Training 12/29

I've decided to change things slightly, basically adding a bit of volume and changing the "split" slightly to possibly allow for a bit more recovery. The 4th weekly session has been garbage, so I'm going to cut back to 3 for the time being, since my recovery is unlikely to get any better for now (i.e., I'm not going to start getting 8-9 solid hours of sleep every night). I've also switched to using Paul Carter's "Base Building" model for now. It's nothing groundbreaking or even particularly different from what I've done in the past, but it is a different setup. We'll see how training body parts 1x per week does in terms of strength, size, etc. I'm dubious, but the results will be what they are.

Close-grip bench - work up to 215x1, then 185 5x8
Incline DB flyes - 40s - 4x10
A. Hammer curls - 25s - 4x10
B. Band tricep pushdowns - gray - 4x10

Training 12/26

Finally felt like I could get a "normal" training session in - didn't have to worry about athletes coming in in the middle of it, I actually felt decent coming off being sick, just a decent day overall.

Military Press - 120x13
A. DB flyes - 60s 1st set, 50s last 4 - 5x10
B. T-bar row - 100 on bar - 5x12
A. Band pushdowns - gray - 5x10
B. Fat bar curls - 60 - 5x10

Like I said, a decent session. Nothing special, but decent enough.

The frustrating thing is, as I continue to try to learn and assimilate as much as I can, that it seems the more I learn and do in my own training, the answer to the best way to train/program is simply "train hard." At least until you get to a pretty high level. What you find is that a lot of different things work. And hell, even at the highest levels you'll find drastically different methods of attaining world-class performances. Steven Francis' methods are dramatically different from those used by Dan Pfaff and Charlie Francis. Certainly facilities, weather, culture, and more will dictate the specifics, but you would think physiology would be the final arbiter.
I say it's frustrating because it seems like there has to be a better way. Note that I'm not talking about shortcuts - hard work will always be a part of the equation - merely that there must be a way of organizing things such that your hard work will garner the optimal results. I'm sure there is, I just haven't found it. Ugh.

Training 12/23

Close grip bench - 100x5, 130x5, 155x3, 165x5, 190x5, 215x10
DB incline bench - 2 mins b/w sets - 70s - 22, 12, 9
Kroc row - 100 - 20 per arm
Lateral raises - 15s - 20; 7 breaths; 10; 10 breaths; 6
Poundstone curls - 70

Was a little disappointed in the 10 reps on the last set of bench, but oh well. I think the weight lost during being sick is at least partially to blame, as I was down to 192 Monday. Probably similar on the DB incline, although the weight just felt heavy as hell. Next week should be better on that.

Training 12/18 & 12/19

Whatever the hell I came down with was still wrecking me last week so training was thrown off a bit. That said, the training itself went decent.

Thursday
Power snatch - worked up to 190x1
Deadlift - worked up to 285x5, then 315x1 and 345x1; all double overhand
A. Glute ham raise - 5x14
B. Hanging leg raise - 5x10

Friday
Military press - worked up to 130x10
A. DB flyes - 3x12
B. T-bar row - had 100 on the bar - 3x12
A. Band pushdowns - gray - 3x12
B. Fat bar curls - 60 - 3x12

Training 12/15

Actually felt decent enough to not only train, but get a pretty decent session in. I slept like shit the night before due to coughing, but it was a night and day difference in terms of how I felt overall Monday compared to feeling like I was on death's door Sunday.

Close grip bench - 100x5, 125x5, 150x3, 190x5, 215x3, 240x5
DB incline bench - 2 mins b/w sets - 65s x30,15,10
Kroc row - 100x35 each arm
Lateral raises - 20sx17, 15sx12, 10sx10
Poundstone curls - 60

All in all, especially considering how I felt on the weekend, I was not at all disappointed with how it went. I went into it kind of figuring I would see how the bench went and decide what to do from there, but everything went pretty well.

Lord knows I'm probably not the one to dispense advice on how best to get shit done. I'm probably the worst procrastinator you'll meet and struggle daily with getting the shit done that I need to. With that said, I'm at least aware of it and am trying to get better. The simplest thing to keep in mind is that it really comes down to just doing what you need to do when it needs to be done. Even if you don't know exactly what you have to do at any time, you probably know that there are certain things that you can do, so do them. It will work out better for you down the road.
The other best advice I can give is to plan your day. What you'll do, why you'll do it, when you'll do it. And then stick to it.
I remember reading something from Dan John (who had read it somewhere else) to the effect of "people who get more done, get more done." It seems like a "no shit" statement, but essentially the act of completing something basically makes it more likely you will get something else done. Each success compounds on the next, and before you know it, even more is done than you thought. It's akin to people who make a lot of money making even more. They take the money they make, they reinvest it, it makes them more money, they reinvest that money, it makes more, etc.
With that in mind, I try to adhere to a few principles when planning the day:
1. Start with a few "checkables" (relatively easy tasks that get the ball rolling in regards to accomplishing things). These shouldn't be menial tasks that you'll do no matter what (brush your teeth, eat breakfast, etc.), but should be things that need to be done.
2. Never wonder "what do I do next"
3. Try to be achievement based when possible, time-based when necessary

Training 12/12

Felt like pretty much ass today. I came down with something overnight Wednesday and felt pretty shitty all day yesterday. I was feeling slightly better today, although tired from mediocre sleep, then as the day progressed I just started feeling worse again. However, when I trained I was feeling decent enough.

