Day Three – Workout Wolf In Sheeps’ Clothing!

Today’s workout can only be described as a wolf in the proverbial sheep’s clothing. It looked dead simple on the training sheet – well it WAS dead simple; let me rephrase…it didn’t look like it was going to be too tough.
It was legs today; I like training legs and I’ve been looking forward to this particular one since we started.
Sam’s still sunning herself in Hawaii, although she is getting up at 5am every day to train – how’s that for dedication to the six pack cause! – and the time difference between Waikiki Beach and the UK is currently 11 hours.
When I’m up early, writing, it’s early evening for Sam and the timing is just right for chat by email.
I haven’t known Sam very long but this morning we discovered we are rather similar when it comes to thinking ‘more is MORE!’
When you’ve got used to working at maximum capacity in all areas of your life for a long time, you discover that doing less – or, perish the thought, take a day off – has become a bit like a long-lost relative.
You remember them, of course, but you really can’t get a firm fix on the last time you got together or when you’re likely to see them again!
For the last three months or so, Fridays have become my official day-off-of-the-week; the other six are all fair game for the W word. I have to tell you, the night before that first Friday off…I actually felt nervous! How crazy is THAT!
A day completely to myself; a day where I could do what I wanted, when I wanted and I had NO clue what to do with it – rather sad really when you really think about.
It took four Fridays to really get into it and now I LOVE my Fridays off; on these days, less is most definitely more!
Anyway, back to this morning and the discovery that for me and Sam, when it comes to training, less being more is one of those long-lost rellies we’re getting back in touch with.
Sam: “For training tomorrow, it’s just those three exercises? I suppose I live in fear that it’s not enough… my DO MORE mentality!”
Me: “Yep, it’s JUST those three exercises. I know exactly where you’re coming from when you say it doesn’t look like enough.
I think we’ll be surprised – I still struggle with, seemingly, less actually being more. I have to remind myself I don’t need to be on my knees and sweating like a bank robber running away from the cops, to have trained hard.
Sam: “I’m so glad you understand my ‘not enough!’ I’m soooo guilty of, “if four is good, bring on 10, cuz I’m tough as nails, watch me work it!” <eye roll>  I always think I need to workout hard for two hours and feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, or I didn’t do enough. Geez.
I’ll let you know how it goes later, and will have you know I resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to do another 20 mins of HIIT this morning. “

So? Were those workout looks deceiving for six pack workout day three?
Erm….yes!
I booked training in to my schedule for 11am.  I had a review deadline of 1pm and decided that I would drop training in the middle of it – do half before 11, train and then wrap it up afterwards; a perfect plan!
At 11 I was ready. Armed with water and my phone (for stopwatch purposes only remember)  I eyed up the barbell on the floor that was leering at me with the sort of look that says ‘Come over ‘ere if you think you’re ‘ard enough!’
I know I can deadlift 45kgs with normal timing, but we aren’t doing normal times and on the basis of what I can normally do, I need to push my limits.
So there it was – the bar, loaded up with plates to make it’s total weight 50kgs. I’d like to point out that, give or take 6 kilos, that was pretty much my entire body weight on the bar.
“I can do this! *It’s heavy though* Yes but that’s the whole point! *Yes, but it’s really heavy* Oh shut up, I’m doing it!”
And with that, I picked it up and guess what?  It WAS heavy!!!!
After the first six my heart rate was off and racing; by the third six there was a lot of , “COME ON!” being shouted – I think I scared the postman away as he posted the letters through the door but opted to leave the parcel on the doorstep; he usually rings the doorbell. By the last six I was muttering things I won’t repeat here.
By the end of it all I was FINISHED! Out of breath, sweating (a lot), shaking, the whole works.
Not only that, my forearms were completely wrecked; this was something I hadn’t thought about and my perfect split-the-review plan wasn’t looking so clever when I discovered I could barely type! However, I made my deadline and almost 12 hours on, I rather fancy doing it all again *grin*
I know better than that though and have a sneaky feeling I’m going to be aching quite considerably tomorrow morning.
You know what it’s like when you go to bed feeling pretty g o o d, whilst nodding smugly to yourself because you’ve clearly defeated the DOMS demon; you leap out of bed the following morning only to discover your legs don’t work, and wondering if someone beat you up in the middle of the night because you ache so much..?  I think it could be a bit like that!
See you tomorrow 🙂