Front Squats
10xBW
10x20kg
5x32.5kg
4x45kg
1x55kg -- Jokes were had about being able to count to schfiffty-five.
3x8x65kg -- I'm pretty sure this is a rep PB.
Deadlift
5x60kg
5x80kg
1x100kg
3x10x110kg -- Surprisingly, these felt less impossibru than last week's deadlifts. I don't want to give the wrong impression and have people thinking this was easy, but it was less insanely hard. I like it when this happens, especially since, as I mentioned on Monday, I only have to be doing 3x8 at the moment.
Farmer's Walk/GHR
50mx37.5kg/8xGreen
50mx37.5kg/10xGreen -- Little PB's indahouse. This is normally where I do shrugs, but the space I normally use for it was taken up, and this gave me a good excuse to turn to the guy I was training alongside and say: "I'm gonna go for a little walk, but don't worry, I'll be right back." About halfway through the second set of farmer's, I remembered that I'm trying not to choke the handles if I don't have to.
Calf Raise
20x300lb -- Another little PB.
>> 6x200lb
>>6x100lb -- Drop sets. Couldn't be bothered waiting around to do another full set, so I figured I'll drop set it instead.
<><><>
Last week I mentioned bringing in one of my friends and coaching him on the squat, bench press, deadlift and seated row. This week I got him back in, this time at the same time as me. While I was doing front squats, he was doing chin ups and high bar back squats. While I was doing deadlifts, so was he. He finished his deadlifts by the time I'd done my first work set, so then I had him doing overhead presses. Lastly, while I was doing FW's and GHR's, I had him doing a circuit of decline sit ups, curls and standing triceps extensions.
We were both really pleased with his deadlifts today. Made me proud. Last week, he was struggling with 25kg. This week we got him up to a couple sets of 5x40kg with good form, and he tried a set of 50kg and got 8 reps, although form wasn't so pretty (still legal, though, and I could tell that the intensity of the lift was low enough that he wasn't likely to hurt himself this time around). I think next week we'll have him going for 3x5x45kg. I didn't have to give him my whory cues to get him into the right position on most of his sets, either. I used my brain and stuck a belt around him instead ;) A lot of coaches, PT's and lifters are against people using belts until they've reached some arbitrary heavy loads, but the fact of the matter is belts give you proprioceptive feedback, which makes it easier to cue yourself. He'd also had a week to mentally review technique tips, which I imagine had some benefit.
Good stuff. You really have to think about not gripping hard when getting used to relaxed hold, and relaxed is definately comparitive term.
ReplyDeleteSessions where PBs fall like dominos are great. You come away absolutely shattered and grinning like an idiot. If legs have been involved the wobbling and grinning tends to make others think you are drunk.
That reminds me, I discovered shortly after the session that shakey hamstrings make trips to the toilet all the more adventurous.
DeleteAll of the best gyms I have ever trained at for leg equipment have been upstairs, which is the absolute definition of cruelty.
DeleteOne I trained at was up two levels of narrow stone steps and I remember walking up them to see one of the bigger guys literally hitting either wall as he wobbled down the stairs, not much of a wobble in fairness, wide guy. I stopped at a corner to allow him past and asked 'Legs?'
He simply smiled and replied, 'How'd you guess?' as he continued.
Very easy to forget that hams are a postural muscle until they fail you. Can give that delightful 'didn't make it in time' look when aching too.
When I worked for a gym in the CBD, the squat rack, 45 degree leg presses and calf machines were all on the top floor. To get into the gym from the street, you had to go downstairs into the reception area, then upstairs to the cardio theatre and shiney machines, then up another flight of stairs to get to the place where all the men hung out, either lifting or perving on girls in the group fitness room. In my first week there, I quickly discovered everything that's wrong with having to walk downstairs after training your legs.
DeleteOne of the trainers tried telling us all that we should leave our clients' leg training until the end of the session. I can't remember if I spoke up this time or not, but I know the first thing I thought was: "Have you BEEN in this gym?" If I gave someone legs at the start of a session, and then upper body afterwards, they'd at least have some chance of regaining lower body function by the time they left.