue in other ways.

[oldtimer1]

My house taxes are 9K a year and it seem to go up every couple of years. I do love where I live. It's a semi rural part of ocean county.

I'm not sure if I posted this before. Some pictures of my basement gym. I have trained in large sheds, garages and basements.

[oldtimer1]

More

[oldtimer1]

Last I have. Really hard to get a sense of the basement from the pictures. It has two sides.

[oldtimer1]

I have more pictures. I might post them.  This gives you an idea of my home set up.