AYCE was nice but...

Yeah. 

But seriously, AYCE quickly became an addictive program, but... 

I want to have more time for other training modalities. 

I'm just not enough of a gym rat to do a daily gym session. 

Perryman helped me exorcise the specter of "overtraining" but I found AYCE too hard to program, and I wasn't seeing the gains I expected from it (blame my poor sleep lifestyle, I know). 

So I'm going back to what I know works for me: Even Keel! 

This will give me more time for recovery, more time for grip training, and more time for "just messing around" with plyometrics, kettlebells, tires and hammers, sprinting, handstands, and so on. 

One adjustment I'm making compared to how I did Even Keel in Taiwan, is the rep scheme: for big, compound lifts I'm using a 5x5 scheme, while for smaller exercises I'm going for more volume. Another change is that I'm switching over to dumbbells on as many exercises as I can. One more tweak is that I will throw in unilateral lifts and compounds at times. I also struck upon what I hope is a sustainable and successful programming method, albeit with help from an old stand-by, the deck of cards conditioning challenge. As my millions of readers know, I am prone to adjusting things from one week to the next, as I love to try out new exercises and methods. For a while this adaptability was making me insecure and confused, but then it dawned on me that I should just work with my impulse for novelty. So, this weekend I wrote down my favorite exercises, divided into five groups (squat, deadlift, pull/row, press, and curls [because even I am allowed a little lifter's vanity]). I will be making cards (or straws or tickets) for each exercise, storing them in five different cups (or buckets or whatever), and then pretty much drawing them at random to fill in the following grid: 

A
squat (heavier)
chest/triceps/shoulders
deadlift (lighter)
chest/triceps/shoulders
back/pull
biceps

B
deadlift (heavier)
chest/triceps/shoulders
squat (lighter)
back/pull
chest/triceps/shoulders
biceps

The hub of the workout is the squat and deadlift, so I can always expect to do those lifts every time. I think this will keep things mentally stimulating, and will prevent muscle adaptation. I like the idea of not knowing exactly what challenge I'll be facing until about an hour before I get to the gym. I realize that "imaging" is very important, but this program does not work against imaging. Everything I'm doing here is to help me a) get better at squatting and deadlifting, and b) get stronger overall. Imaging is there to help me become more and more efficient with the first parameter. The variations on a muscular theme are there to achieve the second one. 

Anyway. 

Until I make my Lifting Lotto, here's what I've got projected for tomorrow: 

FSQ: 5x5 @ 265 
db BP: 5x5 @ 90 
SDL: 6, 4, 2 @ 225 
PU: reps x 3
db MP: 12, 9, 6 @ 60, 65, 70 lbs
spider curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 50, 60, 70 lbs   

I'm excited about presenting some exercise that will crop up in the upcoming workouts--I discovered some very neat ones this weekend, as a matter of fact--but I'll let the pattern emerge over time. If I lay it all out now, I'll just look even worse for, inevitably, changing it in a couple weeks. ;) 

Patience... Humility... Confidence...