Thursday, January 17, 2013

Lifting Heavy One Day a Week

Since moving out with Cherie and not having a car to drive to a gym, I haven't been able to lift weights much at all.

Every night, when I get home from work, there's a lot of housework that needs to get done; dishes need to be put away, laundry needs to get done, dinner needs cooking and eating, more dishes need washing, lunch the next day needs preparing.

There had to be a way to satiate my hunger to lift. It was eating me up. I was getting antsy about it; daydreaming about what lifts I would do the next time I could get a barbell in my hand. I was also feeling really lazy and getting a bit fatter, since I was still eating similar amounts of food. Spending an hour in the garage maxing my DB clean and press and then doing a bunch of DB rows, or some kettlebell work just wasn't hitting the right spot. And then I re-read this Dan John article.

From the article, I formulated a plan to use Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday as days to do something.

Saturday I lift weights, for 2-3 hours, or as long as I can before I'm sapped for energy. It's a basic squat/push/pull routine. Everything is heavy. Favorite exercises include front squats, strict presses, push presses, BTN push presses, barbell rows, regular deadlifts and snatch-grip deadlifts. I use Dan John's "rule of 10", and after 4-5 weeks, I've set a number of PRs on my front squat, push press and BTN push press.

Since I'm already playing basketball on Sunday nights, I've decided that day is sorted for now.

Wednesday is kettlebell night. No more than half an hour. I do clean and press ladders with my 20kg bell. Five ladders, working up to five rungs per ladder. Very short rests. If I feel like I still have some energy, I finish with sets of swings, with a few push-ups in between sets. That reminds me, I really need a heavier bell...

All other days are spent doing a little mobility work with my foam roller, and preparing food for the next day or two.

The bare minimum to keep me happy and still get a little stronger along the way!

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