Training.

5/27 - deadlifts [repPR 180/396x7], situps, backxt

2'ish years running [mostly] Wendler 5/3/1 and I managed to hit repPRs in all my benchmark barbell lifts before I head out on 4-6 weeks of travel, moving and ad hoc/improvised/probably mostly bodyweight & conditioning workouts.  I did want to lock in some level of success/feeling of accomplishment by hitting repPRs in May.  So, I'm gonna #humblebrag a "Fuck Yeah."  Overall, solid progress, not having done any real barbell work in years.  Got some nice bumps in beginner gains/neurological patterning those first 3-6 months and just spent the rest of the year and a half grinding and eating.  Managed, I think, to take my lifts from "shit" to "suck" on the 'shit-suck-good-great' scale.  Except for squats, which are still kind of shitty.  Who'd have thunk it that no real squatting from HS football to age 40 would in any way impede strength or progress?  Oh, everyone?  My bad.

Part of the strength gains obviously came from the 'eat all the things and drink all the beers' nutrition plan, which, despite me thinking I should reign it in on several occasions, I never really did.  I'm gonna blame... well, nothing.  I was shitty about eating well to stay relatively lean.  End of story.  Put a couple inches back on my waistline and am about 20-25lbs heavier than when I got to Thailand.  [And that was already 5lbs heavier than the leanest I've been in the last 5 years or so... in Liberia & D.C.]   Let's call it, generously, half muscle/half fat.  So there's def some #fatstrong going on, but not too horrible.  The transition back to the States will be a good opportunity to lean back out and dial it in.

Started tracking repPRs after about a year into it [had to on deads, as the local gym only has 400lbs of weight and one barbell] but I really dug tracking it on the other lifts as well.  Kept motivation up and gave me goals and #s to shoot for every workout.  While the repPR only very slightly lines up w/the 1RM I do really dig it as a tool to track progress.  

In the last 2 years I've really fallen in love with the deadlift.  It's just a primal 'go pick that fucking heavy thing up.'  And you either do, or you don't.  And while doing them touch&go at heavier weights and higher reps invariably leads a gang of invisible, angry midgets to come and stab me in my lower back, I still dig it.  [Worth reminding myself, once I get back to a gym, that singles/resets/without coming off the bar will probably pay much higher dividends, especially wrt staying injury free.]  They always ask the pros the "if you could only do one [or three] exercises/what's you're favorite" I think I'd go with deadlifts.  Then chins and presses.  

So, the next week and half, take the workouts as they come w/a little bit of cruise control... then on the road.  Ever onwards...