Workout Number Two

I tweaked the schedule somewhat. My legs were still a bit too sore last night & I was late getting home from work thanks to traffic. I took it easy... & ate some lasagna. Today saw much better form in the squats & high pulls. (Most likely the overhead press as well.)

I did a warm up today. A set of 20 dumbbells swings with around 25 pounds. That seemed to warm me up fairly well without overdoing it.

Overhead Press:
1x5 @ 47.5 pounds, 1x5 @ 57, 5 pounds & 3x5 @ 67.5 pounds.

I could tell the difference in the weight on these today... but I still felt like I had more strength & much ore control over the bar today than I did in the first workout.

High Pulls:
1x5 @ 70 pounds, 1x5 @ 80 pounds & 3x5 @ 90 pounds.

I had an epiphany on these before the first set. I was setting doing mental imaging (if you haven’t tried this you should!) & I pictured first a snap shot of the IronMind Second Pull T-shirt. Then I saw Jim Schmitz doing the movement. It was at that point that I realized what I have been doing wrong all this time. Not just from the other day, but the entire time I was working these back in 2005.
I wasn’t pulling my shoulders back. I got up & began analyzing how I had been doing them & realized that I actually tend to lean forward at the top of the pull. This is WRONG! Leaning forward (or what “feels” like straight & fully erect) actually causes a few problems.
1. It takes the hips & legs completely out to the lift & shifts virtually all of the work to the shoulders & back.
2. This weakens the lift.
3. This also puts undue stress on the lower back.
4. The shrug should be completed by pulling the shoulders back as you thrust the hips forward coming up onto the toes.

Making this slight correction made a huge difference in my form. I’m going to need a lot of practice & it will take some time to unlearn the incorrect form but I noticed immediately that it felt correct. SO now video-taping is going to help correct this. Naturally I didn’t tape today.

Squats:
1x5 @ 50 pounds, 1x5 @ 60 pounds & 3x5 @ 70 pounds.

I saw a noted improvement on these over Wednesday. My left leg appears to be evening out. I still had a slight lean & there was also some slight difference in flexibility but not nearly what I saw the other night. By the time the weight starts climbing closer to 135 pounds, I should have the issue fixed. I also felt stronger overall today in the squat. Things felt more even, more controlled & more precise. The thumb behind the bar feels more natural now. I may even moce my hands out on the bar a bit further to ease the shoulders a bit.

Bent Over Rows:
1x5 @ 50 pounds, 1x5 @ 60 pounds & 3x5 @ 70 pounds.

I took the time with these today rather than just blowing through them. I was thinking of pulling more. On Wednesday I basically yanked the bar up to get them over with. I could still work them slower. It will take some time to get beyond the fatigue that's hitting me in thee sessions. Currently, by the time I get done with teh squats I'm ready to bail. I had a bit more in me today. Factor in the bloody cold of the basement & it wasn't pleasant towards the end.

Lastly I did one set of 10 reps w/ 10 pounds for each side for the neck. The neck harness covers the front & back & I do lying neck raises with a 10-pounds plate for the side. That & one set of 10 reps of leg raises for the abs finished things up.



Lastly, I’ll note that… it’s still a tad too chilly to be working out in that basement without the Under Armor on! I'll need to do laundry tonight so I'll have some decent protection for Monday's training session. Top & bottom I think.