Strength Train with JJ

 On the menu: Squat Benchpress Deadlift Week 3 went mostly well, although today was slow going. I was hoping to be better established by now but I think I'm about a week or so behind having a baseline. I think week 5 will be the first week of honest progression and tracking. The lifts are heavy and I remember being much much stronger. However I am surprising myself at just how much I can do, how I can push through that 3rd set of heavy squats. I'm optimistic and hopeful. Give me another good week!

 On the menu: Squat Deadlift Bench I have to say I'm very happy with how the week is starting. The gym was good and I am finding my strength again. I am also in a severw caloric deficit and feelin' great and active! What really helped me was taking my carbs from breakfast (oatmeal and a banana) and moving them to before the afternoon training session. Makes life so much easier. I'm excited to see where this week goes. Wish me luck. I still haven't found a baseline but we're getting close.

On the menu: Squat Bench press Deadlift It's been a challenge, and I think I'm way more de-conditioned that I realize. I'm affording myself more time to catch back up and adapt to compound lifting as a whole. When we think of adaptation, we think of probably a linear progression in a particular lift. But the entire lifting session is a cumulative stress, the activity of all three lifts together, to which me must adapt. Sleep has also been a bit short. I gave up caffeine and am now reaping the benefits, because when I do sleep now, it is deep and profound-- I gotta recommend giving up caffeine to anyone who asks. I figure another week or two to really get back in the swing of things. I also adjusted my nutrition to put my carbohydrate and fructose intake nearer my training session. This has been a smoother ride. Onward to week 3! Lifting is one of the best things I do for myself.

Squat Bench Deadlift Still ramping up, and looking to add the accessory lifts. Lifting has been hard, especially the first session this week. Conversely, the cut itself seems to be going well. It's the first week of summer and I'm trying to make it as productive as possible. My intention is to begin tracking the progression next Monday. In the meantime, I continue to try to figure things out. I'm in an aggressive caloric deficit, and I think the difficulty I'm feeling in the gym may be somewhat related to meal timing, so going to attempt to move a carb-heavy meal closer to training time. I quit caffeine 9 days ago. Somewhere around day 6, after the horrible symptoms of withdrawal had let up, I started getting the kind of sleep I've been dreaming about for years. I dream every night. I wake up every morning energized and ready to go. Where sleep is failing is, I'm staying up too late and horsing around. My thoughts this week: add in accessory lifts, dial in sleep...

Squat Bench Deadlift The groove is getting greased. The weights are heavy and I'm a bit sore, but every day more momentum builds. I think it will take probably 3-4 weeks to really click back in, so it's nice to be a quarter of way there. I have also given up caffeine and drastically cleaned up nutrition, and all is interconnected. Since my restart protocol is not really a linear progression, I don't tend to track it as much as I reach for a baseline. I expect next week will bring a baseline I recognize, and I'll start number tracking/a more earnest progression at the beginning of week 3. For me, a restart protocol is really about understanding recovery and what DOMS (delayed onset of muscular soreness) is. And also restoring a lifestyle and a habit-- finding the love again. Let me give a small example. The first couple of days back to the gym, I did not bring my backpack... since I didn't need all the lifting gear at this point of the journey. But looking at the bac...

On the Menu: Backsquat Bench press Deadlift Chin ups (or lat-assisted chin downs) Lying tricep extension Bicep curls I have just left a disorganized and chaotic season in life, and so it becomes time to strength train. My regret being that I lost this valuable lifestyle, I am eager to restore it-- alongside anybody who wants to join along for the summer. Many years ago, I read the opening paragraph of "Starting Strength" and it has proven to be true to me, time and time again. The importance of physical strength cannot be overstated.  The importance of exercise, movement and diet cannot be overstated. These foundational pillars of our very being bear real effects and consequences on our lives, moods, perspectives... and once you engage in an undertaking of fitness, you might very well find yourself transformed into a lifestyle you never thought possible. It's yours for the taking. This blog is a limited time undertaking as I restart my training and reach a novice baseline...