Brian Jones - Texas Method - Stage 2: From Cripple to Starting Strength Coach

[Brian Jones]

I incurred leg injuries in April 2011. After a year of running Starting Strength with Linear Progression,(my log can be found here http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=31143 ) competing and placing in a meet, hitting and surpassing goals of a 315 lb squat, 250 lb bench and 500lb DL, attending a Starting Strength Seminar and holding my own - I was advised by Rip that I was no longer "Brian Broke Legs". "Broke Legs" was in the past. I am now a strong dude wanting to get stronger. Stef is changing my name on the forum and I am moving into the Texas Method for a period of time. Consideration was given to running Les aka "Callador"s 4x4 program - however I have decided to continue on with TM and will revisit 4x4 in the future.

Current Stats:
Age: 45
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 316 lb
Squat: 330 official in a meet
Bench: 260 official in a meet
Deadlift: 502 official in a meet

Next Goals:

Weight: 275 weight class (ultimately would like to be at a body weight of 240 - 260)
Squat: 405 official in a meet
Bench: 300 official in a meet
Deadlift: 600 official in a meet

Goal: Coach successful trainees to include my wife, a neighbor, teen son of neighbor as well as young adults associated with the Boy's & Girl's Club

Goal: Earn my Starting Strength Coaching Certificate and eventually be able to give back to Rip, WFAC but more importantly other lifter/trainees that fall outside of the mold due to age, injury or size. I want to show them anything is possible. That you can go from this:



and this:



To this:




and this:




This is the next step for me .. looking forward to seeing where I will end up.

Brian J

[Brian Jones]

You can do it!![/schneidermode]

Awesome!! Thank you!

[Les Hahn]

Are you going to run TM as a split or whole body?

[Todd Saunders]

Brian, it was great meeting you this weekend at the seminar. It was a blast working out with you and learning from you. Keep up the great work. You are a true inspiration for those times when the lifting gets tough. Take care friend.

Todd Saunders

[Brian Jones]

Are you going to run TM as a split or whole body?

Whole body, Les. Medium, Light, Heavy Days. Mon - Squat, Bench, DL . . Wed - Squat, Press... Fri - Squat, Bench, Clean. etc etc It will be demanding, I am sure however I want to push myself. I backed some weight off all my lifts - -both starting the new program and to assist me in the tweaking for better technique I learned at the seminar. It will take a bit to get used to sets of 5 again. Whats the worst that could happen? Break my legs . .BAHAHAHAAHHAAHHAH

[Brian Jones]

Brian, it was great meeting you this weekend at the seminar. It was a blast working out with you and learning from you. Keep up the great work. You are a true inspiration for those times when the lifting gets tough. Take care friend.

Todd Saunders

I appreciate the kind words, Todd. It is obvious that you and your wife are committed to both physical success from a personal health standpoint along with continued success at your training facility. If you get a moment PM me your email address and facility info. I would love to visit someday. Gives me a great excuse to convince the wife to spend some MORE time in the Carolinas . . lol. Keep doing your thing friend.

Brian J

[Brian Jones]

Jumped in to TM here.

Light Day

Squat
45x2x5
95x5
135x3
185x2
230x2x5

Good form here. Very good depth. Actually am feeling the bounce reflex now once I was corrected by Jordan and Rip. Kept my lower back tight the way it is coached. Excellent cues and coaching tips from the seminar there. I did end up winded. This is a result of a week off after my meet...a light week before my meet and NOT working sets of 5 for several months leading up to the meet. Really happy with this.

Press

45x2x5
65x5
85x3
105x2
120x3x5

Love this Press. It is the new version. Rip and Mac both were excellent with this as well. It is a combined hip forward bump with the lift coming on the rebound. I have taken the cues and "personalized" them to a point where I have the technique on this lift locked in solid now. Boom (Hips bump forward) Hey! (Throw your hands in the air) . . lol. Not a Rip endorsed cue set . .but I know what it means . .lol. Don't forget to shrug the traps at the top!

[Les Hahn]

Heh, I don't think that will happen! :-) I would just be worried about doing all whole body routine on a cut, especially when it gets heavy. For a lot of folks, splitting up the work yields better gains over time. It is pretty easy to split up TM too, which worked well for me.

I think it was a good idea to back the weight off and dial in the new technique. Hopefully that will get you moving more poundage in the near future.

Best of luck with the new program!

[Brian Jones]

Heh, I don't think that will happen! :-) I would just be worried about doing all whole body routine on a cut, especially when it gets heavy. For a lot of folks, splitting up the work yields better gains over time. It is pretty easy to split up TM too, which worked well for me.

I think it was a good idea to back the weight off and dial in the new technique. Hopefully that will get you moving more poundage in the near future.

Best of luck with the new program!

I am not hammering the cut as hard as I originally planned - - fasting,etc . . . Jordan gave me some good tips. Starting out will be eating my weight in protein grams, carbs pre and post workout and cleaning some things up. Nothing major drastic. See how I feel in a week or so

[DCM]

That pic of you and Rip is priceless :-)