Short Run

5/30/12

2.03 Miles
Time: 19:00 (9:22/mi)
Avg Heartrate: 146

Notes
Really quick/short run last night just to get some blood into my legs.  I'm seeing some solid signs already though regarding time and heartrate.  9:22 isn't fast, but for me thats at a relatively low heartrate.. really I was just jogging.  So, I hope as I continue with this my speed really starts to take off.  I *should* be an ok distance runner, or at least good at long sprints since I have long legs.

Small Workout

5/29/12
Small Workout

Chins supersetted w/ Dips
6; 6; 7
10; 10; 10

Facepulls supersetted w/ Back Extensions
40x16; 40x16; 40x8
20; 20; 10

Notes
Bah... very sore and tired.  I was supposed to run tonight, but deep stretching didn't even temporarily reduce the extreme soreness in my legs.

Saturday I ran for the first time in probably 8 months (besides sprints).  Sunday, even while my legs were sore I decided to run again.  Monday, I did super deep squats on sore legs, along with glute hams, and a bunch of other newer shit I haven't been doing.  Low and behold, I'm sore as fuck.

Today I signed up to run a 10k exactly 10 days from now.  lol.

Monday, May 28 - Heavy Strength Day

Squat
315x5 @ 8
365x5 @ 9
315x3 @ 8.5

Bench
225x5 @ 7
250x5 @ 8
250x5 @ 8

Row
185x5 @ 7
185x5 @ 7
185x5 @ 7

Glute Ham Raise
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8


Conditioning
3 rounds of:
52lb x 15 KB swing
70lb x 6 sandbag clean and press.

Notes
One of my favorite full body templates: Squat, bench, row.  Guaranteed to get you diesel.  I'll keep the strength stuff relatively light the next few weeks to get my groove back and build a base back up.  I need to be careful not to overdo it since I'm really emphasizing cardio/conditioning/aerobics for the next couple months.

Sandbag work is just amazingly killer.  I'm excited to get creative and do some crazy shit.

Memorial Weekend Runs

Saturday, May 26th

3.25 Miles
-38 minutes
-139 avg. heartrate

Sunday, May 27th

2.08 Miles
-21 minutes
-153 avg. heartate

I'm going to start running at least 3 times a week.  I like the way it makes me feel.  I'm actually surprised at how  easily I could run 3 miles.  I was definitely run/walking though and stopped frequently to take pics, etc. Being at a much lower bodyweight really pays off with this type of stuff.  There is a half-marathon September 9th that I'm semi-contemplating training for.  I don't know.

Right now I really am seeing the value of pure aerobic conditioning.  I walk everywhere. DC is literally built on a swamp so its humid and hot as hell.  Its nice to be in shape among other people that run, etc.  My basic template for the summer is:

Monday - Heavy Strength training and Conditioning
-Squat, bench, bent row
-Some sort of H.I.I.T.

Tuesday - Small Workout and Run
-Dips/Chins, facepulls, etc
-Moderate Run

Wednesday - Light Run

Thursday - Heavy Strength Training and Conditioning
-Deadlift, press, weighted chins
-Some sort of H.I.I.T.

Friday - Optional Small Workout


Saturday  - Long Run


Sunday - Off


These are some pics from my Saturday run:

Training Week Update

5/25/12


Warmup:  50kb swings, windmills, sitting in the goblet squat position.

Face Pulls
30x20; 30x20; 30x20

Dips
BWx10; BWx10; BWx10

Lat Pull Down supersetted w/ Side Laterals
100x12; 100x12; 100x12
15x8; 15x8; 15x8

Hammer Curls supersetted w/ Incline Fly supersetted w/ Bulgarian Split Squat
40x8; 40x8; 40x8
40x10; 40x10; 40x15
BWx8; BWx8; BWx8

Toes to Bar supersetted w/ Back Extensions
6; 6
20; 20


5/24/12


Deadlift
405x3; 455x3; 455x3


Press
135x5; 135x5; 135x5

Chins
BWX8; 45x5

Glute Ham Raise
6; 6


5/22/12


Chins
BWx6; BWx6; BWx6


Dips
BWx8; BWx8; BWx8


Toes to Bar
5; 5

First DC Lift: Full Body

Squat
315x3
365x3
365x3
365x3

Chins
BWx8
45x5

Sandbag Clean and Press
120lb x 3
120lb x 3
120lb x3

So I hit up a Washington Sports Club today after my first day of work.  It is literally 20 feet off the metro station I get off at coming home, and only a 4 block walk to the apartment.  Unfortunately, like most gyms, its got everything I don't need.  Tons of cardio, tons of bodybuilding machines, etc.  The one squat rack had a rusted bent bar.  Fuck that shit.

