IDK anything about HIIT or running, but I'm sure I've seen Soulman recommend 2x5 or 3x3 squatting, prob twice a week. I'm a fool, but I'd try to up the weight when I can. If you start failing, then you can think about staying at a same weight.

You have a lot of time to lose 10-15lbs. I'd aim for 1lb a week and aim to increase numbers when I can.

Ty, 3x3 actually sounds pretty good. Maybe I'll rotate between that and 2x5. For upper body lifts too?

The 10-15 lb was more like an expected/minimum weight loss - I'd definitely like to lose as much as possible.

12/20/11

Press
110x5x2

Deadlift
315x4
Definitely could tell I hadn't deadlifted heavy in about 3 weeks.

My father randomly decides he wants to learn SS the day before I move, when I'd been trying to push him into it for months, so he tagged along today and I taught him the press and the DL. He's 63. Worked up to 65x5x3 on the press (pretty easy for him) and like 95x5x5 on the DL. He actually gets in a pretty good starting position when he remembers to set everything, told him he can up pretty quick on this when he gets his form solid.

12/22/11

Weighed myself on Wednesday morning, and I came in at about 204-205 lbs, depending on the time of the day. That's down from 210 about 5 days before.

Bench Press
167.5x5
167.5x5
Surprisingly pretty easy actually.

Squat
200x5
200x5
Pretty easy as well.


Chin-ups
Pyramid up to 5 (25 total)


12/24/11
Press
112.5x4
112.5x4
This was rough.

Squat
205x5
205x5
Somewhat tough, no real grinders.

Pendlay Rows
157.5x4
157.5x4
Stupid hard.

12/27/11

Deadlift
315x4
335x1

Bench Press
170x4
170x5
Weight was definitely doable, a little problem with the unrack on the first set. I'll repeat the weight and get them all next time.

Cut definitely went on a few day break during the holiday there, couldn't really help it. Back to it now.

12/30/11

Press
115x3x3

Squat
207.5x5x2

Chin-ups
3x8 (8 sets of 3)

1/3/12

Bench Press
170x5x2
Tough. Both 5th reps were about 5 second grinders

Squat
210x5
210x4
Brutally tough. Just about failed 5th rep at the bottom. 4th rep on 2nd set was a serious grinder, would have had no chance at a 5th. Going to go to 3x3 for a little while and try to keep increasing.

Pendlay Rows
155x5x2

Weighed in this morning at 203, down from my peak of 210.

1/4/12

Sprints

1/5/12

Well today was really f*cking frustrating

Press
105x2 (originally a warm-up set, barely got them up)
115x1 (a true 1RM, did this weight 3x3 last press workout)
105x3
105x3
IDK what happened, everything was feeling fine and out of nowhere my last warm-up set barely went up. Was planning on 117.5x3x3 today. Decided to try 115 and I BARELY got 1 rep up. IDK whether this happened because I worked out so early today (I have before and it's never effected me) or because I'm cutting too fast (down to about 2,000 calories/day) or because I did sprints yesterday or what.

Deadlift
305x3
325x1
Pretty terrible also. It's not too long ago I pulled 320x5 and I had been pulling 315x4 the last bunch of workouts. Decided to try to get a set of 5 so dropped it a little, and the 4th one barely broke the ground.

1/6/12

Sprints

I want to be ready if I'm invited to this March academy. Fingers crossed.

Is there a better way to program these than just go out, sprint as fast as I can, walk until I get my breath back, and repeat?

Body feels pretty beat up from deficiting + lifting + sprinting all week. Going away this weekend so I'll have a nice 2 day recovery from physical activity.

1/9/12

Bench Press
172.5x3x3

Squat
212.5x3x3

Chin-ups
3x8 (8 sets of 3, approx. 90 seconds rest between sets)

I really like the triples for the big lifts on a cut. I feel like it beats me up a lot less so I can recover for the next workout, and it's only 1 rep less total volume than 5x2.

Not too knowledgeable on any form of cardio, but thought this article looked pretty good (scroll to the bottom and ignore the lame URL/pics): http://www.simplyshredded.com/crank-...-training.html

You're on the right path with doing lower volume. Don't be afraid to take a deload week either if you need to.

