storm will break the silence

         I have half a mind to just start whining about a laundry list of fucked up shit, most of it having to do with the fact that I'm still struggling a bit to figure out what my next few steps professionally should be, but I'm not sure I really feel like unburdening myself here, now.  I think i have resolution on that issue at a high level, i just need a plan now, so I guess it'd be less bitching and more thinking out loud, but I'm not sure that my thinking out loud is compelling reading.  Besides, I don't think i'd be saying anything new beyond what i've been talking about in that arena for the last couple of weeks, at least publicly.  The real plan needs to simmer a bit more before i start discussing that, methinks.  That and I'm sitting in a really nice coffee shop in San Jose on a fairly lovely Thursday early-afternoon and it just doesn't seem like the right thing to do, so brief moment of self-pity over, move along, nothing to see here.  Still hibernating, and spring is a long way off from here.


         I've been reading alot recently, as I've alluded to on a few occasions, I just finished The Education of A Bodybuilder, by the man himself, Arnie.  Now, there are a million reasons you should read this book, but I'm going to let you figure those out yourself by reading.  The one thing I will mention is that it's interesting to read the disconnect between what you see on the newsstands as the "workouts that made arnold great" and what the man himself says.  As most of you educated lifters know, it's pretty much what you expect, start with the basics.  Whatever your goal is, you'll never go wrong with squats, deadlifts, presses, and the like.

        That said, taking a cue from this excellent article by Dave Tate (as opposed to all the non-excellent articles by Dave Tate?  Yeah, no such thing), I'm going to incorporate some thoughts from Education of A Bodybuilder and Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding into my program.  The thing I realize is that, as often as it seems like I "change" programs, really all I'm doing at this point is tweaking.  I can hear the gasps from all the P90Xers and Crossfitters out there, i know, i'm not making sweeping changes and confusing my muscles, etc etc, trust me, it works.  Your muscles really aren't that smart, they get confused VERY easily.  Dumbbell presses just aren't sexy or marketable, oh yeah, and you might get "bulky".  Fuck off.

        I like the idea of what Arnold calls "Freehand" exercises, which are basically just a bunch of bodyweight sets.  I'm going to start my weeks with a split similar to what he mentions using when he started out training in Austria.  I did this split today, and I definitely realize the truth of it.  It's not only a great way to start a training week, it feels like it'll be a good deload set, as well as a goalkeeper, the idea of going from 5x20 to 2x50 to 1x100 to nx100, that sort of thing.  Definitely something to think about.

• Pushup: 5x20
• Dip: 10x5
• Inverted Row: 15,15,20
• Situp: 5x20
• Flat Knee to Chest: 2x25
• Bodyweight Squat: 2x25
• Bodyweight Donkey Calf: 2x25

        There are some sets I still need to toss into this split, namely Bent Broomstick Twists and Chinups, but those will come.  Recent stressors, most notably the move, have me on an odd sleeping pattern, so I'm doing what I can, but we'll figure it out.  All in all...is good.

Today's TrainingTune: Endzeit - Heaven Shall Burn