It's been quite a while, several waves in fact, since I've observed a deload. According to the format which Jim Wendler lays out in his original 5/3/1 program, the deload follows at the end of every wave, allowing the joints and nervous system some recovery time. At my age, I definitely should not be missing the deload weeks. This week, I'll be going with the deload template, staying under 60% for my final sets, and catching up on stretching, rest and extra cardio. I'll post the deload workouts on the blog anyways if anyone's interested.
I thought I would also post an update on my supplementation. In an earlier post, I wrote of the supplements I was using at the time, which were basically Kaizen brand creatine monohydrate and a pre-workout drink blend called Black Powder:
A Day of Rest and Some Supplement Info
I still plan on continuing with Kaizen's creatine product. It's good stuff and is very reasonably priced. I no longer use Black Powder. It was effective, but I found another pre-workout product that was better priced (at least in my gym) and that gets the job done for me. It's called Wired and is made by PhD:
PhD Wired
I like to mix a couple scoops with water and take a few gulps just before I hit my working sets.
Another supplement which I take is ZMA, which is basically a zinc and magnesium complex. I currently use the capsules marketed by Optimum Nutrition.
Optimum's ZMA
I've read the reports on the studies which concluded that ZMA increased strength in football players. Charles Poliquin, the strength and fitness guru, writes glowingly about the benefits of ZMA as well, citing how many strength athletes become deficient in these minerals due to their intense workouts. Personally, I enjoy the sleep benefits of this complex. If taken before bed, you get some very intense, lucid dreams from it.
Other than that, I just try to eat right. My wife is a great cook, and believe it or not, I love cooking too and we often take turns doing up dinners during the week. My weaknesses are two: beer and chocolate. I'm not into liquor, but beer has always been my favourite beverage (well, coffee comes in a close second!). I love the suds, probably because of my Germanic background, but I take consolation in the fact that it has at least some nutrition in it. Apparently, Mariusz Pudzianowski, the famed Polish strongman is also a lover of chocolate and according to one interview with him which I have read, eats quite a bit of the stuff during the day.
Eat right, train hard and make sure you enjoy life.
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