If you read only the stuff I write and don't frequent over to Vinny D's logs, you are missing out of 57% more content that can make you 100% better.

Vincent and I have an ongoing dialog that we have fostered a great friendship over the years.  I trust Vincent as he does with me.  We bounce ideas off each other and take council in each others advise.

Vinny has been writing about his slow progression into an entirely different animal.  Formerly a 300 plus pound world record and class act powerlifter, into an in shape, tell tale of how to's and avoidance of the mistakes he has made over the years.

Why is this important?  Because we never stop being a Warrior.  However our approach has got to evolve as we do or we shall perish and worse, become insignificant and not DANGEROUS.

I have had an on going issue with my shoulder.  It had gotten to the point where I no longer could ignore the pain and had to go to an Orthopedic Surgeon at Stanford University Medical.  Top notch fella, ordered me up an MRI, X ray and some blood work.

I have always been one to prepare for the worse, but hope for the best.  I'm thinking I will go in to consult with this guy and find out what the damage is.  I hate it when a Doc will order some pictures and then make another appointment to go over the results weeks later.  Not this guy.  I go downstairs, couple Poloroids, a selfie or two and by the time I get back upstairs into his office, he's sitting there and has the results.

I have arthritis.  Yup...bone articulating on bone.  I am elated.  WHAT?  I'm stoked for arthritis?  Well...yea, here I'm prepared for the "OK, let's schedule you for a full on shoulder replacement" so when I get the how to fix it guide...I am JACKED the fuck up!

While the Doc and I are going over the how to's, he puts two and two together and realizes that I might know a thing or two about rehab'n this inflammation.

I totally dig it when our conversation turned to the "Aging Athlete" and the approach that Vincent and I  adhere to.

I have stolen and customized Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program and added a rep to it by utilizing my own 6-4-2.  Why?  Well, for me, I never want anyone of my people nor myself doing a single one rep max.  I figured out a long time ago that the human machine will do what ever it takes to do a 100% 1 rep and that means forgoing some technique at times.  The two reps let's me coach so that if the first rep goes awry then we can call it at that.

Furthermore, I use a "Perceived Rate of Exertion". A one to ten scale of how hard the participant feels that set was.

Normally we will work our maxes to a PRE of 7 or 8.

Why is this important?  Part of the Doctor's and my conversation turned and sounded more like mine and Vinny's.  So I knew we were on the same page.

He reminded me of the World Class sprinter from the 80's, Carl Lewis.  He mentioned to me that on a YouTube video with the enhancements of the digital pictures how relaxed and facially unchanged Carl Lewis was when he won the Gold Medal in the Olympics and his world record time, where the others were straining to gain on him.

Carl had changed coaches in the early 80's and his new coach told him to "try less hard".  The effort put into increasing his speed actually turned out to slow him down.  Same thing while training.  If you constantly break PR's in training then you won't be breaking many at events.

Ed Coan told me one time, "I never PR in the gym.  You only get so many of them in a lifetime."

He's right!  Vincent is right!

Now lets take 90% of the people in a gym.  Most are there only to look good naked!  Rare are the people like us that want to continually get stronger and become "Immortal".

Immortality will never be reached if we keep red lining our training.  However, back off 20% and train forever!

You can train hard. You can train long.  But you can't train hard very long.

It should be something to look forward to.  It should not be an added stress.

Yes, I am talking to the competitive athlete as well.  Even though we may not be lifting to be a better lifter, we are using lifting techniques to become a better athlete.

I don't care if my "linebackers and hockey players" squat 500 lbs.  If they can?  Great.  But, if I can make their squat/deadlift/bench better than it is now, then a stronger Athlete will always trump a weaker one.

Back off and stay in for the long haul.

Today's Training:

Run: 3 miles  slow and sloth like

Dynamic Bench: 15 sets of 3 with increasing weight every three set.

Cable Fly: 3x20

Face Pulls: 100 reps