Military - 55x5, 70x5, 80x3, 95x3, 110x3, 120x12
A. DB flyes - 50s - 4x10
B. T-bar row - 90 on bar - 4x12
A. Fat bar curls - 50 - 4x10
B. Band pushdowns - 4x10

All in all not a terrible session. I can't help but think I need more stress, however. I have a few ideas about how I want to structure my training, but the power snatch goal throws a bit of a monkey wrench into things. It doesn't have a perfect spot to fit into an upper/lower split (due to the stress on the shoulders and upper back), and it affects everything else after it to the point that performing total body sessions in a respectable time may be difficult as well. That said, maybe I just need to nut the fuck up and get it done. We'll see, I'll ride this out for about the next 4 weeks and see where I'm at.

Training 12/10

Weighed myself today (Thursday), sitting at 198. Gotta up the intake, intelligently.

Power snatch - 80x3, 100x3, 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 195x1, 205x1
Deadlift - 120x5, 150x5, 180x5, 210x3, 240x3, 270x6
GHR - 5x12
Forearm curls - 95 - 1x25

The 205 snatch felt better than 200 last week, though certainly not easy. I recorded a few of my attempts to check technique and I was pretty pleased. I still need to speed up my transition from pull to drop/catch, but overall I like how it looks. I've been playing with trying to start my hips a little lower, but my femurs are so damn long, I feel like I'm low then watch the video and it doesn't really look any different. In any event, it still feels decent, and I feel like I'll be able to hit 225 again pretty soon.

Training 12/6 & 12/8

Saturday:
Power snatch - 100 - 12x2, 1 minute between sets
Squat - 125x5, 160x5, 190x3, 205x5, 235x5, 270x10
A. GHR - 3x10
B. Stability ball pike - 3x12
C. Barbell forearm curls - 65 - 3x25

The 270x10 was a bear, a lot harder than I thought, but I got it done. The power snatch was mostly for warmup purposes, but also to get some technique practice in.

Monday:
Close-grip bench - 100x5, 125x5, 150x3, 175x3, 200x3, 225x9
Incline DB bench - 60s - 30, 15, 10 - 2 mins b/w sets
Kroc rows - 100x32/arm
Lateral raises - 20s x16, 7 breaths, 15s x11, 10 breaths 10s x10
Poundstone curls - bar x55

Bench went pretty well, felt pretty good. Curls were ugly as shit, but oh well, it's just work to get the pump, so no big deal.

Training 12/5

Military - worked up to 115x12
paired with band pull-aparts
A. DB flyes - 50s - 5x10
B. T-bar row - 90 on bar - 5x10
A. Thick bar curls - 40 - 5x10
B. Band pushdowns - gray - 5x10

Training 12/3

Neck & rotator cuff work in warmup
Power snatch - 80x3, 100x3, 120x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170x3, 185x1, 200x1
Deadlift - 120x5, 150x5, 180x3, 195x5, 225x5, 255x5
A. GHR - 5x10
B. Hanging leg raise - 4x8
Forearm curls - 95x25

The back actually felt pretty good so I performed the deadlifts conventional, not with the feet offset. In fact, the feet offset felt a little wonky on the back. Work capacity for lifting heavy, especially on snatches, is in the shitter, but I think it will come back quickly. I didn't do any cardiac output work or stretch at the end, which isn't a huge deal, but is helpful.

Training 12/1

Close-grip bench press - 100x5, 125x5, 150x3, 165x5, 190x5, 215x10
paired with band pull-aparts
DB incline bench - 50s - 35, 17, 12 - 2 mins b/w sets
Kroc rows - 100x30
Lateral raises drop set - 20sx15, 10 deep breaths, 15sx10, 7 deep breaths, 10sx8
Poundstone curls - 50 reps

Overall not bad. I didn't drink my Gatorade/protein/Rockstar mix, so I didn't feel like I had a lot of "go," likely due to the lack of caffeine. I also think the carbs would have helped me recover a bit faster between exercises, but alas. Not bad for the first day back to higher volume work.

Your body is the one thing you have complete control over. What you do with it, what you put in it, etc. Obviously you have control over your actions, but you have certain things that you have to do everyday, particularly if you are employed by someone else. But your time is yours, and you can have such great influence over how you look and feel.
Don't misunderstand me, I'm not perfect. I still miss training sessions, don't eat the best sometimes, and am way too lazy. But I also know where I need to get better, and truly am working to improve it. I also know that, the more attention I pay to one area, the better I get in others, for the most part. And of course the converse is true - when I let one area slip, the rest are likely to as well. Wendler made this point in a post a while back about his warmup sets - if it says 150 pounds, he puts 150 on the bar, not 155. Sure, it's easier, and it seems trivial, but as soon as you start slacking on one thing, it gets easy to slack on the rest. If you're one of those people who can manage to indulge without much problem, more power to you. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. So it's back to business and doing what I need to do to get shit done.