Gym regimen - November 2010

A2: Chest and Calves (TUESDAY): 50 mins
Non-circuit
92kg, BMI 26.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, tri extensions

NON-CIRCUIT:

Bench press: 10, 8, 5 @ 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
[Still couldn't manage the last 6-rep set without a partial crushing, but I felt very solid on all these. Getting there.]

Incline bench press: 10, 8, 6 @ 65kg, 70kg, 75kg

Incline/Prone cable flye: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 27kg, 32kg

CIRCUIT:

Pullover: 20, 15, 12 @ 18kg, 22kg, 26kg

Seated calf raise (alternating angles): 15/15/15, 12/12/12 @ 60kg, 50kg
Standing calf raise (alternating angles): 12/12/12 @ 36kg + bdw.
[bdw. means bodyweight!]

Ski machine: 3 min, 3 min, 2 min
[My left foot is feeling better every week.]

Cooldown:
Cable pulldowns (for abs): 36, 36, 30 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

+ + +
While dressing after my workout today, I was pondering once more why so few guys do the squat. A "hardcore BB voice" in my head said, "So, so-and-so doesn't do the squat? F--- him!" And it dawned on me that perhaps some of my love for weightlifting is based on my broader love for athletics, which in turn makes me appreciate the reality of "rites of passage" in human experience. Meaning: while I could stick to Nautilus machines and Hammer Strength machines, and still get very strong and big, I realize there is something elemental in putting myself through The Squat, The Bench, and The Deadlift. Granted, perhaps, the 'ultimate' goal of BB is to look good, win competitions, etc., yet I choose to focus on the nobler goals of absorbing and respecting a tradition of athletics on its own merits. I weightlift in order to be privileged, so to speak, to do The Big Three, not simply to "stay fit," or "get stronger." The Big Three are rites of passage into the discipline and humility which pervade BB. Hence, for me not to do The Big Three (barring injuries) is not to do BB, but, rather, simply to go to a gym like so many others. I have chosen to do The Big Three not simply because "they work," bur rather because they are of the essence of the sport I am pursuing. So if a guy is bigger than but doesn't do The Big Three, that's fine. My inner BB-voice might still say, "Eff 'im," though.