So, the bad news is that I won't be playing flag football this Spring. A bunch of guys backed out at the last minute, preventing us from fielding a team. Kind of annoying, since a bunch of the guys bailed just a day or two before the season was to start (yesterday). I think I'm both disappointed at something I was greatly anticipating, as well as upset that I rearranged my workout schedule in order to fit this in, and now that change wasn't necessary (not that it's been a bad change).
The good news is that my weightlifting is going well, with steady progress every week. Of course, I'm now down to one week of sessions left before I take a break over the Summer (transferring the funds to our Europe trip - $700/month for training adds up quickly!). But, nonetheless, I'm pleased with the progress that I've made and the marks that I've achieved.
Today, for example, I reached a few new personal records. I put up 680lbs (that's 7 plates/side plus 50lb sled) on the leg press for 10 reps. I increased my bench press to 5 unassisted reps at 175 (over 3 reps last week). Not that long ago, I could barely bench the bar. I was able to do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups with only 60lbs assistance, and could have gone with less support in actuality. This is a significant improvement over just a few months ago, when I required twice that much assistance.
Not a PR, but my squats are finally getting back to peak. Today I did 8 reps at 295. Next week we hope to get back to 315, my PR. More importantly, my stability is greatly improved on squats. I'm finally recovered from the broken ankle of 2006, it seems, and significantly recovered from the hamstring pull of a couple months ago.
Overall, I'm very happy with the progress that I've been making. It's unfortunate that I'll be taking a break from training before hitting a plateau, but that's life, I guess. I hope to still get into the gym twice/week to do upper and lower body workouts. It just won't be quite the same without a trainer there to keep me honest.
