Another personal best: (floor/bench press)
A few of my sidchas involve lifting weights. I don’t lift to get big or strong, though I like that those results happen. I might like attaining those results more for their being side-effects rather than specific goals. My two main reasons are 1) because our ancestors for hundreds of thousands of years didn’t eat by just walking to the fridge, they had to climb trees, dig up roots, and hunt animals, along with many other activities, so I do various exercises to keep mentally and physically healthy and 2) for the self-awareness and discipline that comes from a regular ritual that is challenging and beautiful.
Despite getting strong not being a primary goal, I like when I find I can do more than I could. For context, in November I wrote A new personal best (bench/floor press) and a failed attempt (Turkish Getup):
First, the personal best on the bench press, or more accurately floor press, since I don’t have a bench. My last personal best was to do three sets with the 70-pound weight per arm, 8 reps, then 7, then 6. Earlier this year, an injury lowered my ability to max out at three reps. When I bought the kettle bell (used from Craigslist) I don’t think I could do one rep.
Six days ago, for the first time, I did three sets: 9 reps, then 8, then 7. This morning I repeated it. I like that it wasn’t a goal. The progress happened just as part of my lifestyle resulting from my sidchas and standard procedures. It feels great as I’m doing reps three, four, and five to sense I’ve got more energy and strength to go past my previous best.
On January 4, I wrote “EDIT January 4: Today I matched my personal best on my lifting day. Three sets of floor presses with 70 pounds, 9 reps, then 8 then 8. On Arnold press: three sets with 24 kg, 3 reps each. The usual number of everything else.”
My new personal best
Yesterday was a lifting day and for the first time I three sets with the 70-pound weight per arm, 10 reps, then 9, then 8. On the Arnold press I matched my personal best of 3 sets of 3 reps with 24 kg. I also increased my curls from 3 sets of 5 with the 35 lb weight to 3 sets of 6.
I can’t move up with my deadlift and squat because I can already do a lot of reps with the heaviest weight I have. In principle I can keep doing more reps since I don’t hit failure, but I’ve adopted the strategy of just maintaining. I guess I could learn a technique that might use different form or angle to work those muscles more, but I’m comfortable where I am. If any readers know an alternate way to do deadlifts and squats to max out without new equipment, let me know.
Two special notes
Special note 1: I find it more rewarding that I didn’t plan to do a personal best. I just did my usual lifting routine. As I approached my ninth rep in my first set I felt like I might have enough for another rep. For a second I thought not to try since it’s hard and my body prefers to avoid stress. I went for it and did it.
Then for the next set I anticipated I might have to settle for one less than I would have done, meaning 7, or at best what I would have done for my second set, meaning 8. Instead I felt I could do one more again and did 9. The pattern repeated for my third set. Wow! It felt great. My form wasn’t bad.
Why was I able to do more? Partly because I’ve been doing 9-8-7 for a while so my muscles have had time to grow. I think also partly because January has 31 days. I do a 6-day exercise cycle starting each month. Months with 31 days give me a chance to do something different with that day. This month I meditated extra, which gave my muscles an extra day to rest. It may be that 7 days rest versus 6 doesn’t make a difference, but I figure it helped. In any case, I suspect my months of reps of 9-8-7 accounts for most of the progress.
Special note 2: My other note is that 10 reps means I’m maxing out on the 70-pound weight for this exercise. I think when I bought it, I couldn’t do one rep, or maybe one or two. Now I’m maxing out. Will I buy a heavier bell? I doubt it since I’m getting older and my potential is decreasing. Plus, lifting so much leaves me exhausted for the rest of the day. I like this exhaustion, but I don’t feel I need to lift more. Plus I don’t like buying things.
I just checked Craigslist and Offerup. A couple people are selling 80-pound bells, but none near me and all asking over $100. If I find one cheap I might consider getting it, but not likely.
In the meantime, I enjoy that I’m approaching maxing out on a weight I couldn’t do one rep with before.
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