Training 1/30/15

Squat - barx10, 95x5, 135x5, 155x4, 185x3, 205x2, 225x1, 245x1, 275x1, 5x5 @225 in 13 mins

Deadlift - 5x3 @275, fatigue singles at 315, 365 - felt like I had 385, maybe 405 in me

double overhand with straps, touch and go - 315x7

Front squat - 135 - 2x20

The front squats fucking killed me. I did them because I'm hating the RFESS, but upon further review those may be the better choice. The warmups on squat were feeling decent, but the weight felt kinda heavy once I got up to 275. Felt "grindy," at least "grindier" than I'd like. But, going in I think I felt possibly better than I have in a while it seems, though the squats felt like a low-end 80% session. The deadlifts pulled it up a bit though, as they seemed to go solidly.

Training 1/28/15

I feel like I've been able to string together a fair amount of 80% sessions in a row now, despite the lack of sleep, which should bode well for progress moving forward. I'm sure the fact that I'm in a caloric surplus helps. That said, I need to get my shit together so I can actually sleep at night and really begin to reap the rewards. I haven't necessarily felt great before or even during the sessions, but in terms of the results, I've been satisfied. I've also decided to slightly alter my approach to back training sessions. Not a major change, but slightly different.

Pullups - 13x3 in 15 minutes
1-arm DB row - 50x10, 70x10, 90x10, 100x30
Barbell shrug - 185 - 5x20
Barbell curl - 1x36

I decided I'm officially done doing straight bar curls. They just beat the hell out of my forearms and are uncomfortable as shit. The fat bar doesn't cause that issue, so I'll stick with fat bar, cambered bar, and hammer curls. Also, I've been doing mindfulness the last couple nights before bed. I have not been able to reach any sort of mindfulness state, but it has had a tremendously positive impact on my sleep. Unfortunately, because I do it right before bed, I'm so tired I'm continually nodding off or having trouble focusing the way I need to and haven't even been able to make it 10 minutes. So, while the sleep is a positive, I still need to get better at it to reap all the benefits. Doing it earlier would help.

Training 1/26/15

BW: 202

I'm changing things a bit this week. The bench really didn't feel like it was moving much as it was, so I'm going to take a slightly different approach. Still low-intensity, high volume. I'm also going to switch around the days a bit. Since I know that Saturdays usually end up pretty shitty as lifting days, in order to keep the days M/W/F and still allow 2 days between lower body and back day, I'm going to put squat/deadlift on Friday and back on Monday. However, since I just did back Friday, I'll switch squat/deadlift and back this week and then next week move back to Monday. So this week is M - bench, W - back, F - squat/deadlift, then next week will be M - back, W - bench, F - squat/deadlift. I'll run that for a bit and see what happens.

Floor press - 95x5, 115x4, 135x3, 155x2, 185, 205, 225, 245x1
A. CG bench - 165 (60%) - 5x6
B. Face pulls - 5x30
DB incline bench - 2 mins b/w sets - 70s - 30, 14, 8
L raise up, lateral raise eccentric - 15s - 2x10
Band pushdowns - orange - 120

Training 1/23/15

"T-bar" row - 2 mins b/w sets - 70 lbs - 30, 15, 12
Pullups - +20 lbs x7, 3x6, BWx10
A. DB shrugs - 80 - 4x25
B. Fat bar curls - 50 - 4x12

Training 1/21/15

I must say, the submaximal training is doing its job, at least in the lower body. I feel like I'm moving heavier weights than before at similar speeds, which is obviously the goal. I'm not shocked that submaximal weights are working - I knew they would. I'm just surprised how quickly. I did not anticipate being able to bump up the weights the way I have, although maybe I'm being too aggressive. I'll know as I go along. So long as things are moving forward, I'll stay on the path. I've begun formulating a few things I think I'm going to do with my pressing to change things slightly there. It won't be a drastic departure from what I've been doing, but I don't really feel like it's moving much.

Squat - 95x5, 135x5, 155x4, 185x3, 205x2, 225x1, 245x1, 275x1, 225x5x5 in about 12 minutes
Deadlift from 1" deficit - 5x3 @275
Dimel deadlifts - 135 - 2x20

Training 1/19/15

Was feeling decent and wanted to try to push some heavier weight, so I worked up to 245x1 for my "over warmup." Of course, because I went heavier on that, I felt the need to go heavier on my working sets. Poor idea. I made it through, though it was difficult as shit. Probably not what is intended. Live and learn.

Close grip - 95x5, 115x4, 135x3, 155x2, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, 245x1, 5x8@205
Seated DB military - 2 mins b/w sets - 60s - 23, 10, 10
Chest-supported rear delt flyes - 5s - 100
Band tricep pushdowns - orange - 100

Training 1/17/15

Pushed my back workout to today rather than Friday, to see if it might go a little better than it has been. Not that it's been bad, mind you, but it just has felt like I'm not totally recovered from deadlifting on Wednesday. However, in a 1-day sample, I wouldn't say Saturday was any better. I was probably more recovered, however, a rough night of sleep coupled with it being earlier in the day meant I wasn't really roaring to get after it. I also switched to doing my 20 minutes of cardiac work at the beginning, rather than at the end, although I don't think that had any negative impact. I do think that I need to put the phone away during the ride prior to lifting, as I don't think it is beneficial from the standpoint of mentally preparing myself to train. Add in a need to start meditating, and I've got plenty of work to do.

