Oldtimer1

[IroNat]

Some observations. Two guys pushing some serious weights benching. I noticed with their big barrel chests the bar has a short way to go from chest to lock out. The rules of physics say the traveled distance with a given weight is the amount of work achieved. These guys pushing a bar 12 inches isn't the same a guy pushing a weight 18 inches. I have nothing against the bench. I just think it's way over rated to predict a person's true strength.

I am a strong believer in doing an exercise in the hardest way possible and not the easiest. Full range of motion, smooth cadence and thought to what muscles you are training go further than trying to shift up a heavy weight.

Agreed.  Some guys definitely have an advantage with their structure.  Better leverage.

The arching technique is ridiculous also.

This also applies to other lifts though.

Some people are built for handling heavy weights.  Like plowhorses.  Some people are racehorses. 

Most great bodybuilders are light boned.  Drugs allow them to add the mass to look heavily muscled.

[oldtimer1]

Really bad run today. I think I'm too sunburned and to full of residual alcohol (lol).  Tried to do a 5 mile run on a sunny boardwalk. Even went out slow. I only got 2.8 miles before I started walking. I walked a block and sprinted a block to get back to my car.

I got on the scale today and lost another pound. I'm shocked. My week's vacation was a beer drinking fest. Truth be told I ate two small meals a day with little to no snacks. I'm 180lbs. On the cusp of breaking into the 170's.

[oldtimer1]

Leg:

Leg Press 2 x 12 four plates a side (complete bend of my legs. None of this shallow range of motion ego crap with a million plates)
Dumbbell squats 2 x 12 80lbs ( Upright back and ass all the way down. No deadlifting of the dumbbells)
Stiff leg deadlift 2 x 6 205lbs
leg extensions 2 x 20
standing leg curls 2 x 12

Single dumbbell side bends 1 x 15 90lbs
Hanging straight leg raises hanging 2 x 23
Lying hip ups 1 x 25

Leg press calf raise 2 x 25
seated calf raise 2x 15 90lbs
tibelalis anterior 1 x 20 15lbs

Neck 4 way with a neck helmet.

Ended with a couple of Jack La Lanne crazy faces. Heard a voice in the back of my brain my mother saying my face will freeze like that. I ended the workout.  Won't be doing them again.  

Gym Observations: None really. I did this workout in my basement gym.  When ever the music stunk I changed it. Satellite radio is great. The commercial gym I train in has constant 70's rock. Nothing wrong with that but the guy pays for satellite radio and over 100 channels. I asked him about this and he said he's tired of the arguments concerning channel choice. It's 70's rock and fuck you.

I think this week might be the week I go under 180lbs.  Looking thin. I wonder if I can get to 170lbs. I guess I'm dreaming. When I was a college sprinter and I boxed I was between 155lbs and 165lbs. I know that is a complete fantasy at this point of the game. I just want to dip under 180lbs then maybe I will go for a new goal.

[IroNat]

Nice workout.

Cool neck helmet.

No reason you can't get to 170 if you want to.

[oldtimer1]

Nice workout.

Cool neck helmet.

No reason you can't get to 170 if you want to.

Got my neck helmet from the old Ironman magazine. Bought it maybe 40 years ago. It's beat up to hell but it still works.

[IroNat]

Got my neck helmet from the old Ironman magazine. Bought it maybe 40 years ago. It's beat up to hell but it still works.

Just like us. 

[oldtimer1]

Ran 3.1 miles today. Started with a 8:50 mile. Next was a around a 8:30 mile. Last was under 8:15 mile. I went to the gym for some heavy bag work.  My legs were really shot and sore from yesterday's leg workout. Tomorrow a delt and arm day. Haven't drank in 7 days. Yes, I want a cookie for that.

[oldtimer1]

Getting a little tired of keeping this log here. Trained delts and arms today.

[oldtimer1]

Back and chest:

Pull down with MAG bar 2 x 10 140lbs (upright back and all the way down and up. Very slight lean back. I see guys doing these leaning so far back and not pulling the bar all the way down with a million pounds. Almost looks like a row.)
Cable row with V handle seated 2 x 12 170lbs
T rows 2 x 10 (I hardly ever do these. The gym has a machine contraption set up for these. )
Hammer pulldowns 3 x 10 (Worked in with this big emergency room doctor. He kept telling me to up the weight. My form got sloppy)

Flat Dumbbell bench 2 x 8 80lbs (All the way down)
Incline dumbbell bench 2 x 8 70lbs (All the way down)
Flat flies 2 x 10 45lbs
Pulley cross  flies 2 x 10 ( I never do these. Mixed attitude about doing them again)
Push ups 1 x max. ( My pecs were so shot I barely got 20 reps. Maybe those pec cross overs are hitting the mark)

Deadlifts 2 x 4 300lbs 1 x 1 325lbs (At  my age I like to do these at the end of the workout. I feel it's safer. I'm warmed up and prefatigued so light weights feel heavy.)
Weighted hypers 2 x 15 25lbs plate behind head

Ab wheel roll outs 2 x  25
Ab machine crunch 2 x 23 90lbs.

