Trading Ego For Results
Today’s training was a real break through for me, an epiphany if you will. Over the weekend I watched all the "Gettin’ Cut With Glass" video workouts as well as read that great Fitty thread on training (and identifying) biceps.
So, with all this new info swirling in my brain (gbg will be glad to know I’ll probably be asking a terrabyte less of questions ) I restructured Chest/Bis today…..and completely & totally checked my ego at the fitness center door.
What I Learned:
- Small muscles, when REALLY isolated, are not very strong at all
- Said muscles can be worked to insane pumps & concentric failure with an embarrassingly small amount of weight
- The Smith machine is a godsend for those w/o PTs
- The Smith machine really allows you to work through imbalances (this is big for me as I try to bring my non-dominant arm/side up) fearlessly & push to those last 2 or 3 good, self-forced reps without a BB or PT.
- Reverse Preacher Curls are the Devil’s playtoy
- Incline DB Curls with locked elbows & open hands after Reverse Preachers borders on Geneva Convention violation
- Then doing Rope Cable Curls with elbows nailed to my sides & hands rotating out at the top after both of the above made my eyes water with a stupid amount of weight not there
- That Cable Flies with hands open, elbows locked & to a full "clap" & squeeze are full of pretty, pretty colors after 4 other incline chest exercises.
- That ego has NO PLACE in bodybuilding. None. Nada. Zip. You have to have the conviction to, in a room full of guys tossing around huge weights in so-so form, do what you need to do & do it RIGHT, regardless of how many snickers it may evoke. Form is THE cruel taskmaster I will obey.
That said, I will post the teeny, tiny numbers in my Journal with the knowledge that, dare I say, for the 1st time EVER I really, really, worked the way I should have been working all along and the sore reality that those lil’ numbers made me wince & water eyed.
There. I said it.
January 26, 2009 at 10:32 am
Good post. I learned the hard way a few times that sacrificing form for weight only leads to injury. Besides, as you pointed out, improper form only causes you to workout OTHER muscles, the ones you weren’t concentrating on. So, instead of getting MASSIVE biceps you merely got "big", instead of BULGING chest you got "large"…seems like a small difference but not to me (or you).