[quote]Elaikases wrote:
I’m going to be making an addition or two to my Saturday side of the split.
Thanks.[/quote]
Sounds great Elaikases! Always good to get a convert to free weights.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
soldog wrote:
Elaikases wrote:
I need to eventually kick over to free weights to improve my arms. My current work-out doesn’t seem to be doing much for my biceps or triceps. Some day I want to be able to knock out multiple sets of one arm push-ups again.
Shoot - you already use dumbbells for curls. Why not just start doing DB bench presses>
Because I’m dense and didn’t think of that?
[/quote]
LoL!
Gentlemen:
new guy(old guy @62yr) on the block.great site.fmr pwrlifter (20 yrs ago)Family and ca. slowed me for awhile.just joined a gym and saw all the old people on the machines,ran(walked quickly)up the steps to the free weight room,tears of joy ran down my face.love the smell of iron.thanks for all the inspiration this site has given me to get back what i gave up.I really enjoy reading about everyone's lifting and fighting back against old man time.
Impressive weight loss. How did you do it? low cal, low carb? I need to lose 35- 40 lbs. I’m just trying to cut out simple carbs.
[quote]ecogenx wrote:
Impressive weight loss. How did you do it? low cal, low carb? I need to lose 35- 40 lbs. I’m just trying to cut out simple carbs.
[/quote]
I cheated.
First, I gave up trying to eat myself to death. That dropped me from 265 to 245 without any effort. The rest, well:
In general, I’m in favor of no sugar, no flour diets, but that isn’t how I lost the weight.
Think I’m going to add this one.
Darn, with the machines it was simple to pick an exercise 
The triceps and bicep machines all have the wrong rotation (I’m too short at 5’5") so I’ve pretty much checked out of those.
Anyway, I’ll get started tomorrow morning, after my rear delt flies and wood chops.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Think I’m going to add this one.
Darn, with the machines it was simple to pick an exercise
The triceps and bicep machines all have the wrong rotation (I’m too short at 5’5") so I’ve pretty much checked out of those.
Anyway, I’ll get started tomorrow morning, after my rear delt flies and wood chops.[/quote]
Yep - unless you are the standard American male 5’ 10" @ 170 lbs (or somewhere around there, whatever their design point was) the machine may end up doing more harm than good.
At least half the fun of free weights, for me, is learning more exercises.
If it hasn’t been said yet: keep a very close eye on your T. Insist that the doc do blood draws for T and E2. If those come in bad, IMMEDIATELY find a decent urologist/anti-aging clinic ($$$) to treat it. Do NOT use Androgel or any of that waste of time/energy that most docs prescribe.
Also, keep carbs very, very low. You are now losing your insulin sensitivity at this age.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
If it hasn’t been said yet: keep a very close eye on your T. Insist that the doc do blood draws for T and E2. If those come in bad, IMMEDIATELY find a decent urologist/anti-aging clinic ($$$) to treat it. Do NOT use Androgel or any of that waste of time/energy that most docs prescribe.
Also, keep carbs very, very low. You are now losing your insulin sensitivity at this age. [/quote]
You know, I’ve found that I just feel better if I keep the carbs low. That makes some sense.
I’ve been thinking of going for a bloodwork panel and possible HRT. Thanks for the encouragement there. Well, off to try that new dumb bell exercise.
175x8 on the wood chop
115x10 on the rear delt fly
and
30x9 on the Dumbbell Triceps Extension.
It was fun, once I figured it out. I hope to make some real progress on it.
Now to find a dip belt so I can keep adding weight to the wood chop (right now I’m dumping two five pound weights into my pants pocket on the lead leg, but that is going to run out of room quickly, cargo pants or not).
Anyone buy a belt from http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dipbelt.htm ?
Suggestions welcome. Thanks.
Hah, got the search function to work, I’m checking out the threads on the forum now.
I know its not much, but when I was at a local festival with the wife and kid, I was able to climb the rock wall. Fingers are a little sore this morning, but dang. Wasn’t too long ago I’d have been stuck at the first rock.
