I'll admit it, I took a very long break from lifting. I just didn't do it. However, I can't say I regret it, because I found other forms of exercise that have gotten me into the best shape of my life. Previously, I had gotten up to a chunky 200 pounds. I was not happy. Through various forms of exercise and cleaning up my diet, I was able to get down to a lean 185. From there, I have put on 5 pounds - this time without all the fat. I'm lean and doing great.
Had my yearly physical today and my doctor noted the I "got big." I told him that I hadn't grown any taller (still at 5'11") and had actually lost 10 pounds since last year. So, while my stats say I'm "this" big, my physique and posture say I'm alot bigger. Good.
With all that being said, I have started lifting again. I have lost some of my strength, as I found out my first couple times back into deadlifting and squatting. I have noticed that after a few sessions, I'm getting back into the groove, but there is definitely ground to make up. I am once again using EC's The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual. I'm currently doing the spring proficient template. I finished phase I, and will begin this log starting with Phase II.
So, here it goes