Completion

Conversation with other people in the gym does not always degenerate into small talk, and awkward departures. Let us take my conversation with Bob as an example. I saw Bob saddle up for some one arm barbell rows about two weeks ago. He preceded that with front squats, and I even saw him tearing into a set of wide grip chins before he called it quits. Bob has a great physique and he knows how to lift. Slow, controlled, heavy. He and I chatted briefly while we both recovered from some barbell sets in the corner of the Club. I urged him to use kettlebells, dangling from his feet, to weight his pull ups. He said it was a solid idea, and the reason he had been using the weight belt and dangling plate was because he had never considered switching it up. It wasn't broke, so why fix it? We then discussed creature comforts in the gym, and the outcome of the conversation was this: even as the hardest dudes in the gym, we still had our pet projects. He liked to flat press with dumbbells, I preferred the bar. He hadn't tried kettlebells because he loved the instability that dumbbells provide, and never thought to inquire as to what kettlebells were. I mentioned that I had not performed any DB bench press in about 4 years, and that when I did finally return to the bench, last fall, I was all about the barbell. The high arch in the lumbar spine, the tight glutes, my position fortified with feet pressed hard into the deck and my lats turned up to 11 as I 'walk' the bar out- it was all good. But if I was to urge Bob to branch out, should I not reciprocate? This was a nice guy with a strong build who lifted smart. I can learn things from everyone, correct? From the hamsters, to the meat monkeys, to the cardio queens, every body I see sings. The meat inflates himself and uses poor range of motion. The hamsters churn away on the wheel with their heart rate cranked all the way up to 35% of their Karvonen max. Cardio queens cover all their bases: Treadmill? Check. Elliptical? Check. 90 minute spinning class? You bet your bells.
Well, Bob was not one of them, nor am I. By no stretch am I the most knowledgeable lifter. Not by far. Student-master, correct? So when I landed at the PSC last night, and Bob was there hammering away with more free weights, I committed to the idea of flat DB bench. Here is what the day brought.

Wednesday 1 October
0450 reveille
0510 walk 3 miles to the gym
0600 client
0715 client
0900 client [caught a ride home]
1100 walk 3 miles to Trader Joe's [listened to Dark Side of the Moon]
12-730 Shift
At 5PM I ate an orange and took some vitamins [EFA, multi]
810Pm my lift began. Lots of pumps to open up.
2 KB Single leg dead lift 16kg x 3RL x 5RL
Pistol, 16kg x 1 LR
Flat DB Bench Press 60-65-70-75-85lbs. for sets of 5. They felt light as cotton candy. It was nice to use a DB again, after 4 years, but I like to move weight on the bench. When I kick up the bench after Level II next summer, I will remember this day. . .
Racked Front Squat 40kg x 3 sets of 3 L, 1 set of 3 R.

Level II requirements have taken over my strength practice, as I creep toward my 80 sets of MAX V02 15:15. I do not own a beast, which makes the 40 my best friend. I have to revise my strength attack for the remainder of the year. I fell 1/2 get ups, front squats, pull ups, barbell pressing, and bent presses are going to be the corner stones. Come January, when I rev up the 15:15 with a 20kg, I will relieve myself of bent presses and barbell pressing and work the ROP.

Feast-ivities: No vegetables last night.
Black beans.
Almonds.
Orzo, quinoa, brown rice medley with baby garbonzo beans, radish seeds, and barley.
Unsulphured, dried apricots.
Non-sorbate pitted prunes.
Black figs.
2 slices of multi-grain toast smeared with raw, creamy, unsalted almond butter.

All of this chow came from Trader Joe's.

Woke up at 0650 feeling amazing. Emotions are stable, it is payday, and I will be damned if it isn't nice and chilly again in PA. . .