Now I want to find one to climb more often
Elaikases,
Could you give a brief discription of the wood chops. That is a huge amount of weight for what I’m thinking of and the weights in the pockets made me think were doing the calling things by different names thing. Great work. The walls are great fun and exercise a the same tim. Know a guy who has one, a short one, he build in his backyard. Keep it up.
I got Alwyn Cosgrove’s The New Rules of Lifting.
Page 177 has what I’m doing, though I take a wider stance. I use a rope handle, though I hold one end in one hand, one end in the other instead of both hands on one end.
How to Do a Cable Wood Chop: Techniques, Benefits, Variations has a description as well.
I need the weights on my forward leg or it comes off the ground. I only weigh about 186, so at 175 pounds I’m starting to lose traction (though the clothes and shoes add some weight).
I like the exercise because I used to practice Judo and the rotational pull is a lot like the pull in some throws.
I’m using a typical cable machine, with the cable moved to the highest point.
Wish we had a rotary torso machine. I used to do 220 or so on one of those for 20-30 reps. The best part was I did static calf work at the same time and it really chisled my calves.
Here is another.
I’m using a wider stance – closer to a horse stance when I start, rotating into a front stance at the end with my torso rotated as much as the model’s in the video.
More like Weight lifting exercise example - Diagonal Cable Wood Chops - YouTube except I’m not as tall and I pull through all the way, with rotation like in the first example.
Here is another example:
I take a broader stance, and I rotate my body like the female model did earlier.
When I was younger, if I got my hands on you, and you weighed in the range, I could move you.
This seemed like the perfect rotation exercise, I’d never heard of it until I read Cosgrove’s book.
Once I run out of weight I plan to start working on the uchimata pivot and leg lift at the end.
Anyway, hope that answers the question.
I’ve got to buy a weight belt so I can start handling more weight, otherwise all I’ll end up with is some chin-up variation as my feet come off the ground.
Gotcha. I was thinking of something different. Here’s what I was thinking of:
http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/myTNation.do?id=160084
1st vid
Demonstrated with gusto by our own Barry
Ordered a dip belt. I’ll be able to switch to the dipping station and keep my feet on the ground when doing wood chops.
I’ve got to think about building my own rock climbing wall in the back yard. That would be neat to have a tower like that. Need to figure out how to hide it from the wife
Dang, the city recreation centers has one I can use for free.
http://www.plano.gov/Departments/parksandrecreation/recenters/Oak+Point+Center.htm
Glad I checked. I think I’m going to head on over there Tuesday night after weights.
Scotch…Lots of Scotch.
[quote]j_willy3 wrote:
Scotch…Lots of Scotch.[/quote]
I’ve been putting a little rum extract (the flavoring) in my protein smoothies. Seems to improve weight loss.
185.2 this morning.
Abduction 310/21 reps +1 rep
Adduction 310/21 reps +1 rep
–warm up complete –
lateral raise 140/9 +2.5 lb
Seated dip 215/10 -2 rep/+2.5 lb
(hey, I figured that five pound weight from the free weight stack could go on other places)
Seated row 260/9 rep +5 lb
I’m starting to feel the seated row.
Delt Fly 212.5/8 +1 rep
leg press 245/9 +5 lb feeling that too
Curl 30/9 (dumb bells, my right was a little stronger than my left) +1 rep
Abdominal 160/8 (made use of the 5 lb weight again)
Back 310/10 (-1 rep, but +5 lb – the 5 lb weight again).
I need to find a 10 lb dumb bell next time to toss on the weight stacks.
But it was a good workout. I’m still feeling hot from it.
My weight belt should come in the mail this week, in time for heavier weights on the wood chop. I’m thinking I might start doing dips with it as well (since that is really what it is).
My belt broke on the last set of lifts. I’ll have to get another one, but for ten dollars I got a lot of use out of it.
Last 30 days, I’ve lost 4 pounds, added to everything but the back (I lost ground in that automobile accident but I should recover what I lost in another couple weeks).
I may be over fifty, but I’m making progress.