Jim,
About a year ago, I wrote in asking about training while in medical school. You advised to train twice a week doing two lifts per day. I actually started this template a few months before school because I was so busy (work, wedding planning, drinking high beams, etc.) and had great results. Anyway, I just read some of your stuff on assistance work, and couldn't agree more. For the last six months I have been in class/studying for 16 hours a day, sleeping very little, and probably getting 80g of protein per day. In spite of all that, I have continued to make progress in the gym. How is this possible? Simple, I still train two days a week with two lifts per day. I hit the required reps for each main lift on 5s week, go for rep maxes on 3s, and play the 1s by ear. If I'm feeling frisky, I might throw in some chins or rows. That's it. Now this is what works for me. Is it ideal? Probably not, but I am working with what I've got and making the best of it. All I know is that I don't have the time or the energy to screw around with extra shit, that in the grand scheme of things, really doesn't matter. Pretty sure there are much more important things in life to worry about than this stuff. Just my two cents. Thanks Jim. -Chris
Chris,
First, congrats on school - good for you for making the sacrifices to better yourself. Second, thanks for applying common sense to your training. And third, good luck.
To those reading this and that haven't read the Beyond 5/3/1 book, understand that the training you do MUST compliment your life. If you are busy in other areas of your life, particularly stressful areas, your training must reflect this. The good news is that having limited time gives you zero excuses, so you can't blame school, work or family for not being strong as hell. Take a note from Chris and BALANCE your training with your life.