I realized how far I've come in regards to barbell lifting tonight.  I'm not talking about the overall weight I use, but more so the precision I've developed through thousands of repetitions.  I couldn't stand using a shit bar like that.  I use a barbell for almost everything.  I like feeling connected to the weight.  A good bar will be straight (of course), but will also have decent bounce and smoothly spinning collars.  All of this allows for bar control.  Not just moving the weight in a straight line, but making tiny little adjustments throughout the reps.

There was some cool stuff about this place... tons of kettlebells, battle ropes, and  lots of heavy sandbags.  Sandbags: holy shit.  Those clean and presses were hard.  It was a really cool and fun exercise.  The possibilities are endless. Too bad their sandbags are in better shape than the barbells.

The only reason I'll regret not going to WSC is I won't get to see Tumbe - this huge jacked Jamaican that works there 7 days a week.  By far one of the coolest and funniest people I've ever met. Looking back, I really only temporarily joined because Tumbe was hilarious.  He's going to be so sad when I tell him I'm not joining.

Balance Gym 
I'm 90% sure I'll end up joining Balance Gym.  http://www.balancegym.com/locations/thomascircle  Its a 20 minute walk from my apartment, but that is what it is I guess.  Its a lifters gym.  2-3 squat racks, a couple squat stands, deadlift platform with oly bar, all the bars spun like they were freshly WD-40'd, tons of kettlebells, heavy bag, speed bag, glute ham raise, chins/dips, etc.  You have to walk down an alley to get there and the inside of the gym is a little dark, a little smelly, and a little beat up.  Just the way I like it.  People actually fucking lift there and do shit to get strong.

On the roof there are tires, sledgehammers, and some sleds. I'll have to see if I can access that or not.  Balance Crossfit is right next to Balance Gym, and I think they only have access to the roof.  I'm not paying $200 a month.

A dude that lives in my apartment is really trying to get me to join crossfit with him.  He was in the navy etc, now is killing it at Georgetown Law.  I may do a mini-membership that allows me to go there 2x a week.  I just like training with someone and I want to do more metabolic conditioning anyways.  We'll see.  I openly hate crossfit so I'm not sure I could bring myself to do it.

New Hampshire Wrap Up

So this wraps up my short week at home in New Hampshire.  I had  great time lifting with everyone and stayed real active.  In addition to lifting I played golf on Saturday and hiked a mountain on Sunday.  Everyday I was doing something, which I love.

I truly look forward to coming home now.  A big part of it is the lifting with friends. We always have great intensity and manage to go hard and heavy - wherever we are at in our programs.  But, probably the most fun is the steak, beer and general bullshitting after each session.  I cannot even describe the ridiculous things that are said to one another, but its all hilarious.

I love the iron.  It brings people together that are from completely different walks of life.  I'm not going to get too into it here, but I'll just say the last week has reaffirmed why I will be lifting in some manner for the rest of my life. Strength training and everything that goes along with it is fucking awesome.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to Washington D.C.  I'm 30 pounds lighter, I'm stronger, I'm a little tanner, I've got a lot less chest hair haha.  I feel rested, refreshed, centered, and I'm ready to kick some fucking ass.

New Hampshire Lifting: Arms

Close Grip Incline
185x8
185x8
185x8

BB Curl
95x8
95x8
95x6

Overhead DB Extension
60x15
75x10
75x10
60x12

Supersetted w/

DB Hammer Curl
30x12
30x12
30x12

Notes
I do a strict arm day about two times a year... usually whenever I'm home lifting in New Hampshire haha.

New Hampshire Lifting: Press/Upper

5/16/12

Press and Push Press
135x3
155x3
175x3
185x3
205x2 (begin push press)
225x1
135x8+4 (8 strict, 4 push press)

Chins
BWx5
BWx8
BWx6
BWx5

Dips
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8

Bunch of random lateral

Notes
Really fun session.  Matt, Chris, Jeff and I were all rotating on push press.  Intensity was good.  Everyone was focused and trying hard.

Chinning 2 days in a row was interesting.  By the time I got to dips, I was pretty much done.  Full body the day before left me pretty spent.

