Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Here we have Marty and Sef working the back squat together. In his book “The Westside Barbell Book of Methods,” Coach Louie Simmons talks about overcoming plateaus. He says that there are 4 reasons for plateaus: physiological, psychological, technical and exercise selection. He speaks to the psychological point thusly: “To win, you have to put yourself through hell. Have training partners that want to kick your ass all the time (during the workout)…” We look for things that we can measure ourselves against. Whether it be a training partner, the clock, a previous personal record or some inner demon, we all have something to battle during our workouts. This is critical if we are to see real and tangible results.

Marty, Sef and Dan D. are constantly giving each other a hard time and leaving snide remarks to each other on the board. While this is usually meant as playful jest, you can see when they train together that they are all working hard beat each other. The benefit is threefold: They make adaptations quicker (i.e. gain strength), it gives them raison d’etre, and adds a little fun to their training. It also creates a bond and a drive to see the others in the gym succeed. A good training partner is critical. It is one of the reasons that we keep score. Keep up the good work and meet your goals together.

Workout of the Day

Complete the following for time:

30 Hang Power Snatches (75/55)
30 Wall Ball
20 Hang Power Snatch
20 Wall Ball
10 Hang Power Snatch
10 Wall Ball