So the gist of Paul Carter’s full body training plan – the one linked above – is to do compound lifts (geared toward performance) at the beginning of every training session, then fill in the gaps with isolation pump work.
Then you alternate musculature that the big lifts and pump work hit every session.
Here’s a 2-day example of the workouts:
Man I love this! But I’m kinda on the fence because of that stinkin’ high ham strain that rears its ugly head every time I accidentally do something wrong.
It’s doing well right now, but as soon as I add direct ham work or compound lifts that emphasize the posterior chain, it gets ticked off again.
So the current compound lower body lifts that don’t irritate it are walking lunges and leg press. I thought about doing front squats because those are pretty quad-dominant, but coming out of the hole hits the glute max + ham area.
Can’t believe I was doing hip thrusts, ham curls, and RDLs at the end of the summer. I’m guessing – even though they were doable – they prevented this thing from healing for good.
So… Got Recommendations?
If you have ideas for a lower body compound lift that’s more quad-focused, let me know! I’m just trying to work around that high ham until it’s 100% healed.
The good news is, I’m liking the look of bigger stronger quads. And the more I blast them, the better that high ham feels.
Was that injury just a sign of a muscular imbalance? 
Hikes and Weekend Eye-Candy
Our Saturday morning hike was gorgeous.
This time of year, it’s too cold for normal people to go outside early in the morning, so Chris and I bundled up, drove 8 minutes across town, and got to explore by ourselves.
NOBODY WAS OUT THERE. So we let the dogs off leash for most of the walk.
This guy loves streams.
The sunrise hits this mountain straight on, turning it orange. If you sleep in, you miss fire-colored mountains.
The Marriage Book
Chris and I are part of a life group for married couples, and we’re going through a book titled, Complement. For the most part it’s been good! But there are a couple Biblical inconsistencies that Chris and I have been secretly questioning. All in all though, the outcome of going through it together has been incredible.
So anyway, we’re in the sex chapter and we decided to go through it in a coffee shop over the weekend. We read it together in hushed tones, and yes, the people at the table closest to us might’ve gotten weirded-out. But oh well.
Check this out though. I was able to snap a picture of this plants-on-a-stick decor because it’s what I recreated in our house. It made me want to redo my version.
