“Go back a little to leap further.” John Clarke

Rant and Tip for January 4, 2012

Quote: “Go back a little to leap further.” John Clarke

Today’s quote although short carries a lot of weight to it. Sometimes whether it is training for a big event or just getting your eating and change in lifestyle under control we have to take a step back and evaluate the situation. Take stock, as you will of what has stalled us or made it difficult to stay on plan. These little set backs are a necessary part of the process.

When working out keep in mind that your body does need time to repair, it may be necessary to take a step back in the poundage you are using. While this may seem counter productive it will ready the muscles to grow again and allow you to get stronger and push some every weights down the road.

Squats went well yesterday. I still have to remind myself that the brass ring is in May for the World Bench Press Meet. I do not want to get injured performing squats, so I keep those workouts on the light side. The max I worked with yesterday was 285 for a set of 5. The most I will allow myself to do next week will be 300. I will hold at that weight with multiple reps for a few weeks making sure that that weight is always deep enough and I am able to grind out up to 10 repetitions. This should keep my shoulders healthy and ready for the bench.
If you are hitting some plateaus in your quest to lose body fat, keep in mind that you will hit set points your quest for a leaner body. You body has maintained a certain percent of body fat and it believes it needs it to survive. You need to take that step back and determine if you are eating enough or maybe simply eating to much again. In either case do not panic a stall in weight loss or even a pound or two gain. Stay the course and do not let the fear of failure get in your way of being successful in this endeavor.

Have a great workout!

Tip: Squats can be tough on the knees and the lower back. If you have not done them before, try doing them with dumbbells in your hands and simply sit to a low chair and stand right back up. When going to that sit position be sure too not relax in that sitting position. This will compress your lower spine. You want to keep it all tight when going down and coming back up. A picnic table bench seems to be low enough for most people to get the muscles involved properly. However if you plan on competing some day you will need to make sure your hip joint breaks parallel to the knee.

OK just for the fun of it I thought this gif was on the funny side