Training 8/21

Obviously doing a horseshit job of updating. Training today was pretty much hot garbage. Lack of sleep is killing me and training is definitely suffering as a result. Fat loss seems to have stalled a bit, though possibly moving forward ever so slowly. Submax effort upper body work today, forgot to do med ball throws, though it was probably for the best, as I had nothing today.

SE DB Bench Press - 3x8 - 100s x2, 80s x1
Circuit (2x15 each):
Trap Bar Bent over row - 110
OH Band Tricep Extension
Band Shrugs
Barbell curls

Progress pic from last Monday:

Training Update & Progress pic

Obviously I haven't been updating, well, at all lately. The basic outline, for now, is a modified Westside split, with sprints, jumps, and medicine ball throws worked in as well. This will continue until I reach my desired body composition goals, at which point the upper body training will switch to a DoggCrapp-inspired template, with the lower body remaining as-is. Essentially, training the upper body for "show," and the lower body for "go," dependent upon time of year, i.e. speed in the summer, strength/power in the winter. Thus, the volume of the different aspects will vary based upon the goals. For the time being, speed and power are the goals, and as such the volume of sprint work will be highest. Also for now I am basically using assistance work as time to fuck around and think of new movements and how they feel/affect me.

Saturday - DE Lower

Sprints - 5x10 yds, 5x20 yds

Box jumps - 6

Snatch pull w/ pause at knees - 3x2 (1 min b/w) - 135, 155, 185

DE Trap Bar Deadlift (1 min b/w sets) - 250 (60%) - 9x2

A. Suitcase DB RDL - 3x8 - 80 lbs

B. Neck - 2x12/direction - 10 lbs

A. RFESS - 50 - 2x6/leg

B. Ab wheel - 2x12

Progress pic (198 and flexing)

Training 7/21

Forgot to weigh myself this morning, though last week I was right around 200.

Warmup:
A/B/C skips + Rolling jumps - 20 yards down/back each w/ abs in between - went through twice
KB windmills & variations - 3 reps each
McKenzie pressups - 10

Box Jumps - 12
Muscle Snatch - 95 pounds - 3x3
Squat - worked up to 295x3 (probably could have hit 315x3, but saving some for the next few weeks), then dropped to 255x4x4
        Shoulder prehab & neck (2x10 each direction) in between
A. Good Mornings - 115 - 12, 10, 8
B. Hanging Leg Raises - 3x10
A. Walking Lunges (BW) - 2x8/leg
B. Wide-grip Pullups - 10, 8

I haven't fully decided what the training will look like, though I have a pretty good idea. Definitely more work overall than I've been doing, but I'll adjust fairly quickly.

Training 7/11

Deadlift:
140x5
175x5
210x3
265 - 3x5
300x3
335x5

Not as many as I'd hoped, but a lack of sleep in the preceding days made it unsurprising.

A. Good mornings - 135 - 3x8
B. Hanging Leg Raises - 3x10
A. Walking Lunges - 95 - 2x8/leg
B. Pullups - 10, 8

80% session

Training 7/9

Bench -
warmups:
bar x10
110x5
135x5
160x3

All warm-up sets are performed sub-maximally, with band pull-aparts in between.

205 - 3x5
235x3
260x2

8 inverted rows after each set

205 actually felt decent (a welcome change, since my lighter sets lately have been feeling heavier than I feel they should). However, 260 didn't feel very light at all. Thought about just hitting 1 and calling it good, but I knew I had another one in me, so I went ahead and hit it. After 250x6 last week, it's a bit of a letdown, but sleep has been far harder to come by, and the 250x6 and 300x6 squat Friday likely are at least somewhat responsible for it as well. It's OK though, I wasn't expecting much today (wasn't really feeling it).

Assistance:
A. 1-arm row - 60, 70, 80, 90 x10
B. Band pushdowns (fast) - 4x25
A. Hammer curls - 3x8 (50, 35x2)
B. Random rotator cuff

Finished with plank, McKenzie pressups, bike, and spinal decompression. Low-end 80% session.

