All things considered, it was a good week of training.
The added incentive of 5 km everyday for January seems to be giving me a renewed lease on life, shaking off the cobwebs in the brain. So much so that I get giddy knowing I have a hard session on the way. Boundaries were pushed, goals were set and weights were indeed lifted.
Wednesday:
Due to a busy Monday and Tuesday, I had to move those days of training to Wednesday. We continued with progressive overload, Progressive overload is when you gradually increase the weight, frequency, or number of repetitions in your strength training routine. This challenges your body and allows your musculoskeletal system to get stronger. On chest, Davy decided to see how far I could push myself and I happily obliged. So the superset took a backseat at the very start and we focused on bench press. Starting out with some warm-up sets to get a one rep max. Unfortunately, I went too slow on the 100kg and my chest was too fatigued to be able to do 100kg so had to settle on 90kg. Still, it’s progress. After that, we reverted back to 3 sets of 12 on 60kg, supersetted with some lat pull-downs. We also ventured into some decline machine presses, the exercise focuses heavily on your lower pecs, making it one of the most common exercises to develop a strong lower chest.
Thursday:
This was going to be a bitch of a day and I knew it. Davy had mentioned a little test he wanted to try after a hard leg session. I was thinking about this before I went on my 5 km run. It definitely got me pumped as I managed for the first time ever to complete a kilometre run in under 4 minutes. For seasoned runners, that might not seem like much, but I certainly was quite chuffed after it, hitting 5km in under 23 minutes. So I was all set for a hard leg session. We had been pushing the weight on the leg press for the last few weeks and this week decided to add another 30kg to see if I was capable. I severely doubted myself, but this is where Davy’s experience comes into play. Basically, he advised me to stop talking myself out of it, so I did as he advised. I managed to hit another personal best that day and I was buzzing. We did some power squats, hamstring curls, and lunges with a 20kg held over my head to activate my core. I was spent, but Davy still had that little surprise with in-store. Basically, I had to push the prowler up and down the track, with my body weight added to it. It was something that had me in a heap afterward, struggling for my breathe, but at least I now know the goal I can beat.
Saturday:
I went in with tepid anticipation hoping my shoulder would not break too much havoc as I waited for the Donnie Thompson Bowtie to arrive from the states. The bowtie is a simple but effective accessory for helping athletes train and maintain superior posture. In a time when the average person spends much of their day working at a computer, looking at a cell phone, or stuck driving in traffic, the problem of slouching—and the shoulder pain that comes with it—is all too common and all too real. To my surprise, I managed to go the heaviest I had in awhile, relatively pain-free, and was relieved to do so. I know the problem still persists but the workout was a cause for celebration. I finished with a heavy tricep and bicep workout and walked out on high.
If you want to make a change, you can contact Davy on 0892528904 or email [email protected].
