Full Circle

After so much training ADD and too many months of wasted workouts doing things that seems more fun than productive, I've now come full-circle back to the style of training that got me into this field in the first place.

My early days of training started with a strong HIT influence. For those that are unaware, HIT training is about using fewer "work" sets for a given bodypart. And the sets that do count are taken to failure and beyond using various methods such as drop sets, partials, rest/pause (my favorite) and forced reps with a partner.

I had gone through phases where I tried out new theories and used several of the most common methods of strength training. I benefitted from a few such as Westside Barbell style powerlifting and tried other methods not to my benefit.

With the aches and pains that come from heavy lifting, I've taken up bodyweight exercises but not really long enough to make good use of them. Plus I get bored easy enough, let alone going weeks not lifting heavy stuff!

More to come...

Oooops! Change of plans!

Well, put this one in the S#!T happens catagory. My very first heavy box squatting session resulted in sciatic pain (again) which has made me lose more sleep than I'm wiling to accept.

So with that in mind, I'm changing course. I'm going to switch back to lots of bodyweight expercises, short rest, hitting the heavybag (highly recommended by the way) and higher reps.
I'm going to dip/chin/prisoner squat 3-4 days per week. I'm going to use my sandbags as well. The lighter ones for high rep clean and press and the medium and heavy ones for squats and shouldering.

Diet-wise, I'm going to do the fruit thing... Eat loads of fresh raw fruit and vegetables all day with one protein meal at night. It's been a great, healthy break from the normal diet and really helps my digestion/elimination and lose bodyfat as well.

2008!

New year, new ideas, new inspiration!

I'm not totally sold on making resolutions. They're often too vague to be achieved and many times they're not very well thought out. With that said here's mine and what I've done or will do to see them through!

1) To start powerlifting again. I already started box squatting.

2) To get my bodyweight up to 240 or so from my current 226 while maintaining bodyfat levels. I purposely lost about 30 lbs using my "Primal Diet". I've gotten so many "You're so thin" comments to last me a lifetime. Of course I then get asked how I did it. I then touch on my diet and almost invariable get told "That doesn't work" or "Isn't that exactly the oposite of what everyone else does?". Well it does work (you just told me how thin I looked) and yes it IS opposite of the current experts advice. "But Derek, I was told to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day." Oh yeah? How's THAT workin' for ya?

3) To stop being so understanding and start handing out some tough love.

4) To continue thanking God for my great fortune with my family and friends.