Diet Update

Figured I would give an update on the current diet. I've been making good progress and it's pretty easy to follow (though I've been a bit too lax). I eat pretty much the same thing every day, due to the fact that it makes it easier for me. I don't necessarily eat at the same time every day or the same foods at the same time (sometimes I change the order depending on what's easiest at different times).

Feeding 1:
2 eggs
1 container egg whites (comes from Costco, I think there's like 2 cups egg whites in there)
bit of salsa
2 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese

Feeding 2:
1 pound deli meat (generally turkey, sometimes roast beef)
2 slices reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cucumber

Feeding 3:
1/2 Jenny-O pork roast
veggies (usually broccoli)

Occasional feeding:
protein shake - 2 scoops (Musclepharm Combat Powder)

On training days, I also add:
Drink during training - ~3.5 tbsp powdered Gatorade mix, 1 scoop whey protein, 1 Rockstar Recovery
Post-training - 10-12 ounces chocolate milk
Then I'll usually have one of the other meals, with some cereal as well.

Procrastination

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

Procrastination is a filthy bitch. I know because I’ve fought her my whole life. Regardless of your best intentions, you can always find a reason not to do things.

Then one day you decide, “no more.” Of course, it doesn’t work that way. Much like addiction, it is merely a day-to-day battle to improve. While I don’t think it is specifically addiction, I do think it shares a lot of similarities. In fact, I’m sure if they were to test it, the brain profiles, in regards to centers of the brain activated, are similar to addicts.

In fact, many times you will hear addicts (or recovering addicts) talk about the fact that it’s not even the substance itself that causes the problem in regards to relapsing. It is the activity. The habit. All the things that surround the act itself which they seek. There is a saying that “we first make our habits, then our habits make us.” Never have truer words been spoken. Habits become very hard to break, and we’re caught in a vicious cycle. Suddenly, you must become cognizant of everything you are doing in an effort to change it. While it is a necessity, it is not conducive to long-term success. Attention means focus, focus means effort, and effort means more energy expenditure. The body in general doesn’t like that. We must make action automatic for it to become repeated over a long period of time.

I’ve often noted, however, that Newton’s first law absolutely applies to activity in life. Objects at rest stay at rest. Objects in motion stay in motion. This is why, if you just get started on one thing, you often end up getting about 5 other things done. Dan John has said that people who get more done, get more done. Simple action leads to more action.

I have most often found my barrier to action is figuring out where to get started. Depending on what it is you are doing, you may be best suited just jumping into the middle. It’s what I’ve started doing with writing – just start writing. You can go back and change things later. You don’t have to have the perfect beginning to get started. Fortunately, a lot of things are that way. Don’t misunderstand me, planning ahead and doing legwork beforehand can certainly speed the process for a lot of your tasks. And you should absolutely take the time necessary to make sure you are doing things correctly. But once you’ve done that, attack it, get started.

Make a list of things to do (I know some people will say not to make To Do lists; I say fuck them, you need a road map). Put a few things at the top that will be fairly simple and/or easy to complete. Something more difficult than “breathe” but less difficult than “replicate the statue of David.” These don’t need to be the most important things on the list – just the easiest/simplest. After a few of those, put the most important. Keep making the list, sprinkling in easy/simple with important. Some may be one and the same. Now start on the list.

I hesitate to make blanket recommendations like “do this.” Because we’re all different and operate differently. What works for me may not work for you. In fact, the more I look at how I operate/think, I’m pretty sure I’m just wired differently than a lot of people. Not in a quirky/unique/I’M SO SPECIAL type of way, I just visualize things differently I think. As such, the way I approach problem solving is different from how a lot of people do. And so I have to figure out solutions that are repeatable for me.

Hopefully, what you will find after a time is that the reward of finishing is so much greater than whatever short-term pleasure you derive from putting off the doing. Often, we don’t actually derive any pleasure – and in fact, we feel worse after the fact because we know what we’re not doing. I realize I’m not breaking any ground with any of this – it’s only in pretty much any self-help book you’ll read, or any successful person, period, will say it. But it bears repeating.