My top 5's and why

Rather than go through some advice that I often do with these posts, I wanted to go through some of my top 5's and why I chose them.

My top 5 exercises: 
1.  Barbell Back Squat.  This exercise, when done heavy enough and for enough reps, hits pretty much everything.
2.  Pull-ups.  Kind of the upper body's version of the squat.  When done well, hit's everything.
3.  Dead-lift.  The "king" of lifts.  Between the break off of the floor and the amount of muscle it hits, can't forget this one.
4.  Pull-over.  I used to like the bench press and whatnot, but now my shoulder pretty much hates those.  These hit much of my upper body, especially in the front.
5.  Barbell Lunges.  Kind of like the back squat, these can get everything.  Plus you have the added bonus of maintaining your balance throughout.

Top 5 proteins: 
1.  Chicken breast.  You really can't go wrong here, versatile and can be made to taste like everything.
2.  Turkey breast.  This honestly tastes better than chicken, but with less versatility.
3.  Tuna.  This is cheap, easy, and honestly you can't go wrong for the amount of protein for the price.
4.  Protein shakes.  I use Arbonne Essentials,  they taste good and you feel full for awhile afterwards.
5.  Steak.  The killer here is the price.  Most of the time it's more expensive than what I had listed above, but it's still amazing.

Top 5 Extras:
1.  Coffee.  Without it, everyone suffers.
2.  Silence.  Surprisingly misunderstood and unappreciated.
3.  Trucks.  My favorite vehicle.
4.  Muay Thai.  What I do when I don't lift.
5.  Podcasts.  How to learn without anything crazy, like spending money.


Finally, my top 1....the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings.  This is how I want to live my life, and I want to give my life to Him.

Those are some of my top 5's and why I thought them.  I hope you gain something out of it that's useful and valuable.

My training routine

Since I'm not currently looking at any competition to guide my training, what do I train for and what do I do?

I usually have two major training "seasons," which are the fall/winter season and the spring/summer/fall season.  Within each, there are many variations due to workflow, and thus I don't often get to work out when I would desire.

Most of the time, the fall/winter is the time for me to build muscle mass & strength.  This is ideal since going outside often doesn't happen due to the sub-zero temperatures, snow, ice, or combination thereof.  Most of the time the programs that I use are built around four lifts, the squat, dead-lift, overhead press, and bench press.

Right now, we're in the spring/summer/fall season and one of the principle drives for me at the moment is fat loss & weight management.  I have battled my entire life with my weight and so while I can put on some muscle in the previous season, I also put on a lot of fat mass.  Right now, my training routine is largely running & cardio centric.  I also lift 2x per week rather than the 4-5 days in the other season.

Since I have a training partner, most of the time, we usually reserve Mondays for a faster, shorter run.  Tuesdays & Thursdays are lifting days which center around the lifts I previously mentioned.  Wednesdays are usually some non-impact related cardio such as a bicycle or elliptical, this is my least favorite day but I trudge on with it.  Lastly Fridays are usually a longer, slower run so we can burn some additional calories.

All of this helps out tremendously, as well as the nutritional goals that I've set, which largely consists of eating less than I had been and also eating slower.

There you have it, my general training schedule.  This does omit any sparring or boxing/kickboxing that I do, which is usually inconsistent.