Finished workout stretching my shoulders. Think I over did it. My shoulders instead of feeling better are screaming. Stretching has to be gentle and not forced.

[IroNat]

I always did deadlifts last too.

Kind of makes sense as they tire your back out so much.  Then your back is too fatigued to do anything else.

How could you do deadlifts first and then do squats?  Yet, I've seen routines posted doing just that.

[The Scott]

I always did deadlifts last too.

Kind of makes sense as they tire your back out so much.  Then your back is too fatigued to do anything else.

How could you do deadlifts first and then do squats?  Yet, I've seen routines posted doing just that.

I need to start deadlifting again.  My son did a 20 rep set on Sunday at the END of our workout.  He is just starting weight training.  I couldn't convince him when he was a teenager but now he is very enthusiastic and it's nice for me to have someone to train with a couple of times a week!

I think a 20 rep set would be ideal for me.  It may not be heavy at the start of the set but it will get there.

[oldtimer1]

Ran two miles in the park. First mile was 8:30 minute pace (7.1 MPH) and the second mile I picked it up a bit in 8:15 minute pace (7.3 MPH). I know the speed from my GPS watch.  In NJ it's a beautiful time to run now. Low 70's weather and partly cloudy. The coolness won't last and before I know it I will be wearing hats, gloves, and sweat suits. I will enjoy it while I can.

Hit the heavy bag for two rounds. I have no intentions of ever getting in the ring again. One bad mistake I have is I sometimes forget to keep my hands up and move my head. The bag doesn't hit back so it's easy without sparring to fall into bad habits.

I'm always thinking about new ways to train. It's important to me to increase my gas tank and I think lifting heavy instead of making a moderate weight heavy through limited rest  between sets might be a mistake interfering with increasing  my running. I always heard it referred to East coast and West Coast training. Many in the early 80's used this term in the gyms I frequented.  The common thought was most on the east coast lifted heavy and took a long time between sets. On the east coast they used moderate weights but did set after set with limited time so they were always in motion.

 About 12 years ago I badly damaged my arm and had to have it surgically repaired. I had to take 4  months off of lifting and when I returned it was baby weights like benching with the bar at first and other really light lifts.  I remember at about 5 months I was lifting twice a week with a whole body routine. I did the reps super slow and light gaining back my strength.  One thing I could do was cardio. I felt great. Almost like I was a kid again. I would run with guys who were pure runners who never lifted and  I could keep up with them. Sub 7 minute miles were effortlessly put together. I might be delusional but I'd like to get back there but with lifting added to the mix.  

[oldtimer1]

I always did deadlifts last too.

Kind of makes sense as they tire your back out so much.  Then your back is too fatigued to do anything else.

How could you do deadlifts first and then do squats?  Yet, I've seen routines posted doing just that.

I would never do deadlifts and squats on the same day.

[IroNat]

I would never do deadlifts and squats on the same day.

I did them on the same day all the time but always deadlifts last.

Deadlifts as a finisher in a full-body workout

[oldtimer1]

Trained legs today.  I finished with something I tried on vacation. After the usual squats, hacks, leg extensions, leg curls, calves, neck and abs I did free hand squats. I did 50 full range medium cadence no weight squats. I didn't do them Cross fit style where they drop like a rock ignoring the negative and popping up ballistically because they are racing the clock to get their reps in. I did them nice and smooth. When I hit 50 reps my legs were pumped. I also did them deep. No half reps.

What put the idea in my head is the short class 1975 Mr. Universe Wilf Sylvester. Earlier in his bodybuilding career he did the usual barbell squats and hacks with the rest. For his 1975 win he used 400 reps of no weight free hand squats. He supplemented the body weight squats with the usual leg extensions and leg curls. In the article I read he said he found these ripped up his thighs.  While I'm not giving up using weights for my legs I have only positive things to say about the free hand squats. They will make you breath like a race horse. My knee was sore doing my dumbbell squats today and hacks. When I did the free hand squats what ever tweak I had in my knee seemed to work itself out. 

There is gold in bodyweight movements. They will make you a better athlete,  improve your health and even make you a better fighter if you are into that.

[Obvious Gimmick]

I did them on the same day all the time but always deadlifts last.

