Jager Bombs & Pound Town

John,

First of all, thank you so much for your website. It has really opened my eyes on how I approach diet and training. 

The reason I’m writing you is that for the past week (and the next week too), I will be extremely busy working on a project for school. I’ll be putting in 12+ hours per day for the next week on this project alone, not including other class work. With this schedule, it prevents me from training. I am trying to ‘damage control’ myself as best as I can. 

Here’s what I can do:

– Get 8 hours of sleep. This can be done. I know how I function with limited sleep and everything you read stresses the importance of sleeping.

– Try to keep my diet as clean as possible. I’m eating a butt ton of eggs in the morning, having a protein shake/piece of meat and veggies for lunch and trying to eat as healthy as possible for dinner (i.e. not Taco Bell, Hungry Howies or other ‘food’ places). Ok, I got that.

That means the only thing I don’t have time for is lifting. I know that misses a few days isn’t the end of the world, and maybe a good thing. I was wondering at what point do you take a step backwards by not working out? Is there a way to prevent or lessen any strength loses?

I know that finals are approaching for many of your readers too, and I think a lot of people could use your insight about this issue.

Thanks,

Seth

Sleep is a vital component to your success in the classroom and life. I wish I had known more about sleep, and the effects of lack there of, when I was in college and my first years in the NFL.

For most the 90’s and early 2000’s I had the mentality, “I will get all the sleep I need when I am dead”, needless to say, that mentality will set you up for an early date with the Chiron.

Lets look at this intelligently; you are not getting paid to workout. You are, however, paying an exorbitant amount of money to attend college, thus your full-time job is to earn high marks.

I have received more than a few emails over the years, more angry than anything, about why I don’t program deloads in the program.

My philosophy is simple, life programs deloads, so why should I have to do it?

Injuries, long weekends with your girl, a drunken Thursday night that turn into Saturday afternoon; you’re graduation, the birth of twins (minimum 3 month deload) or weeklong projects that require 8 hours of sleep.

You will come back after your “deload” and be ready to crush it like Luke heading to Pound Town after 2 jager bombs.

However, if your life requires you to be away from the gym for more than 8 days, you need to find time to train. These two workouts are simple and should not take longer than 60 mins. If the 60 min mark comes and you have not finished, leave.

Workout #1
– Walk in, spend 5 mins warming up.
– Proceed to work up to a heavy set of 5 reps in the back squat.
– Immediately head over and do 3-5 sets of max reps pull ups or chin ups.
– Rest 3-5 mins
– Try to get 100 push ups as fast as possible, in the least amount of sets.

Workout #2
– Walk in, spend 5 mins warming up.
– Proceed to work up to the a heavy set of 5 reps in the press
– Drop the weight to the floor, add 2 45’s to each side, spend no more than 3 sets to work up to a heavy 5 on the deadlift.
– Rest 3-5 mins
– Perform 50 evil wheels from your knees with an olympic bar.
– 50 back extensions or 50 full glute ham raises.