Thoughts about life, crap, training, and stuff - 365 kick off version

Well 2012 is gone.  No need in belaboring the point about how much it sucked anymore.

2013 is here, and it's time to kick off 365 for many of you.  I touched on some things to making each phase work.  Here I want to throw out a couple of things you could do in order to SHOW how each one worked.

• Track your EDM (every day max).  At the start of each phase and then roughly what it is at the beginning.
• Take measurements.  Chest, waist, hips, legs, arms.  Make sure you do them "cold" (not with a pump) and relaxed.  
• If you can get your bodyfat done, get it done.  Not on one of those god damn scales you step on.  That shit it awful.  Get it done by a reputable trainer, or in a bodpod.  Don't ask me where to find one either, JFC use google.  
• Take pics.  From, back, and side.  

Do all of these things at the beginning of each phase, and at the end of each phase.  

If you don't follow the diet correctly and become one of those "bacon and bacon and beer" dumbasses, don't expect to look jacked and awesome.  Dieting is a big part of what you look like, in fact, it might be the most important thing you do in that regard, and how you feel in training.  How many incredibly jacked looking dudes do you know, that they tell you they "eat bacon and drink beer"?  None.  And you won't be one doing that.  Stop being like every other dipshit on the internet and become something more than a god damn bacon eater/beer drinker.  

Other things - 

I now have an official date on the USPF Nationals.  It's May 10-12th.  My guess is I will be competing on the 11th, which would be that Saturday.  So I can now sit down and plan out my training cycles leading into the meet.  I'm pretty excited to get this planned because I don't get to compete a lot because competing is both expensive and timely for me.  So to have this much time in advance to plan is good.  

I'm still tinkering with some ideas in my training however, and I think I'm going to implement the strong-15 in an "every other week" kind of basis for the most part.  It actually stretches out over that period rather perfectly.  So I'm probably going to do that.  

I will tell you that the foundation of the stuff I will be doing is as follows, and some goals - 

Benching every other week - The template here will be 5x3 one week then 3x8 two weeks later.  385x5x3 would be the goal on that one, and with all reps paused that would really put my bench in the high 400's I believe.  

Deadlifting every other week - Strong-15 will be used here.  I will probably run the deficit deads for a while after the main over warm up pull.  

Front and back squatting every week - 405x3x5 for fronts and 500x10 on squats after that.  May not hit this but that's the goal.

Lots of rows - I am going to be really going after the rows the next few months.  I feel like bringing my rows up can and will help my deadlift even more.  I am also going to try and put a bigger emphasis on some 'strang work.  That's hamstrings for those of you who don't get that lingo.  

Lots of rep work for pressing - 225x30+ on incline press, 275x8 on press behind the neck

Lots of abs - I'm finally giving up the ghost here and going after ab work seriously.  I have always hated ab work but as a beltless guy, it's been pretty stupid of me to neglect it.  So, lots of ab wheel and good ol fashioned sit ups.  

There's also a little thing I've been doing with my incline that I'm going to start implementing on "rep" days.  And that's, whatever light weight I am repping, for 3 sets of AMAP until 50 is reached, before I bump the weight.  So on incline if I do 225x25,15,10 that would be 50 total.  I'd bump the weight the next time and start over.  ONLY two minutes rest between sets.  

For you guys running 365, this is not a bad way to run your assistance work if you want to implement it.  Just make sure you start a lot lighter than you think.  The first set needs to be taken close to failure, so expect a big drop off in reps after that.  Pick something you can get 20-22 reps with the first time you try it, and stay after that weight for a while.  

The more I massage the routine the more it looks like this - 

Week 1 - 

Day 1 - Back

Good Mornings - 4x10

Yates Row - 4x10 with working weight

Shrugs - 2-3 sets of 20

Day 2 - 

Leg Ext - 8x30

Fronts - 5x3 or 3x5 

Squats - 1x10 or 2x5

1-Legged Work - 1x10

Day 3 - 

Bench - 5x3 or 3x8 all paused

PBN - 3x8-20

Upright Rows - 4x10

Week 2 -

Day 1 - Deadlifts

Deadlifts - strong-15

Stiff Legs - 4x10 (light here)

Day 2 - 

same as previous week

Day 3 - 

Incline - 3xamap @ 225

Seated Db Press - 3 x amap @ 100's

Skullies - 4x10

On "off" days I will be doing abs, biceps, calves, cuff, and some other work.  So "small" sessions again to get the prehab style work in.  This is something I feel benefits me greatly in terms of work capacity and just overall conditioning.  

Don't expect this routine to "last" the whole time.  I fully plan on dropping most shit and JUST doing the big 3 lifts for my competition cycle this time.  As it gets closer that's what will happen.  

Mind you, you won't be seeing any big lifts from me for some time.  I'm totally sold on the lower intensities for strength gain and better recovery.  So that's going to be a real big part of my programming now.  Getting in, getting the volume and work in, but saving a lot in the tank and always feeling better leaving the gym than when I got there.  Walking out of the gym, or barely being able to walk out of the gym, I have found takes too big of a toll on my recovery.  And I'm 38 now (almost) and have 24 years of mileage on these tires, so recovery, and not getting injured are the biggest factors for me.  If you are younger, it might not be for you, so your own mileage may vary.  

That's just a quick hitter to start 2013.  I woke up today feeling 100 times better than I have all week from this nasty flu, so it's already a good start to the new year.