Getting Started

I'll be honest.  I started working out this way after I read the Gym Jones Manual.  It explains a lot of the science behind various methods of exercise and nutrition and (best of all) backs up its claims with scientific evidence.  The basic principles behind the Gym Jones workouts (and the ones that I've began designing) are the following:

 - High Intensity, Continuous Effort
 - Supersets or Circuits
 - Varying Exercise Types
 - Full-Body Exercises
 - Core Strengthening and Balancing

The one issue I had with the example workouts was (what I considered) an excess amount of recovery.  I've found that, while a 20-30 min circuit can be exhausting, I recover rather quickly... and a few minutes later I'm usually ready to go again.  In addition, I don't do well with rest days.  I prefer active recovery, but I've been able to maintain a 5-day workout cycle with 2 workouts a day for months at a time.  As a result, I began designing workouts around the principles listed above but tailored to my own performance desires and capabilities.

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Some personal information for reference:
I'm a military officer whose primary off-duty competitions are short-distance runs (5k, 8k, 10k) and triathlons.  I've completed a marathon and I also compete in various military contests.  I am 6'2", 200 lbs (as of this posting), and am 24 years old.  I swam competitively in high school but was never a member of a cross-country or track team.

At the start of this workout program (15JUL2010), I was in decent shape...
Bodyweight - 207#
1RM Bench - 225#
1RM Deadlift - 395#
1RM Clean - 175#
2 mi Run - 11:29
(I was deployed and unable to test any other events at the time).

At my redeployment (01SEP2010), I had been able to retest a few things...
Bodyweight - 198#
1RM Clean - 205#
2 mi Run - 11:08

As I am able to benchmark things, I'll post them.  A few other PRs are listed below:
5k Run - 16:39
5 mi Run - 30:10
1RM Bench - 235#
1RM Deadlift - 405#
Marathon - 3:30:06