Had a nice low carb steak dinner at Longhorn that including a healthy dose of ball busting including: that I'm "beta,"  that I belong in a field as a scarecrow, that my shoulders are the same size as my waist, that I'm going to appear on the cover of men's health (this wasn't a compliment), and my personal favorite - that I'm a "six at best."  This all came from John Calderelli.  Compared to him, all of these things are true. lol. At one time, he was not only one of the strongest humans to ever walk the earth, he was also a national level bodybuilder with a picture in Arnold's Encyclopedia.

New Hampshire Lifting: Full Body

Squat
315x3
365x2
385x5

Bench
275x3
285x3
225x12

Chins
BWx8
45x5
45x5

Curls
3 sets

Facepulls
3 sets

Notes
Very fun session tonight.  385 squat set was a ball buster.  All of my lifts seem to have stayed fairly level over the past 6-8 weeks besides squats.  Squats have taken a big hit, but I don't really mind to be honest.  I've got plenty of time this summer to get back into some solid volume sessions.

Bench was ok.  Top end felt a little weak, but I felt good about 225x12.

Hit up a Japanese steakhouse with Matt after the session.  Got a shitload of sushi.  I feel great right now.

New Hampshire Lifting: Prowler and Tire Conditioning

I'm having a great time being super active with friends and family while I'm home.

Yesterday I played a round of golf in the morning, then had a nice conditioning session in the afternoon.  My legs were really fatigued from carrying the bag during golf.  Made the conditioning tough work.

2 Rounds of:

40/40 yard prowler sprint

4/4 Tire Flip

40/40 yard tire drag

I didn't edit these videos too much.  They just show Matt, Chris and I doing some of the above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtRnptroKSg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mevI_Qwd29w&feature=youtu.be

New Hampshire Lifting: Back

Deadlifts
405x3
455x3
495x2
495x3

Chins
BWx8
25x3
45x3
70x3
80x3

Bent Row
185x5
225x5
275x3
300x3

Toes to Bar
5; 4; 3

Notes
Lifted with my old training partner Chris tonight.  It was a ton of fun being back at the old gym seeing everyone.  UNFORTUNATELY, Matt decided to deload this week.  I saw him there though so it was still cool.

Weight this morning: 229.  Weight at gym with all my clothes off: 231.2.  I did not plan on going heavy in anything really, but lifting with Chris brought it out of me.  After being severely sick, he was ripping 495 triples like it was nothing.  It didn't hurt that John Calderelli (903 raw squat) was watching me pull.  Having a bunch of strong mother fuckers around tends to pump me up.

I was pretty pleased with my strength.  Considering I've been coasting with 2x a week sessions, 495 for a double and triple isn't bad.  Looking back, in the last month my deadlifting usually consisted of a couple sets of 365x5.  Basically, I just took it easy and got quality reps in.  No progression, no programming, just doing the movement.  I came in well rested and was able to pull some decent reps tonight.

Full Body Day 7

Monday, May 7th

Squat
315x5
365x3
405x2

Bench
275x3
275x3
275x3
275x4

Chins
BWx8
BWx8
BWx7
BWx6

Notes
This was Monday's session before I left St. Louis.  Strength was alright.  I remember feeling the low volume/frequency, stress, and poor sleep finally was starting to catch up to me.

Looking forward to lifting with friends over the next few days.  Probably be doing some stupid stuff, which is exactly what I need right now after 3-4 weeks of sessions at 70-80%.

Semester in Review

Life is good.  I want to recap this semester and talk about the next few months.  As I sit on my balcony typing this post, drinking my coffee with coconut oil and soaking in the morning sun, I can honestly say this has been the happiest time in my life.

Training

Many pieces finally came together with my training.  RTS and using RPE based auto-regulation has dialed in how much work I need to do while not blowing my guts out in the process.  I set multiple PR's in pretty much every lift I track.  Some PR's were a bigger deal than others, but there is no question that I did get stronger over the course of the semester.

I found conditioning and kettlebell work have a real place in my training.  To me, there is much value in running a fast 100m sprint, or being able to sprint up stadium bleachers over and over again.  Doing these sort of things well are an important component in my definition of "bad ass."  I just like doing it.  Its fun, it feels healthy, and keeps me balanced.

I don't have any grand training schemes for this summer yet.  I'll probably be lifting 2-3x a week.  I want to place a lot more emphasis on conditioning.  Lean and mean.  When the time comes, I will have a detailed and specific approach to my conditioning.  I will also set certain goals and benchmarks to measure my improvements.  For instance, the 1 mile run. Or, the 400m run. I'm not going to blindly run around and "work really hard" doing random shit to "get in shape."  Crossfit type programming can suck my balls.

