Don't Think...Do.
Anther one of those types of sessions today. Just had to train without thinking. Trying to stimulate some muscle with drop sets:
Clean and Press is the exercise of choice (no surprise there)
2x32kg/10+10, followed immediately by
2x24kg/10+10, followed immediately by
2x16kg/10+10, followed by 5 minutes rest.
The drop sets took approx. 2.5 minutes to complete.
Just did 2 rounds.
That was enough.
The temptation was to stop momentarily between sets. But this is always a mistake. The scared child in your head starts to scream if that happens and you will inevitably come up with some excuse to rest, or worse, stop. This of course doesn't mean that you keep going no matter what happens: obviously you stop if your form falls apart. So, you keep moving, keep moving, keep moving until you complete your goal (quality and safety are of course part of the goal). Then and only then do you evaluate what you just went through. Feedforward versus feedback. Obviously then you use low skill (to you) exercises for this style of training. High skill exercises performed in this manner leads to form degradation, cementing of faulty movement patterns, and eventually injury.
These are also the types of sessions that can scare you (high reps always scare me). You think about the amount of work ahead of you and experience emotional arousal, which you have to control to make it through the exercise/session. I [sometimes] like these workouts because they are situations I have to conquer. Of course they're artificial, because I determine them, but they seem to help in life's tougher moments. They create inner strength. Only you have the power to do them or walk away. The few times I've walked away, I've always felt smaller for it.
There are of course other applications of this in life: dieting; studying for a degree; building a business to name a few. Many people fail to achieve much more than mediocrity because they think too much. Then doubt and fear enter in and all is lost unless these are conquered.
The key then, is after careful analysis, to walk away or jump in. Of course one is aware of the surrounding environment and processes that environment while in the middle of the challenge, if accepted, but the reaction is visceral--it comes from instinct. Only when said challenge is met, is it evaluated, for good or for bad, for application to the next challenge.
I'm ready for my next challenge--in fact, I just learned about it today. It could be painful or it could be fruitful, either way, a part of me feels that much more prepared for it after that silly little workout I performed today.
Anther one of those types of sessions today. Just had to train without thinking. Trying to stimulate some muscle with drop sets:
Clean and Press is the exercise of choice (no surprise there)
2x32kg/10+10, followed immediately by
2x24kg/10+10, followed immediately by
2x16kg/10+10, followed by 5 minutes rest.
The drop sets took approx. 2.5 minutes to complete.
Just did 2 rounds.
That was enough.
The temptation was to stop momentarily between sets. But this is always a mistake. The scared child in your head starts to scream if that happens and you will inevitably come up with some excuse to rest, or worse, stop. This of course doesn't mean that you keep going no matter what happens: obviously you stop if your form falls apart. So, you keep moving, keep moving, keep moving until you complete your goal (quality and safety are of course part of the goal). Then and only then do you evaluate what you just went through. Feedforward versus feedback. Obviously then you use low skill (to you) exercises for this style of training. High skill exercises performed in this manner leads to form degradation, cementing of faulty movement patterns, and eventually injury.
These are also the types of sessions that can scare you (high reps always scare me). You think about the amount of work ahead of you and experience emotional arousal, which you have to control to make it through the exercise/session. I [sometimes] like these workouts because they are situations I have to conquer. Of course they're artificial, because I determine them, but they seem to help in life's tougher moments. They create inner strength. Only you have the power to do them or walk away. The few times I've walked away, I've always felt smaller for it.
There are of course other applications of this in life: dieting; studying for a degree; building a business to name a few. Many people fail to achieve much more than mediocrity because they think too much. Then doubt and fear enter in and all is lost unless these are conquered.
The key then, is after careful analysis, to walk away or jump in. Of course one is aware of the surrounding environment and processes that environment while in the middle of the challenge, if accepted, but the reaction is visceral--it comes from instinct. Only when said challenge is met, is it evaluated, for good or for bad, for application to the next challenge.
I'm ready for my next challenge--in fact, I just learned about it today. It could be painful or it could be fruitful, either way, a part of me feels that much more prepared for it after that silly little workout I performed today.
posted by Geoff Neupert at
5:09 PM
6 Comments:
Excellent post today, Geoff. I am going to try this C+P workout tomorrow, with a manageable weight applicable to me of course.
nice work man and excellent post. dive in baby, the deep end is good.
Fawn--just remember what the purpose of this particular workout is: increased muscle mass. If that's not what you're after, don't do it.
Thanks, Rif. How deep is the deep end--no matter, I'm already in!
no deeper than you can handle geoff, no deeper.
Geoff, you made this workout sound so alluring... help life's tougher moments, create inner strength... things we all want. Added muscle mass... not really.
Hey, I am meeting up with Michael Nelson on Monday to discuss Z Health. He is going to have a look at one of my chronicly stiff clients.
Fawn, ANY workout can be made to sound alluring--my point was that it was something I was dreading doing--60 total reps (C+P) without stopping? Not my cup of tea at all. But something I had to do. Set up your own "dreaded workout" and post it for us.
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