Lifting smarter and harder

While I've been going to a weightlifting gym since December, I hadn't joined the powerlifting classes yet. They're usually fully booked before I can make plans, and the suggested accessory program is rather complicated for a beginner.

But on Friday I noticed that there were still places available on Saturday, when I was going anyway, so I gave it a try. As it turns out, listening to a trainer can help you improve your technique and lift more. Who would've expected that?

This lesson was actually the end of a cycle, where we were going all-out to achieve a personal best (1 rep max) for squatting. Most participants were women, so I didn't feel out of place among meatheads.

The trainer told me to stand up straight at the start of the squat and to hold my breath while moving down and up. We spent an hour pyramiding up - in my case, starting with 7 reps of 40kg and then doing a lower number of reps with a higher weight for each set.

Thanks to the new technique, I managed to lift 80kg eventually, while my previous 1 rep max was 70kg. Even that went relatively easy, but that was enough progress for me.

It was a nice day, so I took an hour to ride home on my bicycle. Then I took a nap and spent the rest of the day eating. Yeah, I gained weight, which was according to plan, since I should be gaining muscle. I was shocked at how hungry I was, though.

In total, I lifted 1500kg with my legs and the same amount with my arms, after the lesson was finished. But I'm feeling my legs much more now. 2x75kg makes a bigger impact than 5x30kg.

Random photo, as usual: while cycling along a canal, I noticed a job ad on the side of a barge. Unfortunately, it was for manufacturing jobs in Belgium, which is not the kind of blue-collar work I'm looking for.

Weight Lifting