The older I get, the more I realize training isn't going to be easy. Not the intensity of training mind you. What I am speaking of is whether my body will actually allow me the privilege of doing it.
With injuries, I have been able to consistently train, but not have a consistent program. For the past year, I have been forever training around one issue or another.
For months I have been taking painstaking notes on the use of different exercises, bars, machines, boxes, dumbbells, handles, etc. In addition, I have been very attentive to how I lift. Meaning, eccentric, concentric, speed, form, pauses, and rest periods.
Through this effort, I have narrowed my list down to four exercises per workout. In all only 11 different movements. Two upper days and two lower days. I have the tempo, weights, sets, reps, and rest periods figured out. It's based on 5/3/1 Boring But Big, but that's a post for another day.
The big news is, I have made it through a full three-week rotation and am as pain-free as when I started. I didn't have to alter a thing during the cycle. I haven't felt this triumphant since my last 600 lb bench. It truly is a Christmas miracle.
One of my 2023 goals is to run the same program for the entire year. Of course, there will be some carefully chosen progressions, but the movements themselves will not be changed. At least, that's the plan.