Thanks SM.....bookmarked the article and will check it out when I get time. Definitely going to take you up on that deload week at some point, my body is starting to feel pretty beat up

1/10/12
I went to the local rec center for "drop-in basketball" from 1pm-4pm. Unfortunately, I was the only one that dropped in, but it was still fun because I hadn't touched a basketball in a long time. I basically spent the first 2 hours rotating between 20 minutes of shooting drills + 20 minutes of doing stuff on my phone. Man, I thought I wouldn't even remember how to shoot but it was all still there. Felt so good that I'm going to try the Thursday night drop in where supposedly people actually show up to that one so I hopefully I'll get some full court run.

For the last hour in the gymnasium, I did an assortment of conditioning stuff from suicides to full court sprint dribbling and lay-ups to running up and down the court shooting transitions 3's to running sprints around the outside of the court.

I definitely want to be ready to go if I get invited to this academy in March and there's supposedly A LOT of running involved.


1/11/12
Press
107.5x3x3
Felt much better than my last press abomination. Gonna go for a 2.5 lb increase next time and expect to get it.

Squat
215x3x3
I thought these were going to be brutal based on how much running I did yesterday and how sore my legs were, but I powered through this without any real threat of failing. 2.5 lb increase for sure.

Pendlay Rows
155x5x2

I started my cut in between 2 and 3 weeks ago, and I've lost 10 lbs. Way faster than I expected, but I'm definitely not complaining as long as my strength doesn't decline at a ridiculous rate. I'm going to up my calories just a little bit and aim to lose about 2 lbs a week until the academy in about 7 weeks. That would put me at around 185 lbs which would be so much better to deal with all of the running than the 210 I was at.

1/13/12

Well, that was quite the bummer. I showed up to drop-in basketball last night and the guy told me it was cancelled for the foreseeable future because some guys got into a scuffle on Tuesday and somebody kicked a ball and put a hole in the scoreboard. I just moved here so I don't know anywhere else to play and after some googling I found that a rec center about 15 minutes from me has drop-in basketball every afternoon Monday-Thursday so I'm going to go check that out next week for sure. So I missed my running yesterday, I normally rest on the weekends but I may try to get some sprints in tomorrow or Sunday, we'll see how it goes. Went to the gym today:

Bench Press
175x3x3 WR!
Pretty happy I set my weight PR whilst on a cut. Boy, what a difference a hand-off makes. I asked the only other guy in the free weight section for a lift-off on the first set, and I busted out 3 reps easy. Probably had one or two more in the tank. Then he left, so I was on my own for the last 2 sets, and barely grinded the 3rd reps up. The 9th rep probably took me over 5 seconds to lock-out and I had to raise my ass off the seat just a touch to get through a stick point. I'll probably repeat this weight next time for that reason, unless there's a spotter available, in which case I may go for a 2.5 lb increase.

Deadlift
300x4
Still can't get a set of 5 up. Seems like the DL is hurting the most on the cut. Going to drop 5 lbs again next week and see if I can't pull a set of 5.

Wasn't feeling well earlier this week. I tried a workout on Monday, but got extremely lightheaded doing presses. I tried to squat anyway, but couldn't really stand up after my 95x5 warm-up, so I called it quits and rested a few days. Had plenty on my mind anyway, preparing for the police oral board which I took this morning and think I killed. Hopefully I get through all of the background, polygraph, and psychological stuff and get an academy invite soon.

1/16/12
Press
110x3x3


1/19/12
Got back to it today but didn't feel quite 100%, so I didn't lift quite 100%.

Bench Press
165x5
165x4
Meh, may have had the last one, but didn't have the WIM to try it and didn't want to look like an idiot failing with 4 other people in the room.

Squat
200x5x2
Pretty easy.

Chin-ups
8x3 (8 sets of 3)
Approximately 75-90 second average rest between sets.

Weight's at about 198.

1/21/12
Press
112.5x3x3

Squat
205x5x2

Pendlay Rows
150x5x2

1/24/12
Bench Press
170x3x3
Really hard. Form kind of sucked. Repeat weight next time.

Deadlift
285x5
Easy enough.