Chest & Tri
Today was chest and triceps day at the gym. I started out with two warm-up sets (one with an empty bar; the second with only enough weight to get the blood flowing), and then loaded up the bar so that I had 80% of my maximum weight, and got into the routine. The first time I did this, I had absolutely no trouble finishing the sets. Easy peasy, Japanesy, I thought to myself. How can anyone think this is tough?
Today was a whole different ballgame. Same park - different rules; different results. By the third set, i was huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf. On set four, I was seriously fatigued, and by set five, I was thoroughly wiped. Was it, I thought, because my energy level was not as high as the first time? No, that wasn’t it, because it being Saturday, I slept a little longer than usual, and by the time I hit the gym, I was raring to go. Was it, perhaps, not enough carbs to power me through the set? No, I had a bowl of oatmeal and two bananas before hitting the weights, so I thought I was good there. So, what was the difference? Nothing really. Except for it being a different day, everything was pretty much the same. My conclusion, therefore, is that the 5×5 is every bit as difficult as advertised, and this is just the manifestation of that claim. If so, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.