Deadlifts as a finisher in a full-body workout

when I was doing a 5x5 routine I would but it wasn't worth it. Couldn't go heavy and I'm a total insecure glory lifter 

[oldtimer1]

Cardio day: My knee was hurting so I kept the intensity down. I did 8 x quarter miles. When I normally do quarter mile intervals I rest a 220 yards at a fast walk. Today because of my sore knee I walked a quarter mile in between sets. Made the  work out too easy. I have to increase the speed if I'm resting that long between sets.

1 x  7.5MPH
2 x  7.8 MPH
2 x  8.0 MPH
2 x   8.2 MPH
1 x  10.0MPH

Hit the heavy bag for a couple of rounds. If this isn't upper body cardio I don't know what is?

[oldtimer1]

Delt and arms:

Dumbbell standing delt press 2 x 10 55lbs (all the way down. I find if I do any kind of delt press sitting it turns into a incline pec press)
Dumbbell delt laterals 2 x 10 30lbs
Machine delt laterals 2 x 10 80lbs
Machine rear delt 2 x 10 80lbs
Dumbbell shrugs 2 x 15 90lbs

Weighted dips 2 x 10 25lbs (all the way down)
Two hand single dumbbell behind the head tricep 2 x 10 80lbs(all the way down)
Rope tricep 2 x 12
Single dumbell tricep 2 x 12 25lbs (tried to do these strict)

Alternate dumbbell curl 2 x 8 45lbs
scott barbell curl 2 x 10 (used a light weight. A little scared of these with my surgically repaired arm)
concentration curl 2 x 10 25lbs

forearm wrist 2 x 25 95lbs
reverse pulley curl 2 x 10

ab wheel roll out 2 x 25
Hanging leg raise 1 x 25
Knee in sitting on bench 1 x 25

[IroNat]

Very nice workout.

[oldtimer1]

Today I set my alarm for an early run before work. The alarm went off and I turned it off. Nope, not working out today.

[oldtimer1]

This week I'm just doing one set to failure. Today was Chest and bicep.

 I really stuck my foot in my mouth in the gym today. The owner was training this really cute blonde. Walking by them I heard him say something about a bar and work.  I saw her later and asked her what bar she worked in?  She replied, " I don't work in a bar."  Told her I could swear I heard you and the owner talking about a bar and going to work. Later it hit me in my hang over fog that the owner was talking about a BAR-bell and the work was the effort. I tried to explain my mistake but she was on a cardio machine. Doh!!!

[IroNat]

This week I'm just doing one set to failure. Today was Chest and bicep.

 I really stuck my foot in my mouth in the gym today. The owner was training this really cute blonde. Walking by them I heard him say something about a bar and work.  I saw her later and asked her what bar she worked in?  She replied, " I don't work in a bar."  Told her I could swear I heard you and the owner talking about a bar and going to work. Later it hit me in my hang over fog that the owner was talking about a BAR-bell and the work was the effort. I tried to explain my mistake but she was on a cardio machine. Doh!!!

Actually it's a good opening line.

[oldtimer1]

Woke up today with a bad cold. Debated whether I would work out. It's leg day. I decided to train doing one work set per exercise after warm up. Trained everything hard and what is heavy for me except squats. Felt virus plagued so I did strict slow set to a 15 rep failure. Only used 185lbs but I tried to do a slow mo rep cadence. Kind of embarrassed to use that light a weight but I made the weight heavy by going slow and deep. I heard from someone watching Tom Platz train in his prime he was using just 135lbs in the bench after pre exhausting with flies. I'm sure he could bench good numbers in his prime but it just goes to show even a pro can make  a light weight "heavy."

Cardio due to the virus will be just walking. I will do a fast paced walk for 5 miles. Hopefully that will give me cardio without exhausting me.

[IroNat]

Woke up today with a bad cold. Debated whether I would work out. It's leg day. I decided to train doing one work set per exercise after warm up. Trained everything hard and what is heavy for me except squats. Felt virus plagued so I did strict slow set to a 15 rep failure. Only used 185lbs but I tried to do a slow mo rep cadence. Kind of embarrassed to use that light a weight but I made the weight heavy by going slow and deep. I heard from someone watching Tom Platz train in his prime he was using just 135lbs in the bench after pre exhausting with flies. I'm sure he could bench good numbers in his prime but it just goes to show even a pro can make  a light weight "heavy."

Cardio due to the virus will be just walking. I will do a fast paced walk for 5 miles. Hopefully that will give me cardio without exhausting me.

That time of year for colds, etc.

Hope you recover quickly.

[oldtimer1]

That time of year for colds, etc.

Hope you recover quickly.

Thank you. Today I walked for almost 5 miles. Felt okay while walking then crashed when I got home. I really suspect I got this from the gym. I think about the hundreds of people that picked up a dumbbell before me or touch any other handle. It's like shaking hands with hundreds of guys a week. My recent commercial gym thing has only been going on for under 3 years. When I worked out at home I never got the amount of colds that I get now.