2 steps back 1 step forward

[abuelow22]

Age: 26
Height: 6'3
Weight: ~220

This is my road back to the basics. Background: I have spent almost exactly a decade under a barbell in some form. I started training in 2012 like so many of us for high school football but it was never of any quality. I later proceeded to play D2 football from 2015-2017 before concussions ended my career. During that time I squated somewhere in the high 300s, cleaned in the mid 200s and benched somewhere in the high/mid 200s. Since then I continued to train but very inconsistently and with a lot of program hopping. Last year I ended with a 375 lbs squat, 245 bench and. 415 deadlift. After a decade under the bar this ain't it.

With that being said the goal for me is to run the NLP for as long as I can and ultimately to stick to a plan. No distractions, no adding my own bull
****, just simple and consistent work. I am currently reading both, starting strength and practical programming so let's see where this journey takes me.

[abuelow22]

Friday 01/28
Squat 245 3x5
Press 95 3x5
Deadlift 315 1x5
Chins 4/3

[abuelow22]

Sunday 01/30
Squat: 250 3x5
Bench: 165 3x5
Cleans: 95 5x3 (haven't done a clean in probably 3 years. Those will take some practice)
Chins: 5/4

[DaveJF]

Stick with the plan! The program is fantastic and since you played D2 Football and had a pretty good Power Clean, I'm guessing you probably have a shot at a better NLP then many (most of which get great results _if _ they follow the program). Recovery is key.. My advice if you haven't seen it yet.. Keep this bookmarked for when the reps get tough (esp. Question 3): The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe.

[abuelow22]

Thank you for the encouragement and guiding me to the article. Recovery is in fact something I am sort of concerned about. Eating is not a problem for me. My all time high was around 255lbs. Getting my weight back up will not be a concern. Though, my job is very inconsistent when it comes to hours of work required from me along with fluctuations in stress levels. Some months are very slow, some months I do struggle to get sufficient amounts of sleep.

Anyways ...

Tuesday 02/01
Squat: 255 - 5/5/5
Press: 100 - 5/5/5
Deadlift: 325 1x5

[abuelow22]

Friday 02/04
Squat: 260 5/5/5
Bench: 170 5/5/5
Cleans: 105 3/3/3/3/3

With snowstorms going on in the Midwest, today's squats took some grit in a 10 degree cold unheated garage.

[abuelow22]

Switching to weekly logging for a better overview

LP week 3

BW: 223 lbs

Sunday 02/06/2022

Squat: 265 5/5/5
Press: 105 5/5/5
Deadlift: 335 5

Session felt not too bad but Deadlifts are starting to feel pretty heavy. Switching to 5 pound jumps for now and maybe only pulling once per week sooner or later.

Wednesday 02/09/2022

Squat: 270 5/5/5
Bench: 170 5/5/5
Pendley Rows: 135 5/5/5

Session felt good. Had to switch to Rows instead of cleans because I was forced to train at a commercial gym which did not seem too supportive of olympic lifts.

Friday 02/11/2022

Squat: 275 5/5/5
Press: 110 5/5/4/1
Deadlift: 340 5

Friday felt like absolute garbage. Loooong week and less sleep then usual shows. 400 mg of caffeine did not help. Will tackle 110 next week again and probably start micro loading afterwards. I may also switch to Deadlifts once a week either next week or the week after.