Training and Progress

We were supposed to do dynamic squat and deadlift training Friday evening but we ended up pushing back training a day. Friday was a very busy evening for us as we got some more equipment for the gym and by time we end up driving all over the place and getting things set up it was just too late to train. The extra day of recovery actually serves me quite well as my lower back is pretty beat up as it is.

We got a nice power rack for next to nothing along with a nice heavy duty bar. A gym whether home or commercial can never have enough bars.This brings our gym total to two power racks, a squat rack, a lat pull down machine and low pulley row, a bench press bench and a FID (flat, incline, decline) utility bench. Two leg extension and leg curl stations and two preacher curl stations (that we never use but got them all the same). Two Olympic bars, two curl bars, multiple lat attachment bars, about a thousand pounds worth of weight, and two sets of dumbbells. We also have a box for box squatting at multiple heights, boards for board pressing, bands and chains, and a sled for dragging. And of course no gym would be complete without a chalk bowl.

Not a bad set up and always expanding. I hope to have a heavy duty flat bench soon, some more weights, a l;eg press/hack squat machine, and to get some specialty bars like a safety squat bar and a cambered bar. For right now though my main focus is getting the gym organized and laid out in the best fashion possible. We should have this done (at least mostly done) by this evening. If we do of course I will post on here an update.

Last night we did the dynamic squat and deadlift training.

10 sets of 2 reps dynamic squats. We did 5 sets straight weight and then the last five sets we used reverse mini-bands and ended up working up to heavy singles.
3 sets of rack lock outs with the squat. We set the safety catches to about a quarter squat position and did lock outs. We did about 5 reps or so each set, we really weren't counting, we just made sure to do them heavy.
4 sets of 12 reps pull throughs
4 sets of 12 reps heavy leg extensions.

Normally we would of performed lat work as well but it was late at that point and we were pretty beat up and I was having some stomach issues to say the least. We made a judgment call and decided to do some lat work along with our shoulder work today. As my best friend always says, not that big a deal, since we do not train our lats again until Wednesday.

I lost three pounds this week. That brings my total to 35 pounds. I still have a ways to go but soon I will be at a point where I no longer will try to lose weight or more than a pound a week or so but for the next few weeks I am reducing my caloric intake again to get to that point where I will want to slow down my weight loss. My strength levels are still up but they will not stay so indefinitely as I reduce my calories. I have been losing about an average of 12 pounds a month or so which is actually a fairly big number but inconsistent at times. More like I lose a pound one week and then 4 the next. Trying to level that out. So long as I am moving towards my goal and staying strong though, why change anything so I won't until one of those two things change.