I have a general sense for the direction I want strength training to go once I'm settled into D.C. and ready to implement a structured plan.  In the short term (4 weeks),  I'll work on getting my baseline back to full capacity.  I don't feel like I'm too far off, which was my entire goal for this transitional period.  In the medium term, I'd like to get down to 220 by the end of the summer and grow into that bodyweight.  Then maybe sometime in the fall or early winter I'll do a powerlifting meet and compete in the 220 class.  Beyond that, we'll see.

Diet

This is obviously the big one.  Over the course of the semester I've lost over 30 pounds.  On Friday, in a dehydrated, practically starved state from the final days of exams I hit 226.  This morning I am a bloated 231 after drinking/eating/partying all day yesterday.

I'm going to continue the hybrid style of backloading.  It just works great for my lifestyle.  I'm finally at the point where I can eat or drink whatever I want in social settings and not worry about it really setting me back.  This is really the entire point of leaning down for me.  Metabolic flexibility.  I don't want to worry about every morsel I food I put in body.   I want to enjoy life, and look great in the process.

Yesterday I went to an end of the year pool party at a friend's place.  Taking my shirt off (accompanied by immediate hoops and hollers from a bunch of chicks), made the past 5 months of intense dieting completely worth it.  It was a great feeling to just be out in the sun and really not give a damn how I look.  Sitting, standing, or in any position I don't look fat haha.  Multiple references to my "guns" were made.  One chick I didn't know was like "hey muscle man, I've been looking at your lats all day."  My drunk response, "I love big asses." Then I slapped her ass. Lol.

I no longer own a single pair of pants or shorts that actually fit . I've never really had a specific number I want to reach.  In general, I just have a certain look in mind.  I'm starting to close in on that... But I still have significant fat in the lower back/stomach I'd like to diet away.  So, I finally do have a number in mind.  I want to get below 220.  I want to weigh 219.

School and Life

The big development here is that I landed a summer associate position at a law firm in DC.  This happened last fall, but this semester I was also offered a student observer position at the S.E.C. for the coming fall.  That means I'll be in DC for about 9 months before coming back to STL my final semester.

As an initial matter, I feel extremely lucky.  The legal job market is entirely fucked.  It suffered a huge retraction in 2008-2009, and has not come close to any sort of a real recovery. Many, many students are out of luck right now, even though they made all the right choices.  I managed to land a high paying position in a very tough market.  If all goes well this summer, I will be back at the firm after graduation.

So, on the one hand I feel very fortunate.  On the other hand, landing the firm job and the SEC gig wasn't entirely luck.  I worked my ass off last year to get good grades.  I was ultra prepared for every interview I had last fall (over 15).  I worked hard to be a competitive applicant, and it paid off.

I guess this is why I'm so happy with life right now. Any measure of success is entirely more satisfying when you've worked hard for it.  Increasingly, I make decisions from what in law is called the ex post perspective: I ask myself, "Looking back after the fact, will I regret the choice I'm about to make right now?" For me, the answer usually goes something like this.  "Well, I can't be 100% sure whether I'm right or wrong, but I know if I try my hardest I won't regret this." What is there to regret when you've put forth your best effort?  I've found this outlook almost universally leads to positive decisions and behavior.  It doesn't matter whether its training, dieting, studying, drinking, etc.  

I'm happy because I have no regrets.  Did I try my hardest to maintain my diet and make the right food choices everyday? Yep.  Did I train hard and push myself to PR even while I was losing tons of bodyweight?  Yep.  Did I apply myself every single day in school and give it my all during finals? Yep.

Notice none of the questions are framed in a manner that is outcome dependent.  In this case, I happen to have a positive result in all three examples.  I'm stronger, leaner, and have a great job lined up. More and more I'm measuring my success by the quality of the journey.  You work hard to achieve your goals, but its all the shit along the way the make it feels great.  This is life!  Its way too short to measure success on one small moment in your life.  Generally, that is called achievement.  In strength training its called realization.  Work hard. Try your best.  No matter the result, you'll have very few regrets.  Your life is successful because the journey was a success.

Onward and upward!

Full Body Day 6

Deadlift
315x5
365x5
365x5

Chins
BWx8
45x5
70x5

Press
135x5
135x5
185x3

Notes
This was a light workout on Friday after finishing finals.  Strength felt fine considering I was running on 3 hours of sleep and was already way behind on sleep the past three weeks anyways.  I'll probably have one or two more light sessions before I head back home to NH.