Barbell row - 1 second pause at top - 95x10, 115x10, 135x10, then went heavier and put some english on each rep - 185x8, 205x8, 2x8 @225
Band-assisted neutral-grip chinups - 2 minutes between sets - 20, 13, 10
DB shrugs - 85s - 5x20
Poundstone curls with EZ bar - 40x75

So-so. I know it can be much better.

Training 1/14/15

Squat - 135x5, 185x4, 225x3, 245x2, 275x1, then 5x5 @ 225
Deadlift - 5x3 @255
RFESS - 2x20/leg

Actually was a very solid session. I ended up lifting while some athletes were in, which usually doesn't go very well, but I managed to have a pretty good session. In fact, I was able to get the 5x5 done in right around 10 minutes, which shocked me. It certainly didn't feel as explosive as 185 or 205 did, but it felt like it was moving pretty well. Same with the deadlifts. Not flying up, but moving OK. Depending on how I'm feeling, may bump up at least the squat next week.

Training 1/12/15

Close grip bench - 95x5, 115x4, 135x3, 155x2, 185x1, 205x1, 225x1, then 5x8 @185
Chest-supported rear delt flyes - 5s x55
DB incline bench - 2 mins b/w sets - 70s - 25, 14, 8
Lateral raises - 15s - 4x10
Band tricep pushdowns - orange band - 1x100

All in all, not too bad. I don't feel like the close grip sets are getting any easier, so I'll probably continue cruising along around that weight. Maybe start fucking with the level II of Paul's base building, but we'll see. For now, I think as long as something is going up (and for now, the assistance work is), I'll just keep moving forward with what I'm doing.

Training 1/9/15

1-arm DB row - 50s-90s in increments of 10 lbs, each x10, then 100x25/arm
Neutral-grip chinups - +20 lbs - 4x7, BW 1x10
A. DB shrugs - 80s - 5x20
B. Hammer curls - 30s - 4x10

Really need to push this session to Saturdays, I think. Just didn't really feel it at all. Numbers were OK, but I feel like it could have gone better.

Training 1/7/15

Squat - 95x5, 135x4, 185x3, 205x2, 225x1, 245x1, 255x1, then 5x5 @205
1" elevated deadlift - 5x3 @245
Dimel deadlifts - 135 - 2x20

Got the squat work done in around 9 minutes, so I probably should bump up the poundage again. Just hope I'm not pushing the limit of the intensity I should be at. Probably be fine though.
Deadlifts went well, though I didn't do the Dimel deadlifts exactly as they are outlined, so I'll have to do them right next time.

Training 1/5/15

Bench press - worked up to 225x1, then 185 for 5x8
Seated DB military press - 50's - 28, 16, 12 (2 mins b/w sets)
Band tricep pushdowns - orange - 1x100
Face pulls - 1x100

I've never understood the desire to be famous, especially to be famous for nothing. It's very clear that many people simply want to be well known. Doesn't matter what it's for - they just want people to know who they are. I really started thinking about this recently with Johnny Manziel. It's pretty clear the guy just wants to be a famous football player. He doesn't actually care about being good. Don't get me wrong, he wants to be good, I'm sure. But he doesn't care so much that he's going to devote himself to making sure he gets better. And that's what gets me. Why wouldn't you want to become the best you possibly can, and let the fame take care of itself? JJ Watt has pretty much taken that approach, and I'd say it's working out well for him.
Don't get me wrong, it'd be great to be well-known. But I'd like people to know who I am because of who I am. How I carry myself, my actions, my accomplishments. Not because I'm great at marketing myself or I've built up such an aura that people are mesmerized. Hopefully, at some point, people will stop falling for the sizzle and keep their eye out for steak.

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." -Zig Ziglar

I've also seen it put as something to the effect of "the great thing about goals is the person they force you to become to achieve them." 

Training 1/2

Bent-over row - sets of 10 w/ 1 second hold at top (95, 115, 135), then 4x8, no pause, using a bit of English the last couple sets - 155, 175, 185, 185
Neutral-grip chinups - 12, 10, 8, 6
A. DB shrugs - 75s - 5x20
B. Good morning - 95 - 4x10

Training 12/31

Felt pretty good going in, and it was a solid session. Granted, the weights were light, but they felt light and moved like it. I'll need to bump up the weights a bit next week for sure. The whole point is to be using (very) submaximal weights, but even this was a bit too low, at least on the squat.

Squat - worked up to 235x1, then 190x5x5
Deadlift - 245 - 5x3
RFESS - 2x20/leg

Also got some neck work in. On the squat, the goal is to get the 5x5 done in 15 minutes or less, moving every rep as explosively as possible. I got it done in about half that time. Probably bump it to 205 or so and see how that goes. Squatting and pulling on the same day was not as daunting as I thought, though again, I'm not exactly moving big weights.